Tag Archives: administrative bloat

President Michael Schill has been very, very good to his upper admins. Faculty & staff, not so much.

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Relative to other “Very High Research” public universities. I think this is what is commonly called “administrative bloat” – though these are salaries, not numbers. 2018 means the 2018-19 FY.

From the Chronicle of Higher Education, here. (You may need to create a free login with your UO id). The data comes from federally required IPEDS data submissions. UO is in orange, the 4-year VHR public university average in teal:

Admin: Upper management salaries:

Admin: Comm/Legal/Media salaries:

Faculty: (Full profs.)

Faculty: (Asst Profs):

Librarians:

Regular OA’s:

Administration posts embarrassing new transparency website

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At https://transparency.uoregon.edu/ It’s better than I’d expected. A low bar to be sure, but there’s some useful info. If you know where to click, you can even find information on administrative bloat, such as this page showing that the General Counsel’s office has grown from 11 to 25 administrators and staff in just 9 years. The President used to scrape by with 6 OA’s, now he needs 16:

All this while the number of students decreases, and tuition increases. I wonder why.

Fac Union Pres Sinclair tells Pres Schill to find another scapegoat

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Dear Colleagues,

During recent remarks to the University Senate, President Mike Schill alerted the campus to yet another potential budget crisis. He identified four reasons for his concern about budget “fragility:” the ongoing difficulties with PERS funding, the decrease in international students, low reserves, and the loss of “flexibility” due to faculty unionization.

We were surprised to have President Schill cite United Academics as a cause of budget fragility. In the summer of 2015, UO President Michael Schill and then-UA President Michael Dreiling negotiated a two-year salary extension to the faculty contract, with raises of 2.0% and 2.125%. We agreed to these raises–less than our comparators–because we understood the university had budget problems, and we wanted to do our part to help out and offset ever-increasing tuition.

President Schill and his leadership team, including the Board of Trustees, have been in charge of the university and its finances for five years. They have made a series of decisions about how to structure the budget, spend money, direct lobbying efforts, and shape the university according to their desires and priorities. They have made these decisions without consulting us or involving the faculty in any meaningful way. We believe for President Schill to now say that we are a cause of budget fragility is an insult to the efforts we made two years ago and nonsensical given our lack of input in the decisions that have led us to this point.

One of the main reasons the faculty unionized was because during several budget cycles, the administration decided not to give faculty raises. It’s true that in this sense, the unionization of faculty and collective bargaining contracts have reduced the administration’s “flexibility” not to give raises–in other words, to balance the budget on the backs of teaching faculty, SEIU employees, and GEs. It is also possible that our efforts to protect Career teaching positions during the last round of budget cuts impinged on administrative flexibility.

We make no apologies for reducing administrative “flexibility” to give no raises or terminate good faculty who serve the mission of the university. We do, however, reject the implication that preventing zero percent salary increases and layoffs of quality faculty contribute substantially to alleged budget fragility. Through UA, faculty have demanded decent raises and job stability because this is necessary to recruit and retain excellent faculty. We know that student success comes when the faculty are fully engaged in the research and teaching mission of the university and not from a faculty who are constantly worried about their jobs or looking for positions at other universities.

When we look at our campus, we see a vibrant community of scholars passionately devoted to cutting-edge research and world-class education. We see a growing and diversifying student body who are making tremendous strides into our shared future and are now graduating at higher rates than ever before [https://around.uoregon.edu/content/uos-four-and-six-year-graduation-rates-reach-new-high]. We also see an ever-bloating administration, construction all over campus, and multi-million dollar athletics facilities.

After making his remarks, President Schill talked with me and clarified that he in no way intended to imply that UA was a cause of current budget difficulties. He did, however, reexpress concerns about the union causing future budget fragility. As we prepare to approach the bargaining table on January 9, we intend to discuss with the administration the faculty’s ideas on how to continue to improve our university. We will continue to argue that a strong faculty equals a strong university. We will continue to reject the notion that our union, not administrative decision-making, is a source of budgetary woes on campus.

In solidarity,

Chris Sinclair
President United Academics

11/18/2019: President Schill takes responsibility for UO’s fragile finances

Just kidding, he’s blaming the unions. From Daily Emerald reporter Jack Forrest, here:

The somber mood was retained throughout much of the address with discussions of budget deficits and low financial reserves. At one point, Schill said some blame lies with UO’s trend to unionize.

