(Sorry for posting this excellent photo without permission, Mr. Carter.) The UO administration’s well paid negotiating team, L to R:
- UO VP for Academic Affairs Doug Blandy. A controversial internal hire.
- Sharon Rudnick, President Gottfredson’s chief negotiator, now close to $1M in billings for her HLGR law firm and associates.
- UO Journalism Dean Tim Gleason. After a failed search for a replacement, he’s been given another year on the job.
- UO General Counsel Randy Geller (hiding in Johnson Hall, and still refusing to say who audits Rudnick’s bills. Photo here, thanks to an anon reader.)
Apparently President Mike Gottfredson was not willing to sit for an interview with the RG about this, nor was his General Counsel Randy Geller, or his lead negotiator Sharon Rudnick. But between the photo and this typically incoherent quote from Journalism Dean Tim Gleason on how the new UO Board of Trustees will share governance responsibilities with the UO faculty, I’d say Ms Dietz manages to capture the situation pretty well anyway:
“We want to make sure that when there is a contract that that contract is absolutely clear, that … there isn’t stuff in the contract that isn’t relevant to that contractual relationship.”
— Tim Gleason, Member of administration bargaining team
The story goes on to explain the uncertainty surrounding the role of the new independent board in shared governance.
Who is writing the by-laws that will govern the board’s relationship with UO? Jim Bean. Gottfredson fired him from his job as UO CEO and provost, after a resolution by the UO Senate in February made it impossible to ignore the extent of faculty discontent with his lack of performance. But then Gottfredson gave him this as a sinecure, apparently at his full provost’s salary of $320,000 a year.
Things are not off to a good start. Kitzhaber will appoint the UO Board of Trustees on Aug 19th. They could start by telling Gottfredson to replace Bean with someone who has the university’s trust and respect. And if that doesn’t work, as of 7/1/2014 they’ll have the power and responsibility to replace Gottfredson.
A second story explains the differences in the union and administration raise proposals. They are currently about $6 million apart, less than 1% of UO’s $800 million budget. The administration has accumulated about $150 million in reserves, much of it since the second and third rounds of the Lariviere raises were canceled.
Reserves are now so high that our VP for Finance has had to explain to OUS why she is holding the extra $15M.
Oh yea… Gleason is embarrassed. Shouldn’t a Journalism type know a bit about sound bytes?
When you read Gleason’s rambling quote, read it in Stephen Colbert’s voice. Funny stuff.
Marla Rae’s fact-check on Dietz’s story will be priceless – though I’m guessing HLGR will take another another $2K or so in tuition money for it.
Is Gleason a former pageant contestant?
It’s time to revisit the 2011 raises the administration keeps touting as evidence of their commitment to excellence. Those raises also included “retention” raises for top administrators. Here is what Bean said to RG:
“Bean said the UO gave the raises to administrators for fear that they — like some faculty — could be wooed away.
“There were administrators that we don’t want to lose, either, that are keenly important to keeping the place going,” Bean said.
“This is really meant as a statement that they were important to us and we hoped they would hold on until a better time,” he said.”
Who got those “retention” raises?:
Well, Bean. Really? Where was he going? (5%)
Kees de Kluyver (5%) – he was just hired at the time apparently at market rates. Why did he need a retention raise? Plus, he’s been a disaster.
Don Harris (5%) – I doubt he had any offers and wonder why we would have cared. He was a disaster from day one and was subsequently “reassigned”.
Frances Dyke (5%) – had already announced retirement.
Russ Tomlin (5%) – schools were lined up for this top administrator.
Let’s see – they are all still here or retired. No one snatched them up for higher salaries. These are just a few egregious examples.
So those that approved these raises are either liars or incompetent or both. They either knew these folks didn’t need retention raises or completely misread the market for their services.
Forgive me if I don’t trust the administration when they say they have no more money for faculty. Yes, you do. Start by cleaning out the administrative fluff and bloat. Next move on to the Jock Box $4000/student tutor subsidy. There is a couple of million right there. I’m sure a competent, appropriately compensated CFO could find even more if they thought about this strategically. But wait…hmmmm…nevermind.
These observations are all too sadly true,but we should not kid ourselves that our larger public will cry us a river.
Who wins between Gleason and
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=paegent+contestant+answers&view=detail&mid=80342E156BB4A0118F2280342E156BB4A0118F22&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR
Does anyone have details on the raises that were mentioned that were being given out to all admin/non union members?
What a sad looking duo. Both appear to need extended vacations and possibly a spa trip. Or two. Or ten.
Solid reporting from the RG. They have really stepped up their coverage of UO.