Three years ago, faculty and staff feared SUNY Erie could lose its entire South Campus presence, its programs and all of the students who relied on its proximity.
Today, Erie’s South Campus has been preserved and reimagined with a new location fewer than three miles away from the original.
That victory is thanks in large part to years of organizing and persistence from the Faculty Federation of Erie Community College, with a message that saving South Campus wasn’t just good for FFECC members, it was vital for the growth of the college and community.
“Quite honestly, I didn’t always see this happening,” said FFECC president Andy Sako after the Aug. 14 grand opening of the new 37,000-square-foot location in Orchard Park. “Sometimes I thought, ‘You know, we’re screwed.’ But we just kept fighting and we made it happen.”
Just a few years ago, the future looked different. Enrollment was falling, the pandemic had disrupted college life, and college leadership had begun winding down programs at the old South Campus location, as well as cost-cutting through retirement incentives and layoffs.
South Campus faculty who remained faced the prospect of relocating or traveling further to courses that were moved to North Campus, nearly 20 miles and a 30- to 50-minute drive away.
There was no plan forward, and that uncertainty hit FFECC members directly. But the fight to save South Campus wasn’t just about saving jobs; it was also about proving the community needed SUNY Erie in the Southtowns — the swath of southern Erie County suburbs such as Hamburg and Orchard Park.
So Sako and FFECC embarked upon a community outreach effort that often worked behind the scenes.
They pulled enrollment data to show county officials the importance of the location for students who would otherwise not drive the extended commute across Erie County to reach North Campus. They held forums where students, faculty and family shared testimonials of the impact the community college had on their lives. Sako cultivated relationships with administrators, board members, local politicians and labor coalitions everywhere he went.
It was a slow process that often felt “like we were the only ones out there,” Sako said. But momentum continued to build.
The turning point was when new leadership at the college brought an administration more open to conversations about a different path forward, Sako said. But other political factors came into play that showed real benefits to maintaining SUNY Erie’s reach in the region, including NYSUT-backed state legislation to expand access to community college for adult learners.
“I don’t like to take a lot of credit for things, but it’s really something that was a collaboration between the college, the state, and local legislators,” he said. “It really came through our political action group, and it was a big victory for my members.”
Sako said the new South Campus location, though smaller, will offer a more student-centered environment, including a science lab, library, computer lab, student services office, food pantry, student lounge, several classroom areas and faculty office space. It’s targeted toward a modern student experience, rather than the one the old campus served decades ago.
South Campus will continue to host business, communications, EMT, and other liberal arts programs. The location allows for collaborative opportunities for students and local businesses, including automotive programs and sports management.
For Sako, the most rewarding part is what the win means for his colleagues, who saw the effort it took to build a coalition of allies to the cause.
“The best part of this is the faculty — who felt like nobody cared about them for a number of years — saw the place and they were just happy, and they were happy with our efforts as a bargaining unit to push back,” Sako said.
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