“One of the things that produced our fragility is that we, unlike virtually all of our peer schools, tend to heavily unionize, in the faculty as well as in the staff,” Schill said. “It just means we lack some of the flexibility, some of the tools, some of the levers that other universities have. Maybe it’s worth it to have that, that’s a decision that the faculty made, but it does create that situation.”

The video is here. Rumor has it that the faculty union’s treasurer will be sending Schill an invoice for “scapegoat services”.

An 0.4% increase in faculty, and an 11% increase in administrators

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According to the Institutional Research website, the year before President Schill came to UO we had 2,066 faculty and 1,393 senior administrators and OA’s. As of this November, we have 2,075 faculty, and 1,546 senior administrators and OA’s:

That is an 0.4% increase in faculty and an 11% increase in administrators. The number of classified staff and GE’s has actually dropped slightly.

You can also break out the 0.4% faculty increase by rank:

TTF have increased from 735 to 807, or by 9.8%. NTTF regular from 846 to 906, or 7.1%. Adjunct/Visiting have decreased by 57%. So at least the change in the mix is toward more permanent faculty jobs.

You can drill down on the IR website to see where the administrative hiring has been. Apparently not all of it is for people to help me figure out Concur. E.g.:

UO currently has 57 job openings for administrators and OA’s on the careers website. Some of these are to replace people who have left since November, but many appear to be new positions:

