ALUW MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MCCORMICK

JANUARY 12, 1999

Betty Bengtson introduced President McCormick to the group and he made some opening remarks. At the present time, President McCormick said that he had two major concerns--the current legislative session and the impact of I-200 on higher education.

1. Legislative session. President McCormick said that the improvement of salaries for faculty members & librarians is a top priority, as current salaries are below the peer institutions to which UW compares itself. At the present time, the salary gap is 14-15% between the UW and the peer institutions on a strict salary basis but is actually much greater due to the high cost of living in Seattle. A recent survey done on the cost of living at the UW peer institutions found that only two (Hawaii and UC-Berkeley) are more expensive than Seattle. If one factors in the difference in cost of living along with the salary figures, the actual salary gap is close to a 23% difference from the UW peer institutions.

However, due to the restriction of Initiative 601 and the projected revenue shortfalls, he is not optimistic that the Legislature and Governor will allocate the needed funds. At the present time, the Governor's budget recommends a 2% increase per year for 1999-2001, which will actually put UW salaries even farther behind the peer institutions.

One method that the UW may choose to explore is using the funds generated by the current tuition proposal which has been sent to the Legislature. The funds raised from a tuition increase may be used for salary purposes but certain funds will also be saved to offer more financial aid to disadvantaged students, especially in light of I-200.

2. 1-200. Following the passage of I-200, President McCormick is very concerned with ensuring that UW has a diverse student population. For the past 25 years, UW has been trying to recruit minority students, using race as one of the factors to consider. At the present time, UW is revising its admission policies in compliance with I-200 to not use race as a consideration for admission, but to use other options from the admissions procedure (the personal essay, for example) to ensure diversity. President McCormick estimated that if I-200 had been in place in 1998, the incoming freshmen class would have had 25% less minority students.

In looking at California and Texas where similar limitations have been placed on admission policies by race, there has been a decline in the number of minority students enrolled. President McCormick would like to avoid that same scenario at UW and will be depending on outreach programs to recruit students in high school as a long-term strategy to identify minority students and prepare them for admission to UW. In the short-term, the University will identify the existing minority students on campus and establish personal contacts with them to offer support.

QUESTIONS

1.ALUW Legislative priorities (Charles Lord)

Charles went over the ALUW 1999 legislative priorities and asked for President McCormick's observations. Since salary issues were covered in his opening remarks, he discussed the capital projects that ALUW is supporting (Suzzallo renovation and the Law School/Law Library), intellectual freedom and enrollment increases.

a.) Capital projects. According to President McCormick, the two projects are of equal importance to the campus community. Unfortunately, the Suzzallo renovation project is not included in the Governor's budget, but the University is working with the Governor and the OFM to explore the possibility of financing the renovation project with bonds if legislative funds are not forthcoming. Selective financing of campus projects with bonds has been done before so it is not a new process but one that has ben tested. The details have not been worked out yet, but he hopes to have the option discussed during the current legislative session.

b.) Intellectual freedom. During past legislative sessions, legislation that restricts intellectual freedom (usually "harmful to minors" bills) have been introduced. President McCormick asked ALUW to inform the UW Government Relations office if this legislation is introduced to coordinate efforts.

c.) Enrollment increases. The campus libraries need more communication with schools and departments when new projects are begun or enrollment is increased that may have an impact on library resources. President McCormick feels that the campus libraries do a very good job providing resources to the university community and that new research initiatives should consider the impact on libraries when seeking funding.

2. Distance education (Charles Chamberlin)

Charles asked the President's opinion on the direction of distance learning in the state. President McCormick stated that technology is an important component in the learning process for current on-site students as well as for those students who are not in Seattle. He shares the faculty concerns that distance learning not be substituted for live faculty interaction and the university experience. He believes that most students would prefer to pursue their education in a campus community setting but that sometimes distance learning is the only option. UW has not had a consistent strategy for distance learning in the past and has not centralized the list of class offerings in a systematic fashion. The Provost has recently convened a group to investigate distance learning and to make policy recommendation for future distance learning offerings. His feeling is that UW will offer distance learning classes in selected areas of expertise and try to market those course widely.

When asked if he thought that legislators understood that money is not necessarily saved by distance learning classes, he said that the 2020 commission heard testimony that the cost of distance learning is still high but that it was difficult for people to believe that distance learning is actually more expensive than classroom teaching.

Several librarians shared their experiences and concerns with distance learning, including providing access to library resources for distance learning students, cost of library materials, and the issue of copyright in the distribution of electronic information. There was also some discussion of whether definitive studies had been done that prove that distance learning is successful from an education perspective. President McCormick said that this may depend on the individual student and the distance learning infrastructure but he doubted that it would be the equal of a classroom experience.

3. Librarian involvement with campus committees.

Anne Zald asked about the role of librarians on campus committees and task forces. According to President McCormick, he feels that there is a role for librarians on these special committees and that he would try to do a better job of remembering to appoint librarians when these committees are formed. He also suggested that Betty Bengston may be able to identify the campus committees currently in operation that may need greater library involvement.

4. State road trips

Charles Lord asked if the President McCormick's road trips around the state had brought a better understanding of the UW and its mission. President McCormick started by saying that it was complicated subject because he always has to deliver two messages when he meets with groups on his travels; on the one hand, he shares the news that UW is doing well and meeting the educational needs of the state but, on the other hand, it also needs more state resources to maintain its high quality. Since everything appears to be going well on the surface, it is sometimes difficult to convince people that the resources are inadequate.

He offered some facts on the current funding situation: only 17% of the UW budget is from the legislature; 12% is from the students; and the other 71% is from the federal government, athletic department, hospitals, other self-supporting organizations within the university. Since the percentage of state funding will probably not grow much beyond the 17%, it is important to find other ways to be entrepreneurial when possible. In particular, President McCormick said that the computer science or business school may have possibilities for outside projects, but that they must be consistent with the public policy and mission of the university. The President has come to the conclusion that students can afford to pay more in tuition but he also wants to ensure that there is aid available for those who are disadvantaged.

5. Football coach

President McCormick commented on the new football coach and the large compensation package that he received to come to UW. Although it is an expensive compensation package, it is not being paid from state dollars or tuition, but from athletic department funds. Since football is so popular and raises large sums of money, it also helps pay for some of the other athletic programs on campus.

6. Losing faculty

When asked about whether the legislators were aware of the number of faculty members who have left the UW for better-paying positions at other universities, President McCormick stated that he thought they were aware of the several high-profile faculty who had left in recent months for better jobs. He also feels that they have a deeper understanding of the importance of faculty to an institution and he hears less criticism of faculty in Olympia. To recruit new faculty, President McCormick said that here was a program being developed with various lenders and the UW to help with mortgage closing costs to help defray the high cost of living in Seattle, but would not include any direct subsidies for mortgage payments.

Richard Jost

ALUW Secretary