Interinstitutional Faculty Senate Meeting

Southern Oregon University

October 6, 2006

 

 

Friday, October 6, 2006, Hannon Library, 1:00 p.m.

 

Present: Lee Ayers (SOU), Sarah Andrews-Collier (PSU), Scott Burns (PSU), Mina Carson (OSU), Larry Curtis (OSU), Paul Doescher (OSU), Marye Hefty (OIT), Solveig Holmquist (WOU), Janet Hume (EOU), Dalton Miller-Jones (PSU), John Nicols (UO), Maureen Sevigny (OIT), Steve Tanner (EOU), Steve Teich (OHSU), Dan Wilson (SOU), Kate Hunter-Zaworski (OSU)

 

Absent: Joel Alexander (WOU), Michael Cummings (PSU), Jeff Johnson (EOU), Kathie Lasater (OHSU), Muriel Shaul (OHSU), Jeanne Wagenknecht (UO)

 

I.  Peter Buckley, Oregon State Representative, Ashland and Sal Esquivel, Oregon State Representative, Medford District 6

 

A.  Lee Ayers introduced Peter Buckley as a supporter of SOU. Representative Buckley explained that he and Sal Esquivel are from different parties, and they work well together. The lack of consistency in state funding is hurting higher education. The idea of a 5% sales tax is gaining some momentum, which could mean $1 billion more revenue in the state. Our job is to get beyond a knee jerk reaction.

 

B.  Sal Esquivel added: How can we stabilize funding in higher education if we can't stabilize funding in the state? The sales tax is zero for nine in my lifetime. There has been talk that the corporations might leave their money in the rainy day fund. This can send a message to Oregonians. We need to prove to people that we are good stewards. We need to go back to building relationships and working on solutions to problems. I think we have a group of people coming into the House who are willing to sit down and talk about issues. I don't care who has the idea or the bill. We need to look at: Is it a good bill? Is it a bad bill? We also need a governor who will visit with the legislature and say, “What can I do for you and what can you do for me? Why don't we just talk about the bill?” I represent my constituency first. That's the first thing we need to understand when we go to Salem.

 

C.  Peter Buckley stated that it is our responsibility to reestablish the credibility of government. We are capable of self government. Initiatives have been used to bludgeon the state. Measure 48 and 41 will absolutely kill us. We need to defeat the initiatives. The Chalkboard Project has helped us. We are 46^th in the country in funding higher education.

 

D.  Sal Esquivel stated that higher education is an economic development tool, and people must understand this. We need to make it more affordable for people to go through higher education. We help the gifted students, but we do not help the students in the middle well. Why don't we have a skills center for the 59% that don't take the SAT test to help them transition into the community colleges?

 

E.  Sal Esquivel explained that term limits hurt the legislative process. Two-thirds of the House will turn over next session if we have term limits. In the Senate, there will be fewer than five Senators left.

 

F.  Buckley and Esquivel both gave the following advice for civic engagement with our representatives: Get 10 minutes and explain your needs. Develop the public pressure. Talk to your legislators. Prepare press releases. Use individual contact. Work the media. Work with coalitions. You need to build a relationship with your Representative and Senator so that when think of a bill they think of you. Don't ever break ranks with the OUS message and try to cut a side deal. Come with a unified message, and come with the package. Get your act together, and then come talk to us. It is very important that you are on the same page. Consistency is important. Don't break ranks. Have an agreement, and have a long-range plan that you want to work on collectively.

 

G.  Buckley and Esquivel listened to faculty discuss the biggest problems facing higher education. Issues included increasing class sizes, growing budget problems, working with incoming freshman who are not prepared, dealing with the projected numbers of students in 2009, and maintaining quality with decreasing resources.

 

II.  Susan Weeks, OUS Vice Chancellor for Strategic Programs and Planning

 

A.  Handed out the Executive Summary of the Board's plan. Asked us to read the full report available at:

      http://www.ous.edu/state_board/meeting/dockets/ddoc060908-LRP.pdf. Explained that the OUS board has been involved in a long-range planning process, which involved IFS members and other stakeholders.

 

B.  Shared a trend that drove the planning process. In Oregon, there is an 80% growth of the population over 55. Many in this retiring population are highly educated. Behind this cohort is a high school population in 2017 that is predicted to be 25% Hispanic and Latino, and right now this population has the lowest graduation rate in higher education. So, on the one hand, Oregon is seeing the exit of a highly educated population and the entrance of a lower educated population (more prone to dropping out).

