[Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho

Sat Aug 18 17:55:10 PDT 2012

In part, Scott wrote:

"U of I does very little of these things.  No bold aspirations and no guts
in even doing the right thing such as extending benefits to domestic
partners of their faculty."

Try to keep current, Scott  J

http://www.uidaho.edu/benefits

Annual Benefits Enrollment on the Horizon

As a result of the University's continued effort to provide world class
benefits, exciting new additions will be rolling out for 2013. One of the
highlights of the plan is the Other Eligible Adult policy. This policy
allows adults who are financially interdependent and share a household to
potentially qualify for health benefits. It may also cover the children of
other qualified adult individuals in a household. Additional information on
this change will be available in early October.

New Tuition Benefit Available Now

With spousal tuition benefits remaining unchanged, employees will now have
the option of using a new 50 percent in-state tuition reduction benefit for
one of their children beginning fall 2012. Contact the Benefits office if
you would like additional information on this new tuition benefit available
now.

Now, I admit that I don't know what "potentially qualify" for health
benefits means, but I'm anxious to learn.

Here's a little more information from an email my dh received Wednesday from
VP Ron Smith, :

"As Kenton Bird, the new president of the Faculty Senate said, "By expanding
health benefits to other qualified adult individuals in a household, we are
providing an important benefit to our employees. Many of the University's
peer institutions offer a similar benefit, so this will enable us to be
competitive in the hiring of top-tier faculty and staff. At the same time,
this action boosts the morale of current employees and demonstrates the
University's commitment to fairness. The University Faculty was unanimous in
support of the change when the policy was considered in April - a vote that
prompted spontaneous and resounding applause."

One might think there would have been an article in the Daily News about
these two items, but I've not seen anything, at least not yet.  It's also
possible I missed something, but since the usual wing nuts haven't deluged
the Opinion page, I don't think that's too likely.

Saundra

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Scott Dredge
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2012 2:26 PM
To: rforce2003 at yahoo.com; idahovandal1 at live.com; viz
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho

My hat is off to bSU.  They want something, they go after it, they get it.
U of I does very little of these things.  No bold aspirations and no guts in
even doing the right thing such as extending benefits to domestic partners
of their faculty.  Seems to me the leadership at the U of I is just fine
with the status quo so it's onward and upward for bSU and I wish them well
because their guts is paying dividends with glory.  Say all you want about
graduation rates, research, and even a self designation of 'flagship'.
Bottom line is that you can still get a marketable degree from the U of I
and you can still be gainfully employed on their payroll as well so it does
serve a tremendously useful purpose for the citizens of the city of Moscow
and the great state of Idaho.  It is a functional institution that will be
around long after I've dropped dead myself.

-Scott

  _____  

Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2012 12:41:11 -0700
From: rforce2003 at yahoo.com
To: idahovandal1 at live.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho

I wonder where the critics have been? Nellis took over in 2009 at the depth
of the country's worst recession since the 30s. He had to cope with a 25%
reduction in state appropriations over three years. And the present state
leadership? has indicated that the reduction in funding is the "new normal".
The bold visions put forth by Hoover & Co. are not likely to be realized.
Like all visionary leaders, Hoover thought that by providing excellence,
more state resources would be forthcoming. He greatly overestimated the
vision of Idaho's political leadership. Small and smaller (or dumb and
dumber) is now the word from Boise (except for football, of course).

I sat though enough briefings on the Boise project to understand how it was
going to work. Hoover was right that UI's future depended on diversifying
political support outside Latah County, and he tried to cultivate state
support by placing programs in strategic locations, particularly Boise.
However, the funding for the three buildings in the Boise Center was
essentially a real-estate play. Commercial development in the blocks West of
the center was supposed to pay for the project. When the Boise commercial
real-estate market collapsed in 2001-2 the funding for the academic
buildings went with it, leading to the events that sunk the Hoover
administration. The developers walked away with their cut, and the
University was left holding the bag.

It was really in trouble before that, in that the role that the UI was going
to play in Boise was never actually worked out. The Deans were being urged
to come up with programs for Boise, but could never identify unique academic
needs that only UI could fill. Law, sure, but at that time the ABA wasn't
approving branch programs and moving the whole program to Boise wasn't
economically or politically feasible. The Boise market was mostly
frosh-sophomore general ed, or mature, place-bound students who wanted
part-time courses. BSU had that market cornered. The Board of Education
wasn't going to allow duplication of basic education programs, so where the
students were going to come from to fill four buildings was never clear.

Ron Force
Moscow Idaho USA

  _____  

From: Carl Westberg <idahovandal1 at live.com>
To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 12:09 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho

I wanted to share these thoughts from a U of I alum in Boise, posted on
Vandal Venue, regarding the current state of the University of Idaho.  While
the immediate subject is athletics, the post is about far more than that.
He writes of an overall ennui surrounding the entire institution.  He gave
permission for me to cut and paste.  I think he has some interesting
thoughts.  In quotes, his post.....

"Those are interesting observations, and they seem to be consistent with
what I sense is going on at the U of I.  Nellis seems to be more of a
caretaker president than one who is seriously pushing forward on anything.
I understand I only see a very small snapshot of what is actually going on
up there, but if that's the snapshot I'm seeing it says something about the
perception the school is getting down here."

"The "autopilot" characterization of the university is spot-on to me.  Not
going anywhere.  Stayed.  Static.  Unchanging.  I feel like the U of I has
been on autopilot for a decade or more, and in the meantime it has
substantially eroded its mantle and role in higher education in this state.
We have gone from being the undisputed leader to alarming irrelevance.  We
are letting others control the discussion of what our school is and what it
means to the state.  We are declining to show up for our own defense."

"I think another poster said awhile ago that the biggest tragedy about
University Place was that it didn't get finished.  As much as the whole
University Place caused havoc for the school (from which the school has not
yet recovered and may not ever), the vision was right while the execution
was wrong.  Hoover understood that if we didn't grow we would die.  He
understood that the new battle for higher education relevance in Idaho was
taking place in the Treasure Valley.  He understood that if we didn't make
the school prominent here we would lose exposure, then relevance, and then
the school as we knew it.  And that's exactly what is happening.  Ever since
the project got halted and the U of I was crucified in the media for the
financial aspects of it we have lost any semblance of leadership at the
school that actually wants to move the U of I forward."  

"The biggest reason why this has happened over the last 10 years is that the
culture of the school has just given up.  There is no push from the base to
move things forward, so the administration feels just fine not doing
anything.  Those of us who post on these message boards are not the true
representatives of the Vandal base.  No, the true representative of the
Vandal base doesn't really think much about Vandal football or athletics or
even what is going on in Moscow anymore.  They live their lives, go about
their daily affairs, and don't really care about what is happening to the
old alma mater.  The base isn't so much asleep as it has become the living
extinct."

"There is no push from the base, so there is no push from the leadership.
The base doesn't care, so the leadership doesn't act.  The battle is raging
and our school is essentially not participating.  There is no inspiration
anymore."          End of his post......  

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