On Wednesday, October

27, 2010 the HEA and NSEA

hosted a special higher educa-

tion negotiations workshop

on the campus of the Univer-

sity of Nebraska at Kearney.

The workshop featured a

presentation by Dr. John B.

Lee, of JBL Associates, Wash-

ington, D.C., on IPEDS and

other higher ed primary data

resources. Dr. Lee is Presi-

dent of JBL Associates and a

specialist on postsecondary

education policy and finance.

The workshop was conducted

both on-site and on-line with

representatives and local offi-

cers from UNKEA, the State

College Education Association (SCEA) and Metro Community College attending. Dr. Lee reviewed the

history and mission of the National Center for Education Statistics, which produces the IPEDS and other

statistical reports. He then focused upon the detailed operations and components of three key tools for

higher ed negotiators: The IPEDS, CUDAS, and the HECAS.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

This is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Educa-

tion’s National Center for Education Statistics

(NCES). IPEDS gathers information from

every college, university, and technical and

vocational institution that participates in the

federal student financial aid programs. The

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended,

requires that institutions that participate in

federal student aid programs report data on

enrollments, program completions, gradua-

tion rates, faculty and staff, finances, institu-

tional prices, and student finan-

cial aid. These data are made available to students and parents through the Col-

lege Navigator college search website and to researchers and others through

the IPEDS Data Center. [http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/] (Continued on Pg.2)

November/December, 2010 Volume 4, No. 2

The Higher Education Advocate

NSEA Board

Meeting Dates

Winter/Spring 2011

Sat. January 29

Sat. February 19

Sat. March 12

Fri. April 15

Inside this issue:

HEA Hosts

IPEDS Workshop

1

2011 Higher Ed

Advocacy

Conference

2

UniServ

Kudos

Corner

3

NSEA Higher

Education Legisla-

tive Priorities

4

HEA Visibility

Grants Awarded

5

Metro CC

Read Across

America

5

NEA Higher Ed

Conference

Registration Open

5

Academy

Directorate Info.

6

HEA Hosts IPEDS Workshop at UNK

Robert Sweetland ( Wayne State-SCEA ) , John B. Lee ( JBL Associates ) ,

and Larry Scherer ( NSEA )

Larry Scherer reviewing equipment and connecting on-line participants Visit the

Nebraska P16 Initiative

website

[https://p16.nebraska.edu/]

IPEDS Workshop (Cont.) The College and University Data Analysis System (CUDAS)

This CD-ROM allows members to analyze their institution by a series of indicators and to compare it with their peer institutions. The

source of the data is the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education

Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The CUDAS CD-ROM can

be found in the annual NEA Almanac of Higher Education. Dr. Lee noted that plans are

under way to make the CUDAS an on-line offering. This is something to watch for.

The Higher Education Contract Analysis System (HECAS)

HECAS CD is a CD-ROM with full-text retrieval software, containing over 840 higher

education collective bargaining contracts. The system, updated twice a year, has

contracts for faculty, support staff, and academic professionals. The most up-to-date

collection of contracts resides on the web-based version, which is updated monthly.

Access to HECAS on the web and the HECAS CD is restricted to NEA state affiliate staff and local leaders. You must contact the higher

education contact person in your state to be granted access to both products.

Dr. Lee also noted that the American Federation of Teachers AFT Higher Education Data Center is another

useful and easily accessible resource for basic higher education information. [ http://highereddata.aft.org/]. For more

information on government operations and other ranges of data check out the website of the National Center

for Education Statistics [http://nces.ed.gov/].

Page 2 Volume 4, No.2

The 2011 Higher Education Advocacy Conference is slated to take place over Friday and Saturday, February 11-

12, 2011 on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. All officers

and potential leaders from higher ed campuses across the state are invited to

attend. All of the workshop sessions will be held in the Nebraskan Student Un-

ion on the UNK campus, in rooms 310 and 312. The tentative schedule has reg-

istration at 5:30p.m. on Friday with an evening reception and workshop. Satur-

day sessions will run from 8:30a.m. to 3:30p.m.. The working luncheon will fea-

ture presentations by NSEA Legal Counsel Mark McGuire, who recently won

three significant rulings before the Nebraska Supreme Court, and Jerry Hoff-

man, NSEA Lobbyist. Conference registration is free and includes a reception,

continental breakfast, and a luncheon. Blocks of hotel rooms have been re-

served and more details on

housing will be available

shortly. The HEA will pay

half to the room cost up to

$40 and reimburse mileage at 25 cents a mile for attendees traveling

over 100 miles to make the conference.

