May 23, 2003May 23, 2003
Dear Colleagues:
While the tornadoes of early May are no longer grabbing headlines, the work of UO/E specialists in assisting those impacted by the storms continues in earnest.
After the Stockton tornado, SW Livestock Specialist Dona Funk put her own needs aside. She opened the extension center and established communications by having calls transferred to her private cell phone and by contacting people in positions of responsibility. When she saw a need that was not being met, she convened a group of extension specialists, and using the county plat map, organized door-to-door visits to make sure residents were getting the information they needed. She is continuing to work untiringly to help her community get back on its feet.
Linda Bartkoski, Cedar County nutrition education assistant says, "Her quick response as well as her attention to detail have earned her the respect of the AmeriCorps coordinators and that of the American Red Cross, community action, and all of the local and county emergency assistance groups."
Dona's response is typical of the heroic effort made by many UO/E faculty and staff who are responding during the recovery phase. You are truly making a difference in the lives of so many people, and I want to congratulate each one of you.
To help coordinate UO/E's continuing recovery efforts, we invited internal applications for a specialist to take on a special part-time, two-month assignment as state community emergency management specialist. I am pleased to announce that beginning immediately, NE Human Environmental Sciences Specialist Sherry Nelson has agreed to accept this special assignment to work directly with CEMP Coordinator Eric Evans and with field-based and campus-based faculty on disaster recovery issues. She will participate in disaster recovery efforts around the state and represent UO/E capabilities and interests. Sherry's experience and leadership add enormous value, and I appreciate her willingness to take on this new role.
Regarding the FY04 budget, it appears that with the Governor's veto of the higher education appropriation and anticipated special session, the cut for higher education is expected to be between 6.8 percent and 10. 8 percent. Obviously we won't know the final amount until the special session has ended. I just informed this morning, that for the current fiscal year, that ends June 30, the Governor has announced an additional withholding of $9 million for higher education. Half of this amount, $4.5 million, will be withheld from the state appropriation to the University. It is too soon to know how much of the $4.5 million will be withheld from University Outreach and Extension, but at this point in the year, it will be necessary to meet such a withholding from one-time balances. As we get more information on the FY03 withholding and the FY04 budget, I will let you know.
I also want to share that the Board of Curators approved a 50 percent tuition reduction for the dependents of University faculty and staff. At a time when compensation is limited, this is a significant benefit. I hope those of you who can benefit will take advantage of this considerable opportunity.
With all best regards,
Ron
Turner
Executive Vice President
and Director
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Eileen Yager,
yagere@umsystem.edu |
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