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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Susan J. Kaufman,
4 Ph.D., on her upcoming retirement as President of the
5 University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100
6 IFT-AFT/AFL-CIO and Professor Emerita of the Journalism
7 Department at Eastern Illinois University; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Sue Kaufman was born and grew up in Michigan's
9 Upper Peninsula, the daughter of a union activist in the
10 Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers and a
11 housewife; and granddaughter of two county Democrat chairs, one
12 of whom was a suffragist; and
 
13     WHEREAS, During the 1970s and 1980s, she distinguished
14 herself as a journalist in newspapers, radio, and television
15 and as an advertising and public relations practitioner; in the
16 Upper Midwest she covered the civil rights movement,
17 government, and education, among other topics; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Dr. Kaufman earned a bachelor's degree from
19 Michigan Technological University, a master's degree from
20 Indiana State University, and a Ph.D. from Indiana State
21 University in 1992; her public service is legend, starting with
22 memberships on a school board and a technical advisory board in

 

 

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1 Michigan and continuing through her service as president of
2 University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100,
3 IFT-AFT/AFL-CIO; and
 
4     WHEREAS, An active feminist throughout the 1970s, she
5 helped to create and to manage a news service to cover the 1985
6 UN Decade for Women Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, among other
7 accomplishments; she has produced documentaries and written
8 book chapters on topics including a story of a survivor of
9 Auschwitz who survived infamous Nazi Dr. Joseph Mengele's
10 experiments with twins, theories of communication, and
11 feminism; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Dr. Kaufman was hired to teach broadcast
13 journalism at Eastern Illinois University in 1986, where she
14 distinguished herself as news director of the television
15 station, earning Women of Achievement and Distinguished
16 Faculty awards and the love and admiration of her students; and
 
17     WHEREAS, She became active in union leadership in 2000,
18 only after another broadcaster (one of her former students) was
19 hired as news director for the student television station and
20 she no longer saw a conflict of interest; she was elected
21 president of EIU's chapter of University Professionals of
22 Illinois in the 1990s, and secretary-treasurer of Local 4100 in
23 2000; in 2002, Dr. Kaufman was appointed president of the

 

 

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1 Local, leading nearly 3,000 university faculty and staff at
2 seven public universities; she was elected to two more
3 three-year terms as Local president; and
 
4     WHEREAS, She served as a vice president of the Illinois
5 Federation of Teachers and a member of American Federation of
6 Teachers Higher Education Program and Policy Council; and as a
7 member of the policy council of Citizen Action Illinois and
8 vice president of the Public Action Foundation Board; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Dr. Kaufman's seven-year tenure as Local 4100
10 president has been marked by inclusion, cooperation, and
11 strengthening of the Local/Chapter relationship; she expanded
12 the role of the membership and governing boards, created
13 transparency of the finances and administration, developed the
14 concept of strategic budgeting, oversaw an increase in
15 membership each year under her tenure due to a strong emphasis
16 on internal organizing, helped to create the Higher Education
17 Legislative Coalition, which has become a strong voice for the
18 needs of higher education in Illinois, and strengthened
19 alliances with the Illinois Federation of Teachers and with the
20 American Federation of Teachers; and
 
21     WHEREAS, She and her partner of more than 30 years have
22 raised five children and now care for her nonagenarian mother;
23 therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3 congratulate Dr. Sue Kaufman on her retirement and wish her
4 continued success in all her future endeavors; and be it
5 further
 
6     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7 presented to Dr. Sue Kaufman as a symbol of our respect.