Perry Rapier, left, and James Knight. In center, FRA Administrator Jolene Molitoris.

First Graduating Class Includes BMWE Members

On July 24, the National Labor College's first graduating class donned caps and gowns to receive bachelor of arts degrees and BMWE members Perry Rapier and James Knight were among the 88 graduates, who ranged in age from 29 to 78 and represented 33 different unions in 25 states, Canada and Panama.

The first in his family to earn a college degree, Rapier studied while working full-time as Vice Chairperson of the Pennsylvania Federation. A member of Local Lodge 3017, Rapier, 46, joined the BMWE in 1974.

Born in eastern Kentucky, where his father worked in the coal mines, Rapier moved to Ohio after his father went to work for the railroad as a laborer. He and his wife and their two sons make their home in Greenville, Ohio.

Knight, 45, earned his degree while working full time as General Chairman of the Seaboard Federation. Also a member of the BMWE since 1974, Knight is a member of Local Lodge 2067.

Appointed to the BMWE position of Director of Government Affairs on October 29, Knight and his wife are in the process of moving from their home in Jacksonville, Florida to the Washington, DC area.

Originally envisioned by Samuel Gompers in 1899, the Labor College was established in 1997 by the AFL-CIO. An outgrowth of the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, the first graduating class was also the twenty-first commencement from the George Meany Center/McGregor School of Antioch University.

The National Labor College's objective is to enable workers to enrich their lives and their unions by meeting their educational needs. The core program enables working men and women to pursue a college degree without leaving their jobs to do it.

The college program provides week-long "in-residence" class sessions every four months, in January, April, July and October. After the end of these sessions, students continue to study independently, completing assignments and conferring with instructors through the mail and by telephone.

In addition to the transfer of credits from college courses taken before their education was sidetracked by work and life, workers may also earn up to 90 credits for life experiences, including on-the-job training, work experience and union skills development. "Most people are genuinely surprised to find out how much their life experience is worth," says Sue Schurman, president of the Labor College, which is accredited by the state of Maryland.

For the union movement, the greatest benefit is the college's ability to develop programs that correspond to the areas of union leadership needs. The college now offers seven different disciplines: labor studies, labor education, organizational dynamics and growth, political economies of labor, union governance and administration, labor history and labor safety and health. At the request of several unions, it is considering adding urban studies and international affairs programs.

The college also launched a master's degree program in April with the University of Baltimore, allowing students who complete 36 additional credits to receive master's degrees in public policy and public administration with a concentration in labor studies.