Interinstitutional Faculty Senate Meeting June 2005

Absent: Scott Burns (PSU), Larry Curtis (OSU), Paul Doescher (OSU), Paul Engelking (UO), Peter Gilkey (UO),Grant Farr (PSU), Solveig Holmquist (WOU), Maureen Sevigny (OIT), Steve Teich (OHSU), Nathan Tublitz (UO), Jeanne Wagenknecht (UO)

I. Welcome, EOU President Khosrow Fatemi.

A. Discussed the unique phase of higher education, which collectively has lots of problems to address.

B. Mentioned the relationship that IFS has developed with the board is a very valuable asset for OUS, including our work on the OTM, our monthly meetings with the board, and proactive involvement in other areas.

C. Shared that EOU’s geographic isolation gives us some challenges. Our service area is 42% of the state’s land mass. The numbers for college graduates in this region is appalling. State wide (2000 census) 25% of adults have a college degree, but in Eastern Oregon that is 15%. This number is going down for college-age students in Eastern Oregon (14%). We need to address this issue. The reality is that until a decade or two ago a college degree was not necessary in Eastern Oregon. A person could work at a mill and make a good salary. That economy is no longer here. The physical economy has changed. The cultural economy has not changed. Replacements have not been sought for the economy. EOU cannot be the replacement, but we can help play a role in finding the replacements.

D. Shared how EOU is addressing the challenges listed above. Specifically, EOU has changed our college outreach almost completely. Now we are talking to freshman and eight graders. We talk about the advantages of going to college. We do not talk to about EOU because at this point only one in eight high school students in this area goes to college, and we don’t want to focus on this one; instead we want to increase the numbers of students attending college. We talk about earning potential. We get the students comfortable with college. We offer college prep classes on the high school campuses at a reduced tuition rate, which are taught by adjunct faculty in the area. We are meeting with superintendents. The superintendents need to fund one trip to the campus. This helps students overcome the fear of college. We started this last January. If students start our program, they will be 10% through college when they start college. I believe within the next 8-10 years we will double our enrollment through this process. Our increased presence on high school campus will make a difference.

E. Mentioned that EOU is hiring more faculty and admissions staff. We had 20 searches this year (some are conversions).

F. Spoke about the need for EOU’s involvement in the global community and in attracting more diversity. We need to be aware of the global marketplace and educate our students for this marketplace. We need to increase the educational diversity. We need people who can come to EOU and bring a different perspective.

G. Summarized four key areas for EOU: Outreaching to the community, getting more high school students from the area to attend college, becoming a more globally educated campus, and becoming a more diverse campus.

H. Stated that to accomplish these four things, EOU must address the low faculty salaries. Recruitment is a problem. We are not getting people because of low salaries.

II. Representative Greg Smith

A. Praised the governor for stating that higher education is a priority, and I am a supporter of this. (Mr. Smith is an EOU alumnus.)

B. After a faculty member explained that because of low faculty salaries one OUS college lost its first nine candidates for a job and the final candidate took a higher paying job at a high school, Greg Smith stated that we face two major problems: only a handful of the legislature is comprised of members with college degrees and they do not respond well to intellectual arguments. We need to have emotional arguments. K-12 is a master of this emotional argument. If you are going to be effective, you need to make your case based on emotion and not intellect. We need to see how higher education benefits legislators.

C. Provided IFS with an excellent idea. Develop a coalition of legislators who see the benefit of higher education. Do what the Oregon Business Council did. Put a plan together with key players in the legislature. This requires your group meeting with key legislators in your districts for a planning meeting. It is marketing 101. Put a business plan together that states objectives and how we will reach these. Find out who matters in the legislature and work with these people. I just failed at something because I tried to be too inclusive.

D. Stated not to focus on generating more revenue for the state. This problem is too big for you to tackle. K-12 realized this. They do not worry on growing the pie. They worry about getting their slice of it. Identify key legislators who are supportive of higher education and focus on these.

E. Listened to a group discussion that followed with ideas for making this work. We could hold this meeting at Portland State, and invite a handful of us. We could target the career goals of eight graders and then bring them to the legislature with the message that these kids will need college programs to reach their goals.

