Oregon lawmakers established the Oregon State Board of Higher Education (OSBHE) in 1929 to consolidate the decision-making and administrative process for public universities in the state. As the controlling body for the Oregon University System (OUS), OSHBE sets policy within statutory limits, appoints major OUS administrative officers, such as the chancellor and the university presidents, and develops and recommends to the governor the biennial budget for the seven universities in OUS. OSHBE’s work and policies are implemented according to a set of “Internal Management Directives,” adopted as specified under Article VI of OSBHE bylaws. Communication from OSBHE suggests that it does not expect to have a direct role in Portland State’s accreditation process, though it does expect to receive the self-study and visiting team reports.
OSHBE members serve voluntarily and without pay. They are appointed by the governor and approved by the legislature. Members come from communities around the state, and bring experiences from varied backgrounds in law, farming, government, labor, investment, education and key businesses in Oregon. Traditionally, two of OSHBE’s eleven members are current students in a member institution. In 1999, the governor appointed the first faculty member to OSHBE. The governor of the state serves as an ex officio member of the board.
OSHBE meets monthly and functions as a committee of the whole, except under limited circumstances between scheduled meetings as outlined in OSBHE bylaws. Sessions are scheduled in rotation around the state and are open to the public, except for closed executive sessions relating to personnel matters. The faculty board member has only an advisory role in personnel matters.
The president of the board, along with other officers, is appointed by the governor prior to July 1 of each year, when OSHBE conducts its annual review and policy-setting meeting. In May 2004, following the resignation of the recently appointed president of the board, the governor assumed the role of president.
OSHBE hires and annually reviews the chancellor (or chief executive officer), typically beginning in May with the chancellor’s self-assessment. Following discussion and agreement of OSHBE, the chancellor submits a list of goals and objectives for the coming year. Over the last several years, OSHBE has used this process of “board renewal” for sustained self-examination, reviewing its role and priorities in setting policy goals and objectives. In January 2002, OSHBE issued a report on alternative board structures.
OSBHE currently configures it efforts into three working groups to address areas of critical importance to Oregon and its postsecondary institutions: (a) Academic Excellence and Economic Development, (b) Access and Affordability, and (c) Excellence in Delivery and Productivity. The working groups are made up of board members, community college and other higher education leaders, and key representatives from other sectors such as business, community organizations, and philanthropy.
The present board is striving to create an academic and administrative structure that places more management responsibility under the direction of each university in the system. Traditionally, OSHBE has approved new academic programs and overseen the granting of degrees. In early 2004, OSHBE undertook a major review of its central administrative staff in the Chancellor’s Office. Members wished to determine, in part, if some of the office’s functions were duplicating work already performed by individual campuses or could be more efficiently delegated. OSHBE chose to eliminate positions in the academic affairs curricular division. Review of undergraduate degree programs has shifted to a council of university provosts from the seven state campuses and Oregon Health and Sciences University.
The ability of OSBHE to ensure that Portland State is organized and staffed to reflect its mission, size, and complexity continues to be limited by the level of funding offered by the state legislature. OSHBE’s ability to approve budgets in a timely fashion and do effective long-range financial planning has been hampered by the legislative process over the last decade. The legislature has been unable to complete work on the state budget before the beginning of the new biennium. In addition, funding for the OUS system has been set at 72% of a budget model that had been designed to bring support of OUS campuses up to the average funding levels of peer institutions in other parts of the country.
Portland State administration, faculty and staff have accomplished a great number of efficiencies in serving students, but comparison data suggest that the institution has been working at a significant disadvantage compared to the other institutions in the system. Discrepancies are particularly noticeable in student services. For example, Portland State has only one-fourth of the positions in financial aid as the other two largest universities, yet serving a similar number of students. Similarly, although there are recognized differences in mission, size, and variety of facilities at the three largest campuses in the university system, these differences do not account for the large discrepancies in staffing and allocation of resources for maintenance and construction. Given that in Fall 2003, Portland State's enrollment accounted for 29.1% of the total OUS student headcount, the University has significantly fewer positions funded for administrative, professional and clerical staff, and a disproportionately high percentage of deferred maintenance.
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