 

C. Shared another driving factor: In the last 3-4 years, the rate of educational attainment for bachelor degrees has gone down in Oregon. To quote the summary: “Enrollment and degree production levels will need to increase by approximately 37,000 students and 4,000 bachelor's degrees (the equivalent of Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, and Western Oregon University combined) to meet projected population growth and demand at just the current bachelor's degree attainment level of 26%. To improve the level to 40% by 2025 would require doubling current OUS enrollment and degrees awarded.”

 

D.  Shared the board's strategic priorities, which are as follows: 1) increase educational attainment, 2) invest in globally competitive research, and 3) assure the long-term financial viability of OUS and its institutions. The details of each priority are included in the full report, which is available at the URL listed in A. above. She explained that the full report gives a better sense of urgency. We have suffered disproportionate losses compared to other agencies.

 

III. Denise Yunker, OUS Human Resources Director/ Benefits

 

A.  Provided an update on the OUS process to redesign the Tax-Deferred Investment 403(b) Program (TDI) and Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) 401(a). This redesign will allow participants to access their accounts and plan information through a single record keeper with 24/7 phone service and internet access, and will provide “best in class” mutual funds/annuities.

 

B.  Reviewed that the reason for the redesign is to 1) combine the TDI and optional retirement plans under a single record keeper with an array of high-quality, low-cost retirement investments; 2) improve the current OUS plans; 3) provide usable access to retirement accounts; and 4) encourage OUS employees to take full advantage of the retirement savings plans that OUS sponsors for them. Of the people eligible to participate, only 16% do. So, we want to make the process easier.

 

C.  Explained that the Tax-Deferred 403(b) Investment Plan (TDI) is a voluntary retirement savings plan that reduces taxable income, and all OUS employees (except students) may participate. In contrast, the Optional Retirement 401(a) Plan (ORP) is available to unclassified employees in lieu of PERS membership. The 401(a) requires a one-time, irrevocable election to participate.

 

D.  Shared that since May 2006 OUS has hired Arnerich Massena and Associates as the investment advisor and consulting firm. On September 8, 2006, the state board adopted the investment policy statement. An investment committee has been named. On September 22, 2006, OUS issued the RFP seeking the record keeper/custodian to support the TDI and ORP. Explained that the next steps include finalizing the record keeper services, having the board adopt the TDI plan document, getting a website designed, finalizing the investment menu, and communicating with OUS employees about participation.

 

E.  Shared important dates. For the TDI 403(b) plan, participants will receive letters in December 2006. New enrollments and changes will be available in March 2007. Current participants may transfer account balances to the new plan beginning in March 2007. For the ORP 401(a) plan, the investment menu will be announced in November 2006. In October 2007, the new enrollments and changes will be through the new record keeper. In mid-2007, participants will receive letters with details.

 

F.  Shared that for both plans on-campus meetings with plan representatives are scheduled for February 19-28, 2007. The project manager is Denise Yunker at denise_yunker@ous.edu

 

G.  Asked IFS members to communicate the above information to their campuses.

 

IV.  Mary Cullinan, SOU President

 

A.  Welcomed IFS members. Shared she still has a steep learning curve, but is enjoying every moment. Summarized her remarks at the opening of the college year. Our students come here and stay here because of connections that they make with faculty. Our freshman students are excited about connecting with the campus and the community. Every freshman this year was involved in community work at the beginning of the year.

 

B.  Shared that SOU is facing issues that face other regional institutions. We are all affected by years of neglect in Oregon for higher education. We have 500 fewer students now than a few years ago. There is a problem in Oregon. There is not enough state support, so we have raised tuition, and this makes it harder to attend school. As tuition goes up, fewer students attend school. Our utility costs have gone up. We have a graph that shows a dip in students and no dip in faculty and staff. We are eating away at our reserves. Our revenues are not meeting our expenditures. We need to get SOU to the right size. So, if we are a campus of 4000 students, then we need to adjust. We need to initiate a budget process that is communicative and well documented. All these pieces will work toward a strategic plan for the campus. Part of this will be getting us to the right size for the number of students who will be coming here. I want to do this is a collaborative spirit.