F. Closed with his support for the Oregon Nano-Technology and Microfabrication Initiative ($9 million coming to the Oregon Council for Economic Development). This is an opportunity for institutions of higher education to do research and make profits from this research. Representative Smith mentioned that these dollars will be open to all schools (instead of just the big schools) based on his work.

III. Anna Cavinato, Professor of Chemistry at EOU and Anne Greenlee, Research Scientist with OHSU—The Badgley Science Center and Research Partnerships

A. Anna Cavinato discussed the new science building, which includes biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, physics, psychology, ODFW, OHSU, and OSU

B. Showed photos of the labs and equipment, including a new NMR machine that can be operated remotely. So, we can become a user facility.

C. Gave an interesting overview of her current research projects and other research projects at EOU. Some of the work includes biochemistry of nitric oxide, theoretical studies on strong hydrogen bonding, molecular genetics of Bark Beetles, spotted frog research, and bat research. All of these projects provide opportunities for students.

D. Anne Greenlee spoke from the OHSU School of Nursing and the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology. She is EOU’s new and only full-time research faculty. Her role appears to be a catalyst for technology transfer opportunities. She discussed the new laboratory that was developed for technology transfer opportunities.

E. Discussed (Anne) her impressive research and mentioned future technology transfer opportunities including mouse embryonic stem cells (transgenic indicator of toxicant exposure) and engineered nano-materials (ONAMI—UO, OSU, OGI, PNNL).

IV. Meeting Reports, Bob Turner

A. Quickly summarized several recent meetings.

1. The OUS Board at the Friday meeting discussed the sexual harassment ethics statements and OIT’s proposal to build a building for health professionals—Center for Health Professionals. The board is concerned about the financial aspect of this—so it did not get approved—because it establishes a limited liability corporation, and the board wants more detail about this. Some of the impacts to the campus (such as the projected 350 new students) need to be considered in the proposal.

2. Joints Board report (state board and OUS board members). The governor’s education advisor was very involved in the last meeting. The pre-K to 20 model is a thing that is already in process. This is based on the governor’s vision as a way to package education. A vision will be constructed by January. It includes four parts: 1) vision, 2) educational enterprise, 3) seamless and transparent budget, and 4) and seamless and transparent data system that tracks students.

3. JBAC—There is a huge push to get general education outcomes that are common

4. MBF—A document has been produced that shows how best practices have been used by the institutions to retain quality faculty (a spreadsheet).

V. Progress of Legislation

A. The Common Course Numbering Bill—making its way through committees. This has the ATLAS program within it. It is a gut and stuff bill—has changed significantly from the first bill.

B. OUS Budget—Chancellor Pernsteiner did not have good news overall. The Oregonian article today discussed a 2-10 percent increase in tuition for students.

C. ORP bills—Several Optional Retirement Program bills are in the system to make sure the ORP language matches PERS language because these rates are linked at this time.

VI. Summer IFS actions

A. Bob Turned will be in New England for two weeks after commencement; therefore, Sarah Andrews-Collier (PSU) has agreed to be the contact person for the legislative session in June, which means she can be in Salem and ready to speak with 24-hour notice.

B. Sick leave bank—August 1 deadline.

1. OSU asked for an endorsement from IFS.

2. Made a motion to endorsement for OSU to investigate the concept of donating vacation leave to sick leave for faculty. This would be the donation of vacation leave to the sick leave account of a faculty member who is out of leave but needs additional leave time due to a health issue.

3. Amendment and seconded the motion--The IFS supports OSU faculty senate moving forward with the request to the OSU provost to investigate modifying any OAR that prohibits the donation of leave to faculty members who are out of leave.

4. Passed the amendment. We this bank for those issues of dire health needs.

5. Action Item: Send Mina Carson mcarson@oregonstate.edu leave donation policy statements from each school. By August 1, she will prepare a table showing where campus stands including a synopsis of OARs.

C. Greg Smith—coalition idea

1. Sarah Witte (EOU) will lead this effort with the initial contacts with legislators made by the third week in June.

2. Action item: Send Sarah the names of our legislative contacts for our districts.

3. Action item: Bob Turner will contact the chancellor about the idea.

4. Action item: Sarah will compile the names and send these to Gregg Smith for review. She will then contact the selected legislators before the end of this session to determine if and when they would be available to participate in a higher education coalition for the next session.

