The Mankato Update

The Mankato Update, November Edition, 11/24/08

IFO Faculty Association—Minnesota State University, Mankato

Contents:

President’s Column	Rumor Control	120-Credit Degree Limits	Trustees Teaching Award
Salary Equity Study	Searches and Sanity Redux	Contacts

REMINDER: Drop in to the Faculty Association Office (MH 240) for refreshments and company on Monday, December 1, between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Celebrate the pending end of the semester—or at least take a little time off to relax!

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

The last MnSCU Board of Trustees meeting on November 19 generated some news that the Board seems to feel is worth celebrating, but that faculty (and anyone else with a lick of sense) should find disconcerting at least:

· Budget Recommendation: A while ago, the Office of the Chancellor drafted a system budget recommendation for the 2009-2011 biennium of $126.7 million above the current system budget. The IFO expressed disappointment that the system request fell well short of the University of Minnesota’s request for over $141 million, but we recognized that the U was unlikely to get that much and that we are all facing a very difficult time. Last Wednesday, the MnSCU Board of Trustees slashed the Chancellor’s request by $55 million, resulting in a system increase request of only $71 million, half of the U’s request! (The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has made no corresponding cuts to its request.) David Olson, Chair of the Board (and a Mankato alumnus), commented that the MnSCU Board wants the system to be “part of the solution” to the state’s pending budget problems. For the official news release, go to http://www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/current/article.php5?id=70. To compare the U of M’s request, go to http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/govrel/biennialbudgetrequest/information.html.

· More Budget Joy: During the MnSCU Board meeting, Trustees expressed the view that the system could work to balance its budget by “internal reallocations”—in other words, plundering the reserves of the campuses that have them to feed those that are bleeding money.

· A Budget Solution? But the Board, in its forward-thinking way, has also teamed up with Governor Pawlenty (who has appointed a majority of the current Board) to announce an “initiative” that sets a goal of having 25% of all MnSCU courses online by 2015. What courses? For whom? Why 25%? Why 2015? For the official version, go to http://www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/current/article.php5?id=72 and see if you can figure it out! (For more Board of Trustees news, see below.)

· Editorial Comment: When faced with bureaucratic absurdities, I usually follow the example of an old German immigrant friend many years ago when he remarked, “I wasn’t mad. I was amused.” But the sheer irresponsibility of the Board of Trustees leaves me astounded and fuming! We all knew that the MnSCU system and its member colleges and universities would have to be “part of the solution” to a budget shortfall, but we should expect our Board of Trustees to be an advocate for public higher education. Instead, the Board has proclaimed that MnSCU’s colleges and universities and their faculty, staff and students are no more than cash cows to be milked for the benefit of any other state agency—or the University of Minnesota. The Board’s suggestion that “internal reallocations” can level the difference for weaker system institutions suggests that the virtues of prudential budgeting and thoughtful planning are a sucker’s game. The ones who suffer will be the departments and programs that face staffing cuts; the personnel who will face stagnant wages and cutbacks in benefits; and the students who will again get socked with increased tuition.

So, how does the Board live up to its self-proclaimed goals of “access and affordability” and “high-quality programs and services” (http://www.mnscu.edu/about/actionplan.html)? Why, by touting an abstract and artificial goal of 25% online enrollment by 2015! No one can deny that online education is likely to grow as an integral part of higher education, but right now online enrollments across the system are only about 9% of the total. Mankato has been a system leader in the development of high-quality online programs and courses through the efforts of the faculty and departments who have developed them. The Trustees and the Governor, in spite of their business-world connections, do not seem to be asking the kinds of questions that any responsible corporation board would ask: What is the market for online education in Minnesota? Where is demand likely to grow? What resources do we have to meet growing demand? How will we continue to assure quality on-site education at our campuses? Who is likely to succeed in an online course or program? Who is not? How will we assure that strong online course completion rates, such as we have at Mankato, will not fall to the dismal levels of such online giants as the University of Phoenix, Walden, Brown and Capella—companies that the Trustees are fond of referencing? And, what new costs will this initiative bring?

As usual, the Board’s priorities reflect no understanding of the roles, needs, and rewards of baccalaureate and graduate education in the system, whether on-site or online. And, as usual, the public is likely to buy the Board’s line—at least for the time being. When the Trustees trotted out their incomplete “accountability dashboard” last summer, editorial writers across the state congratulated the system, despite the dashboard’s balky technology and the fact that it still lacks evaluation criteria for 4 of 10 “quality indicators,” including “High-Quality Learning” and “Student Engagement.” As with the dashboard, the Board’s budget priorities suggest that they will continue to favor an attractive but hollow shell over actual content. As budget and IFO contract negotiations begin, we can probably expect more of the same shell game!

RUMOR CONTROL (an occasional feature)

Rumor: The state budget situation is far worse than we’ve been told, and faculty lay-offs and retrenchment are imminent.

Fact: The exact budget situation will be somewhat clearer next week when the state issues its November budget forecast, but currently no one is talking about retrenchment of probationary or tenured faculty or faculty layoffs. While the budget situation is not good, it is not bad enough to invoke the “R” word! For more on the state budget, see the Economic Updates page at the Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB, formerly Department of Employee Relations/DOER): http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/fu-update-current. As far as MnSCU appropriations go, a complete picture will not emerge until the end of the next legislative session, beginning in January.

