IFS Meeting

06/08/07

1:05 PM

Portland State University

Urban Center 710

Portland, OR

Attendees: 

Craig Wollner, PSU; Duncan Carter, PSU; Maureen Sevigny, OIT; Scott Burns, PSU; Peter Gilkey, UO; John Nichols, UO; Jeff Johnson, EOU; Joel Alexander, WOU; Sarah Andrews-Collier, PSU; Janet Hume-Schwarz, EOU; Mina Carson, OSU; Joanne Sorte, OSU; Dan Wilson, SOU

Agenda

1. Editorial Board, The Oregonian

David Sarasohn

2. Coordinator for DACA (Disability Advocacy)

Michael Malinowski

OR State Board of Higher Ed

James Fransceconi

3. OR State Board of Higher Ed

Dalton Miller Jones

OUS Vice Chancelor for Finance & Admin

Jay Kenton

Chancellor, OUS

George Pernsteiner

Additional Information

Resource persons:

IFS Meeting

06/08/07

1:00 PM

Portland State University

Urban Center 710

Portland, OR

Scott Burn described the location and directions to the Green Onion and dinner.  Janet Hume-Schwarz volunteered to take minutes.

Peter moved, Maureen seconded to approve the February & May minutes.

Attendees:

Craig Wollner, PSU; Duncan Carter, PSU; Maureen Sevigny, OIT; Scott Burns, PSU; Peter Gilkey, UO; John Nichols, UO; Jeff Johnson, EOU; Joel Alexander, WOU; Sarah Andrews-Collier, PSU; Janet Hume-Schwarz, EOU; Mina Carson, OSU; Joanne Sorte, OSU; Dan Wilson, SOU

Agenda

Editorial Board, The Oregonian

David Sarasohn

Discussion:  Thanks given for support of Higher Ed funding support.  Wanted to talk about feeling on campuses – what kind of a whole we are in.  Is this getting deeper, are we moving in a direction.  DS has spoken to students, administrators and legistators but not to faculty.  Different things are acceptable, access to higher ed but not faculty salaries.

Wants from faculty perspectives.  Moral is a part of this.  Though he knows it is low.  Question of not only personal moral but a sense of how the institutions are proceeding.  Wheter we are losing ground, in terms of student we are attracting, connection to private operations around us.  Are we tightening these connections around us.

CW:      The sense that we have been in this holding pattern for a long time.  We don’t look so bad because faculty steps up to compensate for this.  Faculty do great work with limited resources, but it a shift from public responsibility to private responsibility for High Ed.  From legislators point of view, we don’t have to be great, just good enough.  Cause faculty to leave, programs to tread water and shift resources to other areas.

MC:      Attrition is not a good way to save money.

DS:       Are people being hired away?

Craig & Duncan – Faculty being hired away.  They have one program with a great bldg but no faculty. 

Duncan: Self-support is imperative.  Growth is issue, less money but more people is a problem.  What does to fabric of univ.  Growth is on backs of adjunct or fixed term faculty.  Dilutes the core of tenured faculty.  1979 his PSU department had  49 tenured, now 25.  Fewer faculty has caused problems with governance.  Grievance selections and committees requiring tenured faculty is difficult. 

Joanne:  As land grant institution, OSU talks about students are not capable but we are being asked to retain those students.  Faculty not seen with respect by student, families and legislators.  Not sure if we have frients.

Scott:    1.  Quality – as our teaching loads go up, the quality goes down.  His classes have increased and takes long time to get emails back and tests back.  % of fixed term has also increased.  Teaching in multiple places to make a living.  2.  Competition – we are trying to get new faculty – our salaries are low and load is high.  They can get better deal in other states.  Not just faculty but also administrators.  3.  New topics – no money to research and expand to cover it.  Can canabalize other positions to creat new programs.  Someone else retires.

Jeff:      In times of low resources.  Smaller campuses are concerned about losing.  Enrollment issues is critical at EOU.  Students can’t pay more.  ID & WA are cheaper than in OUS system.  Negative moral in EOU.  Expects that EOU will face the same cuts as SOU.

Scott:    Regionals are not coming in at national level,

Dan:      Ashland is not an area that faculty can afford to live.  (DS what happens?)  Most live in Medford and other smaller towns.

Joel:      Not facing economic problems due to some foresight.  Some faculty are saying, contidition of not doing mainteance to save the money, the increase this year might need to be used for the deferred maintenance.  Still so much money is needed.  How do you measure catching up on the def. Maint. 

