Recognition Where Recognition is Due

A little over a week ago we honored our faculty and staff who had reached a length of service milestone at PSU of 20, 25, 30 or 35 years of service. The Length of Service Award Celebration and Reception was held in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom (SMSU). We packed the room as many came to honor sixty-nine of our fellow colleagues for their significant achievement and contribution to Portland State University. We heard, in their own words, about their memories and fond moments at PSU.

Formal and informal, recognition of employees is an important means for an organization to acknowledge individual contributions. The ceremony was recognition based on years of dedicated service—a total of 1,725 years collectively!

Two weeks ago we also announced that nominations are being accepted for nine excellence awards. Yes, nine! Eight for outstanding faculty and one for an academic professional or administrator. This is the largest number of awards we have ever given and signals the important recognition of faculty and staff achievement. The recipient of each award receives a citation and a $1,500 taxable honorarium.

Labor Relations Progress and Updates

In my October 2014 blog I shared my thoughts on interest-based bargaining (IBB) and encouraged the University and AAUP to consider this approach.  The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) describes IBB as “a process that enables traditional negotiators to become joint problem-solvers. It assumes that mutual gain is possible, that solutions which satisfy mutual interests are more durable, that the parties should help each other achieve a positive result.”

There have been many positive developments since my posting.

IBB Info Session

On January 22, 2015 the University and AAUP jointly participated in an IBB overview session presented by Janet Gillman, State Conciliator with the Oregon Employment Relations Board.  Janet is familiar with PSU; she served as a mediator for the negotiations last year between the University and AAUP (and is a PSU grad!). She also facilitated the SEIU-PSU IBPS process in May last year and the efforts from that collaboration remain strong today.

Supporting New Faculty on the Road to Success

Thirty four years ago I began my faculty career as a tenure track faculty member at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. Like many faculty, I had just received my Ph.D. and although my graduate training had prepared me as a content expert in my field (cartography), I did not fully appreciate or know the multiple demands that would be placed on my time for teaching, research and service.

Tenure track faculty members often ask:

• How will I decide how to spend my time and get constructive feedback on my work?
• What accomplishments and efforts will stand out when it is time for my third and sixth year reviews?
• How do I document my accomplishments and efforts?
• How can I establish a collaborative scholarly community within and outside of my department?