Support Services
April 30, 2008
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Dear Colleagues,
Another fast-paced month and we're already to May! There are many things to update you on in this end-of-the-month report, so I'll immediately begin:
The next "Post-Board-Forum" that we just recently initiated will take place Thursday, May 8, in Huber Auditorium beginning at 4:15 p.m. We intend to have this Forum webcast, and I'm sorry that apparently last month's webcast process didn't work. This gathering is an opportunity for me to share news that affects EOU from the monthly Board meetings and for you to ask questions of me or other members of the President's Cabinet who are in attendance.
We have submitted our proposed tuition and fees for 2008-09. The OUS was permitted by the 2007 Legislature to increase tuition by a maximum of 3.4% beginning Fall Term 2008. I am pleased to report that at EOU, we've been able to stay under that maximum and will see a 1.9% increase on the instructional fee. That term "instructional fee" will, beginning in Fall 2008, "roll in" the energy surcharge ($2/cr) and technology fee ($4/cr) and will be called "tuition." The on-campus per credit tuition for 2008-09 will, therefore, be ~$111-$112. The building fee, student incidental fee, and health services fee will, as usual, be added to the on-campus tuition to determine a student's total per term bill.
A campus-wide "Clean Up" Day is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27. I hope that all employees will find a little time to assist with this effort. As in the past year, we are looking forward to being joined by the EOU Mountaineer Football Team. Physical Plant Director Kirk Creech and his staff will be preparing assignments for all those who can assist. At this time, we anticipate the clean-up activities will only take morning hours. More information will be forthcoming on this event, but I ask that you try to schedule yourself for some time to help out. We want the campus to look especially great when the OUS State Board meets here that following week, June 5-6, and when many locals and out-of-town guests are here for Commencement Week activities, June 9-14.
The annual Classified Staff Appreciation program is currently scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, May 14, in Hoke 309. This is a very special time for the staff to celebrate their collective accomplishments as well as to recognize those who have reached certain milestones in their service to EOU and its students. Supervisors of classified staff are expected to accommodate the absence of their staff from their regular duties during that two-hour block of time in order for them to join their colleagues in this special program. This program will not include lunch this year (good munchies though) so a regular lunch break will also be expected to be provided.
On May 12-13 we will host MGT of America, the consulting company chosen for what is referred to as the Regional University Shared Services Study. The consultant team will be spending 2-3 days on each of the four regional campuses, meeting with students, staff of the areas being emphasized by this study, and administration. Having been on the committee to select the consultant I am comfortable saying that MGT will be comprehensive in their review. Unlike the other proposals, MGT's specifically stated a caution about weighing any potential adverse affects to an institution from efficiencies that may be identified.
Effective with this Spring Term, EOU will be able to honor with Dean's List designations those students who are in collaborative programs with our community college partners and who have at least 6 of their full-time credits being taken from EOU and who, of course, meet the GPA requirement. Numerous students in our collaborative programs have requested this acknowledgment over the years, and I especially thank Dea Hoffman and Mike Cannon for their help with discussions and logistics to see this come true.
I hope you are enjoying the chimes from the new carillon. Donations for the music that you are hearing (and new songs you'll hear in the future) have come in memory of several individuals, including the parents of current EOU employee Mary Koza and her sister, a former EOU employee now retired, Joanne Parsons. Additional funds have been provided in memory of Sean Sullivan, a graduate of the EOU/OSU program who was killed in an automobile accident shortly after graduating from the EOU/OSU program. Sean was the son of EOU Alumni Board member Joe Sullivan.
As you may remember, the carillon (a gift to EOU from Ms. Robbie Waller in memory of her father) also serves as an emergency notification system, so it is really not only a thoughtful, but a very timely addition to our campus. We will be doing some trial testing of the emergency notification siren in the next few days and you (and the surrounding neighbors, law enforcement personnel, and media) will be told in advance that "this is a test; this is only a test!" Educating and training our campus to appropriate responses to the siren and any accompanying broadcast messages over its P.A. system will also be taking place in the near future. The additional gift from Ms. Waller, a large, beautiful clock tower, will be installed sometime this summer near the eastern side of the Quad.
Speaking of the emergency notification system--the carillon is only one of the instruments we are acquiring. Along with other OUS institutions, we are expecting to purchase from one of two different companies that are being reviewed an emergency system which will offer voice and text messaging and links into Banner. A task force from EOU is communicating with personnel from OSU and the other Regional Universities to see what is the best package for the price. Students, staff, and faculty are represented on the EOU task force.
Plans are underway for an end-of-the-year celebration for all EOU employees. We will have faced a most challenging year and deserve to toast to one another for not just our survival, but for our success in meeting the challenges head on with commitment, passion, and a can-do spirit which I so very much appreciate. Details regarding this informal gathering to which I hope all employees will find time to come-if even for a few moments-will be forthcoming. So, "bring it on, month of May!" We're ready for you! Best wishes to all and thank you again for all the incredibly hard work you each are doing to keep EOU vibrant, attractive, and no longer "the best kept secret" in the Oregon University System. On the contrary, "We Are...Eastern!"
Sincerely,
Dixie Lund
EOU President
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Office of the President
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Eastern Oregon University
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