Minutes of the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate Meeting

December 1-2, 2000

Oregon Health Sciences University

  • Friday 01 December 2000 1:15 PM The meeting was called to order.
  • Senators present:
  • Leslie Halleck, Provost, welcomed senators to OHSU. She discussed the process of changing from a state institution to a public corporation. The ability to make rapid local decisions has been a major advantage, especially in controlling costs and keeping within the budget. It has also been easier to improve facilities because they have the authority to go to the bond market for capital construction projects.
  • The merger of OGI with OHSU should be finalized next June at which time OHSU will be renamed Oregon Health and Sciences University. Provost Halleck was optimistic about the opportunities the merger will provide in the area of biomedical engineering, especially with regard to the genome project. OHSU is also entering into a cooperative agreement with OGI, PSU, and OSU for a large-scale data transfer network.
  • 1:50 PM Lynn Snodgrass, former legislator, was introduced. She thanked senators for their help in the last legislative session and recommended pressing for increased funding in the next session. She explained how, despite perceptions to the contrary, higher education has fared better under Republican leadership than Democratic. She also discussed the implications of term limits, emphasizing the need to constantly educate new legislators. She predicted community colleges would be more united this session, and therefore higher education would need to do the same. In seeking increased funding, legislators must be convinced the institutions are cost effective (citing ODOT as an agency perceived to be wasteful), that we are "thinking outside the box," and that we are united (for example, in support for a campus in Bend).
  • 2:45 PM Dr. Katherine O'Meara was introduced and discussed distributed education at OHSU, especially with regard to the nursing program which is delivered to sites ranging from Coos Bay to La Grande. Distance education courses are more learner-centered and competency-based than traditional classes. They use a variety of delivery methods including ednet (in it's last year), IP interactive video, and polycom (a combination of internet, phone, and video). Faculty are given released time to develop new courses. There is concern over fair-use policies (they need to be expanded) and intellectual property rights.
  • 3:15 PM Don VanLuvanee, President, OUS Board of Higher Education, was introduced and discussed his view of the role of the Board. The Board should not be giving orders, but rather acting as a guide and spending more time on strategic planning. He is looking forward to the increased self-determination institutions will have under the new model.
  • Regarding Bend, he indicated it would be more a point of education than a new bricks and mortar campus. Bend is an investment on the part of the state and should not be funded through cuts to other institutions.
  • Responding to various questions from senators, he indicated 1) the new model will need some adjustments, particularly with regard to the smaller institutions, 2) the presidents are responsible for faculty salaries, and 3) he has faith institutions will continue to realize the importance of the liberal arts (and IFS could have a watchdog role in making sure they do).
  • 4:25 PM Denise Yunker and Joe Sicotte were introduced and discussed the latest developments in PEBB negotiations. Due to resistance from the Governor's office, moving away from PEBB to self-insurance is not a realistic option. Denise discussed the ramifications of forming a Purchasing Coalition within PEBB which would provide more flexibility in how the costs are distributed among Employee Contributions, Cash back, HMO, and OUS. Within the Purchasing Coalition, there are two possibilities. The main difference is maintaining opt-out/cash back at current levels (requiring a much larger OUS contribution) or reducing them to PEBB levels.
  • 5:20 PM The meeting was adjourned.
  • Saturday, December 3  9:20 AM The meeting was called to order.
  • Senators present:
  • The minutes of the October 2000 meeting were approved.
  • The following slate of IFC officers for 2001 was unanimously approved.
  • Reports: State Board Meetings
  • The Strategic Planning Committee met and discussed revisions to the grievance procedures. It appears they will recommend a policy whereby the Board hears only cases involving termination. The practice of appointing a Provost to investigate cases (apparently because there is a 60-day time limit) was discussed by senators. It was decided that Ben Rawlins, attorney with the Chancellor's Office, should be invited to the next meeting to answer questions about grievance procedures. The Board will be carefully watching the Office of Degree Authorization as it tries to broaden the scope of its activities to the detriment of OUS.
  • The Board will be making more of an effort to monitor the effects of the new budget model.
  • Reports: Academic Council
  • Paul Simonds reported on the October and November Academic Council meetings. The October meeting included a discussion performance funding (whether additional indicators are needed, how much of the budget should be for performance rewards, and legislative strategies for demonstrating performance). Semester conversion was also mentioned at the October meeting. After some discussion, senators decided it should be an agenda item for the next meeting. In the mean time, faculty should be polled to see if they want IFS to pursue the issue.
  • The November meeting included a discussion of the tiered indicator structure which would show the legislature which indicators are tied to performance funding. Tier One indicators would be tied to performance and include new students enrolled, freshman persistence, satisfaction of recent graduates, degrees in shortage areas, sponsored grants and contracts, and campus-determined indicators based on strategic plans.
  • Tier Two would not be tied to performance funding, but results would be reported to the legislature. These indicators include six-year graduation rates, foundation revenues and assets, faculty salaries, and current fund balance.
  • Tier Three consists of indicators that will not be reported, but may be moved to Tier Two. These include internships, distance education, and program productivity.
  • A fourth tier will be developed next year.
  • Reports: Institutions
  • Senators reported on distance education and other issues at their institutions.
  • EOU: Distance education students accounted for most of Eastern's enrollment increase.
  • OIT: There is concern over the top-down decision that certain courses must go on line. This is in spite of the fact that no resources or compensation will be provided to faculty for course development.
  • OSU: Most faculty would prefer teaching residential students as opposed to distance students although President Rieser has a 20/20 by 2002 plan (20,000 on campus, 20,000 off campus by 2002). The College of Liberal Arts is preparing a document showing the real cost of implementing distance programs. OSU currently has four distance degree programs: Liberal Studies, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, and Agriculture.
  • PSU: Two distance graduate programs are offered through cohort groups (MBA and MSW). A masters in public administration is planned for the future. There is an undergraduate degree completion program in social science.
  • SOU: The presidential search is continuing. Faculty and students voted to have Southern join both the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association, but the administration refused. With regard to continuing education, there is concern over ownership of courses.
  • WOU: The continuing education office is self-supporting. They have successful post-baccalaureate programs in education. There is more support and interest on campus for the development of web pages.
  • 12:15 Jack Cooper presented the new ceremonial gavel to President Tiedeman who in turn passed it on to the new president, Craig Wollner.
  • A brief discussion of intellectual property rights was held. Senators were asked to familiarize themselves with the handouts addressing fair use concerns and the UCITA (Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act) proposal.
  • 12:25 The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be February 2-3 at Western Oregon University.
  • Respectfully submitted,
  • Robert Brandon, Secretary
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