Meyer Memorial Boardroom, Portland State University

Portland, OR

Saturday, December 6, 2008

 

Present: Lee Ayers, Kathie Lasater, Bob Turner, Kerry Loewen, Craig Wollner, Lani Roberts, Jane Perri, Jeff Johnson, Kate Hunter-Zaworsky, Mina Carson, Robert Mercer, Janet Crum, Duncan Carter, Ike Nail, Ellen Siem, Kirsten Lampi

 

 

President Lee Ayers called the meeting to order at 8:47 AM. 

 

 

Roberts asked Ayers to write a letter of gratitude from the IFS to the Board for the Chancellor's leadership.  Ayers noted that Pernsteiner has sought faculty input and brought OUS member campuses together to work and lobby as a system.  Turner commented that Pernsteiner wants IFS members on committees, wants our participation. 

 

Joint Board Meeting Report (Turner)

 

Joint Board = State Board of Education (K-12) and Higher Education Board. 

 

The Joint Board approved SB342 report that has now gone to the Legislature.  It included reports on campus sustainability initiatives by faculty from OSU and PSU, but there were no reports from regional universities.  Turner encouraged representatives from regional campuses to recruit participants from their campuses. 

 

Turner continued his report after the Provosts Council report and discussion of assessment (see below).  Oregon’s new high school diploma requires students to demonstrate essential skills in reading, writing, math, and communications.  It also requires additional courses. 

 

A two-track admission system for OUS has been proposed: automatic and standard.  Automatic admission would apply to students with gpas and test scores (SAT/ACT/OAKS) above a specified level and who have completed all course requirements for OUS institutions.  This proposal is supported by provosts and Chancellor, but there is pushback from admissions staff, who want to retain their independence.  Standard admission would be for students who don't meet all the requirements for automatic admission.  They might have lower test scores or gpas, or they might have had reading, writing, and math skills assessed with locally-generated instruments.  Local assessments can be a backdoor way to increase graduation rates from high school without ensuring that students have essential skills.  Some districts are still using local assessments, and we have no way to know how students assessed with these instruments will do in our institutions.

 

Provosts Council Report (Carson)

 

The December meeting is canceled; their next meeting will be January 15, 2009.  The Provosts Council has followed several large themes: sustainability, learning outcomes and assessment, and pre-K through 12 issues. 

 

They have contacted University of Phoenix (biggest non-accredited source of transfer credits) re: their courses.

 

SB342 report approved by UEE (United Educational Enterprise, a group composed of board members plus staff from OUS, community colleges, and K-12 ).  The UEE does a lot of the cross-sector alignment work.  They oversee the work of other groups involved with general education outcomes and other alignment issues.  Turner offered to bring UEE's work plan to next IFS meeting.

 

Turner explained that SB342 is about having community colleges and universities work together so that credits transfer from community colleges to OUS schools more consistently.  It also involves dual credit and advanced placement and will also address International Baccalaureate.  The purpose of SB342 and the UEE is to get groups to cooperate to make things easier for students.

 

Discussion followed; key points were:

 

·       Is there a schema of how these groups fit together?  Turner is working on one.

·       As OSU revises its baccalaureate core, how can they ensure it is aligned with other programs?  Turner recommended looking at learning outcomes and SB342.  Turner recommended posting the SB342 report on the IFS web site.  Karen Sprague is the person who has worked on learning outcomes for OUS and the person for OSU to contact as they revise their baccalaureate core.  

·       OIT, EOU, and WOU are also revising their general education requirements.

 

An extended discussion on assessment followed.  Key points were:

·       Are we headed toward system-wide assessment?  What is proposed is the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), a document that recommends using two instruments, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA).  But there's no move toward required system-wide assessment. 

·       If we are working on these things as a system, is that being communicated, e.g. through the Provosts Council?  Are academic officers on campuses that are revising their general education requirements aware of the "rules?"  Wollner - One of the problems with adopting assessment measures on campus is that its presented as voluntary and will eventually go away.  OUS needs to communicate that assessment is not going to go away, and it is required by accrediting bodies.  Turner - Current fed administration is trying to apply the same assessment principles to higher ed that are applied to K-12.  Will the new administration do the same.  Assessment and accountability ought to be separated.  Will accrediting bodies continue to require assessment in the way that they do now?  Hunter-Jaworsky - assessment isn't the end.  After assessment, need to show what changes you have made to address deficiencies. 