2011 Higher Education Advocacy Conference Slated for February

Jerry Hoffman and Mark McGuire

Marilyn Quance, President of the Wayne State local of the Nebraska State College Professional Associa-

tion, reports the following: “Wayne NSCPA was able to increase their numbers by 7 new members

during September. This gives Wayne the highest number of members since our beginning in

1994. We recently held a couple of luncheons. We received a $400 grant from the Higher Ed Acad-

emy. We took 3/4 of this amount and split it up among our members asking them to take a possible

member to lunch and tell the other person the reasons they joined and how it could benefit them to

join. I also want to send kudos to UniServ Director Duane Obermier. A year ago Wayne NSCPA

started holding a meeting each month. Duane has attended every meeting and helped arrange for

guest speakers. He has brought freebies for those who attend the meetings. We recently had some

RIF notices sent out and Duane was on the spot and willing to help in any way possible.” It looks like

some great work is going on out on the Wayne campus!

The Good News from Wayne State !

Marilyn Quance, Technical Librarian President, Wayne State NSCPA

UniServ Kudos Corner! For this edition of the newsletter, we asked the Higher Ed UniServ Directors to send along some information about what has been

happening on their respective campuses. The more are aware of what is going on across the state and what resource the UniServ

Directors are bringing to our locals the better our community as a whole. So, Kudos and thanks to everyone who responded. Here

are just a few of the reports:

Bill Nowak: Mid-Plains Community College, reports that Mid-Plains Classified Staff EA has a new President,

Pam Burks, and that NSEA is working with her on a mid-year drive to increase membership and involvement. At Mid-

Plains Vocational EA, NSEA worked with President Winnie Dolph to favorably resolve a Summer Contract pay

issue through discussion between the members and the administration. It ended up not being a big deal but it could

have been.

Midge Dublinske: Central Community College, reports that congratulations go out to the Central Commu-

nity College Staff Association, both the Hourly and Salaried bargaining units and negotiations teams, for some

really great work. They recently ratified multi-year agreements for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. Great news! We

are awaiting details for a report for the next newsletter.

Tim Krapp: Metro Community College, reports that he is working with fellow UniServe Directors Jackee Wise

and Ellen Yates at Metropolitan Community College. He writes that this Fall the Metro Community College Educa-

tion Association held Coffee and Conversation Sessions at each of the five campuses - one session was held at each

location. “It was very successful and we enjoyed visiting all the campuses and meeting everyone.” The MCCEA ACF Negotia-

tion Team has been approved and Joan Trimpey, who is very knowledgeable and experienced regarding negotiation is-

sues, is the Chief Negotiator. The other members joining Trimpey and serving on the MCCEA ACF Negotiation Team

are Linda Chandler, Melinda Classen and Lee Murray. “I look forward to the Higher Education Advocacy Bargaining Confer-

ence which will be held February 11 and 12, 2011 in Kearney at UNK - my alma mater!”

Duane Obermier: Wayne State College writes the following: “When people ask me what I do as an NSEA UniServ Director, I typi-

cally respond by saying that I do three things. Those three are provide trainings, assist with negotiations and support mem-

bers in exercising their rights. Trainings aren’t going on all the time, but they are usually part of membership meetings at

the start of the school year. There are meetings for local association officers, and, of course, meetings are held as we gear

up for negotiations. By this time of the year nearly all associations have completed negotiations for the 2010-2011

year. However, I still have three organizations that have not settled with their schools boards. Among other things, for me

that has involved completing a comparability study. It’s also on my agenda to complete two studies to assist those two

locals in preparation for 2011-2012 negotiations. Member rights are constantly on-going, and all UD’s never know when a

case will come up. We simply respond as our members have need for this service. Another part of my NSEA work includes

serving as staff liaison to the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (EMAC). Most recently, that has involved work on a nomi-

nation for an NEA Human and Civil Rights Award. EMAC has set a goal of nominating a deserving Nebraskan for one of

these awards every year. This year they chose to nominate Yolanda Nuncio of Grand Island for the George I. Sanchez