Assistant Football Coach Eugene, OR Open until filled
Provides coaching assistance to the Head Coach during training and competitions for the University of Oregon’s football program.
Career & Academic Advisor Eugene, OR Open until filled
The School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) is seeking a Career and Academic Advisor.
Graduate Recruiter Portland, OR Open until filled
Sports Product Management, located in Portland Oregon, is seeking a recruiter for their graduate programs.
Asst Dir Industry Engagement Portland, OR Open until filled
The Sports Product Management Program, located in Portland Oregon, is seeking an Assistant Director of Industry Relations.
Case Manager & Senior Staff Therapist/Psychologist Eugene, OR Open until filled
The University Counseling Center is seeking a Case Manager and Senior Staff Therapist/Psychologist to assist in referring students to community therapists, agencies, and other campus and community resources.
Executive Communications Specialist Eugene, OR Open until filled
Seeking an Executive Communications Specialist to assist in the research, writing, and development of a broad range of written, spoken and digital communication for university senior leadership.
Events and Communication Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
The School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) is seeking an Events and Communication Manager to manage signature events, partner on communication projects, and serve as the point person for SOJC social media.
Executive Assistant to the Dean of Libraries Eugene, OR Open until filled
Support the work of the Dean of the UO Libraries by providing executive-level administrative support to the Dean and Associate Deans, participating as a member of the Administrative Team, and serving as liaison between the Libraries and a wide range of individuals and organizations to advance the goals of the department.
Assistant/Associate Director of Admissions Eugene, OR Open until filled
Seeking an Assistant or Associate Director in Admissions in the School of Law.
Financial Analyst Eugene, OR Open until filled
Budget and Resource Planning (BRP) seeks a Financial Analysts to join a team that provides financial and analytical support for the operational aspects of the University’s annual budget and planning activities.
Associate Auditor Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Associate Auditor conducts audits, investigations, and consulting engagements for the University of Oregon in accordance with policies, procedures, and accepted auditing standards.
Executive Director of Sponsored Project Services Eugene, OR Open until filled
Responsible for building and leading a high functioning, service-oriented unit that supports Principal Investigator (PI) engagement in sponsored projects while ensuring institutional compliance with federal, state, and university policies.
Executive Director, University Career Center Eugene, OR Open until filled
The UO invites applications and nominations for the position of Executive Director of the University Career Center.
Associate Registrar for Operations Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of the Registrar is seeking an Associate Registrar for Operations to provide leadership, serve as primary liaison to university administrative and academic departments, and direct day-to-day office operations.
Creative Director for Track and Field Eugene, OR Open until filled
Responsible for coordinating, creating, implementing and maintaining graphic elements and video production through numerous social media platforms required for track and field recruiting.
ELR Operations Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of Human Resources is seeking a professional who will be responsible for the coordination and collaborative support of a highly responsive ELR team in serving the strategic goals of the University.
Department Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Department of Psychology is seeking a full-time Department Manager to provide leadership and management support for the department’s academic and faculty programs.
Senior Director of Development, East Coast Major Gifts Eugene, OR, Other-Site Open until filled
Join the high-performing University of Oregon fundraising team as our representative to the New York area. We are looking for an experienced development professional to connect with donors, volunteers, and alumni.
Program Manager, Portland Alumni Engagement Portland, OR Open until filled
In concert with the Director of Regional Engagement and university colleagues, assist with the development, planning, and management of engagement opportunities for university constituents in Portland.
Assistant Director of Development, School of Law Eugene, OR Open until filled
Join the fundraising team at the second-highest-ranked law school in the Pacific Northwest. We seek an experienced development professional who is eager to connect with donors, volunteers, and alumni.
Director, Office of Communications Eugene, OR Open until filled
Leads the development of a comprehensive communications strategy dedicated to establishing a clear voice, reputation, and brand for the College of Design. The Director is responsible for all aspects of strategic communication both internally and externally.
Investigator Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of Investigations & Civil Rights Compliance is seeking an Investigator who plays a critical role in the University’s response to reported incidents of prohibited discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
Community Director Eugene, OR Open until filled
University Housing’s Residence Life Department is accepting applications for Community Director positions for Academic Year 2019-20.
Recruiter and First-Year Admissions Coordinator Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Undergraduate Programs Office at the Lundquist College of Business is seeking a Recruiter and First-Year Admissions Coordinator.
Director of Development, College of Education Eugene, OR Open until filled
Join the fundraising team at one of the top ranked Colleges of Education in the country. We are looking for an experienced development professional to connect with donors, volunteers, and alumni.
Program Manager, Named Faculty and Scholarship Stewardship Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of Stewardship and Donor Services is seeking a Program Manager to implement and manage various stewardship programs designed to foster and nurture long-term, meaningful relationships between the university and its donors.
Assistant Director of Donor Relations Eugene, OR Open until filled
The School of Journalism and Communication is seeking an Assistant Director for Donor Relations to manage a variety of complex stewardship matters, directly contact donors, and work with the SOJC Development Officers on donor strategy.
Coordinator for Orientation Programs Eugene, OR Open until filled
The essential function of the Coordinator for Orientation Programs is to manage student staff for orientation. The position supports the operations of domestic undergraduate orientation and contributes to student development by executing a strong university program.
Director of Classification and Compensation Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of Human Resources is seeking a key member of the HR leadership team who will provide overall leadership for the classification and compensation portfolio.
HDC Facility & Operations Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Hatfield-Dowlin Complex (HDC) Facility & Operations Manager coordinates and manages all aspects of the building including mechanical and electrical systems, as well as the operations and maintenance of the building.
Director of Public Affairs and Issues Management Eugene, OR Open until filled
The University of Oregon is seeking a Director to serve as the primary spokesperson for the university and work with the Vice President and other members of the University Communications leadership team to counsel university leaders on public relations and media activities.
Instructional Technologist Eugene, OR Open until filled
As a member of the CMET team, this position provides course design, technical assistance, advice, information, direction, recommendations, and training to faculty and Graduate employees on the development of curricula and course materials.
Digital Communications and Production Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
Strategic Communications is seeking a creative and collaborative individual with outstanding project management skills to serve as the Digital Communications and Production Manager.
Media Services Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
As a member of the CMET management team, the position provides leadership in budget development, project management, new technology assessment, and team building.
Business Operations Manager, School of Planning, Public Policy and Management Eugene, OR Open until filled
The College of Design at the University of Oregon is seeking a dynamic professional to join us as a Business Operations Manager for the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management.
Interim Recruitment/Classification and Compensation Specialist Eugene, OR Open until filled
Human Resources is seeking to fill four (4) interim positions in our Talent Acquisition team.
Senior Human Resources Generalist Eugene, OR Open until filled
Successful candidates will possess a range of Human Resource experience and will demonstrate competencies in the areas of recruitment, onboarding, retention, termination, and employee and labor relations.
Communications Specialist, Office of the Provost Eugene, OR Open until filled
University Communications is seeking a Communications Specialist to support the Office of the Provost (OtP) by coordinating, organizing and executing communications projects for OtP and developing strategic messaging.
Enterprise IT Project Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
This position plans, implements, and monitors complex, technical, enterprise-wide IT projects and initiatives for Information Services.
Director of Holden Center for Leadership & Community Engagement Eugene, OR Open until filled
Reporting to the Associate Dean of Students for Leadership & Engagement, the Director provides strategic direction and vision for the Holden Center, and oversees the administration of co-curricular leadership programs, experiences and services that will assist UO students in becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
Asst/Assoc Director for Career Planning & Professional Development Eugene, OR Open until filled
Seeking an Assistant or Associate Director in the Center for Career Planning and Professional Development in the School of Law.
Sign Language Interpreting and Transcription Coordinator Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Accessible Education Center seeks a dynamic and creative professional to join a team dedicated to facilitating access and full inclusion of people with disabilities
Staff Sign Language Interpreter Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Accessible Education Center seeks a skilled interpreter to join a team dedicated to facilitating access and inclusion of people with disabilities.
Research Development Officer Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Research Development Officer will support faculty in identifying and applying for both internal and external research funding, as well as coordinate projects to expand the overall research enterprise at UO.
Program Manager for Events and Operations Eugene, OR Open until filled
Develop and manage relationships with campus and community constituents to achieve revenue-generating goals of the Ford Alumni Center.
ITSM Program Manager Eugene, OR Open until filled
Information Services (IS) is seeking a full-time ITSM Program Manager, responsible for creating and maintaining standard processes and documentation as a way to facilitate repeatable and reliable service activities across IS.
CHRO & Assoc Vice President Eugene, OR Open until filled
The UO invites applications and nominations for the position of Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Associate Vice President.
Sr Affirmative Action Specialist Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of Human Resources seeks a Senior Affirmative Action Specialist who will serve in a leadership role ensuring institutional compliance with applicable affirmative action and equal opportunity obligations.
LL.M. Program Director Eugene, OR Open until filled
Lead the law school’s LL.M degree program through effective communications and publicity, budget management, student recruiting, admissions, program events, student support, career planning, and program development.
Sergeant (PDX) Portland, OR Open until filled
We are looking for an experienced Police Sergeant to work for our Portland, OR location.
Many Nations Longhouse Steward Eugene, OR Open until filled
Through partnerships and relationships with other campus partners and the greater Native American community, the Steward is responsible for scheduling, providing event support, and overseeing general maintenance in accordance to building codes.
Research Systems and Applications Administrator Eugene, OR Open until filled
Research Advanced Computing Services (RACS) is seeking a Research Systems and Applications Administrator to support high performance computing for UO faculty, students, and external customers.
McNair Program Director Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is searching for a Director of the TRiO McNair Program to oversee the coordination and delivery of services preparing underrepresented and first generation undergraduate students for graduate school.
Assistant Director for Program Management Eugene, OR Open until filled
The Office of International Affairs seeks qualified applicants for the position of Assistant Director-Program Management for GEO, a position responsible for daily operations and program development.
University Physician – Primary Care Eugene, OR Open until filled
Evaluates, diagnoses, treats, and/or prescribes health care and treatment for University of Oregon students independently or in conjunction with other University Health Center physicians.
Clinician Relief – Open Pool Eugene, OR Open until filled
The University Health Center periodically hires primary care physicians, psychiatrists, dentists and dietitians to provide occasional relief outpatient care to students at the University of Oregon.
Athletic Trainer Relief – Open Pool Eugene, OR Open until filled
The University Health Center periodically hires athletic trainers to provide occasional relief outpatient care to students at the University of Oregon.

