OU President Gallogly

[soonerheart]

This is more waste at OU that is being corrected that has added up to many millions in total....I believe if I am counting correctly that it’s now up to 33 million so far in annual savings for OU?
The example on this link under Boren was gross incompetence...There should be laws against waste like this. With waste like this I wonder how many were courtesy hires or ghost employees?
http://www.oudaily.com/news/ou-presi...b2f2e1d72.html

“Gallogly said the landscaping department previously had landscapers year-round, although during the winter there was not much work to be done.”

“All we did is level that off and then we'll hire people at the peak,” Gallogly said. “Every business does that. We weren't, and so the students were paying for a lot of those folks to sit around and wait for the summer to come or spring planting season.”

[Rover]

This is more waste at OU that is being corrected that has added up to many millions in total....I believe if I am counting correctly that it’s now up to 33 million so far in annual savings for OU?
The example on this link under Boren was gross incompetence...There should be laws against waste like this. With waste like this I wonder how many were courtesy hires or ghost employees?
http://www.oudaily.com/news/ou-presi...b2f2e1d72.html

“Gallogly said the landscaping department previously had landscapers year-round, although during the winter there was not much work to be done.”

“All we did is level that off and then we'll hire people at the peak,” Gallogly said. “Every business does that. We weren't, and so the students were paying for a lot of those folks to sit around and wait for the summer to come or spring planting season.”

Lol. We all know that the only thing about landscaping is mowing and the grass doesn’t grow in winter.
I actually served the homeless with a member of the landscaping staff and am aware of work done year round. And none of them were paid that much, and they and their families rely on year round jobs. That probably is of no concern though for Mr. Gallogly.

[mugofbeer]

Lol. We all know that the only thing about landscaping is mowing and the grass doesn’t grow in winter.
I actually served the homeless with a member of the landscaping staff and am aware of work done year round. And none of them were paid that much, and they and their families rely on year round jobs. That probably is of no concern though for Mr. Gallogly.

O n the other hand, there might be a ton of students who would be willing to do these jobs and be readily available to help pay for school, to put a few dollars in their pockets and to be able to get out and enjoy being outside. My son starts next fall and we've already looked around a bit for places that might hire out a few hours a week. There are schools where this type of thing is expected and even required of students.

[jccouger]

O n the other hand, there might be a ton of students who would be willing to do these jobs and be readily available to help pay for school, to put a few dollars in their pockets and to be able to get out and enjoy being outside. My son starts next fall and we've already looked around a bit for places that might hire out a few hours a week. There are schools where this type of thing is expected and even required of students.

When i was a student landscaping jobs were absolutely listed on the student employment opportunities portal. I seriously doubt they aren’t listed now. Outside of food & housing jobs they were probably the 2nd most listed job opportunity.

[jccouger]

O n the other hand, there might be a ton of students who would be willing to do these jobs and be readily available to help pay for school, to put a few dollars in their pockets and to be able to get out and enjoy being outside. My son starts next fall and we've already looked around a bit for places that might hire out a few hours a week. There are schools where this type of thing is expected and even required of students.

Oh and I’ll also point out that university jobs will always be great for flexible hours. Would be a great opportunity for your son.

[Rover]

There are schools where this type of thing is expected and even required of students.

Just curious what schools of OU’s size and stature require doing yard work to be a student? Or even where it is expected.

[soonerheart]

Just received word that OU BOR Bill Burgess has unexpectedly passed away.
RIP
By all accounts he was a great man who will be missed.

[mugofbeer]

Just curious what schools of OU’s size and stature require doing yard work to be a student? Or even where it is expected.

I don't know of any large schools where it is required but there isn't any reason OU couldn't offer a lot of part time work. Small colleges, College of the Ozarks in Missouri, Berea college in Kentucky (both fascinating places to visit to see the agri-culture and woodcrafting at Berea) and Berry College in Georgia (supported greatly by Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-a ) come to mind.

[soonerheart]

When graduate fees at OU were $4,681 compared to $1,019 at public AAU institutions and now they will be cut by $1100 with more after that...it’s showing more about how poorly OU was managed and the irresponsibility. Yet somehow people still defended this wasteful incompetence.
Some of this is so bad that it couldn’t be made up.

From the OUdaily
http://www.oudaily.com/news/evaluati...e547f15f0.html

[Boulder92]

OU's graduate student fees are outrageously high. They damage recruiting efforts and grad student morale. It is plainly immoral to claim you're paying a certain amount and then rake back a quarter or more in mandatory fees. The "company store" model of employer/employee relations should have died a century ago.

That said, the graduate student fee reduction plan was annouced to campus in December 2017. According to my calendar, Boren was still president then. Give credit where it's due.

[LocoAko]

OU's graduate student fees are outrageously high. They damage recruiting efforts and grad student morale. It is plainly immoral to claim you're paying a certain amount and then rake back a quarter or more in mandatory fees. The "company store" model of employer/employee relations should have died a century ago.

That said, the graduate student fee reduction plan was annouced to campus in December 2017. According to my calendar, Boren was still president then. Give credit where it's due.

That, and the statement made clear that the total cost isn't going to change -- they've just been able to move things around from "fees" to "tuition". Which, as a recent OU graduate student, I understand fully will have a huge impact on the lives of grad students for whom that technicality makes a huge difference. But as I understand it it isn't a cost savings measure at all on the University end of things. Let's not let that get in the way of some good spin, though.