120-CREDIT DEGREE LIMITS: MORE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Last week, many of you participated as department chairs and committee members in the campus “summit” meeting on the 120-credit degree limits imposed by the Legislature. That conversation reflected the hard work and thought that the campus has already been giving to this mandate, but—unless anyone should think that the Board of Trustees has merely been pandering to the Legislature—the Trustees postponed any consideration of the new draft policy on credit limits until at least March or even May. That means that the Board will have failed to meet the Legislature’s requirement that it approve such a policy by January 1, 2009. The political (and budgetary) fallout from that inaction remains to be seen, but it also leaves the state universities in limbo. Should we be rushing to implement a policy that does not exist? Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can find the draft Board policy at http://www.mnscu.edu/board/materials/2008/nov19/asa-08-policy336.pdf .

BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD: THE FINAL CHAPTER?

The IFO’s Board of Directors voted last week finally (?) to refuse participation in the Board of Trustees Excellence in Teaching Awards. As you may recall, these awards were first proposed several years ago, with the IFO’s blessing, but the actual details of the awards themselves and the process for applying for them drove the individual campuses to decline participation. While the Office of the Chancellor did make substantial changes to the awards and procedures that would have resulted in a system-wide Letter of Understanding, the IFO Negotiations Team (which gets first pass at proposed LOUs) recommended against adopting the changes on the grounds that even monetary awards channeled toward support for development or scholarship still constituted “merit pay.” That recommendation was upheld in a vote by the Board on Thursday night and should put an end to the question—unless it resurfaces in contract negotiations! In the meantime, the two-year colleges (which have no qualms about “merit pay”) will participate in the awards for the third year.

AND NOW, SOME GOOD NEWS: SALARY EQUITY STUDY

In accordance with contract Article 11, Section I, Subd. 5 (http://www.ifo.org/contract09/webFINALIFOCBA07-09.htm#11), the IFO-MnSCU Salary Review Committee conducts a new study of faculty salaries every five years. The last study was conducted in 2006 and the settlements resulting from that study are finally (!) ready. Current faculty who were employed in 2005-2006 should be receiving letters in campus mail in the next week or so informing them if they are among those receiving additional salary steps. The additional step(s) and back pay for this year should be reflected in one of your December pay statements. Here are a few basic details of the settlement:

· The settlement only affects continuing (non-adjunct, non-coaching) faculty who were employed in 2005-2006

· Over 90 Mankato faculty will receive an additional 1-5 steps to their current base pay

· These increases are on top of any other recent increases, including steps and percentage increases for returning faculty in this year’s contract, step increases for promotion, and career steps (“geezer bumps”)

· Information about the study can be found on the IFO web site: http://www.ifo.org/ifosalaryreviewhome.htm

The Mankato representative to the Salary Review Committee is Janet Cherrington-Cucore (URSI). If you have other questions about this settlement or the IFO and equity, please contact Donna Blom, Don Larsson or Jim Grabowska.

Disclaimer: Some of you may have noticed a news item in the Nov. 18 MSU Reporter referring to a student group known as CAPE that is promoting pay equity at the university. The group is very well-intentioned, but they did not consult with the IFO or the Faculty Association before conducting their study. We hope to meet with them soon to discuss this complex issue. Here’s a link to the Reporter story if you are interested: http://media.www.msureporter.com/media/storage/paper937/news/2008/11/18/CampusNews/Pushing.Against.The.Glass.Ceiling-3549886.shtml

SEARCHES AND SANITY, REDUX:

Human Resources will be conducting workshops on searches on December 3 and January 8. For details, go to http://www.mnsu.edu/humanres/trainingcalendar.html.

In the meantime, here is a reminder of some search advice from the last Update:

· When drafting a Notice of Vacancy, know what you want in terms of “Qualifications” that are required from candidates and “Other Considerations” that are not required but desirable. Put them in terms that can be verified through concrete evidence provided by the candidate or reference contacts.

· Human Resources can assist search committees as they draft NOVs, screen candidates, and interview finalists. For help and advice, contact Brittany Adrian in the HR office (Brittany.adrian@mnsu.edu, 389-2015). The Faculty Association also stands ready to offer help and advice to departments and job candidates. See the Contacts list at the end of this newsletter for names and addresses or contact Donna Blom in the FA office (donna.blom@mnsu.edu).

· Be prepared to discuss with finalists the fact that they will be hired as “nine-month faculty” and to discuss how that may or may not affect the details of their appointment.

· All finalists for full-time positions must receive a copy of the IFO-MnSCU contract by the time of their interviews. All adjunct faculty must receive a copy (on CD-ROM) by the time they are hired.

· When dealing with other people, whether they are candidates or people working in Human Resources office, treat them with the same respect and consideration that you expect.

Do you want to be part of the solutions at MSU Mankato? If you would like to know about openings for faculty spots on committees and other ways to participate, contact Donna Blom (donna.blom@mnsu.edu). Remember, you have to be a member of the IFO to be on campus committees, but it is easy to join!