 

C.  Explained that we need to get the word out to the legislature that we can't have universities that are not funded properly. We are not getting the funding from the state that is sufficient. That is our dilemma. We will do everything we can on this campus to do the right thing, but I hope the word gets out to the rest of the state how important it is to maintain higher education. It is not a happy state of affairs to say two or three states are in worse shape than us. I am optimistic, but we have a lot of work in front of us.

 

D.  Responded to a question about quality. A university is about learning. Learning is the most important thing going on. Academic quality is a commitment from the faculty to make teaching their primary goal. What you have here is an environment in which people's lives are being transformed. Higher education has boxed itself into a corner by maintaining that we make it possible for graduates to have higher incomes. It leads to the perception that “so it is your gain, and you will be making more money, so you pay for it.” The story is so much more complex. We are changing people's lives.

 

V.  Earl Potter III Executive Vice President and Provost

 

A.  Thanked Lee Ayers and Dan Wilson for their work planning the IFS meeting. Thanked Maureen Sevigny for her work with EDP in responding to the challenges of Senate Bill 342. Explained that the Provosts' Council wants to be in a responsive position in relation to this bill, and that a lot remains to be done. The Provosts' Council wants to work with IFS.

 

B.  Explained that with respect to SOU, we want to improve the working environment and the role of faculty. We are proud of our relationship with the faculty union. We came to conclusion with our union. We are creating a new class of faculty called “professional faculty.” We have had some “full time adjuncts” for over 10 years. This caused difficulties, and we were beat up by the accrediting team for this. Mostly adjuncts were teaching our freshman experience. Those within “professional faculty” have higher teaching load, a voice in governance, and no research expectation. The adjuncts now are truly temporary. The professional faculty can move up to three year rolling contracts.

 

C.  Shared the Sid DeBoer story. This owner of Lithia Motors has 300 employees who are SOU graduates. He believes in a liberal education. In speaking with the legislature, we need to find the Sid DeBoer stories.

 

VI. Joseph Graf, SOU Dean of Science

 

A.  Gave a presentation about interdisciplinary academics at SOU. The presentation is available at the following link:

 

VII. George Pernsteiner, OUS Chancellor

 

A.  Shared the OUS operating budget request for 2007-2009. The data show that as the state investment in higher education has dropped since Measure 5, the cost to students has increased. Currently, Oregon ranks 46^th out of 50 states in financial support for higher education. With this backdrop, the Chancellor explained that OUS is requesting a 25% increase in funding ($190 million) for 2007-2009. In addition to the $190 million, $66.5 million is being requested for specific initiatives.

 

B.  Discussed the negative impact that the passage of ballot measures 41 and 48 would have on the “traction” OUS and the board have made in restoring funding to the system. Measure 48 would mean that growth in spending for the state cannot exceed the growth in population plus inflation as measured by changes in the Portland metropolitan CPI from the prior biennium. If it were effective for the current biennium (05-07), we would see a $54 million reduction in education in general, a $68 million reduction in services, and a $15 million reduction in designated operations effective over the next 7 months. We are hopeful that it will not be effective in the current biennium. These dollars exceed the combined fund balances from all funds of all institutions in the system. Therefore, we could not implement a reduction in the current biennium without draconian cuts. He explained that this initiative covers virtually all income sources. In other words, 16% of the OUS budget comes from the state with the rest of our income coming from other sources. This initiative would affect most of the other income sources. This is a spending limit and not a revenue limit. As we roll forward to the next biennium, this initiative would reduce OUS by $200 million. The budget loses for the axillaries will be significant. Some of the things we think about if we this passes is to change our legal relationship with the state. Community colleges, OHSU, and high schools will only be impacted related to the general fund (not auxiliaries) because they are not state agencies. If 48 passes, it will result in major, major reductions to our campuses.

 

C.  Discussed the negative impact of ballot measure 41. It reconnects the federal income tax to state income tax deductions. It will cost the state about $800 million in the next biennium. It many ways it is like Measure 5 in that it slowly reduces the amount of money available. This measure allows no adjustment for inflation, no adjustment for enrollment, and no adjustment for additional debt service on bonds for construction. Essentially we will have an exacerbation of the pattern we are seeing today as a result of Measure 5.

 

D.  Shared that if Measures 41 and 48 fail, OUS will begin to make progress on every one of the areas called out in the board's proposal, providing financial stability to the regional campuses. Right now OUS is not financially stable.