Memorial Award. The nomination material had a postmark deadline of December 10, and it was placed in the mail on

December 9—mission accomplished. We will find out in late February whether our nomination has been successful. “

Page 3 Volume 4, No. 2

At the December, 2010 NSEA Board meeting the Government Relations team reviewed the NSEA Legislative Priorities for the coming

Year. The team is composed of Karen Kilgarin: Director, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Jerry Hoffman: Lobbyist and Legislative

Research, and Brian Mikkelsen: Director, Political Field Operations. The priorities represent fundamental issues of concern and essential

directions to work toward through lobbying and membership engagement. With specific regard to higher education the following are

highlights of the legislative review:

NSEA's legislative goals for the 2011 session of the Nebraska Legislature are to preserve the state's investment in P16 public education and the school employees’ retirement plan. Cuts to education funding will hurt students, education em-ployees, schools, colleges and our economy. It is in the best interest of all Nebraskans to keep schools fully staffed. Main-taining a rich curriculum and appropriate class size will help raise student achievement and ensure our state’s educational and economic competitiveness. NSEA will also work to promote and protect programs that will enhance Nebraska's ability to recruit and retain quality teachers, higher education faculty and education support professionals. These programs shall include legislation that will improve compensation, benefits and working conditions.

PRIORITIZE FUNDING FOR P16 EDUCATION

Quality education is the ticket to economic prosperity for individuals and communities. Increased student achievement is

dependent on quality teachers/faculty, appropriate class size, and a rich curriculum. Education is an economic driver that

benefits communities and Main Street businesses all across Nebraska. The Governor, as Chair of the Nebraska P16 Initiative, has noted

that two goals of P16 are to attain a high school college-going rank in the Top 10 tier nationally and to provide affordable access for Ne-

braska students to attend postsecondary institutions. As the essence of the term "P16" implies, these worthy goals are part of an inte-

grated educational experience, which merits the continued investment of resources from "P" through "16." In addition, Nebraska’s institu-

tions of public education face the challenge of continuing to provide quality services to increased numbers of disadvantaged students and

students with special needs, while also implementing accountability and testing mandates. It is essential to maintain

funding for public schools and higher education at current levels and increase funding when state revenues are available.

ENHANCE LOTTERY-FUNDED TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM

Move an additional $500,000 in Lottery proceeds to the Enhancing Excellence in Teaching program, allowing more

teachers to participate in higher education and earn Masters Degrees in teacher shortage areas and improve their

teaching skills. While 268 teachers enrolled in the program in 2009, 111 applications were left unfunded; 321 teachers

enrolled in the program in 2010 and 109 applications were left unfunded.

PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE COMMISSION OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

The CIR has been successful in providing an effective dispute resolution process that provides predict-

ability and reasonableness for school districts and school employees when the parties are at impasse. The CIR process

supports the public interest by ensuring the continued delivery of essential public services without any threat of em-

ployee strikes or work stoppages. CIR decisions are based on the average – not top salaries, not the best benefits but

rather the average compensation of similarly-situated employees. NSEA believes it is important to maintain the fair, effec-

tive and reasonable dispute resolution system that has been developed over the last 40 years . The state's higher educa-

tion employees have won recent high-profile bargaining cases before the Nebraska Supreme Court. There could be back-

lash in the Legislature, however, as senators may push to modify the state employee collective bar-

gaining act. NSEA will push hard, in return, to protect the bargaining rights of all Nebraska educators.

NEBRASKA P16 INITIATIVE

The NSEA does have formal representation on the Nebraska P16

Initiative. NSEA Executive Director Craig Christiansen is a member

of the P16 Leadership Council and additionally serves on three subcom-

mittees. Craig reports that much of the work of the committee is fo-

cusing on higher education, in the areas of accountability, productivity,

academic proficiency, and graduation rates.

Government Relations Outlines NSEA Higher Ed Legislative Priorities

Karen Kilgarin

Volume 4, No. 2 Page 4

Jerry Hoffman

Brian Mikkelsen

Craig Christiansen

SEAN

Student Education

Association of Nebraska

Through the Student Education

Association of Nebraska (SEAN), the NSEA provides professional resources and support to

teachers in training. That added preparation helps young teachers get off to a successful career start, and provides NSEA with a

core group of future Association leaders.

