Attendees: John Hansen (Chair), Mark Young, Ken Erickson, Mary Ann Carlson, Jim Bowman, Linda Milam, Keith Hinckley, Larry Branen, Brenda Baumgartner, Amy Stevens, Marge Foster, Bob Stiger, Robert Pack, Lew Rodriguez, Sandra Feldman, Ann Meikle Howell, Carol Spain, Dave England, Carol Baldwin, Mark Paulsen, Jonathan Lawson, Jennifer Fisher, Jim McFadden, Bill Shipp, John Sackett, Ronald Campbell, President Richard Bowen, President Robert Hoover, and President Miles LaRowe

ITEM 1: Welcome and Approval of the January 16, 2002, Meeting Minutes - Chair John Hansen welcomed everyone and requested a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting.Keith Hinckley moved approval of the January 16, 2002, minutes. Lew Rodriguez requested a spelling correction. Mary Ann Carlson seconded the motion to approve. Motion carried.

ITEM 2: Introduction of Attendees - Attendees briefly introduced themselves.

ITEM 3: Future Higher Education Interests for the INEEL and ANL-W - Dr. Bill Shipp, President of BWXT Idaho and Lab Director, discussed the assets and future of the INEEL. The vision for the future includes high risk cleanup completed by 2012; a more important relationship with education as the lab becomes more multi-purpose; becoming a national asset of the first rank that provides long term solutions to difficult problems; and becoming an educational and economic center of the state. The INEEL will become increasingly dependent on higher education to provide a professionally trained workforce that will transform their knowledge into new products and services. The rich history of the INEEL with higher education began with the University of Idaho in 1954. That association is just as important today as it was in the past. As priorities change, the type of education changes but a highly skilled work force remains important.

This has been a rough year with a reduction of nearly 900 people. There will be another reduction of 200-400. National laboratories are not static. They exist because they address needs in society and they are problem solving organizations. Universities have complementary relationships with national laboratories and tend to deal with longer term issues. National labs are geared to dealing with short turn around issues associated with society of big issues such as developing the next generation of nuclear power. To meet the shorter term needs they need to make long term investments such as education.

Acceleration of the clean up has significant implications. Completing high risk cleanup by 2012 will save the taxpayers over $18 billion. While doing remediation, the long term mission of research and development can not be overlooked. Emphasis will be on subsurface geosciences, nuclear reactor technology and nuclear energy, long term environmental stewardship, and advanced computing. To ensure the lab remains as an enduring national asset when the clean up is done, our help is needed. Communities, universities and the lab need to work together to insist that the congressional delegation and the DOE recognize essential new missions and a long-term mission. Success is measured by the quality of people working on problems. Retention of the top 10% of students will be the difference between success and failure.

Bill Vroman, Division Director for the Research Reactor Program Services Division of Argonne West, was introduced by John Hansen. Argonne National Lab is part of the INEEL, works closely with BBWI, and is operated by the University of Chicago and DOE. Argonne is education based and supports employee education. Argonne operated the Experimental Breeder Reactor for a number of years until it was shut down during the Clinton administration. Currently the EBR is in a passive state. Argonne still has nuclear reactor expertise but every year it becomes more difficult to keep the people who developed the reactors. Since 9-11, Argonne is fairly big in some of the National Security missions with the Defense Department. In the last few years, along with the INEEL, they have done a lot of non proliferation work with Russia and continue to work and draw on expertise of the site. There will be a little funding shortfall going into next year but they have had a good base program for many years and they will continue working on that.

Dr. Vroman provided a handout addressing the status and opportunities for higher education and Argonne (Attachment 1). The information reflects the long-time association with higher education and future possibilities. Distance learning has been very beneficial to Argonne employees who can take classes during work hours. A number of students have graduated with all expenses paid by Argonne. Argonne reimburses for scientific, engineering or business related degree programs. In the future, Argonne would like to be involved in the curriculum and have input.

John Hansen recognized the need for a collaborative effort between community leaders, Argonne and the INEEL and the university complex serving the area. The challenge that we all face is how we can forge that partnership so that we are working together on a regular basis to maximize opportunities to bring in new missions. The marketplace is getting tougher. He requested suggestions to meet the needs. Bill Shipp said the key to long term success is communication. They do a good job talking with key people but better communication is needed with the community at large. Active involvement is required to keep a national laboratory. Bill Vroman agreed and invited any one with an interest to visit Argonne.