·       Concerns about slide toward homogenization and leveling.   Where is the concern/protection for brilliant renegade thinkers?  Assessment is not about homogenization but about assessing what students learn. 

·       Turner said that OUS has three major goals:

o      Pre-K to 20: concern for entire system, K-12, community colleges, and OUS

o      By 2025, 20% of Oregonians will have a high school diploma, 40% will have a certificate or 2-year degree, and 40% will have a bachelors. 

o      Higher Ed Board views the university system as a portfolio: Just as an investment portfolio should be diversified and respond to outside demands, OUS should be a portfolio of diverse entities, each of which does particular things and takes advantage of particular opportunities.

·       Ayers sees the Chancellor as pushing for 2 things:

o      Sustainability - wants Oregon to represent green

o      When going after funding, have a message about why you want to send your child to an OUS school.  Not only tell what we do but tell it well - not just to the Legislature but to parents and friends. 

·       Does system-wide assessment mean that all schools will be doing assessment or that all schools we do the same kind of assessment?  Goals can be general enough to apply to everyone without dictating exactly what is assessed and how (e.g. critical thinking).  Set an expectation of excellence.  Need to speak the same language - e.g. what do we mean when we say, "Quality?"

·       What do students get for the money spent on higher education?  What is the guarantee, what can be expected, from a university graduate? 

 

Ayers passed around several documents on learning outcomes, etc., which she said address many of the questions we have asked in this discussion.  If we want more information, email Ayers. 

 

JBAC(Joint Board Articulation Committee) report (Mercer)

 

JBAC hasn't met since Mercer became our representative.  JBAC activity relates to projects, so the level of activity fluctuates.  Since the work on SB342 was finished, they haven't taken on a new project.  JBAC includes representatives from community colleges, workforce development, OUS, and K-12.  Meetings also include a lot of ex officio people, and the meetings are open to guests/visitors.  Mercer is open to stepping aside if someone else would like to be the IFS rep.  Also, if others would like to attend JBAC meetings, he will provide contact information for the JBAC convener. 

 

OSU would like an ear at JBAC, some sort of relationship, as they're revising their baccalaureate core.

 

Turning over of presidency, new leadership positions, next meeting

 

Peter Gilkey is the incoming IFS president and will serve through June.  Janet Crum is the new secretary.  Will Gilkey be able to participate in HELN (Higher Education Lobbying Network)?  Someone recommended Grant Kirby for this role. 

 

OSU has been studying PERS and ORP and will share this information with IFS at the next meeting.  IF should also discuss PEBB this year. 

 

We usually have an IFS representative from a large and a small institution on the Associated Oregon Faculty (AOF).  Representatives must be AOF members.  Roberts is interested.  Nail also might be interested.  The group briefly discussed the pros and cons of participating in the AOF.  A representative from AOF would like to talk with us about the organization.  We will invite her to our next Friday meeting, then discuss the relationship with AOF at the Saturday meeting and vote on IFS participation.  Action item: Ayers recommends we review AOF before the next meeting and also read history of IFS on the IFS web site. 

 

The following IFS positions need to be filled: IFS Vice President, IFS representative to Provosts Council.  The Provosts Council representative will receive one course release plus compensation for travel.  The IFS Vice President receives compensation for travel but no course release.

 

1.            Vice president - We rotate presidents between large and regional institutions.  Perri has agreed to put her name forward.  Wollner nominated her.  Second: Hunter-Jaworski.  Approved unanimously.  Brief discussion about whether the president’s term should be longer than one year.  We may revisit this question at a future meeting. 

2.            Representative to Provosts Council - Mina described this role as a wonderful opportunity to shadow the provosts.  It's inconvenient if you don't attend the board meeting.  Provosts meet for 3 hours on Thursday before the board meeting.  Provosts meet for a couple of hours in closed session (provosts only), then have an open session that includes the IFS rep and others.  The job of the IFS representative is to track the important issues from Provosts Council and report back to IFS.  The Provosts Council meets monthly for 10 months per year.  It is not clear if the Provosts Council will continue to meet regularly in person or if they will begin having telephone conference calls.  Johnson volunteered to serve.

