September 23, 2004

 Dear Colleagues:

After 48 years at F.I.T. and 35 years of service as the President of the UCE, I have decided to step down as president of the union effective November 1, 2004.

As you can imagine, this is a bittersweet moment for me.

For the past five years, the other officers and I have been training and developing the next generation of leaders.  I am confident that they are ready to step in and serve our members, keep the union strong and maintain our position as one of the national leaders in academic unionism.  If I did not believe this, I would not be stepping down at this time.

I have recommended to the Executive Committee of the UCE, and they have confirmed, the appointment of Juliette Romano, Executive Vice President to fill out my term of office.

These years have been exciting, fulfilling and personally rewarding, and I want to thank you all for your years of support and friendship.

I will miss you all.

In Solidarity,

Lou Stollar