Mina:    Consciencousness that there are some hugh def maint.

Craig:    Faculty in system do phenomenal work.  In PSU College are getting first choice for faculty.  Surprising to others.  Faculty has created a culture that lives up to its mission.  Young people are picked off eventually, can pay competitive salaries at entry level but not later on.

Maureen:            OIT is geographically isolated.  Strange issues.  Don’t require PHD’s.  Drawn from interesting populations.  Faculty after careers with pensions.  Also OIT graduates who have been out in careers and now want to come back to K-Falls to raise family.  Other faculty do want to do research but there is no support.  Low salaries make it difficult in searches.  Faculty have a real desire to teach more than research.  Losing more admin and infrastructure personnel.

Peter:    Used to fill job search with top candidates.  Now takes 2-3 years to fill a position.  Women are most difficult to fill positions.  UO not even close with women.  One woman faculty at UO, would like to hire more but not possible.  Top graduate students also difficult to draw.  This year 1 top student, others not a good.

DS:       A lot of depts. Are stronger than in the past, but a moving goal post.  When OSU is going to more to top ten from position of 73 can believe as long as you don’t think the other 70 are also going to be trying to move up. 

Peter:    Korea is offering incentives for faculty.

Dalton:  What do you mean about better Math Dept?

Peter:    Very diverse, much research being done than in the past.  In last few years it is hard to hire now.  Searches 1 hire out of 3.  Try to hire at research faculty level.  Will leave a position open rather than hire someone not at their standard.  Evaluations show they are a good teaching and research.  Are competitors moving ahead faster.

Joanne:  Our reputation.  People know that Oregon is low paying.  Her husband was bought away to another state.

John:     Worldwide, issue is moving to less public funding but getting the replacement from the private is difficult and slow.  We have to make the transition to find that funding but how to make that transition.  Can only be done with research faculty and culture that will persue grant funding.  We are losing junior faculty.  Those marginal faculty left will not handle the heavier load.  Multi-year grants are there but sometimes with faculty over 64 years old  What happens when they retire.  Faculties & Admin must face up that the public funding may not be more than 10%.  Colleagues have impending sense of doom.  Now question to DS……I don’t understand what other state’s legislators know that our OR legislators don’t know

Lack of fortune 500 firms in OR has an effect.

DS:       Yes, can see that in WA – those businesses have an effect.  UW has a patron of Microsoft.  An example of how the system can work.  Couple of things:  this state has never had a str4ong High Ed connect.  Goes back to the past. Used to be able to make a living without higher ed.  Another issue is resources.  Kurt schraeder says you can’t complain about being 45 in financing when you are 46^th in funding.  Just can move the boxes around is the system due to not having the resources.  Another part is pointed out by another reporter from Atlantic Journal.  Go to the Georgia legislators and even though they are not highly educated, you could get funding.  In OR our legislators don’t have the same legions and connections like in other states. 

John:     Talking about support, not just economic development also for the arts, not just for engineering,

DS:       Spoke to Jim Craven they know that funding doesn’t always go to engineering but also to English.

John:     Concurrently getting state to stand back and give time to begin getting the funding from private sources.

DS:       Putting institutions in a position where they can be more flexible.  Not every institution can spin off like OHSU has.

Craig:    The shift from the value of the public to the value of the private is .  The legislators and public have decided that the private funding is necessary.  Even new faculty are coming from private universities.

DS:       There are states where state univ are supported.  Most start out that way to begin with.  If you think about Univ Illinois – Chicago.  Has resources and position beyond here.

Jeff:      Return to Kurt Schraeders comment.  Grants KS’s point but probably because well being of Oregonians.  If things are bad you would think people would take action.  State should set goals to move up in future.  High Ed is one thing that will enable OR to move up.

DS:       In terms of LT investments, funding Higher Ed is imperative.  We thought system was going to be devastated.  Must maintain  the funding level in next 5 or 6 sessions.  We are not low because we are poor.  We are spending less by any measure, not just by what we can afford to spend.  Once you are down low on list, it is hard to increase level.  Many ramifications that there is a scramble for the limited resources.

John:     There is still the hope that legislators will eventually going to fund the Higher Ed institutions the way that they should.  Higher Ed is not coming to grips with reality.

