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Commons</title></head><body>
<div>The State Board of Education is meeting at the UI Commons this
week. There will be a very important presentation by members past and
present of the School of Art and Architecture regarding its imperiled
future at 8:00 a.m. Thursday in the Whitewater/Clearwater rooms at the
Commons.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>There are two basic interrelated issues:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>1) Several years ago the College of Art and Architecture was
stripped of its designation as a college in the reshuffling of the
liberal arts side of the UI under somewhat shady and secret
circumstances. Such program changes are supposed to be reviewed and
approved by the BOE. That review apparently never occurred. Cost
reductions are also supposed to be demonstrated to save $250,000. Such
demonstration did not occur. Supporters of reinstatement of college
status are now being told by UI administrators they must show income
potential to a reinstated college of $1 million before reinstatement
will be considered.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>2) Now that the College of Art and Architecture has been demoted
to a school the dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is
moving to eliminate the studio arts program by shifting its location
to WSU. This shift will effectively make it impossible for studio arts
to be part of a UI college education, especially for a non-art major
due to the disconnect between campuses caused by distance and schedule
differences.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>It is highly unlikely that (2) would have occurred if (1) had not
taken place. As I understand it, Thursday's meeting will focus on
reinstating the College status. I urge all within our community who
are concerned with the future of education at the UI and/or the
presence of a vibrant arts community in Moscow to attend the meeting
and make our presence visible to the BOE.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Following is Vera White's column on this issue from last Friday's
Daily News.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Hope to see a lot of you there!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Mark Solomon</div>
<div>*********</div>
<div><font color="#000000"> Last week, the INKster reported that
members of the University of Idaho College of Art and Architect
Foundation are more than frustrated in their attempts to restore the
UI College of Art and Architecture. They also are receiving strong
backing from faculty and student leadership.<br>
<br>
It has come to light that the dissolution of the CAA, as well as
the formation of the new College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences,
the College of Science, and three other major organizational changes
were approved by State Board of Education Executive Director Gary
Stivers on June 17, 2002. Until recently, the explanation offered by
the SBOE and the UI administration was that the bundle of those six
changes was below the $250,000 "trigger point" and therefore
did not need SBOE board review and approval. Somehow, these sweeping
changes also missed the University Curriculum Committee and Faculty
Council for review and approval, standard procedure as well.<br>
<br>
From information received this week, it appears this board
policy did not take effect until four months after June 2002 and was
based on a yet unidentified policy that preceded it. In the audio
recording of the April 2004 SBOE meeting, past president Blake Hall
reflected, "It has become apparent to me, though, that there were
issues that have arisen, that I certainly was never, none of us,
involved in approving the decision with regard to the CAA. The issue
has never come before this board."<br>
<br>
Hall further noted that "in light of the high level of
interest and concern that has been expressed over the last six months
(2004) on this issue, I would propose that we place on our agenda for
our June (2004) meeting, which happens to be in Moscow, a full review
of the decision to terminate, or to fold in, the CAA into the other
college."<br>
<br>
As of this writing, the item has yet to appear on a SBOE agenda.
The CAAF has applied to be on the agenda at Thursday's meeting in
Moscow but may have to settle for a few minutes during the board's
"open discussion" forum.<br>
<br>
In detailing the information last week, the INKster referenced a
May 16 e-mail Joe Zeller, dean of the CLASS, sent in response to
CAAF's request to restore the former college. Zeller wrote it would
take "one million, money in the bank, not a promissory note,
before he (President Tim White) would entertain a dialogue about how a
college might be re-established."</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
The INKster added that the $750,000 increase in the intervening
three years was hard to understand. On Monday, she received an e-mail
from Zeller offering "clarification."<br>
<br>
"The June 3 INKster indicates a $750,000 increase to run a
dean's office," Zeller wrote. "The $1 million is to cover
costs for four to five years. This would assure the university that
any return to a college structure would be revenue neutral for at
least that period of time. The funding was a pre-condition before
there could be a commitment to re-establish the college
structure."<br>
<br>
....the blotter rests.<br>
<br>
INK is penned by Vera White.</font><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"> To contribute to INK, call (208)
882-5561,</font></div>
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