Inter Faculty Organization

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Faculty Update

      March 2004

www.ifo.org

Special Presidential Edition

by Jim Pehler, President

Welcome to this special edition of the Faculty Update!  This edition will be devoted entirely to the four candidates who are running to serve as your president of the Inter Faculty Organization starting July 1, 2004.  I want to say that I am very pleased with the quality of the candidates and wish them success and good luck!

The four candidates are outlined below in reverse alphabetical order.

Remember to vote on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 for your presidential candidate!
 

George Seldat

The goals of the IFO must embrace the presumption that quality higher education is an essential prerequisite to solving the social and economic problems that we face in Minnesota. We must work to achieve quality higher educational institutions to produce quality graduates, which can only be achieved with quality faculty. Therefore, the IFO must:

*Work to improve legislative appropriations for higher education by publicizing the role of higher education in building the economic base of the state.

As a tenured Associate Professor in the Business Administration and Public Affairs Department at Southwest Minnesota State University for the past nineteen years, I have taught a variety of finance, investment, economic and statistic courses. I was elected as Faculty Association President in 2001 and reelected for two consecutive terms. Besides teaching and fulfilling my IFO responsibilities, I have held the position of the Head Women's Tennis coach at SMSU for the past ten years.

In addition, over the years I have also also served the IFO and the university in key areas:

• I have held the position of the IFO Vice President.
• I served as the lead negotiator during the 2003-04 IFO/IFO Staff Association negotiations.
• I have been a member of the IFO Budget Committee, the IFO Executive Committee, the IFO Board, the IFO Action Committee, and served on a variety of local association committees.
• For five years I have served as a board member on the budget committee of the Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation.
• I have been a board member of the Southwest/West Central Higher Education Organization For Telecommunications (SHOT) and other related state technology committees that have been responsible for innovative changes in course delivery systems.

These experiences will assist me, if elected, to help transform the IFO into an organization capable of meeting the changes that are occurring in higher education such as the shift in funding towards higher tuition and lower financial aid, ventures in technology, and changing public demand for programs.

The foundation provided by my education, years of teaching, ten years of managerial experience and participation in the IFO has prepared me to step into the position of the IFO presidency.

Please contact me at (507) 537-6488 to discuss your ideas and concerns or visit my website at http://www.seldat.org (available shortly). Thank you for considering my candidacy and the encouragement you have provided.

Georgia Holmes

Over the years I have served in just about every capacity possible within the IFO organization, except for that of statewide IFO President.  I have been a local faculty association president, a negotiator, a member of the IFO executive committee, a member of the MnSCU Human Resources Merger Task Force, IFO board liaison to the Feminist Issues Committee, and volunteer lobbyist on behalf of the organization. I have also served two terms as a Rudy Perpich appointee on the State of Minnesota Water Resources Board. I hold B.S., M.A. and J.D. degrees and have completed course work for an MBA in International Management.  I am a licensed attorney who teaches business law courses at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Because of my involvement over the years, a number of people have come to me to suggest that I consider running for the statewide presidency.  After thinking carefully about the commitment in time and energy required for this task, I have decided to do so.

As an organization, the IFO is at a crossroads.  As state university faculty we are faced with challenges from both within and without the MnSCU system.  Within the MnSCU system, we are faced with internal fights to claim our fair share of resources to fulfill our mission of providing quality undergraduate and graduate education to students throughout the state.   But in addition to these internal battles, we must also tell and retell our story to a governor and legislature that have little understanding of the role of regional state universities.  It is imperative that we as an organization have meaningful input into the governor’s new task force on higher education.  We must also increase member services, especially in protecting intellectual property rights to course materials, improve faculty salaries, and work toward a reduction in credit hour workload.  We must do this all while guarding the financial stability of the organization.

Please send your questions or comments to me at gholmes1705@hotmail.com.

Chris Brown

I have served faculty as Faculty Association President (4 years), Negotiator (8 years), Grievance Chair (2 years), Secretary (2 years), and State-wide Action Coordinator (2 years) [See: www.ifo.org/action].  I have both written contract language and served to ensure its fair implementation. 

I have been a faculty member at Bemidji State University for 17 years and teach in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Prior to Bemidji, I taught in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Evansville. I was a manager and business owner and served in the Indiana National Guard. I have been married for 27 years and have 4 children. 

For more information, visit my web site http://home.earthlink.net/~crbrown707/ or talk to someone who knows me [See the endorsement list on the web site.].  You can email me at crbrown707@earthlink.net or cbrown@bemidjistate.edu . Better yet, meet me when I visit your campus.  I appreciate your support.

Nancy Johnson Black, Ph.D.

Some of my IFO State Board colleagues, having worked with me the past few years and knowing of my many years of union experience and record of accomplishments at Metropolitan State University, approached me last spring to consider running for IFO President.  They believed that my leadership style would be a good fit given the hostile social and political climate facing the IFO.  I earned a B.A. in anthropology, summa cum laude, from Penn State, and my M.A. and Ph.D. in that same discipline from the State University of New York at Albany.  My publications include four books and more than 25 articles on topics ranging from human rights in Central America to issues of globalization. 

IFO faculty know well that these are tough times for unions and for our membership.  Many groups are pushing for cuts to public employee pay and public higher education.  Both the Private College Council and some legislators are proposing to shift funding from public institutions to private colleges.  Public education is essential to the common good; highly qualified and fairly compensated faculty are essential to both public education and the common good.  This equation has served Minnesota well in the past, and we must ensure that it continues to serve the state in the future. This means that we need to get friends of higher education elected to the legislature, and we need to be vigilant in protecting and improving our public institutions.   

I have lived in the Twin Cities for almost 20 years.  I participate in local politics and work on behalf of the IFO with state legislators on both sides of the aisle.  I was recently appointed by the Governor to serve a 6-year term on the MnSCU Trustee Board Advisory Council.  My commitment to the membership is to:

·        Secure competitive and fair compensation for faculty members;

·        Retain and build academic excellence at all state universities;

·        Promote professional improvement for faculty; and,

·        Fight for ethical and timely contract compliance.

It is time for the IFO to focus its time and resources on its primary mission as a union—improving faculty welfare through better pay and working conditions. Competitive pay is essential to attracting and retaining quality faculty members. We also need to be innovative in expanding professional improvement opportunities, especially for younger faculty members, in this economic climate. Even in these challenging times, we should never give up our opposition to discrimination based on race, creed, color, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation.    

Communication needs to improve within the IFO.  I have an open and collaborative style of leadership, a well-formed sense of fairness for what constitutes a harmonious work place environment, and a proven track record.  I welcome this opportunity to serve my union colleagues. 

Please contact me at nancyjblack@earthlink.net to communicate your concerns and ideas.  For further information and my campus visit schedule, please visit my website http://home.earthlink.net/~nancyjblack/.   Thank you for considering me for this office. 

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