VP for Communication Kyle Henley still uncommunicative on “brand awareness” contract

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Latest:

From: [email protected]
Subject: Public Records Request 2018-PRR-370
Date: May 8, 2018 at 4:25:54 PM PDT
To: [email protected]

05/08/2018

Dear Mr. Harbaugh:

Records responsive to your request, made 5/2/2018, for “copies of any proposals submitted to RFQ for Brand Awareness Study…” are exempt under 192.355(9), as an award has not yet been made. As such, the University does not possess any records responsive to your request for “…any ensuing contract”.

You may seek review of the public body’s determination pursuant to ORS 192.411, 192.415, 192.418, 192.422, 192.427 and 192.431.

The office considers this to be fully responsive to your request, and will now close your matter. Thank you for contacting the office with your request.

Sincerely,

cid:4B9B6C3F-95CC-44A6-9B03-D592F3AE51E2
Office of Public Records
6207 University of Oregon | Eugene, OR 97403-6207
(541) 346-6823 | [email protected]
publicrecords.uoregon.edu

5/3/2018 update: More than a month now. Maybe another public records request will shake something loose from Henley:

Begin forwarded message:
From: Bill Harbaugh <[email protected]>
Subject: PR request attempt #2 for Brand Awareness Study proposals and contract
Date: May 2, 2018 at 8:26:07 AM PDT
To: Lisa Thornton <[email protected]>

Dear Ms Thornton –

This is a public records request for copies of any proposals submitted in response to
RFQ for Brand Awareness Study
University Communications, University Communications > Digital Communications, and Purchasing & Contracting Services
PCS# 520200-00134-RFQ
Which closed on Dec 22 2017.
And any ensuing contract.
I will post these on the internet at a site frequently visited by journalists and others interested in UO matters, and I ask for a fee waiver on the basis of public interest.
I’m ccing VP for Comm Kyle Henley, as he should have these documents readily at hand and is well compensated for helping UO communicate with the public.
Thanks,

Bill Harbaugh

4/24/2018 update:

Dear Mr. Harbaugh:

The University has searched for, but was unable to locate, records responsive to your request. The office has been informed that this RFP is in progress but has not yet been awarded.

