5/14/2013: Update on the shared governance "conversation" with President Gottfredson.
Our president's most common response to the faculty is now a curt "read my written remarks" or "asked and answered", a phrase lawyers use to semi-politely insult each other, when objecting to a question in court.
For the white-bread, comment free take on the meeting, check out
"Around the 0":
During an informal meeting in Gerlinger Alumni Lounge, the president provided an update and answered questions regarding two bills in the Oregon Legislature that would reorganize higher education governance and create boards for the UO and other public universities in Oregon that request them.
After Gottfredson unloaded on the staff representative who asked a direct question in the Senate last week, Dave Hubin made a special effort to seek him out and apologize. Sounds like Dave has his work cut out for him. The problem in a nutshell? It's all about who you look up too:
Thanks to five UO Matters stringers for the notes which I've combined below. You know who you are, and if you need a letter from me to your dept head about your service contributions for the upcoming 2% merit raises, our first since 2006, just ask.
Minutes:
3:56: Twenty folks present.
3:57: Hubin and President Gottfredson arrive.
4:09. Now up to about 120 people.
4:13: Welcome from Hubin.
4:14: Gottfredson takes the stage and introduces his team, which includes
Geller, Moffitt, Bean and ?.
Pres expounds on the history of the UO and the State system, saying
UO is a Land-Grant College. Nope, that would be OSU, Mr. President.
"Watershed moment, momentous." Repeat 3x and click your heels. Then tells of reduced State support (projected to be 5% next
year). This, unlike the Land Grant origin of the UO, was probably not
news to anyone there.
Then some REAL news: UO is one of the world’s great public research
universities! However, I think that was believed about as much as the land
grant origin of UO. (Too bad, because the UO showed some real promise for a
while.)
Leads us through his 2-page hand out on the Local Board. Emphasized
that, in every respect, The University would gain from the change. Of course Gottfredson's definition of The University is a little narrower than what the philosophes had in mind.
4:52: Gottfredson finally closes his canned remarks, and invites questions
from the floor.
First off was a Q from Jane Cramer (PoliSci). MG interrupted her
polite lead-in and didn't even allow her to frame her question (which was
clearly about the CBA, but he cut her off before she should mention the CBA).
He then refused to go back to her for a follow up, calling on Frank Stahl
(DNA) instead. That was a mistake:
“Mike, we are cheered by your avowed support for shared governance.
As you must be aware, shared governance works only when there is a document
defining the procedures by which agreements can be reached and disagreements
settled. The UO Constitution is such a document. It currently enjoys the
protection of State Board policy requiring that any changes in it be ratified
by the relevant parties (i.e., the President and the Statutory Faculty). What steps will you take to ensure that the same protection of our
existing Constitution be provided by a local Board, should the University get
one?”
MG's response: Go home Frank. Stahl then descended to our President's level and a shouting match ensued. Bottom line: the UO Constitution is dead if Gottfredson
has his way. Frank was of course out of line. That's why we pay him the big
emeritus bucks. But MG managed to be worse. Stupid.
Michael Dreiling then raised the Constitution issue in the context
of the Union/Administration CBA. Gottfredson's response: Issues of governance
have no place in the CBA, period. Ignoring the CBAs of several other
universities.
Margie Paris asked a softball question, but MG didn't do much with
that gift.
From the floor, apparently an SEIU member: Why no classified staff
member on the Board? In response, MG didn't even make eye contact with the questioner, but pointed looked the exact opposite direction in the room while he dissed his question. MG then droned on about how important it was to
have faculty and student representation. Since this was not an
answer to the question, the guy pressed: and got anodyne stuff (yeah, me
too, google it) about how it's important not to have "designated
membership" or some such jargony phrase; this was presumed to mean that we
don't want to stipulate one of X, one of Y, one of Z all the way across (Best
to leave it to the Guv.)
But the result there too was to totally ignore the actual question
about classified staff representation. And the SEIU guy was very clearly
asking for Gottfredson's rationale for not having one, which these
non-answers did even gesture toward. The result was so insulting that
there was a little mutiny of hands up and murmuring from across the room among
those who were clearly classified staff. (My father's advice when I got hired
at UO: Always respect the staff, never teach in the summer, and don't trust
those bastards in the central administration. Three out of three, Dad.)
All in all, with both classified staff and faculty, MG clearly had
no notion that his audience was people who work here, know one or two things
about our "land-grant" status and the Morrill Act, state funding
levels and the like. And he was both unprepared to answer questions and
too thin-skinned to try being honest on the fly.
5:20: Most of the faculty has fled. Maybe 10% of the original crowd
stays for the traditional post conversation brown-nosing with the man who can
double your salary. Mike "The University" Gottfredson, Jim "Big
Five" Bean, and Dave Hubin, plus two or three faculty, or maybe
food-service. BTW, the food was a bust too. No disrespect to UO food service
staff, but I imagine the Football Operations Sous Chef puts out a better and
significantly more expensive spread whenever Gottfredson shows up there.
5:22: Your Reporters split.
My question to President Gottfredson:
From: Bill Harbaugh
Subject: Question about UO Board legislation
Date: May 13, 2013 12:01:05 PM PDT
To: President Gottfredson
Cc: David Hubin , Randy Geller , doug park , Kron Michael Michael C , rep.bettykomp@state.or.us, sen.rodmonroe@state.or.us, Robert Kyr , Margie Paris
Dear President Gottfredson:
I have a question regarding the proposed independent board legislation, which I hope you will answer by email - I'll be unable to attend the governance meeting in Gerlingher tomorrow.
What I think is the latest draft of the legislation, at https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2013R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/19825, says:
“SECTION 2a. A university with a governing board is a governmental entity performing governmental functions and exercising governmental powers. A university with a governing board is not
considered a unit of local or municipal government or a state agency,
board, commission or institution for purposes of state statutes or
constitutional provisions. ...
I am wondering if this legislation will affect UO's obligations under the public records and meetings law, if the UO Board will also be subject to these laws, and if the responsibility for handling appeals of Public Records denials from UO or the board will shift from the Lane County DA to the State DOJ or to another office.
Thank you,
Bill Harbaugh
UO Prof. of Economics
No response yet. Call me naive, but I'm finally beginning to get a little suspicious abut President Gottfredson's intentions.
5/13/2013: Gottfredson's compensation is ~10% above comparators:
We all know UO faculty salaries are bad. Check
here to see how far you are behind your peers. But the UO salary news isn't grim for everyone.
The Chronicle just reported salaries for 212 presidents and chancellors at public research universities, for 2011. The median total compensation (includes deferred) is $400,000. President Gottfredson's contract is
here. His starting pay was $440K, plus $100K deferred, plus ORP at about $63K, plus $14.4K for a car, plus use of McMorran house or Treetops, worth say $36K - below market, but he's gotta use it for entertaining too. So, including ORP his total comp is about $653K. Leaving out the house and car, it's $603K.
Average compensation at our AAU comparators is $612K. Of course that includes many presidents with years on the job. If you leave out IU and Michigan, where the presidents run entire systems, the average is $553K.
