IFS Meeting – June 1 & 2, 2001

U of O - Academic VP to be – Lorraine Davis

U of O President Frohnmeyer carried out plans to put faculty salaries at top of priority list, and in fact, use them as part of his own merit evaluation.

Faculty recruitment & retention

Believes that U of O has been good with recruitment, but not so good with retention.

Library funding issues – inflation of journal subscription prices, etc.

PERS benefit issues – changes on the way – with skyrocketing costs, not likely to remain the same, e.g., possible tiered levels, cash back changes, etc.

President David Frohnmeyer, U of O

Thanked us for supporting the rally on March 6^th – believes it made a “tangible” difference.

Yesterday was a legislative decision to take some of the Medicaid money to put back into certain budgetary concerns.

Ways & Means has more money to work with although still has a shortfall.

Co-chairs are close to final budget level for higher ed. They’re within a couple million dollars – what’s not clear is how the money will be distributed, nor whether the cell values will be fulfilled as intended.

Better off than we were in the beginning.

Increases in tuition WILL go back into higher ed budget.

Expected to be something akin to the “4 + 4” plan.

We should be reasonably financially stable.

Reiterated PEBB health benefit problems are likened to a “waterfall around the bend… and it’s getting louder.”

Solutions include removing ourselves from the PEBB system – sees our population as inherently different from many others in the PEBB system – e.g., risk factors, family sizes, tendency to shop for benefits in a “more rational” manner overall.

Some legislators who were our biggest supporters at the beginning of the session, and who had been instrumental in the creation of the budget model, were less excited to support us when they found that districts with large college populations tended to vote against them (e.g., democratic).

Term limits are wreaking havoc on us too – e.g., members of the Ways & Means committee – now may not have a clue about how the budget model works, and by the time they do, they’ll have to leave. Hurts legislative memory.

University presidents have to be more present in Salem than ever before because they have to take a lead in educating young legislators.

Not all votes are equal and there’s a relatively recent over-reliance on caucus decisions rather than individual legislators being able to vote their knowledge &/or conscious.

In the past year, U of O has put in place an internal plan, in conjunction with university senate, faculty reps, administrative staff, to bump faculty salaries. This resulted in a 5% bump this year. With plans they’ve put in place, including holding administrative costs constant and removing particular subsidies for athletics, they expect to be able to do it again this next year. T hey also have established an 80% floor – compared to the national average of comparative institutions. The biggest jumps have occurred at the assistant & Associate Professor levels. Can review the plan on the U of O website.

Geri Richmond, OUS Board Member

U of O faculty member – her experience has been that the faculty position on the on the board has very limited power and influence – mostly due to being seen as too concerned with faculty interests – despite her attempts to convince them she had a broader view.

Difficult line to straddle – that of fighting for system-wide issues vs. faculty issues – person in faculty board position needs to focus on the former and allow presidents to do that – as soon as you enter position about faculty issues, you lose credibility because of perceptions of self-interest.

Discussion ensued with questions from group – fact that there are always conflicts of interest under the surface with most if not all board members – e.g., corporate representatives lobbying for increased monies for engineering training when they have much to gain personally by increased training for their future employees – or even when there are alumni from specific institutions or when a board member has a child as a student at an OUS school.

Board is usually comprised of corporate CEOs, other business leaders – with a push toward using a more business-oriented model that is not usually appropriate for academia.

As you get busier and busier people on the board, they have less inclination to critically evaluate what comes out of the Chancellor’s office. Can end up with cookie-cutter types of decision making.

Jim Earl – former president of U of O senate

Efficient business practices won over student issues regarding WRC issue – which had caused a somewhat significant divide between students & administration. The senate had attempted to bridge this with a large committee made up of students, administrators and faculty – but OUS shut down any work having to do with over-riding the business practices. Fizzled out.

Issue of temporary faculty (non-tenure track faculty). Nobody suspected that there were more non-tenure track faculty than tenure track faculty – and this was an extraordinary discovery for them. Can also review this plan on the web site.

Faculty were able to negotiate an end to the 2 million dollar athletic subsidy that had been coming from general funds. Funding for athletics must now come from gate receipts and alumni donations.

