APSCUF elects Mash to serve as president

Dr. Kenneth Mash will take over the APSCUF presidency on June 1. Photo Credit / Dana Reese
Dr. Kenneth Mash will take over the APSCUF presidency on June 1. Photo Credit / Dana Reese
Dr. Kenneth Mash will take over the APSCUF presidency on June 1.
Photo Credit / Dana Reese

By Victoria Krukenkamp
Managing Editor

State APSCUF Vice-President Dr. Kenneth Mash, ESU Professor of Political Science, now holds a new title — APSCUF President.

Mash will represent approximately 6,000 faculty and coaches from the 14 PASSHE universities. He will be assisted by newly-elected Vice-President Jamie Martin, a Professor of Criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The legislative assembly of APSCUF is made up of delegates from the 14 universities based on their sizes. Largest delegates are at Westchester and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. These delegates elect the president. Mash received 95 percent of the vote.

Mash’s new title comes after a long time serving the APSCUF community.

It was being a political scientist and understanding politics that sparked his interest in getting involved with the faculty union. Mash also agreed with everything the union stood for.

“We fight for quality higher education — I believe in higher education, public higher education, and that everyone deserves the opportunity to do the best that they can for themselves,” he said.

Locally, he started off at APSCUF “back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth,” said Mash.

He began as public relations chair, and became involved with the campus meet & discuss sessions. He continued to be active in the ESU community by serving as the grievance chair, serving on the curriculum committee, and a few technology committees.

Following the dinosaur’s extinction, Mash began serving on the state-wide meet and discuss — a monthly meeting between administrations and APSCUF. Eventually he became the meet and discuss chair.

Beginning June 1, Mash will assume his role in Harrisburg for a two-year term, but not without hesitation.

“I’m not excited in the sense that I can’t wait to do it,” he said. “It’s something that you do because it’s the obligation and people expect you to do it. It’s a change and nice to be able to do different things I really enjoy.”

At ESU, Mash is known as a tough professor because he is willing to say things that people don’t necessarily want to hear — a trait that will continue to serve him well in Harrisburg.

As president, he plans to lead the union by taking proactive measures.

“Based on experience, temperament, and knowledge of the organization I am put in a position to have the opportunity to do a good job, and I am honored that people think I will,” he said.

Mash looks forward to serving APSCUF, but is also excited for his term to end so he can get back to another thing he really loves — teaching and research.

Email Victoria at:
vkrukenkam@live.esu.edu