Idaho Falls Education Advisory Council

Meeting Minutes

September 18, 2002

Samuel H. Bennion Student Union Building

Attendees: John Hansen (Chair), Jim McFadden, Michael Lineberry, Marge Foster, Bob Stiger, Larry Branen, Jennifer Fisher, Ann Meikle-Howell, Robert Pack, Jerry Wixom, Mary Ann Carlson, Carol Baldwin, Bob Smith, Jim Jones, Sandra Feldman, Lew Rodriguez, Phil Packer, Mark Paulsen, Charles Shackett, Bruce Roberts, Mark Young, Gail Hernandez, Jim Bowman, Jim Fullerton, Bart Davis, Ed House, Carol Spain, Connie Gomez

ITEM 1: Welcome and Approval of the April 10, 2002, Meeting Minutes

Chair John Hansen welcomed.

Mark Young moved approval of the April 10 , 2002 minutes. Marge Foster seconded. Motion carried.

ITEM 2: Introduction of Attendees

Attendees introduced themselves.

ITEM 3: Committee Reports

Community and Business Education Needs: The committee has not met, but will be scheduling one in the very near future. This committee has taken the responsibility for the diversity plan. Eastern Idaho Economic Development Council has launched a plan to survey the needs of the labor and work force in the area; over 80 businesses will be interviewed to understand their needs.

Facilities Planning: ISU and UI had a decrease in funding in Idaho Falls. There is an increase in students but less classes for the students. Due to the priority changes of the INEEL, BBWI has moved from environmental to nuclear and reduces the funding for the GeoSciences Building. The land on the north side of the railroad tracks has not been purchased as of this date, which will be needed to have for expansion. The CST and Technical Library are the last two buildings in the works to be built here. The Master Plan includes the construction of an underpass underneath the railroad tracks, to gain access to the land on the north. ISU is working towards getting a grant to pay for the underpass. The City of Idaho Falls will be expanding the greenbelt behind University Place, down to railroad and turn east to the location of the proposed underpass, and back down to the river. The City of Idaho Falls wants a University Zone for University Place so that everything within that zone will be properly completed. The entrance to University Place parking lot is to be moved towards the east for safety reasons. There will also be a new north entrance by the EROB building, which will give us access to the north parcel of land. The entrance relocation will probably not happen this year, but it is hoped that the parking lot reconfiguration will begin this fall. Parking permits are required at night now, which will generate an additional $60,000 over the year and these funds will be used to fund the entrance changes and parking lot reconfiguration. Center for Higher Education had the entrances and hallways re-carpeted. They have taken care of a few maintenance problems with the HVAC and covered the walkway between the CHE and TAB buildings.

Public Relations and Community Awareness: Many of the high school students that are in the professional technical programs are getting technical college credit. They are getting credit from EITC, ISU and BSU. It is hoped that these credits will encourage students to stay here and continue their college educations. There will be a Career Fair at University Place on March 20. Some of the programs/classes are represented. Students are placed in the workplace to gain experience. This committee has taken on five action items. The website development has come along nicely. We are trying to get a professional technical high school and professional technical programs in the five school district. We are starting work on a website, there are two students from IF High School involved on that. We did get the separate funding for the coalition on the Chamber of Commerce bookmark. It is felt that the center here should have their own funding and not have to rely on funding coming from the Universities.

ITEM 4: Diversity Plan Review

This plan came out of the Business and Community Needs committee and began about six or eight months ago. As we began to look at if the needs of the community were being met, the diversity issue came up. A closer look revealed that a plan was needed. All three institutions, ISU, UI EITC got involved along with the committee members. A subcommittee was formed to draft the plan. The first two sentences of the plan capture the focus of the plan. “It is imperative that diversity in all of its manifestations be a focus of the institutions represented at the Idaho Fall Center for Higher Education. We must provide all individuals in the Upper Snake River Valley access to education, training, and information services to develop their awareness, skills, knowledge and a career potential if we are to maximize the opportunities for the residents and communities. There were six goals set and it was decided that to maximize the effectiveness of the subcommittee only the first goal would be addressed this year. Goal number one is a bringing together of the community, to work together to reach our diverse population. In the spring the first meeting was held. Counselors, people from the Migrant Council, Administrators, staff from the universities to talk about what was currently being done, what can be done differently, and where we do we go from here. The discussion was on ways to make higher education become a reality for more of the youth in Idaho, with emphasis on minorities (See attachment). There is a planned follow-up meeting for September 25, everyone is being asked to bring a friend.

ITEM 5: INEEL Reports

INEEL and Idaho Accelerator Collaboration: Michael Lineberry introduced Jim Jones. Jim was introduced as the first Nuclear Science Ph.D. graduate from ISU. The Idaho Accelerator is not high-energy physics laboratory; it is low energy accelerator like what you would see in the local hospital. The accelerator technology is being used in a multitude of ways to help the community.