Betsy Boyd, Office of Governmental Affairs at U of O

Essentially half-time paid lobbyist. Works in association with Association of American Universities (AAU) and other bodies.

Appropriations earmarks

Looking for financial opportunities to come to university – perhaps from federal research funds, etc.

Natural History Museum priority. State repository for archaeological finds in Oregon. Working on expanding storage capacity.

State board has to sign off on university-specific priorities, and she presents some of these.

Oregon lost a lot of clout on federal level when Bob Packwood left in 1996. We have no one who sits on committees at the federal level which are concerned directly with education issues – don’t usually know what’s happening with NSF, NIH, or other large research grantors.

Betsy helps the Oregon delegation’s staff understand the needs of U of O and OUS Higher ed needs. Can also help us gain access to the delegation for discussions – either when in D.C. or from afar.

Discussion – revisit how both WOU and U of O have been able to get faculty to push and negotiate with administration enough to review resource allocation to push faculty salary increases.

Senator Tony Corcoran –

view of the budget as of yesterday – see attached copy of unofficial notes.

Not likely to be a Christmas Tree nor “Chanukah Bush” this year – still looks bleak overall, particularly for human services. But better than original projections, and STILL not set in stone.

Again, spoke to Oregon’s over-reliance on the income tax and general tax policy. And a bunch of tax credits that have been shoved off on the next two biennia make those look much more scary for funding all public services.

Chancellor Cox –

Encouraged us to read David Broder’s new book – The Train Wreck of Democracy (?) about initiatives and how we’re now using them – to push through single, oversimplified solutions that get pushed off on the next legislature who cannot handle them. Oregon is highlighted in that book as an example.

Provided a budgetary spread sheet (see attachment).

We’re projected to be $11M short on our energy funds – strongly considering a surcharge tacked on to student tuition.

After this is over, we need to have a new discussion within the system and with the campuses. Invited us to join with him in this brainstorming this fall.

The notion that higher education is for the public good is moving out and really becoming higher education is for the private good – “if they want education, let ‘em pay for it” is the message. “We are mortgaging our children for what WE want right now – tax cuts, $600 kickbacks and the like.” He is very worried about how we will tackle this issue – we cannot continue without public investment. For a while was leaning toward an OHSU model, until he saw what happened to OHSU in this current legislative session. He’s been vigorously studying this issue, speaking with other heads of university systems. E.g., Cornell has taken a statutory approach, others have looked at partial privatization.

One IFS senator – isn’t it true that public expenditure on higher education continues to grow as a proportion of public expenditures over the years – higher education will always be an increasingly expensive proposition for public budgetary concerns? Yes, it would appear so.

Thank our presidents and state reps for their amazing support – they need to know we appreciate all they did for us this year.

Saturday, June 2, 2001

U of O doesn’t have a faculty senate; they have a “university senate.”

Campus Reports

PSU – change in senate agendas – turn around the boredom – start with debates of controversial issues – e.g., athletic budget issue, part-time faculty, university studies & changes in general education. Faculty senate meetings have added “pizzaz” and now the boring president’s and others’ reports are more imbedded in the middle of the meetings.

OSU – applications up also – not sure it’s all good news because not really seeing the trickle down to academic departments to handle higher numbers – thus potentially hurting quality. Prohibited from doing a U of O – like move with athletic subsidy and faculty compensation – trying to pay off a $500M shortfall from several years ago. Re-starting school of education. College of Home Economics & Education is joining the college of Health & Human Performance to become the College of Health & Human Services.

U of O – to offset the lost athletic subsidy, they’re offering tuition remission for out of state students by allowing in-state tuition rates. A new Dean for Undergraduate Studies completing first year having a positive impact through such programs as freshman specialty seminars, academically focused dormitories, and others.

OIT – 32% increase in applications for Fall ’01. Working closely with OHSU to pick up some of their programs and offering them in Portland – Medical Technology and Emergency Medical programs. Starting women’s basketball program.

WOU – applications running a couple of % up. Faculty senate voted to decrease the minimum graduation hours from 192 to 180.