DS:       We are not alone, other states are also cutting Higher Ed funding.  We just started lower.  If you get to a certain level of public support, here is how you get private support.  When you need another $30K to bring a new faculty member doing research in, are you going to have that money?  It costs money to replace the public money with private money.  What a low rate of activism there are on the part of alumni? 

Peter:    UO does have a strong, active alumni association.  All over the state.

Ended 2:13pm

Conclusions:

Action items:

Person responsible:

Deadline:

Coordinator for DACA (Disability Advocacy)

Michael Malinowski

Discussion:  Michael for DACA  daca@pdx.edu 503-725-5664

Coordinator for Disability Services.  Very active this year for advocating for students rights.  Had bill before the House and Senate for any texts sold to university must have an electronic version.  Some students were not getting texts in past until after finals. 

He is helping a doctoral student working on a project to benefits students, whether disabled or not. 

He wants to start a students with disabilities board state-wide.  The students with disabilities are not represented when people make decision about funding.  He spoke to people they didn’t listen.  He represents about 10-15% of university students.  It will be an increasing percentage.  Iraq veterans and environmental issues will increase the number of students with disabilities.  As the numbers increase this board needs to have information from all over the state.  When a disabled person graduates from college they face 33-45% unemployment rate.  There is something there that needs to be addressed.  Want’s to get a disability studies program on PSU campus.  He believes that the State wide board will benefit by watching the issues.

Go back to your institution and find people that will be interested in being a part of this board.  Though each campus has a Disabilities Advocate office, this is a bigger issue.  Wants students, faculty & administrators to look at local level (students having to leave campus to take tests).  Has talked as Oregon students association.  Using their email listing. 

John Nichols recommended planning for the fall. 

Support Advocacy and Mentoring to network people with disabilities and corporations.  This would be another method to connect with others in the state.

Joel - OUS does not always support the Disabilities Offices.  WOU has special services for the deaf because of programs on campus.  The DO offices are sometimes underfunded.  It is admittedly a area that rather than bare minimum should have more funding. 

Dalton MJ – We need to look at this at the state level.  It is getting beyond the local univ. level.  The OUS board needs this kind of information provided to them.

Michael wants each of us to go back to our campuses and inquire who would be interested to be on the board.  Jeff J.  we should not be the coordinating group, we can assist in locating the people in our individual campuses but that the student union would perhaps be a better contact group.

Conclusions:

Action items:

Person responsible:

Deadline:

OR State Board of Higher Ed

Dalton Miller Jones

Discussion:    Dalton’s whistle brought the members back after a short break.  He has a few things to ask us for assistance.  Report on budget outcome are very good.  Better than what governor proposed in the operations side.  Moving in right direction.  Hope to get it up to 18% funding again, just not saying when.

Boards strategic initiatives are separated into 4 separate committees.  D MJ’s committee student participation and completion.  The committee charge will be posted to the IFS website.  Need an IFS member to serve on the committee.  Participation is declining.  Mirroring another set of data that the chancellor uses that we are in a timeframe where the 35+ population have a higher education than 18-30 population level.  Not just coming in but staying in.  Affordability, preparation (skill sets), family & health issues, campus climate how open they are to diverse individuals.  Will review what we can do about all of the issues.

Outreach Initiative – long range plan to change the attitudes of Oregonians to the benefits of Higher Ed.  Develop an advocacy group to do some fundraising & then advertising (text messaging & blogging).  Need someone from IFS to help with this group.

Joel – students need mentoring in High School on how to navigate the financial hurdles for higher ed. 

First meeting next Wednesday from 11am to 2pm.  Smith Center 238.  Time commitment is not trivial.  Committee will be asked to complete work by end of October. 

Duncan wanted to know what definition of retention is being used.  Positive correlation between percentage of tenure track faculty and retention.  He can provide the bibliography. 

Craig asked if persistent was part of the committee consideration.  Jeff Johnson showed interest.  IFS could have one representative and an alternate.

Needed people to volunteer to review the HS diploma expectations and essential skills.   D MJ will report on that committee on Wednesday.  He wants to have a stable group to advise the chancellor.  He needs to have faculty from our campuses to continue in this endeavor.  SIM & CAM changes meant that in HS there are now an increased number of courses including the arts.  But no expectations of knowledge, just number of courses.

Paul D broached the possibility that students might now drop out of school and take the GED.  Peter reiterated the previous discussion about the College Now.  John Nicols is finding more student with GED and AP credit.  Kate said it would be wise to ask what is missing in our students.  Arithmetic skills, writing a complete sentence. 