5. Discussed meeting ideas like having one school host the coalition meeting and then having each IFS member getting their legislator at the meeting. Also, we need to remember to communicate this effort with our presidents and provosts. Do we want to entertain a theme to the stories? The past, present, and future approach works well. There is hope in children. What speaks to legislators is money and economic growth. We need to make it win-win to them. A well-developed media piece—like a 15-minute video—can make a difference.

D. Ethics Statements and Consensual Relationship Statements

1. Discussed the challenges that SOU has had in developing and approving an ethics statement.

2. Discussed how OUS Board members Geri Richmond and Kirby Dyess are a task force that is investigating the issue of consensual relationships on campuses, and they want input from IFS.

3. Action Item: Get information about consensual relationships to Jeanne Wagenknecht (UO) who is the contact person for this effort. Bob Mercer (PSU) and Kathie Lasater (OHSU) are also supporting this effort.

4. Noted that independent of this issue, IFS has been asked by the chancellor to lead the effort to get ethics statements endorsed on college campuses. The statement is not just about sexual harassment. It is about many issues.

5. Action item: Bob Turner will show SOU’s ethics statement to Ben Rollins to determine if any legal issues could result from the statement (which is a concern of some SOU faculty).

6. Action Item: Bob Turner will visit the SOU campus in the fall to address concerns related to developing its ethics statement.

7. Action item: Let Bob Turner know if you need him to visit your campus to facilitate the ethics statement process.

8. Action item: Provide Bob Turner with professional ethics codes from your professions so that we can review models and share with campuses.

E. Sexual Harassment and Sexual Relationships

1. Discussed the importance of reading Ben Rollins’ report in the OUS Board docket from the last meeting. (See the OUS website under meetings for the report.) It has his summary of the sexual harassment policies. In summary, the campuses are doing okay legally. However, improvements could be made beyond litigation, like advertising procedures and contact information.

2. Restated that our contacts for working with the OUS Board taskforce are Jeanne Wagenknecht (UO), Bob Mercer (PSU), and Kathie Lasater (OHSU).

F. Educational Quality

1. Handed out for review OUS performance indicators and recent emails about quality.

2. Action Item: By the first of September, the IFS subcommittee will produce a draft of performance indicators. This team includes Maureen Sevigny (OIT), Nathan Tublitz (OU), Lee Ayers (SOU), Steve Tanner (EOU) and Kathie Lasater (OHSU). Include Bob Turner on your emails.

G. PreK-20 Model

1. Action Item: The following IFS members have committed to work with the Joints Board in these areas. We need to establish a mechanism for contacting the Joints Board to determine when they are working on these issues:

1. vision—Sarah Witte (EOU) and Larry Curtis (OSU)

2. educational enterprise-- Solveig Holmquist (WOU) and Steve Teich (OHSU)

3. seamless and transparent budget—Muriel Shaul (OHSU) and Paul Doescher (OSU)

4. seamless and transparent data system that tracks students Robert Mercer (PSU) and Sara Andrews-Collier (PSU)

VII. Campus Reports

SOU—Discussed administration changes. Discussed the details of a hate crime incident.

PSU—Reported on a new provost (internal hire). Stated the school is looking for a new dean of the school of education. Will be revising the general education requirements

OIT—Discussed faculty senate compensation efforts. Marye Hefty is starting a doctorial program in the fall, which takes place on Friday evenings and Saturdays during IFS meetings. Therefore, she is resigning from her IFS position. Paul Engelking was elected as the new secretary.

OHSU—Mentioned that the governor restored the school of nursing budget. Dental and medical schools will still take hits. Our nursing budget has been reduced. Our user fees have gone up.

OSU—Discussed OSU’s athletic policy that faculty senate is working on.

WOU—Reported again that the president is leaving at the end of august. The provost has people thinking creatively about freshman learning communities—1/3 of freshman will be enrolled in learning community type courses.

EOU—Stated that because of stress-related physical problems, administrators are meeting to discuss stress issues. Also, we are doing an enormous amount of searches. Completed an initial general education review. Started initial strategic planning efforts. Began a new partnership with OIT ODS for a dental hygiene program on the EOU campus. Reported on the union-implemented step system amounting to 6% raises for new hires and some market offsets for other disciplines.