EOU – applications up. Ambitious building project – for natural sciences. First time in 8 or 9 years that gen. fund dollars were earmarked for capital construction. Word is it’s “almost” a done deal. Largest projected freshman class in their history. School is expected to double in size over the next 5 or so years. A & S Dean search next year. New athletic director. US News & World Report put them at #4 for their category in the West.

OHSU – rumor that they may get up to 90 new students next year, but no talk of increasing faculty or other resources. Starting new programming of various combinations.

SOU – New president, Elizabeth Zinser to begin work on August 1. Search for new VP for Student Affairs under way. New School of Social Science, Education, Health, & PE Dean to begin this summer.

Suggestion that each campus bring a report regarding their respective dealings with athletic budgetary issues vis-à-vis the impact on academic budgets. Craig will send a reminder email about two weeks prior to the meeting.

Academic Council Report (see attachment)

Distance Education is a big issue – need to keep tabs on what your campus is doing and be cautious about what is being attached to your name, and what competitors are doing in this manner. E.g., some corporate packages are being put together with institution names as alleged backing, but without the expected review by academic departments.

OUS Board Meeting of April 20th

Craig noted the immense influence that the OUS staff have on the work of the board. The staff present issues, and the Board reviews and votes on them. The exception is the work that was done on the Bend campus.

Issue of whether students should share a little table with IFS at OUS meetings. Decided to recommend that students be provided with their own, equal table. If not, consider having student reps sit with us at that table.

For upcoming OUS Board Meeting –

Take a conciliatory tone and provide a big thank you to the board for their work with the legislature this term.

Also acknowledge our concern about PEBB and appreciation that they are doing all they can to maximize our welfare.

Acknowledge Cox’s offer to meet with us for the expressed purpose of brainstorming long term solutions to the state’s financial woes vis-à-vis higher education – next fall. Perhaps invite the OUS Board president along as well.

Acknowledge our willingness to put forth research expertise in assessing the public’s values/perceptions regarding the value of higher education in their lives and impacts on their state’s economic and social welfare future.

Agreed upon ’01-’02 schedule:

OSU – October

PSU – December

U of O – February

SOU – April

EOU – June

OIT – October ‘02

OHSU – December ‘02

Regarding October meeting with Chancellor Cox regarding long term solutions to OUS funding problems –

Possible agenda:

Debrief the current legislative session.

Long-term political & social changes.

How can IFS contribute to the process?

Craig will check with Chancellor as to his ideas for the meeting prior to deciding whether to extend the time allotment, e.g., possibility of beginning earlier.

It’s recommended that we do some outside reading on these issues over the summer that might help us with our sharing of ideas.

Book Recommendations…

Democracy Derailed : Initiative Campaigns and the Power of Money (Broder)

The Experience Economy

Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community

The Feel-Good Curriculum: The Dumbing Down of America's Kids in the Name of Self-Esteem

Check with our respective Senates to identify faculty who might be capable/willing to contribute to the public policy/higher education issue – already knowledgeable? experienced? researcher? etc. – so that we might be able to offer concrete suggestions of person resources.

Public Employees Benefit Board (PEBB) Issues

A representative from PEBB at a recent meeting suggested that we should all be “protesting” results of recent negotiations regarding PEBB benefits.

Cash back & opt out options are on their way out.

Price increases are substantial and also coming soon.

One option is looking at out-of-state vendors.

$9M pot of money taken out of cash back and used to fund people with more dependents?

Controversy over fact that OUS coverage, with a typically healthier population, are being used to help fund the rest of the PEBB system who are not necessarily as healthy or as small of families.

Although we would get more bang for our buck and structure our expenditures differently, it does NOT look more financially viable to leave PEBB.

OUS is fighting for more flexible planning to more closely meet our needs. PEBB is saying ‘no.’ They’re not going to allow anything to interfere with how they keep the unions happy (OPEU, etc.). We are a “cash cow” for them. We’re the largest of the 4 or 5 groups in PEBB, we’re healthier, and largest contributor.

Adjourned at approx. 12pm.