 

E.  Asked for IFS support in planning the approach for working effectively with the legislature, as IFS did last legislative session. IFS took a leadership role in modifying the original Senate Bill 342. We need this type of support again this year. We need IFS members who can get to Salem at the drop of a hat. I would encourage you to help us develop and frame the message and begin to deliver it, and deliver it to people who you think matter. It will be a tough session. We are pushing hard this time for differential gain. We finally have some traction with state leadership. Unfortunately, the ballot measures can take away all this opportunity.

 

Saturday, October 7, 2006, Hannon Library, 8:00 a.m.

 

Present: Lee Ayers (SOU), Sarah Andrews-Collier (PSU), Scott Burns (PSU), Mina Carson (OSU), Larry Curtis (OSU), Paul Doescher (OSU), Marye Hefty (OIT), Solveig Holmquist (WOU), Janet Hume (EOU), John Nicols (UO), Maureen Sevigny (OIT), Steve Tanner (EOU), Steve Teich (OHSU), Dan Wilson (SOU), Kate Hunter-Zaworski (OSU)

 

Absent: Joel Alexander (WOU), Michael Cummings (PSU), Jeff Johnson (EOU), Kathie Lasater (OHSU), Dalton Miller-Jones (PSU), Muriel Shaul (OHSU), Jeanne Wagenknecht (UO)

 

 

I.  Approval of minutes

 

A. The IFS members approved the June 2 and 3, 2006, meeting minutes.

 

II.  Committee Reports

 

A. Provosts' Council. Sarah Andrews-Collier reported on the July, September, and October meetings. In July, the Council discussed the Board initiative for a research council. The September Council meeting included a joint Administrative Council and Provost Council meeting in conjunction with their separate meetings. This joint meeting went well and now will be conducted quarterly. At the October meeting, the Chancellor gave a report about the potential impacts from Measures 41 and 48 and strategies for moving OUS forward if either of these initiatives passes. Susan Weeks presented the Board's long-range strategic plan report. The Council heard an update on ATLAS and IDTS and discussed Senate Bill 342. The Council was updated on activities of the newly formed Research Council, which is studying legal issues related to technology transfer. The OIT biology degree was approved. The council requested more data related to the physical education degree in the education department at WOU.

 

B.  State Board. Scott Burns and Mina Carson reported on issues discussed at the State Board meeting. Susan Weeks gave an overview of the Board's long-range strategic plan. (The IFS members discussed a concern about the semantics of one of the Board's strategic goals: undergraduate research. There are differences between senior capstone experiences, interdisciplinary programs, and real research.) The Board presented details about the proposed 25% increase (and $67 million for special projects) in the OUS budget request. The Board presented a report card as to the state of OUS, and the bottom line is that if Measures 41 and 48 do not pass, OUS will have made some progress. Western Oregon University is implementing a pilot program starting in Fall 2007 in which incoming freshman will be guaranteed the same tuition for their 4 to 5 years of school. However, these students would start with a 16% increase in the tuition (which could only be approved by the Board in June when all campus tuition proposals are reviewed). This is a recruiting tool with the incentive that the students need to complete their education in 4 years to get this deal. The mood of the Board and others is one of waiting for the election results.

 

C.  Pre-College Redesign Workshop. Scott reported that the approximately 40 people who attended this workshop focused on 40 issues related to improving pre-college education. A major driver involves restoring the value of the high school diploma while at the same time increasing graduation statistics. Some issues discussed include requiring three years of science and mathematics, developing a virtual school district especially for rural schools, looking a low performing schools, providing better professional development, bringing in more bi-lingual students, and marketing the whole educational enterprise. IFS should have a representative at these meetings.

 

D.  EDP. Maureen Sevigny reported that the Excellence in Delivery and Productivity Working Group met on October 5th. The topics discussed included the draft response to Senate Bill 342 from the Joint Boards Working Group, agreement of college credit to be given for specific Advanced Placement test scores, an update of the Joint Boards' Budget/Policy packages, and a discussion of the latest report, “Where have Oregon's Graduates Gone?”

 

E.  Joint Boards Articulation Commission. Maureen Sevigny reported that the JBAC is continuing its tasks related to SB 342, focusing on the revision of the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree and developing a set of common outcomes and criteria for lower division general education courses. Karen Sprague and Robert Mercer plan to visit all 17 community colleges and 7 OUS universities during fall and winter term to engage faculty in these discussions.