Subsurface Science/Geo Centrifuge: Larry Branen introduced Robert Smith. Robert received his Ph.D. and MS in GeoSciences from New Mexico Tech University; he joined the INEEL in 1990. UI has signed a strategic initiative with INEEL and received funding through the Governor’s initiative and the legislature to fund a position here in Sub-surfaces Sciences a Distinguished Professorship. Large centrifuges can be used as a mechanism to understand the process that go on in the sub-surfaces. Gravity is very important, water flows downhill because of gravity and because many of the processes are very slow, we can speed up the process with a centrifuge.

ITEM 6: Center for Science and Technology Update

The CST started out as a 25,000 sq.ft. research lab, and has grown to 50,000 sq.ft. It is to be jointly sponsored by ISU, UI, INRA and the INEEL. Currently have HUD grants in the amount of two million dollars, with the governor giving five million dollars for a total of seven million dollars. Originally, the CST was to be built north of the railroad track. The cost of the infrastructure altered the plans to build the CST north of the railroad tracks. The current status is that the requirements for the building are in place, and drawings are made. We are trying to determine how to capitalize on the change in the mission of the INEEL and funding. We will be finishing the site studies this fall and over the winter do design studies. Our intent is to build out the entire infrastructure, water, electricity, sewer, and build as much of the building as we can with the current funding. Which should be about 2/3 of the shell and finish 1/3 of the inside.

ITEM 7: Institution Reports

Idaho State University: Jennifer brought greetings from President Bowen would was traveling around the state raising money for the university’s capital campaign. The 2003 budget was cut 10%. This cut resulted in the loss of 80 faculty and staff and caused the fees to be raised 12%. The response to the budget reduction was an attempt to protect the major programs and permanent faculty. Lost were part-time instructors and adjunct faculty and this affected the ability to add new sections of classes when others became full. There are a record number of full-time students, record number of first time freshman, a record number of graduate students, but we were unable to serve a number of part-time students who wanted to come to ISU. Idaho Falls is up 1% in spite of the reduced classes. ISU will be enhancing the Nuclear Science and Engineering program in Idaho Falls. A GIS lab was established and there is a waiting list of students to get in.

University of Idaho: Larry Branen brought greetings from President Hoover. The budget cuts impacted capital construction for the University of Idaho. UI realizes that the budget cuts are not just a one-year problem, but probably a three to four year problem, and began addressing issues from that perspective. It is figured that the long-range cuts will affect significant increased costs in infrastructure. Not only in costs of electricity and other types of fuels to run the university, but in terms of health insurance costs and trying to retain faculty. In the next three years the University of Idaho will reduce and reallocation of approximately $30 million. Many of units within UI have experienced cuts of 10 to 15% in the last year and are expected to remain in place over the next three to four years. UI does not anticipate that in three to four years coming back as the same university. President Hoover’s goals are to focus on strength, strategic plans and emerge stronger and more efficient university. Like ISU, fees were raised 12% and will raise it again next year another 12%. This is not easy for students, but fortunately numbers are up 3.5%. Another attempt planned to raise revenues will be through grants and contracts. UI in years past has been a farm team for researchers; UI would train people and then send them off to other universities to do their work. UI has decided that this is not what they want to be anymore and so an effort will be made to retain researchers at the University of Idaho and become a key player in the area of research. UI has been able to get private funding and capital campaign, which will be ending soon. All grants and contracts don’t always go to areas that meet the needs of the state or meeting the needs of students. Beyond increased revenue, UI looked a ways to reduce expenditures. One major way to deal with the holdback was through an early retirement program, that resulted in over 150 faculty and staff took early retirement. There are 102 vacancies in the College of Agriculture as a result of the hold back and possibly only 20 will be filled.

Eastern Idaho Technical College: Mary Ann Carlson brought greetings from President LaRowe. Mary Ann indicated that the collaboration agreement should be ready for the presidents to sign when they meet in Boise on November 5^th. Enrollment figures show that headcount is up 17%, FTE is up 14% and the budget is down 11%. EITC protected the for credit education and faculty. EITC will be looking at their programs and how to best serve the community. EITC lost 13 people due to the budget cuts.

BYU Idaho: Phil Packer reported for Max Checketts who replaced Don Bird. Enrollment is up, headcount is 10,700. Four thousand students are from Idaho and a significant number of those students are from SE Idaho. This April should see the first graduating seniors. BYUI has hired 30 new faculty members, with a possibility of 20 more new positions. BYUI intends to increase their number of graduate degrees. It is hoped to add an additional 10 or 11 new degrees this fall with 30 new degrees overall and to have 50 degrees by the 2005-2006 FY. New construction is underway.

ITEM 8 & 9: Review of Current State Revenues/Higher Education Impacts & General Discussion

A general discussion was held regarding actions that the advisory council and individuals could take to voice their concerns for funding for higher education in Idaho Falls.

ITEM 10: Closing Remarks

John thanked Jim Jones and Robert Smith for taking time to come and present information on the Idaho Accelerator and the Geo Centrifuge.

Meeting adjourned.