Chairman Aschkenasy, Chancellor Cox and members of the State Board of Higher Education, my name is Ron Cease and I am the current president of the Association of Oregon Faculties (AOF), a professor at Portland State University and former state Legislator.

I want to thank you for agreeing to give me time on your agenda today to discuss with you several issues of grave importance to faculty at our public institutions of higher education. Prior to preparing these remarks, I discussed the forthcoming issues with representatives of the statewide American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the AAUP chapter at Portland State and with Paul Simmonds, President of the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate (IFS). I particularly want to thank Paul for yielding to me the agenda time regularly allotted to him.
I am not here today to dwell on the topic of faculty salaries
and benefits. You are acutely aware of the dangerously low salary levels of Oregon faculty as compared with our counterparts in other states. You know about the difficulties our System faces in recruiting and retaining first rate faculty. You also know that the System, and the Legislature and Governor, must affirmatively respond to these problems very soon if we are to maintain a higher education system that will be competitive in the 21st Century.

What I am here to emphasize is that we, by “we" I mean all of us who think of ourselves as advocates for a strong Systen of public higher education in Oregon, need to realistically assess where this System is today, where it needs to go, and what risks and challenges we need to accept and overcome in order to achieve success.

None of us has any right to reflect an the 1997 Legislative session with a sense of satisfaction. In an economy stronger than any in memory and with the State General Fund at an increased level of almost 20%, the System came out of the session with a better budget than it had received in the last decade, but with less share of the available dollars than it deserved and could have obtained.

I have talked to Legislators and others that indicate we left as much as $1O-20 million on the table last session. These were funds that we desperately needed whether they went for technology, tuition reductions or faculty hiring and compensation.

Why didn’t the System get this money? In my judgment it was due to a reluctance on the part of the System to aggressively pursue more funding onces the current service level budget for the system was approved. Why this reluctance? I am told it was because the system was apprehensive of antagonizing the Legislature by trying to push for more dollars.

Having served in the Oregon Legislature for twelve years as a State Representative and Senator, I can tell you that an aggressive, planned and unrelenting pursuit is an absolute must in order to obtain funds in such a competitive environment. Our funding issues need to be kept right in the face of legislators just as the needs with which we compete are kept front and center by their advocates. This way, when the additional funds appear later in the session (as they always, always do) we would have a chance to garner additional funds- our fair share.

Stepping into the back row two months before a session ends because we have a barely adequate base budget is not the way to go. The System should not be intimidated by the rigors and uncertanties of truly competing for available dollars. It will take a hard and focussed effort to keep our issues on the table (which is the only way they will ever get addressed.)

We also should never worry about being retaliated against for the volume of our voice or the persistence of our efforts. In my experience, that is not how the Legislature reacts. Rather, the Legislature is used to the aggressive pursuit of funds. The minute our effort turn half-hearted, or timid, our issues slide right off the table.

I can assure you from my experience in the Legislature that we can never be "too" aggressive in the legislative setting as long as we conduct ourselves professionally and are advancing issues that are suppotable. We should never "give up" prematurely. We should all be fighting for every last available dollar until the sine die gavels fall.

Having said this, I want to assure you that AOF and the other organizations representing faculty interests remain ready to fully cooperate with the Board and the Chancellor and his staff in achieving our mutual goals. We have resources that can be very effective in the legislative process and should take full advantage of then. Clearly when our goals are mutual, we need to be full partners in the process. Bring us in on the front end when fundamental policy decisions are being made and keep us fully involved and informed during the 1998 interim and once the 1999 legislative session begins.

I firmy believe that with the appropriate focus and commitment and a persistence on all our parts we will do much better and gain additional revenues in the next session and beyond. The System needs to compete in the 21st century. We are committed to working with you and others to see that this happens.