It's been one heck of a year!  Although I get out on campus fairly often it is difficult to see all of you, so the main purpose of this meeting is to connect with you before the end of the school year and share with you some reflections on the year.  If any of you are waiting for some big pronouncement, you will probably be disappointed.  This is more of an update on where we are and to reaffirm where we are going. 

I am torn between being in shock that it is already June and the academic year is almost gone and wishing that the last two weeks of term were over.  Obviously, this has been a very tough year for everyone at the college.  What started out with so much promise and excitement was soon overcome by many things.  We have all faced significant challenges, not only at Lane but statewide, nationally and globally.   September 11, the war in Afghanistan, and the India-Pakistan conflict have created a context that threatened our safety and provides an undercurrent of anxiety.  Add to that the poor economy, with Oregon having the worst unemployment rate in the country and the impact that has had on our budget situation, and it is easy to see why this has been a very difficult year for everyone. All of these factors were in play as we tried to deal with our problems locally. 

To focus on Lane and where we are since my last email on March 19, informing you about board decisions, we have continued to work on the budget.  Members of the Executive Team have talked with affected programs, assuring that data are accurate, and we have been soliciting funds from potential community partners.  We have met with union leaders to gain understanding and clarify their proposals and provided an administrative response to the faculty proposal at the May board meeting.  On May 15, the Budget Committee approved the proposed budget.  We will ask the board to adopt the budget at the June meeting.

None of us are pleased with the results of the budget process. 
Although all of us would have liked to restore more of the reductions, it proved to be impossible.  Restoring more reductions did not, and does not, seem like a responsible option.  All along our strategy was to move the college in the direction of fiscal health.  Our thinking was that if we did not take the steps we have taken, the whole college would have been in jeopardy.  I think that this course of action is proving to be the most prudent.  If you have attended board meetings and budget work sessions you will have heard me say over and over that the future was still full of uncertainties and for those reasons we could not add more programs back.  The money just isn't there. 

As it turns out our budget situation at the state level remains somewhat tenuous.  The Governor announced last week an additional shortfall of $870 million for next year and $1.3 billion over the next biennium. Add to that the unfunded PERS liability, which will be passed on to the college in July 2003, and it's clear that we could be subject to further cuts from the state.   Prior to this latest announcement I had hoped that I would have more positive and certain information. I had hoped that with the reductions that have been made, and the tuition increase, we would be in a much better position to withstand the vagaries of the state-funding problem.  I think it is still true that we are in a much better position. As I have said, it has been our goal all along to restore the college to fiscal stability so that we do not have to go through this kind of painful process year after year.  I cannot guarantee that there will not be cuts in the future, but I do believe we are in a much better position to deal with them and that they will not be as severe.  With some stability and more of a balance between our offerings and the infrastructure to support them, we can start to think about strategic growth.  We do not intend for Lane to shrink away.  We do not intend for Lane to become a junior college.  We will look for places to grow that will not only provide services to the community but also provide revenue beyond that which is needed for that particular program-revenue that will also support the infrastructure. 

However, there is still a great deal of uncertainty for next year.  It will be June at the earliest and perhaps September before we know exactly what our situation will be for next year.  Obviously our choices by that time will be somewhat limited.  We will do everything we can to avoid more lay-offs during the year.  Our choices revolve around the ending fund balance, vacant positions, part time funds, and so on. 

I must acknowledge that this progress toward fiscal stability has come at great cost.  Programs and services will no longer be offered and many colleagues will leave the college this year or next.  I regret very much that this has come to pass, while realizing that it was essential to make some of these difficult choices to balance the budget.  I understand that some people are very angry for a variety of reasons.  I think people have a right to be angry.  I share some of that anger, but mine is directed toward the fact that our state has not figured out a way to fund public education adequately, that there is some myth that we just need to be more efficient or pay people less and everything will be okay.  I am angry that basically, we lost this year at Lane to focus on the important vision and mission of the college because our attention was on saving programs and balancing the budget.  However, as I have processed these emotions I have come to realize that my energy can best be directed toward working with those who can resolve this funding situation, and focusing on moving the college forward despite the challenges that keep cropping up. Accomplishing a resolution to this problem will require a grass roots effort that sends the message that Lane cannot take any more cuts.  We must let the legislature know that decimating education is far worse than raising taxes, slightly; that a healthy economy is connected to a strong educational system.  I hope you will join me in doing what you can to send this message to Salem. 