 

Campus reports

 

UO was not represented at the meeting, so there was no report.  UO is recruiting a new president.  Gilkey will report at the next IFS meeting.

 

OSU is revisiting its baccalaureate core, which hasn't been reassessed in 10 years.  They are also updating their strategic plan; a draft has been released to faculty for comment. 

 

WOU has a new provost, who is fitting in very well.  They are discussing campus-wide assessment.  They are positioned to be a bit less vulnerable to the economic downturn, so the mood on campus is upbeat and positive.

 

EOU is searching for new president.  They had a visit from NWCCU in early fall, and their report was favorable.  Their budget situation was better until recently; now they are under a hiring and travel freeze.  They are gearing up for a new faculty union contract.  They have received an anonymous gift of $1.5 million. 

 

OIT has a new president in place.  They need to revisit their mission statement, because they are moving to portfolios.  The new president also wants to revisit their strategic plan, which was developed over the last two years.  The previous president promoted a research focus, but the new president is more student-focused.  They have broken ground on Sustainability Village, new dorms more like apartments.  The second half of the Health Professions building should be open by spring.  They are ready to drill a deep water well, which should be done by summer.  That will take them completely off the grid, as they already use geothermal power for heat.  ABEC visited recently; they don’t have a final report yet, but the team seemed very favorable.  They received kudos for their assessment works.  They are using Idea Center for course evaluations, which allows them to see how their results relate to national ratings for a particular course.  They are linking those results to their assessment process, and the information is changing the way some courses are taught. 

 

OHSU is enduring budget cuts, including layoffs, a hiring freeze, and a travel freeze.  The new School of Nursing dean has arrived.  The School of Nursing has received a $600,000 anonymous donation.  The dean wants the School of Nursing to see itself as one school and one faculty, even though they are on five different campuses.  OHSU received a big donation from Phil Knight for the Oregon Cancer Center, now called the Knight Cancer Center.  The OHSU Medical Group has been integrated with the university.  OHSU is considering letting their security officers carry firearms, but the decision hasn’t been made yet.  This is Kathie Lasater's last IFS meeting.  Her replacement, Gail Houk, is also from the School of Nursing. 

 

SOU’s new provost is circulating a master academic plan.  They are also creating snapshots of each department, including information such as the number of majors and the work of the faculty, which will be available on the web. That way information will be available for accreditation, etc.  They are reviewing their tenure process.  Currently they have the same criteria for associate professor and for tenure (can’t have one without the other).  When the new provost arrived, eight people were denied promotion/tenure.  They want transparency rather than back-room decisions.  Departments are asked to specify what's important to them and what terminal degree(s) are recognized.  Right now, someone who meets the minimum standard in all areas will be promoted, while someone who's outstanding in some areas but deficient in others wouldn't be promoted.  They are also considering an optional external review.  Their fund  balance is positive thanks to their retrenchment.  The president doesn't want to dip into the fund balance in case things get worse.  They are considering a hiring freeze.  Enrollment is up by 5.2% this fall, but they are seeing a decline for winter term.  They have started cutting classes due to insufficient enrollment.   They are still searching for a dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. 

 

PSU’s new president has been well-received.  It has been 2 years since their last accreditation, which they did entirely online.  They posted an accreditation portfolio which includes a section for each department and information about assessment activities.  They are building a new student recreation center, with the street level all retail.  The Chancellor's Office, School of Social Work, and City of Portland Archives will all move into that building.  Enrollment is up by 8% to 27,000 students.  They are concerned, because enrollment is growing, the budget is shrinking, and OUS is emphasizing student success.  They are worried about falling behind on retention and graduation rates.  Much of biology and chemistry will move to new shared building on the South Waterfront once it's built. 

 

Hunter-Jaworsky, Carson, Wollner, and Lasater are leaving IFS.  Ayers thanked them for their service, and the group honored Lee for her service as our president. 

 

New Business

 

Roberts reported that OSU’s College of Arts & Sciences is standardized faculty position descriptions across all departments, beginning two years ago.  But the new dean wants job descriptions fit to individual talents and skills.  What happens on other campuses?  Are position descriptions tailored to individuals or uniform across departments?  At PSU, position descriptions specify how much grant money the person should bring in, with amounts varying by department.