VOLUME 15 ISUUE 1 | WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY| FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014
Western Board of Trustees Sworn In New governing body to oversee university BY ALLISON OPSON CLEMENT News Editor The members of Western Oregon University’s inaugural board of trustees were approved by the Oregon State Senate Sept. 17, and the school will become an independent public university July 1, 2015. “A board of trustees dedicated to the University’s success will position Western to continue doing what we do best – educating Oregonians – while maintaining WOU as a fiscally healthy institution,” said Western’s President Mark Weiss. The institutional board of trustees provides governance for the university, including but not limited to, hiring and firing the institution’s president, endorsing new academic programs, approving tuition increases up to five percent, issuing revenue bonds, or approving budget requests before they are submitted to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). Members of Western’s new board of trustees include current Western members (a student, a staff member and a faculty member), alumni and individuals from beyond the Monmouth community, providing varied experiences and viewpoints. “I’m really impressed with how smoothly this process has gone,” said Marshall Guthrie, board member, director of Western’s Student Enrichment Program and Monmouth city councilor. Only two years ago, he said, no one had even heard of an option to dissolve the Oregon University System. In 2013, State Bill 270 was passed to move the three largest universities (Oregon State University, Portland State University and the University of Oregon) from a centralized statewide oversight by the OUS to local control through institutional board of trustees. Eastern, Southern, Western and the Oregon Institute of Technology remain under the State Board of Higher Education until July 1, 2015, at which time each independent board of trustees will take over governance of their school campus. “Western has always had this identity that has been overshadowed by larger schools,” said Guthrie. “We will be more focused on our mission than when we were lumped in with the other universities.” “Our size enables individualized attention in smaller classes, a focus on excellent faculty and support services, and mentoring that supports students,” Weiss said. Yet, the university “also envisions continued expansion of innovative programs, facilities and ways in which courses are delivered.” The ability to be both open-minded and critical is one major factor that Guthrie said is important to this endeavor. SEE TRUSTEES PAGE 5 >>
JAIME ARREDONDO
Secretary-treasurer for Pineros Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Oregon’s Farmworker Union)
JAMES BAUMGARTNER
Partner at Black Helterline LLP law firm
MARSHALL GUTHRIE
Director of WOU’s Student Enrichment Program; Monmouth city councilor
MAJOR GENERAL DANIEL HOKANSON
IVAN HURTADO
GLORIA INGLE
CECELIA KOONTZ
THEODORE KULONGOSKI
SOFIA LLAMAS
DR. JOHN MINAHAN
DR. JEANETTE MLADENOVIC
Underwriter for Farmers Insurance
Adjutant General of Oregon
2003-2011 Oregon governor
WOU student (education major)
DR. CORNELIA PARASKEVAS Professor of English at WOU
LANE SHETTERLY
Retired K-12 educator; council member and elder for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Former president of WOU
Partner at Shetterly, Irick and Ozias law firm; former legislator
LOUIS TAYLOR
Business manager for Central School District; Monmouth city councilor
Executive vice-president and provost at Oregon Health & Science University
Senior financial advisor at Taylor Wealth Management; co-founder and chief operations officer for Zon Compounding LLC