We can take pride in the fact that some important things have happened this year.   Besides the budget process we have dealt with some other unfinished business.  On a positive note, I am very pleased that we ratified the collective bargaining agreements.  I am grateful to the board for supporting my request to increase the parameters, and that they stuck to that position despite a worsening budget situation.  Settlement of the contract opens up the possibility for us to talk about how to bargain differently--shorter, less adversarial, at least that is my hope.  At this point we will be handling bargaining internally, without the use of a consultant, until we decide how it will be integrated into the new HR function. I am committed to exploring how we can improve our labor relationships.  The classified staff are making progress on strategies for facilitating their involvement in the governance of the college.  The Strategic Learning Initiative projects such as Learning Communities and Service Learning continue to serve students well.  Building projects are being completed and are providing great learning environments for students.  Innovation continues to happen as evidenced by the Spanish program's Learning Strategies project, which was recognized by the League for Innovation.  Our students continue to be recognized nationally. Cam Campman's award in the League Art competition; Kerrine Yeroyan received an honorable mention in the League Student Literary Competition for her essay "The Small Hand of Shame."  Aaron Grieser was recognized as a Fulbright student.  Students under the direction of instructor Lee Imonen completed the beautiful sculpture that graces the entrance to the campus.  Academically our students are doing well too.   We are making progress on developing a transparent budget.  The new administrative computing project (LASR) is moving forward and we will "go live" with the finance component in about three weeks.  We reorganized Community Education and Outreach to position the college better to enhance Continuing Education and Workforce Development, creatively including Culinary Arts and Food Services.  And perhaps the most unbelievable accomplishment was agreement on the design for the Fourth floor of the Center building!  There are many other examples of significant work that has happened this year and it is a credit to all of you given how our attention was diverted to our budget woes. 

It is very difficult right now to think about the future.  It seems almost disrespectful to those who will be leaving to look ahead when some will not be part of that future.  Yet, I have heard from many of you that you want to move forward. I think it is important to recognize that all of us may be at a different place in our readiness to move forward.  We need to cast the net wide enough that people can move, but leave enough space for those that are not quite ready. 

However, part of my job is to be looking to the future.  I haven't given up on the goals I outlined at the beginning of the year.  Despite the immeasurable time we have spent going through this budget process, I am still hopeful that over time we can achieve our vision and goals and make the college what we want it to be.  I still think that this notion of placing students and their learning at he heart of what we do and creating the conditions where people can do their best work are powerful goals that can help us organize our work and transform the college.  Budget worries have made it more difficult, but it is still within our reach. As I have said before this is a long-term proposition but one we can work on. 

For now, my attention will be on wrapping up the budget, participating in Presidents' Council discussions on the funding formula, and bringing to closure some items in the Work Plan that the board has requested. 

We have already started to put things in place to make more progress next year.  We will start the work necessary for our full-scale accreditation visit in the fall.  (More about that during inservice.) 

The College Council has agreed to take on the important work of reviewing our mission and vision and evaluating the strategic plan to assure that it focuses our work and is useful in budget decisions. 

The three budget committees that were established this year will be continued in some form; we will be reviewing the process we used for budget development and making improvements; and we will establish a comprehensive program review process. 

We will work on marketing the college.  There will be spots about professional technical programs that will targeted to young people; we will be doing some of the regular print advertising and for the fall we will launch a campaign to let the community know that Lane is still here to serve them and that we have maintained a comprehensive mission. 

Finally, we are working hard to partner with the community to raise money to help us meet the needs of the community. 

In summary, although this has been the most difficult year I have ever experienced personally and professionally, one in which many of us, including me lost hope on many levels. I can say now that despite the ongoing sense of loss, I am hopeful that we can weather this together and move the college forward. 

I am optimistic about Lane.  I was talking with a faculty member last week.  She said this is a really good place despite our horrible year and she is right.  I am truly grateful to many of you who took the time to write words of encouragement to me; to call me.  I can't tell you how many times I was so discouraged and someone would send that e-mail that would get me back on track.  I very much appreciate the caring support shown to me by so many of you during this year.  Truly it has kept me going. 

Before we know it, graduation will be here.  This is a time to celebrate the successes of our students.  I take great pride in the fact that through all of the turmoil caused by the budget, I believe that faculty and staff have served our students well.  You have provided an excellent learning environment and exemplary services that support our students.  This is a credit to all of you.  I am grateful for your dedication to the students and the college.  Please join me in attending.  It will reaffirm that the fact that we are making a difference.

At this time of spring term, exhaustion begins to set in.  That will be particularly true this year.  I hope that the rest of the term goes well for you, that you can rest and renew yourselves over the summer, and that you can regain a sense of hope and optimism as we move forward.  Thank you.