Vol. 38, No. 18

2-3-2005
By: Susan Wittstock

Budget, benefits key issues at Town Meeting

New format offers electronic \'attendance’

For the University Staff Advisory Committee’s winter town meeting with the senior administration, staff who didn’t want to leave their warm offices to venture out in the cold didn’t have to. The meeting, which took place in Drinko Hall’s Saxbe Auditorium from noon-1 p.m. Jan. 24, was broadcast live on the Web. Staff who watched the proceedings on their computers also could participate by e-mailing questions for the president to answer during the meeting.

Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara Snyder, Senior Vice President for Business and Finance Bill Shkurti and Associate Vice President for Human Resources Larry Lewellen joined Holbrook for the discussion.

Also for the first time, staff at Newark had the option to watch the Webcast on a large screen set up in Reese Center and they, in turn, were on view on a large screen set up in the front of Saxbe Auditorium. A live audio link connected the two locations.

Funding
USAC Chair Connie Goodman served as moderator, and opened the session by directing a question to Holbrook, expressing concern about possible budget cuts at the state level. “We are very concerned about the impact at OSU. Please tell us how we are preparing and how you plan to preserve staff jobs,” Goodman said.

Holbrook discussed a number of statewide initiatives underway, particularly in partnership with the Inter-University Council (IUC), an association of Ohio’s 13 public universities and two medical colleges. Preserving the state construction budget is a priority, she said, as is asking for more funding for higher education as an investment in the state’s future.

“The Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and the Economy had a way or goal of bringing more people into higher education —180,000 more over 10 years—or an increase of 30 percent,” she said. “We have been increasing our enrollment with no increase in funding. We believe in the goal, but we cannot take it on each year without the financial resources to do so.”

Holbrook also supports the commission’s goal to increase per capita funding for research from the federal government and industry, but said that again, the university needs resources that can be leveraged.
The university is always working with legislators, she said. “Staff, students, faculty and alumni lobbies will be mobilized when needed,” she said.

Snyder agreed. “The team for the last biennial budget was very successful because we were unified on our message,” she said. “We’ve already begun conversations, and will continue, about messages to get across to legislators.”

Shkurti boiled efforts down to a five-step plan: Step one is to fight cuts; step two is to find alternative sources of revenue; step three is to find ways to economize without affecting positions; step four is to eliminate vacant positions; and step five is to look at layoffs, but only after providing the option of voluntary departures.

“The layoffs are the last thing we want to do,” he stressed. “We can’t promise you that won’t happen, but we can promise you we’ll do everything we can do to avoid that.”

Later, Holbrook said increasing salaries remains important. “Maintaining salaries and continuing the annual increases remain a high priority.”

Benefits
An e-mail question, read by Goodman, asked about benefits for spouses both employed by the university; specifically about the 50-percent tuition benefit that only one parent can utilize for a child.

“We need to make more progress on dual couple employment,” Lewellen said. “It makes sense to look at this.”

Shkurti urged caution. “There are many different categories of people here with different benefits,” he said. “I think Larry’s commitment to look at this makes sense, but we need to see it broadly and strategically.”

Another question, via e-mail, voiced concern about fees for the new recreational sports center. The staff member also takes classes part time, and asked whether he will be charged the same fee as students.

Bill Hall, vice president for student affairs, offered comment from the audience. “If you are a part-time student, the fee would be reduced,” he said.

Another staff person, via e-mail, asked if it was possible for retired staff to keep their e-mail accounts.
Only retired emeritus faculty currently keep their e-mail status, Lewellen said, but there are proposals to consider extending e-mail to a wider base of employees. “The Office of Information Technology has come up with some ideas. There is a cost, so we’re trying to figure out a good solution.”

An audience member asked about the timeline to determine the new football ticket policy for staff.

“We’ve asked athletics to come up with a way to make sure the tickets go to whom they are intended for the purpose they are intended,” Shkurti said. “I don’t know yet what the details are. It’s still working its way through Athletic Council. We’ll be sure the appropriate constituencies have the opportunity for input.”

Richelle Simonson, associate athletic director, was present to answer. “It will be critical that the final decision is made before people have to apply for tickets,” she said.

Via e-mail, the question “Can the policy which provides retirees with a payout worth one-fourth of their accumulated sick leave be changed?” was asked.

“We think the entire leave process needs to be re-evaluated,” Lewellen said. “Increasing the pay-out at the end increases costs and would take away from funds for compensation and health benefits. I would like to change the entire design, but not the pay-out system.”

Another staff member, via e-mail, asked how much parity there should be in pay for similar positions in different colleges.

“We’ve done a lot of work to create parity in the past, and what it ensured was that no one could be paid above the lowest common denominator,” Lewellen said. “We decided 10 years ago to go for a more market-based approach. Some colleges may place a priority on a particular position and pay more for it, and we won’t hold them back. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s better than paying to the lowest common denominator.”

Technology
An academic adviser asked about the university’s plans for technology in classrooms.

“Having more smart classrooms is a priority throughout campus,” Snyder said. Colleges received 76 percent of the $3.7 million in tuition allocated, according to legislative directive, for technology to support student learning. In addition, OIT added 15 technology enhanced classrooms to the central pool. “We recognize that it’s something we have to keep working on, but with some of the older buildings, it can be very challenging and expensive.”

Semesters
A Newark staff member inquired about the possibility of switching the university to semesters.
“It is still a hot-button issue,” Snyder said. “We have some who are very opposed, and some very much in favor.”

The university is in the process of planning for a new student information system and is hoping to have it in place by 2008, Snyder said. Before a switch could occur, the new system would need to be in place, additional data on cost and the impact on faculty and academics would need to be gathered, and it would need to be put to a vote in University Senate, she said.

Reputation
One staff member asked via e-mail about plans to improve the university’s overall reputation.

“Our first step is to get the commentary about the athletics issue under control. At the same time, we don’t want to put our heads in the sand and say everything’s fine. But we can be clear about all the great things athletics is doing,” said Holbrook, and noted a few accomplishments, such as the fact that 48 percent of student athletes maintain a 3.0 GPA or better.

Holbrook said Ohio State works very hard to publicize its academic accomplishments, and has a lot of success, but it’s an uphill battle. “Somehow, academic progress doesn’t make the same splash as negative athletics coverage,” she said.

“We certainly have that as a challenge,” Snyder said. “We can try really hard to make sure the good news gets out, but we can’t guarantee it will get the attention we believe it deserves.”

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