Inter-Institutional Faculty Senate

Remarks to the Board of Higher Education

March 7^th 2008

Good Morning Madam President Dyess, Chancellor Pernsteiner, Directors, University Presidents, students, staff, and guests:

Thank you for this opportunity to address you today. As I prepared to leave campus yesterday running around in a huff to get on the road, I reached into my mailbox and saw this beautiful lilac flyer. Being drawn to intense color I quickly pulled it to the top and read, “Don’t forget to spring forward!” I thought to myself…is it really that time again? Can you believe it? Caught in the moment I started thinking about all the signs I had been ignoring. The Daffodils had made an appearance and the tulips leaves were making a debut. Still I kept thinking, “How can this be?”

This was not the first time the “How can this be” question haunted me. It started on February 29^th. Not a day that comes around every year, but our last leap year brought tragedy in Michigan as a first classroom experienced the loss of a fellow student to a handgun brought to school by a classmate. This year, we saw another tragedy as the headlines of the local papers read, “1 in 100 Adults are Incarcerated.” Following that headline, buried deeper in the paper was “27 Million Americans are Illiterate.” Again I have to ask, “How can this be?”

It is more important than ever that Oregon Universities demonstrate that we are doing what we say we are doing…Educating! If we are educating, what exactly does that mean? What key components are necessary for college graduates to be competitive in the 21st Century? Communities are pushing for a stronger K-12 experiences yet there is a fear of the New High School Diploma and the challenges and changes coming with it. How can OUS assist with creating learning environments to bridge the gaps and better prepare High School graduates for college? Can technology serve as a stronger support mechanism in the equation? Bill Daniely, former IFS President, noted in his November 2003 remarks to the board, “Change is always part of progress.”

What does change look like? We’ve seen change….such as the change in the general funding model. Noting the 20-year span from biennium 1985 – 1987, the Department of Corrections (DOC) cost Oregonians about $245 per house hold. In 2005 – 2007 that figure was $884. The Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) in 1985 – 1987 costs $98 per household and in 2005 – 2007 the figure rose to $137. If you calculate the inflation adjustment into these figures that is an increase of 39% for OYA and 179% for DOC. How can that be?

Numerous studies have confirmed that delinquency is related to academic achievements and experts have concluded that many of the underlying problems of delinquency, as well as their preventative controls, intimately connected with the nature and quality of the school experience. Although there are differences of opinions, most theorists agree that problems associated with the educational system bear some responsibilities for the relatively higher rates of juvenile crime.

Those who claim a causal link between school failure and delinquency cite two major factors: (1) academic failure and (2) alienation from the educational experience.

IFS is working collaboratively with the Chancellor’s office to assist and support the New High School Diploma. The 9-essential skills and suggested assessments offers promise of local control and comparable-measurable outcomes. At the college and university level there is hope for a better prepared entry-level college student. The second group IFS is working with is the Task Group for Learning Outcomes and Assessment. More will come forth from that group soon.

We have discussed words like execution and quality as having meanings that do not always reflect the first definition noted in the dictionary. What about the word assessment? Not only is there a strong push for this, the legislature wants to see this implementation as well. It is not uncommon in Oregon to see “Evidence-Based Practice” as the basis for funding.

According to the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U see http://www.aacu.org/resources/generaleducation/index.cfm ), assessment is a systematic process of:

1. setting goals or asking questions about student learning
2. gathering evidence
3. interpreting it and
4. using it to improve the effects of college on students’ learning and development.

Starting in the K-12 experience and continuing at the higher education level (across the educational experience) identifying learning outcomes that demonstrate what all students in the 21st Century should be prepared for are essential to a strong and competitive future. We are truly dedicated to not leaving any child behind! There will be documented support that we are doing what we say we’re doing. K-12 offers a foundation or the “roots to grow” and the college experience offers the “wings to fly.” Let’s not clip their wings! IFS is striving to keep these partnerships strong in support of Oregon’s PreK to 20 model.

Thank you-

Lee Ayers, EdD, PhD

Associate Professor,

Criminology & Criminal Justice

Southern Oregon University

IFS 2008 President