The office considers this to be fully responsive to your request, and will now close your matter. Thank you for contacting the office with your request.

Sincerely,

Office of Public Records

publicrecords.uoregon.edu

Huh? “unable to locate” proposals?

20 21 22 23 24 25 days and counting for a response from Mr. Henley to this public records request:

Requester: Harbaugh, Bill
Organization:  Private
Initial Request Date: 03/30/2018
Status:  Requesting/Reviewing Records

This is a public records request for copies of any proposals submitted in response to RFQ for Brand Awareness Study – University Communications, University Communications > Digital Communications, Purchasing & Contracting Services PCS #520200-00134-RFQ which closed on Dec 22 2017.

I will post these on the internet at a site frequently visited by journalists and others interested in UO matters, and I ask for a fee waiver on the basis of public interest. I’m ccing VP for Comm Kyle Henley, as he should have these documents readily at hand, and is well compensated for helping UO communicate with the public.

Request ID: 2018-PRR-344

What’s this about? Henley needs to show the Board and President Schill that all the money he has spent on branding and communications – money which could have been spent on teaching, research, and scholarships for our students – has increased “brand awareness”:

Given UO’s falling enrollment numbers and the unremarkable google trends data for UO’s brand under Henley’s watch, this will be a difficult task. Presumably the winning brand consultants will be well paid for some creative spin that makes this look good:

 

 

 

Winner! Free U of Nike coffee cup for guessing the cost of UOPD’s Go Ducks paint-job

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Update: Chief Carmichael reported the cost as $3533.41. So the winner is longtime commenter “Fishwrapper” at $3768.79, runner up is Amy Adams at $3137. Congrats to you both, please contact our swag office with a mailing address, or if you prefer the location of a dead-drop site far from security cameras.

For the record it’s not actually paint, it’s some sort of peel off vinyl. Better than what once covered the roof of my 74 El Camino, I hope.

Update: UOPD Chief Matt Carmichael just called in to the UO M hotline with the answer, to the penny. I want to thank him for

a) Fixing the famously problematic UO police department, and in short order too.

b) Offering to explain why they pimped out their ride, and then just laughing and giving me the cost when I told him “thanks, I’ve already heard enough crap today”.

I don’t think I’m giving too much away by saying the cost (x100 to get rid of the decimal) is a prime number. Feel free to revise and resubmit your guesses. I’ll keep the contest open until Noon tomorrow. Sorry Matt you’re not eligible, and couldn’t they have thrown in some hubcaps?

9/26/2017: Submit your entries as pseudonymous comments. The winner will be whoever is closest to the number given by UOPD spokesperson Kelly McIver:

Hi Kelly, I’m writing as UO Matters guy, wondering if you can tell me how much the paint job for this truck cost: https://uomatters.com/2017/09/bloated-uo-police-department-has-money-to-burn.html

Thanks, Bill Harbaugh

UO Employees with BANNER access or inside knowledge not eligible to win.

9/21/2017: UO Police Department’s bloated budget has money to burn on Duck crap.

Thanks to Dog for the evidence:

Jerry Falwell Jr. to lead Trump efforts to cut higher ed administrative bloat

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The Chronicle has the news here:

Jerry L. Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, has been asked by President Trump to head up a new task force that will identify changes that should be made to the U.S. Department of Education’s policies and procedures, Mr. Falwell told The Chronicle on Tuesday.

The exact scope, size, and mission of the task force has yet to be formally announced. But in an interview, Mr. Falwell said he sees it as a response to what he called “overreaching regulation” and micromanagement by the department in areas like accreditation and policies that affect colleges’ student-recruiting behavior, like the new “borrower defense to repayment” regulations.