Conclusions:

Action items:

Person responsible:

Deadline:

OR State Boad of Higher Ed

James Fransceconi

Discussion:  Craig – JF would head up the President selection committee for PSU.  He wanted to know how the faculty would be involved.  16 members on committee & half work for PSU.  JF gave the list of members and I didn’t get the names, it was too hard.  International search, a firm will be hired and look for candidates.  Search committee will narrow list and then also do outreach with faculty, alumni, community groups.  Feedback goes to Chancellor and then board will make decision. 

Scott will firm hired do some of the cutting of the main application pool.  Two lists one applications and then specifically

Paul Doescher mentioned the extra second committee of just faculty who could give input based on a separate meeting with candidates.    Joanne said that this also helps with the transition of the new President.

JF said that the whole process was not set yet, but he would take that the idea back to the committee.  Must see how the Presidential candidate reacts to many different situations.  Small group and large groups.

Joel A.  Sometimes the subcommittee are not listened to.  If the committee is formed, please listen to them. 

Jeff Johnson – How did EOU do? 

JF – had made a visit to EOU and met with faculty.  PSU may be important, but EOU is even more important to the state.

Craig - How long of process?

JF  - February is expected deadline – setting target dates now,

Duncan – What is it like being new to OUS Board – are there any surprises on board concerns

JF – no surprises other than the fiscal crisis.  Very rewarding and important to the whole state.  Being cut out of the co-chairs budget was good for the board.  It brought the group out.  The retention rate was low.  Need more faculty input.

Scott – What personally do you bring to board?

JF – One is being a former elective official said no before but thinks it makes a difference now.  Need a separate PAC to contribute a political strategy.  K-12 has this strategy already.  JF will work on that.

Second is issue of Higher Ed in Portland.  The relationship with Portland and the institution and how do we build on that relationship.  How to partner with CCs and other institutions. 

Trying to get a feel for the regionals and how they contribute to the OUS system.

Dalton MJ:  JF is a very fast learner.  He hit the ground running and D MJ is greatful to his assistance.  Variety of issues specifically in the regional universities.

JF – he does need help.  He needs connection to faculty.  How do we do things that actually work?

Maureen – JF has been at coffees in morning.  That is a good place to get information from IFS & host campus faculty to meet with board meetings. 

Craig – Why do we need a CC person on Higher Ed board? 

JF – now a tradition.  Issue of growing relationship between CC & 4-year institutions with the growing articulation agreements.  CC concentrates on workforce and that understanding might benefit the 4-year univ. 

Dalton MJ – Era of accountability & efficiencies.  We get a product from k-12 and CCs.  We need to get input & information from CC.  They bring sensibility about higher ed.  We may not have to necessarily have someone from a CC but someone from that arena.

Paul D – the articulation agreements that many univ. have entered into support agreements and many of those are from CCs.  That is one reason to have a representative from CCs.

Joanne – During times of fiscal challenge.  There can be in-fighting.  People have great pain over SOU – if that happens in EOU, it will hurt also.  We need to have a diversity of opinion and view.

Sarah – Represents IFS to Provost Council.  Issue that came up last month.  Is the Board considering freezing introduction of new programs.  Faculty have been asked to be more productive and improve curriculum.  It is crazy to ask faculty to stop improving programs. 

JF – focused on graduate programs.  Not freezing but explain how you are going to pay for new program.  Including generating new or cut programs to support.  Policy and practice does differ sometimes.  We have an effective finance committee.  We need a forum for talking about these issues. 

Jeff – We talk about a system but in reality it is 7 campuses.  We have some campuses that have too much.  We don’t apply to the OUS and get assigned to a specific campus.

JF – Some addressing to strengthening the chancellors office.  Access to Higher Ed will be JF’s committee charges and the relationships between the universities.  Build on existing strengths instead of forced mergers.  No direct IFS representatives but work with board.  Participation in faculty on own time in creating a PAC will help.  First meeting will be in July.

Conclusions:

Action items:

Person responsible:

Deadline:

OUS Vice Chancelor

for Finance & Admin

Jay Kenton

Discussion: 

Conclusions:

Action items:

Person responsible:

Deadline:

Chancellor, OUS

George Pernsteiner

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items:

Person responsible:

Deadline:

Additional Information

Resource persons: