Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 07:02:46 -0800
From: Peter B Gilkey (gilkey@darkwing.uoregon.edu)
To: iifs@lists.uoregon.edu
Cc: George_Pernsteiner@ous.edu

Dear Fellow members of the IFS.

Bob Turner and George Pernsteiner met earlier in the week - it was a great meeting that bodes very well for the continuing collaboration between the IFS and the Chancellor's office! They have been kind enough to pass along to me some of the points they covered; I have edited the document Bob provided just a bit to put it in the third person etc.

• I. It is imperative that GETM be approved by OUS faculty senates and Bob will go on the road to get it done.
• II. GETM is an opening for OUS and IFS to participate in gathering real data that will define the actual impediments to student progress and to frame methods to decrease and eliminate these impediments.
• III. Bob should talk to James Sager with the realization that nothing will immediately appear to come of the conversation. Points to cover include:
  • A. Curriculum at the community colleges has been set in a more top-down manner and at the universities in a bottom-up manner.
  • B. the differences between the missions of the community college faculty and the OUS faculty - the former emphasize service to the local community and the latter serve their discipline - an example of the latter being the necessity for all undergraduate Biology departments to insure that their students learn the Biology necessary for their successful application to professional school, graduate school or employers.
  • C. University faculty at individual campuses do not set their curriculum in a vacuum - they do so under the influence of their discipline across many campuses and of professional schools, graduate schools and employers.
• IV. Many students come to OUS from both community colleges and high schools at with skills, attitudes and intellectual deficiencies and OUS should embrace a push for resources and evaluation and formation of programs that really address removing these deficiencies so the students can function at a university level.
• V. The chancellor asked what the OUS faculties expect of this legislative session.
• VI. The chancellor asked what questions faculty would like him and Neil Bryant to ask of the legislative Higher Ed Working Group when they meet on Friday.

George also writes concerning ORP that: "the lawsuit has been settled and that, as I told the board, I now will work with governor's staff to see if the technical amendments to ORP would suffice as a legislative package." That is great news.

Bob is doing an excellent job as VP and will be a super President when he takes over in December.

Respectfully submitted