“The goal is to pare it back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs,” said Mr. Falwell, who said he had been discussing possible issues with several other college leaders and at least one head of an accrediting agency for the past two months. “I’ve got notebooks full of issues,” he said. …

Tuition increases and state funding decreases

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Or is it vice-versa. The 538 website has an interesting post on explanations for tuition increases, here:

All of those trends add to the cost of college, but not by that much. At most, about a quarter of the increase in college tuition since 2000 can be attributed to rising faculty salaries, improved amenities and administrative bloat. By comparison, the decline in state support accounts for about three-quarters of the rising cost of college.

 

UO Business School seeks buzzword-free diversity advisor to help students

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Unfortunately our VP for Student Affairs has a bigger budget, and will pay an $8K premium for someone who’s willing to talk the talk, rather than walk the walk.

Which job do you think will do more for UO’s students?

Job A: 8/30/2016: LCB seeks Academic Adviser and Diversity Initiatives Specialist

Lundquist College of Business, Undergraduate Programs

Salary range at 1.0 FTE is $45,000-$52,000 plus the Standard University of Oregon benefit package.

About the Position

The Academic Adviser’s primary responsibility will be to provide academic advising services to a racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse population of undergraduate students pursuing business degree programs. This will include providing small group and individual advising, meeting with prospective students and their families, and utilizing technology to communicate with College of Business students.

Additionally, this position will work in conjunction with the LCB Program Director for Equity and Inclusion on the Building Business Leaders (BBL) Program. BBL is a cohort-style program designed to attract and retain more minority students within the Lundquist College.  Students participate in a two-term seminar as a freshman and then graduate to the CEO program in their later years. The purpose of the cohort is to support underrepresented minority students through the completion of the pre-business curriculum by building a small, supportive learning community that fosters collaboration, leadership, teamwork, and academic excellence. The program is going into its seventh year and has become one of the most widely-recognized organizations of diverse, exceptional leaders on the UO campus. For more information about this program, check out business.uoregon.edu/ug/ceo-network/bbl.

This position will coordinate with the LCB Program Director for Equity and Inclusion Services to represent students and the needs of the Undergraduate Advising Office on College and University-wide committees.

The successful candidate will be experienced in advising, preferably at the college or university level; have excellent presentation skills; demonstrate a history of providing services to diverse constituencies; and demonstrated experience in creatively using technology to convey information.

Job B: 7/28/2016: VP for Student Life seeks Assistant Strategic Communicator for Buzzwords

Requirement #1 is a working knowledge of every imaginable administrative double-talk buzzword, with the notable exception of academic excellence. Reports to the VPSL’s Director of Strategic Communications. Job ad here:

Anticipated Starting Salary:   $50,000-$60,000 commensurate with experience

Excellent Benefits:  Health and dental, employer-paid retirement, tuition benefits for employee or an eligible dependent, and sick and vacation leave.

Who we are:

The Division of Student Life provides and promotes exceptional and transformative experiences that prepare students to be healthy, successful, inspired global citizens.  Within collaborative and inclusive communities that embody the values of diversity, innovation, and social justice, we actively facilitate experiential learning and engage students in meaningful and deliberate activities, programs, and services. …

Our values and goals:

The Division of Student Life values and is committed to integrity, multicultural competence, care and compassion, sustainability, innovation and adaptability, accessibility, personal development and responsible stewardship. We have three key strategic goals: create an exceptional experience for every student, serve as a model of equity, inclusion, and collaboration and work to maximize effectiveness and efficiencies, prioritizing decisions using evidence-based analysis.

VP Holmes not only didn’t write her July 2014 letter to the RG denying UO’s basketball rape allegations coverup – that was the job of PR flacks Jennifer Winters and Rita Radostitz and team leader Roger Thompson – it’s not even clear if she read it:

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RG calls on UO to control “appearance of administrative bloat” and limit tuition increases

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Today’s editorial here:

… A visible effort by the UO to bring costs under tighter control, however, would influence lawmakers and donors alike. Such an effort could begin by restraining both the number and the salaries of university administrators, which have expanded in tandem over the past decade. No potential supporter of the university, public or private, is pleased by the appearance of administrative bloat. If the UO can project an image of operational efficiency, and can show itself to be focused above all on its classrooms and laboratories, arguments for increased state funding and donor support will become more compelling. …

I’m all for cutting bloat, such as the large buy-outs we’ve been giving incompetent administrators, and while it would be simple to get $10M or so out of the bloated Duck athletic empire, (cut baseball, softball, golf, tennis) the RG has it wrong on the tuition increases.