Amy Stevens asked if degree programs or short courses and continuing education better fit their needs. Bill Vroman said both from Argonne's perspective. He indicated manager training is an area of importance. Amy added that EIRMC does training in some of the same areas and that there would be a bigger base if local entities could work together. Bill Shipp referred to the rapid change in technology and the challenge of providing education and training to keep employees on the cutting edge. Lew Rodriguez asked Dr. Shipp about the exportation of college of graduates and the importation of employees to fill unfilled positions. Bill Shipp replied that last year there were 800,000 plus jobs unfilled in science and engineering nationwide. In many areas we are reliant on foreign nationals in scientific arenas. Bechtel is increasingly reliant on engineering corporations in India and Japan. Fostering diversity is incredibly important both for humanitarian and business reasons. Employees recruited nationally don't stay. When the mode of operation was changed to recruit regionally, the retention rate became 75-80%. He encourages the educational community to recruit diverse students from the region and state. That will help the recruitment and retention needs of the INEEL and Argonne when they graduate. Sandra Feldman said that the INEEL hires approximately 15 % of the students from their summer fellowship and internship programs, most from UI and ISU. Bill Vroman indicated that Argonne does the same. They have targeted and try to get a mix from Idaho schools for their internships.

John Hansen thanked Bill Shipp and Bill and Bill Vroman for their presentations and participation.

Public Relations and Community Awareness - Marge Foster distributed a committee report (Attachment 2). She pointed out the Goals and Action Items on the front page. She highlighted the successes listed on the back page: web site development, Chamber of Commerce Bookmark, Region VI Career Fair, and the new University Place sign. She said the high schools have a horticulture class that feeds into the EITC horticulture class and will also feed into the new BYU Idaho horticulture program. They are responsible for the table decorations.

Facilities Planning - Linda Milam said council members were invited to a presentation February 12 on the Master Plan at University Place and to discuss the progress being made on the Center for Science and Technology and the Subsurface Geosciences Laboratory and the potential for the development of a building to house the Technical Library and some other facilities.. That evening the master plan organization from the university and the consulting firm met with city planners. The city has decided to move ahead with the establishment of a University Zone. Development in that area needs to be compatible with the university complex. At present the city has a university overlay on their master comprehensive plan. This summer the green belt will be extended north from Freeman Park, behind the CHE and UP buildings, to the railroad bridge. Facility issues yet to be resolved at University Place are the over/under railroad tracks issue; the "thumb" property purchase; and funding for educational programs and facilities. Educational funding impacts the community and support for the National Lab. This community and region do not support the National Lab like some communities do. It needs to be done.

ITEM 5: Institutional Reports - Idaho State University: President Richard Bowen began by commending the idea of a university zone. Higher education has been severely set back not only this year but for several. He is absolutely convinced we can do things better. ISU had to eliminate 80 jobs, most at the professional level. Had we deliberately and determinately looked at the situation and alternatives and preferred solutions before all this occurred, we would have found ways to accomplish them. In June the Presidents met in a retreat and celebrated one of the best legislative years in the history of higher education in Idaho. By August there were holdbacks. The Governor indicated there would be a 10% budget cut in October and there was. Dr. Bowen thought we could withstand a 10% cut but he is concerned about next year. He hopes before we go through another year there will be some way of bringing decision makers together to figure out what we want, what alternatives are acceptable and what we will invest. Universities are important to economic development. There is a relationship to student fees with the budget. We are in a long term process of shifting the cost of higher education from the state to the students. Legislators will say they are against higher student fees but they know we have access to them. If the legislature expects higher education to pickup the costs and we don't charge higher fees, it wounds the cause of higher education and the state.

ISU is celebrating its centennial and has record enrollment. A five year capital fund drive achieved its goal of $102 million in three years and will continue to grow. The long term shift of the support base for higher education is away from state taxes and on to other things such as tuition and fees and voluntary support. Businesses and the national lab are obvious sources of that shifting revenue base.

University of Idaho: President Bob Hoover described higher education as healthy in the summer of 2001 with growth in both the number and quality of students. Grants and contracts had experienced 10-15% growth from 5 years earlier at the UI. Another indicator of health was the growth of support to communities like Idaho Falls, Coeur d'Alene and Twin Falls that did not have traditional access to higher education. Public higher education has been successful over the last 5 years and demand has not slowed down. That makes the budget crisis more difficult. The cut at the University of Idaho is 10% like everyone else. The UI chose a different approach to the budget reduction process with a three year budget plan that cuts several percent more than required by the state to grow revenues to address the continued demand and growth and a voluntary retirement system. A few of the 148 who chose retirement will be replaced in order to maintain current contracts and there will be 10-20 involuntary retirements. As a result of reorganization, there is one less college; partnerships between colleges that previously did not share resources; and reorganization in all the colleges, the library and informational technology; and student services and academic affairs. There will be a savings of about one half million dollars before the year is out. Cooperative Extension which does not have a student fee option will probably be the hardest hit. That will have a significant impact on the curriculum in SE Idaho. The UI will make strategic investments. $1 million is going into scholarships for this fall. That will include 600 access scholarships for people who do not have the financial resources to come to the institution. There will be another $1 million in scholarships the following year. UI has dedicated a million each year on how to teach more with fewer faculty and better ways. A contingency fund will deal with the likelihood of continuing budget problems.

