The Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) met on March 13 and again on March 27 to discuss and ratify achievement compacts with school districts, community colleges, the Oregon University System, and individual universities as well as other educational entities in the state. The achievement compacts come as the result of Senate Bill 1581, which passed through the Oregon Legislature during the month-long 2012 session.
SB 1581 allows the OEIB to enter into achievement compacts with educational institutions, including individual universities. These achievement compacts include goals for the individual institutions and metrics to measure progress toward those goals as a way to move the state toward achieving its 40-40-20 goals. The University of Oregon, along with other universities and educational institutions, presented the board with its proposed achievement compact, which the board discussed and ratified.
Members of the committee agreed that state universities should be allowed to establish governing boards, but still have not settled on what powers those boards should have.
Governance issues also took center stage at the Oregon State Board of Higher Education’s Committee on Governance, which met on March 16 to discuss the idea of institutional governing boards. UO Interim President Bob Berdahl joined Oregon State University President Ed Ray and Portland State University President Win Wievel in offering thoughts to the governance committee on institutional boards. The members of the committee also heard from Jay Kenton, OUS vice chancellor for finance and administration. After the presentations, board members and the presenters engaged in a conversation about boards, their potential duties, and divisions of responsibilities with existing institutions.
Members of the committee agreed that state universities should be allowed to establish governing boards, but still have not settled on what powers those boards should have. The board must make a recommendation on institutional governing boards for universities next month to the Special Committee on University Governance established by the legislature in February. The board’s governance committee will meet again next month to settle on what it will recommend for institutional boards before reporting to the special committee.
The Special Committee on University Governance, created by House Bill 4061, is scheduled to begin meeting in April. It is tasked with recommending legislation to the 2013 legislature that creates a way forward for universities in seeking institutional boards. The committee will release its preliminary report in August 2012.