The focus on the tuition list price is simplistic and the RG editors really should know better than this. UO should be *increasing* the tuition list price, and use the money to increase the discounts that it offers to good low and middle income students. We’ve done this for the lowest income students with PathwayOregon – partly supported with generous donations from UO Trustee Connie Ballmer. Raising tuition would allow increasing the income limit for that program.

Tuition increases can also fund programs to encourage quicker graduation and decrease the dropout rate – as President Schill has already started. Both these projects have the potential to cut the cost of college graduation by far more than tuition limits will do.

A 4-year college degree is an extraordinarily good investment for students. UO’s focus should be on increasing access to those degrees and improving their value, and tuition limits are not a sensible way to do either.

UO paying tenured full professor $327K to teach zero classes

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Note: This deal was done before President Schill arrived. The blame should go to Coltrane, or whichever of UO’s many other recent presidents or interims put this in de Kluyver’s contract and gave him raises while UO’s business school slowly sank and then disappeared from the US News rankings.

UO Management Professor Cornelis “Kees” de Kluyver:

Screen Shot 2016-03-24 at 6.19.53 PM

Apparently his performance review as business school dean did not go well:

Screen Shot 2016-03-24 at 6.24.15 PM

A few months later Around the O had the story of his contract non-renewal, here. While Kluyver collects $327K to teach nothing, UO is paying an interim a similar amount to do the dean’s job, while we search for a permanent replacement.

Kluyver wasn’t at UO long enough to earn a sabbatical, which in any case would only have paid 60% of this.  In fall he plans to go on the “Tenure Reduction Plan”, meaning three more years at 50% pay, in exchange for what is typically a 50% teaching load. For a research inactive LCB prof 50% would be 2-3 courses a year.

I wonder what, if anything, he’ll teach then? His predecessor Jim Bean was supposed to teach after he was forced out as Interim Provost, but instead Johnson Hall gave him a series of administrative sinecures, until he eventually found gainful employment back east.

Needless to say regular UO faculty do not get these sorts of deals – the administrators only give them to other administrators.

A step back towards former transparency on pay

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1/7/2016:

Rumor has it that VPFA Jamie Moffitt has now said that she will release a version of the quarterly salary reports in late Feb, after some additional marginal product related compensation corrections have been made. Better late than never, and a step back towards what had been one of UO’s few bright spots for transparency.

1/6/2016: Update: Johnson Hall hides admin bloat data as it calls for faculty/staff/OA sacrifices

President Schill’s warning of the hardships that the effort to rebuild UO’s academic excellence will bring is here:

… In the spirit of transparency, I will not sugar coat this message. This is not business as usual. Not all departments or schools will be net winners. Some members of our campus community may encounter hardship as we become better stewards of our resources. As we move forward, we will do everything within our power to make the transition as humane and smooth as possible. But we must move forward. To do anything less would consign our great university to mediocrity. That is unacceptable to me. I am sure it is equally unacceptable to you.

But I’m not seeing much transparency. UO’s public records office has gotten slower and more expensive, and it’s not the only problem. For years UO made public reports of the salary of every employee, every quarter. Back in the day these were in the library reserve room on white and green computer paper. Since 2009 they’ve been posted on the IR website, here:

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These data were never perfect – for example they leave out the special retirement scheme for the coaches – but they were consistent, and invaluable. This is how I learned student tuition was helping former Provost Jim Bean make his beamer payments, and about his sabbatical deal. This info turned the ASUO student government against Bean, during his attempt to replace Richard Lariviere as UO President. Here’s a more recent page:

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Interesting stuff.

However, starting with Interim President Coltrane, JH stopped reporting this data quarterly. Now it’s only annual. And they are now allowing people to redact themselves. Not just their salary, but even their name and their job position. From page one of the 6/31/2015 report:

“Positions with incumbents who have requested confidentiality are not listed.”

Bizarre stuff, for a public university.

So what kind of money is President Schill paying his new senior administrators? How many new administrators are there? What kinds of raises did administrators get this year? This is the sort of information that a leader really should make public, when asking subordinates to make sacrifices for the good of the institution. I started this blog back in 2009, in reaction to former President Frohnmayer’s efforts to convince the faculty to take 5% furlough pay cuts at the same time as he was negotiating his own fat retirement deal with OUS. So, are UO’s new top administrators sharing in the sacrifice they’re asking of others? Here are some salary trends through 2013, from the data they used to release. I wonder what the new numbers would look like:

So I’ve put in a public records request for the full, unredacted data set, just as has been posted on the web in past years, every quarter:

Dear Ms Thornton – 

This is a public records request for a copy of the UO 8/31/2015 and 12/31/2015 quarterly salary reports, as have been traditionally posted on the IR website, without redactions. 

