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), and Steve Gibbons (WOU).  Also present:  Mark Nelson, Karen Mainzer, and Erica Hetfield.   

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

The minutes were approved as corrected. 

The recent solicitation for membership has resulted in some new memberships – Mark will get us a more complete report for our next meeting.  OIT’s contact address needs to be changed from Jim Etchison’s to Tim Thompson’s.

Campus reports— 

OSU (BB)

• The OUS drive to reform ORP/TDA reached the OSU Senate recently.  Looks like it’s becoming a done deal, and they’re shooting to start January, 2008.
• Promotion and tenure process was recently reviewed… A concern has been the “moving target” phenomenon.
• OSU is contemplating increasing admission standards (from 3.0 to 3.25 gpa).  
  

EOU (GM)

• Accreditation underway.
• Strategic planning underway... “time to do more with less”
• EU recently initiated a large non-refundable application fee – applications down 20%.
• President is still there.
  

OIT (TT)

• Strategic planning reports now being shared at a “congress”.
• Student teaching evaluation system appears to be broken.  IT punting its responsibility to pay for the administration of them.
• Their accreditation visit will happen next week.
• Provost office continues to be evaluated.  
  

WOU (SG)

• The union has begun bargaining.
• Accreditation visit this spring.
  

SOU (KY)

• President will announce final plan on Monday, March 12.  Preliminary indications are that cuts on the academic side will be somewhat ameliorated.
• Kip Sigetich, Econ and Business professor, is the SOU rep to the OUS advisory committee on changing ORP/TDA.  He’s also been asked to be on the Investment Council.
• Rep. Peter Buckley recently hosted an Education Higher Education sub-committee hearing at SOU.  Buckley met with the SOU faculty union board, and impressed us with his listening and his questions.

OUS Budget Hearing currently scheduled for mid-April.  Co-chairs are shooting to have their Budget proposal out by March 19.  The latter will give us (higher ed) a strong indication of what we need to fight for in the Governor’s request. 

K-12 already on tap to get $6.06 billion (a 15% increase from last biennium).  Schraeder is trying to move that up to $6.3 billion for K-12.   

Corporate kicker conversion to a “Rainy Day Fund” is slewing heavy waters now.  Business community weighed in not liking the additional upping of corporate minimum tax.  Something will likely be worked out eventually. 

The latest revenue forecast is up about $36 million.  While not very big, it is good that it is up & not down. 

We briefly discussed HB 2578, which mandates percentages for full- vs. part-time instructors at two and four year colleges/universities.  Hearings on this bill were held recently.  We see a lot of merit in enforcing a minimum fraction of full-time instruction, but acknowledge the fiscal and political difficulties in implementing this. 

Thursday, April 12, rally day!  Probably start around 10 AM.  Meet with Higher Education Caucus, meet with individual legislators, etc.   We’ll contact IFS, AAUP, other faculty unions, faculty senates. 

We then ran through the current crop of bills. 

Don’t forget Sunday, March 18, Bill Linden Celebration Day!  At DaVinci’s, 2:30 – 5:30 PM. 

Future meetings:  March 10, April 12 4 PM, May 12, June 9.

Meeting adjourned at 11:53 AM