Professor stepping down from union post

The president of the faculty union at Suffolk County Community College, Ellen Schuler Mauk, who's the county's longest-tenured labor leader, is stepping down from her union post at the end of the school year after 34 years.

Her influence far exceeds the size of the union, which represents about 485 full-time faculty and about 1,500 part-time adjuncts. Schuler Mauk, 66, an English professor since 1970, was a key player in creating Suffolk's self-insurance program, affecting all 10,000 county employees.

The union's longtime executive vice president, Kevin Peterman, 63, has declared his candidacy for a two-year term as president, with the election scheduled for May.

-- Rick Brand