Meeting called to order at 9:05 AM.  Present were Vice-President Bob Becker (OSU), Secretary-Treasurer Kemble Yates (SOU), Greg Monahan (EOU), Tim Thompson (OIT), Steve Gibbons (WOU), and Marie Vitulli (UO) was present on speakerphone.  Also present:  Mark Nelson and Erica Hetfield. 

Vice-President Bob Becker called the meeting to order at 9:05.   

Mark talked about Bill Linden…  He passed last week.  He was a wonderful person and a good friend to Oregon’s university faculty. He will be sorely missed.  Memorial gifts may be made to the Save Darfur cause.  Cards may be sent to the PAC office in Salem, and Mark will make sure they get to the family.  Mark hopes to organize a celebration of his life in Salem in March. 

The minutes were approved as corrected. 

Campus reports— 

OSU (BB)

• Despite budget cuts, some new programs are being started with the hope they will grow.
• Enrollments are up a tad.
• OSU & President Ray seem to be stepping up their own lobbying efforts.
• OSU has several joint tuition agreements with local community colleges. 
  

EOU (GM)

• Provost is now being reviewed, but the forms must be signed & the Provost has not waived his right to see individual forms.
• President is a finalist for another Presidency in Texas. 
  

OIT (TT)

• Provost Office undergoing an “evaluation”.
• Their new post-tenure review is being piloted this year.
• Strategic planning reports now being written.
• Health Building underway.  Some concerns about the bond repayment on this.
• Their new merit policy won’t kick in until OIT salaries reach 100% of median of comparitors.
• Their accreditation visit will happen this spring.  

WOU (SG)

• The union opens bargaining later this month.
• Accreditation visit this spring.
  

SOU (KY)

• President announced provisional plan on Jan. 22.  Plan calls for eliminating 24 faculty FTE and at least 30 non-instructional FTE.  Three majors (German, Geology, and Geography) are slated for elimination (but not all of the faculty in the programs would be eliminated).
• Plan also calls for the creation of College of Arts & Sciences, collapsing three Schools into one unit (but only 3 Deans into 2).  Kemble sent a modest alternative proposal out by e-mail on Friday…
• Campus comment period ensues until Feb. 19, and a final plan will be announced on March 5.
• The union contract allows the firing of tenure-track and tenured faculty in an affected program.  Seniority and notice requirements do govern this, but there is every indication there will be some faculty who lose their jobs.
• [TT:  Did the 2002 Governor’s directive to cut 5-10% administrative costs ever got followed up on (systemwide)?]
  

UO (MV)

• Little or no notice given to faculty on details of COLA vs. merit salary increases.
• “Fund for Faculty Excellence”.  Raises will be given selectively.  [Now has just over $10M].  20 faculty given sizable raises (6-15 K/year for five years) from this fund.
• Enrollment flat.
• Senate Budget Committee (to make recommendations on faculty salaries) limping along.
  

Treasuer’s Report/ Membership Report 

Membership continues to be down – could be retirements.  We need more members.  We need a more visible and effective drive to recruit members.  We need to continue to update our webpage.  We should particularly concentrate on new faculty.  We need to  continue pursuing institutional memberships.  Generally we have reduced our expenditures, but our revenues are down even a bit more.

Executive Director Report (Mark Nelson) -- 

Bill’s passing leaves a large hole in the PAC leadership.  Good news is that Karen Mainzer will be coming back to PAC, which will be a godsend. 

The new Legislature has been in session for four weeks, and making relatively good progress.  Measure 37 reformation bill already moving – could lead to a referendum this summer.  The Ways & Means co-chairs are putting together their budget, and should be public soon.  They want to give K-12 another $300M by 2% carve outs of all other budgets.   

Corporate kicker conversion to a “Rainy Day Fund” is likely to pass, in some form or another.  Business wants a corresponding concession on capital gains rates.  Tobacco tax ebbs back & forth between likely and unlikely.  Beer tax is less likely, but not yet dead.  Insurance tax is dead.  A referendum on a constitutional amendment to repeal the double-majority law on tax votes is currently not likely.   

The Governor’s budget is strong for higher education, and our job is to “keep what we have” in there!  We need to get clarified how the $9M for the regionals (Bend is now a “regional” in this distribution), the $6.9M for reducing student/faculty ratio, and the $8M for faculty salaries are intended to be distributed.  AOF will ask for clarity (e.g. a spreadsheet) on how OUS intends to allocate these monies, especially the regional pot.  We have heard that the $8M will be given proportionate to each campus’ salary base. Roll-up may well eat up a lot of the “salary increase” of our estimated $34M share of the approximately $130M for salary increases.  We still have big questions about the nature of the 600 FTE increase in OUS employees.   

Mark will get Bender’s fiscal analysis of the Governor’s Higher Ed budget request out to Board members, and we are asked to distribute as widely as possible.  This document will also be posted on our website, as well some of the OUS Issue Briefs. 

Mark passed out the initial bills, and AOF prioritized. 

Kemble reminded the Board that the OSA is organizing a Higher Ed Lobbying Day for Thursday, February 22, 12-1.  We should encourage faculty to join and support this effort. 

Kemble also urged AOF to organize a Higher Ed Lobbying Day, including faculty, staff, AND students.  Mark suggested we tie it to Budget Hearings in March or April. 

Future meetings:  March 10, April TBA, May 12, June 9.

Meeting adjourned at 11:53 AM