Dr. Chris Hallen, left, and Dr. Kara Laskowski talk at APSCUF’s April 2024 legislative assembly. Hallen is immediate-past vice president, and Laskowski took on the role in June. APSCUF file photo.
Dr. Kara Laskowski began her career as a communication professor at a nonunionized private institution, giving her firsthand experience in a workplace without a voice for the rank-and-file employees. She joined APSCUF in 2003, shortly after joining Shippensburg University as a temporary faculty member, becoming the fourth generation in her family to be a part of a union.
Speaking to the State System Board of Governors in July, Laskowski reaffirmed the union’s commitment to students.
“As vice president of APSCUF, I’m both grateful and proud to assert that it is our union that most directly, efficiently, and successfully allows all of us to meet our (State System) mission and serve our students,” Laskowski said.
Laskowski brings a wealth of experience to the position of vice president, including her most recent stint as the chair of the state meet-and-discuss committee. Her other APSCUF service has included roles at the campus level, positions that are more internal to APSCUF, and duties that require interaction with the State System. Her levels of experience have taught her the different workings of the union, she said.
“I really felt a sense of obligation and responsibility,” she said about running for vice president.
Laskowski discussed the previous state vice president, Dr. Chris Hallen, and how he brought a sense of calm that allowed APSCUF leaders to think and better understand relevancy and requirements before they jumped into action.
“He’s been somebody I’ve learned a great deal from,” Laskowski said.
She assumed her new position on June 1, and said her responsibilities include being the president’s designee on the meet-and-discuss committee, being a member of the executive council, serving at legislative assembly, being an ex-officio member of many committees, and serving as assigned by the president. The vice president also has responsibilities during negotiations for faculty and coaches.
In her new position, Laskowski said she wants to improve the strength of the contract and to support the union membership and staff in any way she can.
Laskowski said she wants to bring her communication background with her into the role.
“(I want to) do a lot of listening, to really understand what’s important to people and why,” Laskowski said.
Laskowski said faculty and coaches should join the union for practical reasons. For example, when working at a nonunionized private institution, she had no dental insurance, and would ask for her parents to pay for a dental cleaning as a Christmas gift. Educators who are unionized are able to control the curriculum and are empowered to advocate for their students, she said.
MORE ABOUT LASKOWSKI
Kara Laskowski first started at Shippensburg University as a temporary faculty member in 2003, becoming tenure-track in 2004. Today, she is chair of the Communication Studies Department. She served most recently as the state meet-and-discuss committee chair, but also chaired the public-relations committee and personnel committee, served as an at-large member of the executive council, and was chapter president of SU-APSCUF. She received her bachelor’s from Juniata College, and her master’s and doctorate are from Penn State.
—Jesse Daugherty,
APSCUF intern