An open letter to the Pacific community
October 31, 2018
Dear Pacific faculty, staff and students,
You may have seen recent news reports about the Academic Council's resolution expressing a lack of confidence in President Eibeck, as well as the student protest regarding tuition increases and other issues. As the chair of Pacific's Board of Regents, I am writing to apprise you of where the board stands.
The Board of Regents strongly and unequivocally supports President Eibeck and the university administration. The president has led with tremendous success and remains committed to ensuring our students receive a superior education and our university has a robust future.
Today we all face challenges that are impacting colleges and universities nationwide-higher financial aid and operational costs, unpredictable enrollments, and the need to pay competitive salaries. We are responding with a plan that includes ensuring we spend less than our revenues (living within our means) while improving compensation for our faculty and staff, maintaining high academic standards, and creating innovative programs and services for our students. The plan requires us to redefine some of our practices so we can reduce costs and reallocate the savings into more competitive pay structures for those whose salaries are below the market midpoint.
This is not an easy task, and it will require us to make hard choices. Many of our employees see this as an opportunity for innovation, while some find it more challenging. The university must advance into the next era and adapt to new expectations from students-lower cost, a better experience and more convenience-whether a traditional residential undergraduate or a part-time working adult. Change and innovation are vital if Pacific is to sustain and grow its position as a university of choice.
Pacific plays a pivotal role in Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco, helping thousands of students earn a degree, generating increased earnings to the local, regional and statewide economy, and providing a pipeline of talent to meet workforce needs. Equally as important, Pacific reaches into the community providing clinics and services, and countless student and employee volunteers. The university's impact is immeasurable.
And Pacific's students are excelling. Six months after graduation, nearly 93 percent of the class of 2017 were employed, accepted to graduate or professional school, completing a post-graduate internship or working for a service organization. In addition, the White House College Scorecard places Pacific alumni salaries at No. 3 among similar California universities.
The best way forward is to continue to come together as faculty, staff and administrators as we did to create Pacific 2020 and Pacific 2020R, the university's strategic roadmap. The board expects faculty, staff and administrators to collaboratively work toward the university's strategic goals while finding innovative ways to reduce costs.
Collaboration includes listening to each other. I want to thank the students, faculty and staff who took the time to engage with us during our recent Board of Regents meeting. We value your voices. Once a Pacific student and now a second-generation alumnus and a regent, I care deeply about this university. Your active engagement is a welcome reminder of how passionate all of us are about Pacific and its long-term success.
Your efforts are informing our actions toward ensuring that Pacific remains strong and student-centered. After hearing student concerns, the board voted to reduce the undergraduate tuition increase for the 2019-20 academic year to 3 percent from the initially proposed 3.2 percent. Although this is the smallest percentage increase in 10 years, we understand that this increase impacts students and their families, and we are exploring alternatives to our current tuition practices.
While some in our community may disagree on the steps needed to ensure Pacific's continued success, change is necessary. Actions to undermine the president and university administration only serve to divide our university community and damage our reputation. Our best and only path forward is to develop solutions together to ensure we can serve students and the region well into the future.
Sincerely,
Kevin Huber '86
Chair, Board of Regents