November 11, 2019

Dear faculty and staff,

I would like to share with you an update of the Action Plan in response to the Climate Survey. The activities (decision, actions) are reported for the following categories included in the plan: strategic vision, resource management, and leadership.

Strategic Vision

• Faculty and staff, with the guidance and moderation of Damian, contributed to a SWOT analysis at our annual retreat.
• A summary of the retreat with a draft vision and goals was sent to all faculty and staff on Monday, September 30.
• My annual self-evaluation performance that I submitted to the Office of the Provost included similar goals for AY 2019-2020 as those that emerged from the retreat:

1. 1. To improve the morale of our career faculty and overall climate of the school by supporting plans for a better understanding and empathy for each other’s work and responsibilities, especially the increased tasks staff and faculty have taken on.
   2. To take full advantage of the 25th Anniversary of the PhD Program in Media Studies and help consolidate the role and activities of the Media Center for Science and Technology (new name under consideration to better communicate the mission of the center) as a cross-disciplinary research center that amplifies the scholarly profile of the school, to promote research excellence and attract PhD students who will help advance the research agenda of SOJC scholars and support the teaching needs of the school.
   3. To achieve the full potential of the new production facilities of the Experience Hub and the OR Lab in Portland by providing internal grants to faculty for special hands-on and research projects and continuing to forge industry partnerships and offer media and research services across the university.
   4. To seek and secure donor and/or foundation funds for the creation of a mobile newsroom, tentatively named Oregon Story, that will connect the dots with all journalism programs, such as Agora, Track Bureau, and Catalyst.
   5. To bring SOJC faculty and staff together by securing additional space in or close to Allen Hall and improving connectivity and programs between Eugene and Portland.
   6. To take advantage of the 20th Anniversary of the Ancil Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism and the 25th Anniversary of the Snowden Program to reaffirm our commitment to ethical practices and the sustainability of local news operations.
   7. To encourage the sharpening of the goals and curricula of each sequence (area of specialization) to ensure it supports the vision of the school as an innovative and entrepreneurial leader and provides a more coherent pathway for student success.

• At the faculty meeting on Friday, November 15, Deb and Gretchen will moderate a discussion of our academic vision in light of the 2020 IHP process. (My email sent 11/05/2019 explains the nature and purpose of the exercise. I have also shared additional insights with the moderators, to be shared on Friday).
• I will use the insights of both the retreat and academic visioning exercise to complete a template that will soon be sent by the Office of the Provost to all deans. Further consultation with the various SOJC areas and programs will continue throughout that process.

Resource Management

• SOJC leadership is mindful that any effort requires resources across all levels.
• The list of SOJC committees is developed in consultation with faculty and shared with all. We are conscious of the need to reduce unnecessary duplication of service assignments.
• During the summer, staff workflow and responsibilities have been revised, including supervisory lines and space allocation. We hired a human resources manager, Maria Fischer-Boothe, and a new director of communication, Andra Brichacek. The business office now has a new director, Josh Buetow, who is working more closely with the dean and associate deans on systems to improve financial operations and transparent decision making.
• We will continue striving for faculty and staff meetings that are more participatory and engaging.
• A separate staff meeting was eliminated. Together faculty and staff actively participated in the fall retreat.
• The DAC has provided clear feedback to the dean and requested immediate actions on sensitive items (e.g., building maintenance, plan for a potential GTTF strike, reclassification of instructors to professor of practice), which were all addressed and communicated. The next DAC meeting is on Tuesday, November 12.
• Talent analysis and retention continue to be a priority for the dean, associate deans, and area heads. The dean, in consultation with associate deans and area heads, have handled retention strategies and offers for individual faculty and staff members.
• The undergraduate affairs office continues to work with area heads and program directors in teaching assignments and scheduling. For the AY 2020-21, we could try allowing career faculty to opt for seven instead of eight courses based on the flexibility provided by our NTTF policy. This can only be achieved with the cooperation of faculty, area heads, program directors, and the undergraduate affairs office. These are some of the essential conditions for this proposed action to be implemented:

1. 1. Cooperation across sequences and programs to ensure we can cover student needs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
   2. Required courses of the curriculum are covered.
   3. Specialized, elective courses are limited or eliminated.
   4. Class sizes are enlarged to accreditation limits (e.g., 20 students per lab class, with a minimum of 16 students needed for the course to make).
   5. Additional GE support is available as needed.
   6. Area heads and directors submit teaching assignments on time, respecting SOJC and university requirements and deadlines.
   7. Course release guidelines are strictly enforced.
   8. Greater accountability for service and research/creative/professional work (for those choosing a seven-course load)

• I will discuss the above considerations further when I meet with DAC on Tuesday November 12.
• Experiential learning is an SOJC priority, and administration will continue providing resources for faculty and students to accomplish transformational activities at Allen Hall or anywhere in the nation or the world. For this to continue happening, we need to fairly and consistently manage the limited resources we have. That is, discrepancies across sequences as to how experiential learning programs are managed and supported need to be minimized. While academic areas each have some unique needs and do not need to mirror each other precisely, the current wide range of practices and particularly the wider issue of how such work is compensated deserves more discussion. Consequently, the Experiential Trips Committee will be charged with this task.

Leadership

• The Executive Leadership Team, All Leadership Team meeting, and UAC meetings are being announced in advance, are open to interested faculty and staff, and meeting summaries are shared with faculty and staff.
• Administration continues to closely follow the UO Institutional Hiring Plan (IHP), which includes stages and specific steps on a tight timeline. We will be diligent in sharing information about each step in that annual process and will continue to create time for discussion about the hiring process at faculty meetings. On November 15, two motions will be presented for consideration: the motion from the search committee on the public relations instructor hire and the slate of proposed finalists for the Immersive Media Psychology position.
• Faculty (as guaranteed by the CBA), classified staff (as guaranteed by SEIU), and officers of administration are entitled to their own opinions and are encouraged to express them in private and in school, area, and committee meetings. The dean ratifies the paramount role of free expression and respect for multiple views in this community. Faculty and staff are encouraged to inform the dean about any behaviors they experience or perceive as suppressing free speech. The dean’s office prioritizes free speech and the expression of opinions and is committed to do everything possible to encourage open and respectful discussion of controversial topics.
• More regularly (without abusing channels), emails updates and announcements are sent by the Dean’s Office, dean himself, and associated deans.
• The dean and associate deans have an open policy for meetings with faculty, staff, and students. We have engaged with faculty and staff in a variety of ways. Moreover, casual and formal meetings between administration and members of the SOJC community can happen in a variety of fora, such as behind closed doors, in hallways, and sometimes over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. We are active listeners and are working to respond to pressing issues in a consultative and timely manner.
• The strengthening and progress of our community will only be achieved with the participation and cooperation of all of its members.

Onward,
Juan-Carlos