<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Courtesy of today’s (February 11, 2018) Lewiston Tribune with thanks to Nick Gier.<div><br></div><div>———————————————</div><div><br></div><div><div><b>Otter’s Plan Overpromises</b> </div><div><br></div><div>I would like to respond to Bob Lokken's defense of Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's proposal to consolidate "back-office" functions at University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Boise State University in Boise.</div><div><br></div><div>Lokken was co-chairman of Otter's Higher Education Task Force, and its report referenced consolidation of university services in Maine.</div><div><br></div><div>Re-organizing six relatively small campuses and the University of Maine at Orono, the state went to a chancellor system in 2012.</div><div><br></div><div>In Idaho that would only have been possible decades ago when ISU was the UI at Pocatello and BSU was still a junior college.</div><div><br></div><div>Consolidating IT, human resources and finances, the Maine system was able to freeze tuition for five years.</div><div><br></div><div>Apparently, Lokken does not know tuition has now gone up 2.5 percent this year.</div><div><br></div><div>Lokken claims the Maine system saved "more than $80 million," a suspiciously large figure that I could not verify.</div><div><br></div><div>Rebecca Wyke, Maine's vice chancellor for finance and administration, reports about $5 million has been saved with IT and purchasing consolidation.</div><div><br></div><div>Lokken's task force report estimated there would be $43 million savings in a similar Idaho consolidation, but a BSU financial officer did his own calculation and came up with $6 million instead.</div><div><br></div><div>A colleague of mine at the University of Maine Orono wrote: "Consolidation has led to a lot of wasted time and frustration by faculty and others. Often no one can figure out the centralized policies and find out who can give answers."</div><div><br></div><div>Read my full response to Otter's plan at:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.nickgier.com/highedceo.pdf">http://www.nickgier.com/highedceo.pdf</a></div><div><br></div><div>Nick Gier</div><div>President, Idaho Federation of Teachers</div><div>Moscow</div></div><div><br></div><div>———————————————<br><div><br><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div> </div></div></div></div></body></html>