SEAN chapters are located on 16 Nebraska college and university campuses, with a combined

statewide membership of more than 1,500 and growing.

Dues for membership in SEAN/NSEA/NEA are $28 annually. Membership provides student

with important liability insurance coverage while student teaching, as well as many of the same benefits as active teachers/

members. A portion of the dues are

refunded to SEAN members with their first year of membership in the NSEA when

they begin their professional career.

SEAN sends delegates to the

NEA Representative Assembly as well as to NSEA's Delegate Assembly. The SEAN president

serves as a non-voting member of the NSEA Board of Directors.

SEAN website:

www.neastudent.org

Mark Your Calendars Now—Save

These Dates ! February 11-12—Higher Ed Advocacy

Conference at UNK in Kearney

March 25-27—NEA Higher Ed Conference

Boston, MA (registration open)

April 15-16—NSEA Delegate Assembly

La Vista, NE

June 17-18—HEA Higher Ed Conference

Lincoln, NE

July 1-5—NEA Representative Assembly

Chicago, Illinois

The Open Door Mission/Lydia House received a

second annual visit on March 9th from Metro

Community College reading faculty. The faculty

(Diane Hocevar, Teri Quick, and Kathy Rieken-

Thurber) presented 123 children’s books to the

mission to celebrate Read Across America and Dr.

Seuss’ birthday. The books will be used to help

create a library in the new Lydia House. Reading

faculty selected each book and delivered them to

encourage parents to begin reading to their chil-

dren at a young age. The books were purchased

with annual funds donated by the Metropolitan

Community College Education Association (MCCEA). The Read Across America campaign was

launched in 1998 by the National Education Association, and MCCEA has funded a book project for most

of the past seven years.

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

NEA Higher Education

Conference

March 25-27, 2011 Leadership Day—March 24

Boston Park Plaza Hotel Boston, Massachusetts

Register at this web site:

http://www.nea.org/

Metro Community College Education Association

Funds Annual Read Across America Project

At the end of August your Higher Education Academy district closed its books by offering higher ed locals

the opportunity to apply for a $400 Visibility Grant. As noted on the application form, “The NSEA HEA

District will award up to ten (10) grants to higher education locals for the purpose of promoting visibility of their

local to their members. This grant opportunity fulfills one of the purposes of the HEA: “to develop outreach and

recruitment efforts for higher education faculty, academic professionals, and education support professionals across

the state.” (HEA Bylaws). We are pleased to report that the following seven locals qualified for a Visibility

Grant:

1.Peru State College Education Association

2. Wayne State College Education Association

3. Nebraska State College Professional Association - Wayne State

College

4. Central Community College Education Association - Hastings

5. Central Community College Staff Association - Grand Island

6. University of Nebraska at Kearney Education Association

7. Metro Community College Education Association.

One example of the outcome of the grant funds, the UNK

Education Association produced an updated brochure to assist them in membership recruitment .

In addition the UNKEA has launched a program to design a unique logo for the association. Both of

these projects will indeed contribute to the visibility and success of their local!

HEA Visibility Grants a Success!

Volume 4, No. 2 Page 5

Page 6

Patti Blundell Chadron State College

Faculty Representative

308-432-6454

pblundell@csc.edu

Karen Rodgers Metro Community College

Academic Prof. Rep. 402-457-2683

krodgers@mccneb.edu

Lael Churchill

Central Community College

ESP Representative 402-461-2491

Churchill@gtmc.net

Ann Petersen Chadron State College

Treasurer

308-432-6337

apetersen@csc.edu

Joan Trimpey Metro Community College

Vice President

402-738-4675

jtrimpey@mccneb.edu

Christopher Waddle

Central Community College

Board Member

402-476-8222

cwaddle@cccneb.edu

Roger Davis

University of Nebraska

at Kearney

President

308-865-8771

davisr@unk.edu

Bill Clemente

Peru State College

Secretary

402-872-2233

bclemente@mac.com

Your Higher Education Academy Directorate

Volume 4, No. 2