I ask for a fee waiver on the basis of public interest, as demonstrated for example by President Schill’s recent call for UO realignment, here: https://uomatters.com/2016/01/pres-schill-aligning-our-resources-to-achieve-academic-excellence.html

You can find an example of a quarterly salary report here: http://ir.uoregon.edu/sites/ir.uoregon.edu/files/Unclassified100114to123114.pdf

Please send these reports as pdfs or as any standard machine readable format containing the same information.

Here’s hoping President Schill will start reporting these data again, along with details about the UO budget, including such things as the $10M law school subsidy and the MOU describing how it will be repaid.

New VP for Comm Kyle Henley to represent UO, or just the Ducks?

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9/7/2015: Silly question. He’s paid to be the athletic department’s sacrificial anode.

It took the UO Public Records Office a month to provide his resume and the justification for changing the job from Associate VP to VP. They claim they didn’t have to provide his resume, but only did it because he agreed to. I’ll extrapolate that this new hire is not going to be the sort to deal with UO’s fundamental transparency problems.

Another bad sign is that the hiring committee was mostly PR flacks:

  • Tim Clevenger, AVP For Communications, Marketing and Brand Management
  • Jennifer Winters, Director of Public Affairs, Presidential Communications
  • Rita Radostitz, Director of Strategic Communications, Student Life
  • Zack Barnet, Director of Digital and Social Media
  • Kelli Matthews, Instructor, Public Relations

If this job was really to “… foster relationships and transparency among students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, as well as media, community leaders, and other constituents” as President Schill wrote, then why not put some of those constituents on the search committee?

My prediction is that Mr. Henley soon burns his credibility with the press, trying to explain away the latest tax deductible Duck extravagances and the heavily redacted documents that UO releases after the forthcoming athletics scandal.

But maybe he’ll surprise. The search docs that Greg Stripp’s public records office was willing to release are here:

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8/20/2015: Initial reports suggest that my skepticism about this guy is unwarranted, and that he may be the person to shake up UO Communications. Details on the way. Meanwhile UO’s Public Records office is still sitting on my request for his job description and hiring info, which really isn’t doing him any favors on the transparency dimension.

8/10/2015: UO hires Kyle Henley from CSU as new VP for Communication

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Job number one will be to write a press release explaining why UO is spending its money hiring PR flacks instead of faculty.

We’re paying strategic brander Tim Clevenger $209,625, and he’s just an Associate VP. This new hire will cost ~3 faculty slots. No wonder the well is dry.

While “Around the 0” says “Henley has been the assistant vice president for strategic communications at CSU, where he focused on promoting academics and research,” it looks to me like Henley’s main job was promoting their new $235M football stadium. Uh-oh.

Announcement:

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you have heard me repeatedly say over my first month as president, my top priority is to build the academic program and reputation of the University of Oregon. It is vital that we not only grow the faculty by adding great scholars, but that we promote the work that all faculty members do here to the outside world.

The University of Oregon has a wonderful reputation as a world-class institution. Strengthening our capabilities to promote the university―specifically related to academics and research―will further enhance our standing within the higher education community, help attract even more extraordinary students, support our fundraising goals, and bolster efforts in the area of faculty hiring. I am therefore pleased to announce that I have changed the institution’s organizational structure to create an independent University Communications office, and I am appointing Kyle Henley as the new Vice President for Communications.

Kyle is joining the University of Oregon in early September. He comes to us from Colorado State University, where he served as assistant vice president for strategic communications and led successful efforts to enhance communications related to academics and research. He’s an innovator with a track record of delivering results and effective advocacy among key external audiences. Kyle will provide counsel, vision, and leadership in our communication efforts to help foster relationships and transparency among students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, as well as media, community leaders, and other constituents.

I would very much like to thank Vice President for Advancement Michael Andreasen for his willingness to oversee communications over the past two years. The office has thrived under his leadership. However, as we move into the crucial stages of our ambitious $2 billion fundraising campaign, this frees Mike up to focus on development, alumni affairs, and government relations. In conversations with Kyle and Mike, we have agreed that, in the interest of achieving efficiencies, the new University Communications office will continue to receive operational support―such as IT and HR functions―through University Advancement.

I am thrilled to have Kyle join the University of Oregon and lead our talented team of communications and marketing professionals. Please join me in welcoming him to the UO community.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Schill

President