 

III.  Comments on Friday's Meeting

 

A.  IFS members discussed ways to be involved with the legislature, the Board, and our campuses on issues discussed in Friday's meeting.

 

B.  Scott Burns and John Nicols volunteered to participate on a committee for the development of the peer institution review.

 

C.  Kate Hunter-Zaworski volunteered to participate on the Interinstitutional Planning and Research Council.

 

IV.  Campus Reports

 

WOU. David McDonald and others have established the pilot tuition program in which entering freshman will be guaranteed the same tuition cost year for 4-5 years. Last year divisions cut 18%, and these are in effect. We have 75 new foreign students—50 are from China. The police academy building owned by WOU near Salem is being renovated for campus use. We did a self study last year.

 

OIT. We went through out self-study process last year, and right now we are embarking on a 10-year strategic planning process. Faculty members are leading this process. We are hoping the result is a vision that is faculty driven. It is too early to tell. Our enrollment is flat. We have several new majors including applied mathematics, embedded systems (computer software as controllers for instrumentation), and biology. The major construction project is the Center for Health Professions.

 

OHSU. We have a new president (Joe Robertson who has spent his entire career at OHSU). The medical school is planning to have a campus in Eugene. We won a Clinical Transitional Science Award, which is a $55 million grant partnering with Kaiser to take research and translate it to the bedside. The tram main towers have been built, and it is projected to be up and running in February or March.

 

EOU. Enrollment is flat or down by 1%. EOU had the highest tuition last year of all OUS schools. The college of business and education has split into two colleges, and the search for the dean (called a division chair) has failed twice. Renovations are occurring to the library. Last spring our President received a vote of no confidence, and the Chancellor did not support this decision, so right now what will happen is not known.

 

SOU. We are working on a first-year experience based on the work by John Gardner. The Medford joint campus with Rogue Community College is going well. In this unique model, our students dual enroll with one financial aid package. The campus is working on a new professional track for adjuncts. We are also defining scholarship for the tenure and promotion process. Under the new President's leadership, we are downsizing as a university because of enrollment changes; we will cut 10% of the faculty. We will cut programs. These will not be opportunity cuts.

 

OSU. Enrollments are a little higher. The liberal arts dean is retiring. We are continuing to go through “budget rebasing.” In a recent survey, OSU ranked low for how students are engaged. We don't have enough teachers in the lower division classes. It is a problem. We have some challenges with the Cascades Campus in Bend. The baseball team won the national championship, and it is fun to see UO fans excited about this (because they don't have a team).

 

PSU. Our enrollment is up. In our contract for adjuncts, the last one was misread, so we are paying back adjuncts. We have a new dean of education. The capital campaign has ended and we are starting a new one. We are going through a branding exercise. We just changed our logo. Part of this effort is an internal way of building community because the campus has doubled in 10 years. The campus is very green (i.e., sustainable and energy efficient). We have received awards for our buildings. Everything in food services is completely compostable. We are on the green tour of Portland. A major academic focus is sustainability.

 

UO. The diversity plan was approved by the Senate. We are going ahead with a plan. The Westmoreland concessions have undermined the income they expected to get from this deal. They had to pay off debt to build the arena. The CAS dean resigned and a search committee has not been formed. The UO Senate President has resigned because of health problems.

 

V.  ETIC presentation

 

Kate Hunter-Zaworski (OSU) gave a presentation about ETIC, which is available online as a ppt file

.

 

VI. December Meeting

 

The meeting will be held in Portland on December 8 and 9.

 

VII. Discussion of College Credit for High School Courses

 

Under John Nicols' lead, the group discussed issues related to tracking college credits obtained for courses taught on the high school campus because of the questionable quality of many of these courses. IFS would like to ask OUS to develop data related to these high school classes and/or develop a system for monitoring how high school credits are “tagged” (i.e., how they pass through the system). We need to track better this high school credit for college courses. Some students receive credit without taking the AP tests. This is an issue to share with the EDP, the Provosts' Council, and the Joint Boards Articulation Commission.

 

VIII. Miscellaneous

 

Dalton Miller- Jones will be resigning his position as an IFS member because he is now the faculty representative to the State Board.