If communities across the state are really interested in higher education and want the services to continue, they need to think about how to come out on this significant issue and how to continue funding. We will probably limp through this year but another hit will have significant implications in the following years and access will be severely impacted. Public higher education in Idaho is confronted with a serious problem. It requires a dialogue on the part of the citizens of the state as to where we go in the future.

Eastern Idaho Technical College: President Miles LaRowe welcomed the council to EITC. He reported the Diversity Plan was endorsed by the Idaho Presidents Council and a letter is forthcoming. The academic officers of ISU, UI and EITC will be working on the new higher education agreement. EITC enrollment is up drastically for the Spring semester with 800 students and 488 FTE. Workforce training is down this year and reflects the economy. He expects it to be back to normal levels next year. EITC is dealing with a 10% cut. Capital purchases and operating expenses are drastically affected. EITC will lose 12 employees but they will protect the credit instruction area. They are trying to garner new resources through a more active foundation, working with the Economic Development administration, and partnering with anyone regarding instruction. The Foundation has raised more than its goal of $100,000 for scholarships. He was encouraged that the EITC Foundation recognizes higher education is a clean industry. EITC's cuts will mean a $2 million dollar impact to Idaho Falls and Pocatello. It will be tough to make up that ground. The college will make it through this next year at serious cost to individuals and a number of services available to our communities throughout Region 6.

BYU Idaho: Ron Campbell commented that even though there are differences between private education and public education, as residents of eastern Idaho, they are dependent on public education. As a consumer, state tuition is a concern. It is ironic and alarming that Ricks College tuition was higher than the public institutions a few years ago. Next year their tuition will be frozen while public education is discussing significant fee hikes. There are new programs, new faces, new facilities, and new placements at BYU Idaho. There will be 51 Bachelor degrees by 2006. There are 100 new faculty additions this year. By 2006, with retirements, there will be 200. More students will enter the labor pool and there is an increased need for housing. There is a new multipurpose building and, as the campus grows, existing buildings will be remodeled or replaced. 88% of their majors are required to do an internship. Currently there are 900 majors in teacher education. The region is saturated with placements and BYU Idaho will be looking beyond eastern Idaho, i.e. Seattle-Tacoma and Las Vegas.

ITEM 6: Discussion - John Hansen asked the group to engage in a dialogue on how to help the institutions get the support needed for the funding they deserve. Polls put education as the number one issue for economic development and that people want it and are willing to pay for it. Somehow that message doesn't get translated to policy makers. The biggest tragedy is that, over the Governor's warning, the tax cuts a year ago were way too big. We haven't had a major recession but a slow down combined with excessive tax cuts puts us in a bind. The effects won't be felt just one year but it will take 2-3 years or longer to heal. Something has to be done to help people advocate the cause of higher education.

President Bowen said that most people want good education. The legislature expects the Presidents to ask for money and to deal with it when they don't get it. The state needs to know the people don't want this to happen. He, Dr. Hoover, and Dr. LaRowe are available for anyone and they need citizens' help.

Mark Young brought up the state constitutional issue of charging tuition and how the legislature continues to create an environment that relies on student fees which can't go to direct academic expenses. President Bowen explained that they can go to the Physical Plant and can legally be used to support the total operating budget. Mark added that cutting back at a time of increasing demand for higher education is cutting back a primary growth engine of the economy. John Hansen said there is a need to fill the gap left by some quarters that have traditionally provided advocacy and are not doing that now. President Bowen has noticed a sense of denial as to the effect of the cuts. He is worried it will continue next year. JFAC was concerned but were powerless to change the situation. President Hoover noted there were some members of JFAC that saved higher education from deeper cuts, especially Lee Gagner. He doesn't think legislators' minds can be changed unless the way communities support education changes. Linda Milam asked for an educated guess regarding potential changes in the makeup of JFAC after the primary and general elections. Could there be a shift in how JFAC deals with taxes, revenues and funding of education? Eastern Idaho could lose 4 of the 5 seats it holds. President Hoover responded that the elections could have an effect not only on JFAC but also the leadership of the House and Senate. The primaries will be the key. The Tax and Revenue committee may be the most interesting to watch. John Hansen said membership on JFAC used to be highly sought after but that has changed.

Jennifer Fisher asked if a list providing specific information on the effects of the cuts would be helpful. John Hansen thought a fact sheet showing the impact would be useful to talk to legislative groups. Jim Bowman suggested using the elections as an opportunity to debate the whole issue of higher education through candidate forums. The public would become more aware of the situation higher education faces and where the candidates stand on those issues. President Bowen said if Presidents are asked a direct question they can respond. There needs to be a statewide discussion and the Presidents are helpful resources. John Hansen expressed his hope that the Governor will become a stronger advocate for higher education.

ITEM 8: Closing Remarks John Hansen thanked everyone for their participation.

Meeting adjourned.