Directly from Gallogly:

"As part of the graduate education plan developed by Graduate College Dean Randy Hewes and a faculty committee, we announced a cut of approximately $425 per graduate assistant in fees for the 2018-19 academic year. In addition, we established a new tuition remission rate policy for grants and contracts that approximates actual GA tuition. Finally, we increased the graduate student resident tuition rate to offset the reduction in fees (for non-GAs, this action changed the ratio of tuition versus fees, but it did not result in a net change in the overall graduate student cost of attendance). . . . Due to these measures, and an additional $2 million that we have been able to earmark for graduate education savings thanks to the operational efficiencies we have achieved together, I am pleased to announce that for the 2019-20 academic year, we will again be able to reduce graduate fees. The average graduate student with 18 credit hours of enrollment will see a reduction in fees of at least $675 next year. We will raise graduate student resident tuition to offset this reduction in fees, and this will again result in no net change in the overall cost of attendance for non-GAs."

So yeah, about all that inefficiency and "savings"...

[Rover]

I don't know of any large schools where it is required but there isn't any reason OU couldn't offer a lot of part time work. Small colleges, College of the Ozarks in Missouri, Berea college in Kentucky (both fascinating places to visit to see the agri-culture and woodcrafting at Berea) and Berry College in Georgia (supported greatly by Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-a ) come to mind.

So, in other words, no even approximately comparable schools require students to work taking care of the landscaping?

[Rover]

When graduate fees at OU were $4,681 compared to $1,019 at public AAU institutions and now they will be cut by $1100 with more after that...it’s showing more about how poorly OU was managed and the irresponsibility. Yet somehow people still defended this wasteful incompetence.
Some of this is so bad that it couldn’t be made up.

From the OUdaily
http://www.oudaily.com/news/evaluati...e547f15f0.html

You remind me of Baghdad Bob. Regardless of what is known, you keep trying hard to spin.
OU is regularly listed as a good to excellent value by multiple rating systems. Just saw one with the the #2 value in OK. They total costs of education is vey much in line with major public comprehensive universities. You and the rest of the staff of Gallogly can keep telling everyone what a savior he is, but all I hear is how bad everyone else at OU is if they were somehow attached to Boren.
It is easy to tear down and cut...it is hard to lead and build up. Let’s see Gallogly and his sycophants do that. And once, I’d like him to actually talk about investment in a VISION that involves education/academics and not just dollars.

[LakeEffect]

So, in other words, no even approximately comparable schools require students to work taking care of the landscaping?

I knew numerous friends at the University of Michigan that worked their summer job for Michigan's landscaping department. I'm sure it's common at many universities.

[Rover]

I knew numerous friends at the University of Michigan that worked their summer job for Michigan's landscaping department. I'm sure it's common at many universities.

The claim was that some schools require it. I sincerely doubt Uof M requires their students to work at landscaping the school.

[mugofbeer]

The claim was that some schools require it. I sincerely doubt Uof M requires their students to work at landscaping the school.

OK. Try reading what was said. The idea was that there shouldn't be much worry about seasonal campus work because there should be plenty of students willing to do that kind of work for extra cash or a reduction in tuition. I said on the side some schools require it. I provided the names of 3 very special places where that is the case. I didnt make any broad sweeping comment that numerous colleges do this. There was no "claim." You dreamed that up totally on your own.

[Buffalo Bill]

OK. Try reading what was said. The idea was that there shouldn't be much worry about seasonal campus work because there should be plenty of students willing to do that kind of work for extra cash or a reduction in tuition. I said on the side some schools require it. I provided the names of 3 very special places where that is the case. I didnt make any broad sweeping comment that numerous colleges do this. There was no "claim." You dreamed that up totally on your own.

Until then, we can only dream of the day when OU reaches the majestic heights of the 3 academic powerhouses that you cited.

[mugofbeer]

Until then, we can only dream of the day when OU reaches the majestic heights of the 3 academic powerhouses that you cited.

We aren't talking about academics. We're talking about the lament that OU has to cut back on landscaping. Yet again, all I'm doing is stating there's little need for an army of full time landscapers. Maybe try reading the posts bright boy ..... and try reading a bit on the 3 schools l mentioned before you heap your vast Okie superiority on them. For what they do, you get an excellent education without tuition.

[dankrutka]

I am not commenting on OU's spending on landscaping because I haven't researched it, but as someone who is on college campuses everyday, I will say that landscaping makes a big difference in the overall aesthetic and beauty of a campus. In some cases, good landscaping is the result of someone actually caring about what it looks like. I've seen campuses where no one cared, including the landscaping staff, and the campus looked terrible. Anyway, in my opinion and I do at least visit lots of campuses, OU has an absolutely beautiful campus and it is a factor that sets it a part from some peer institutions. Again, I'm not saying what should be spent, but just pointing out that it does make a noticeable difference.

[Plutonic Panda]

We aren't talking about academics. We're talking about the lament that OU has to cut back on landscaping. Yet again, all I'm doing is stating there's little need for an army of full time landscapers. Maybe try reading the posts bright boy ..... and try reading a bit on the 3 schools l mentioned before you heap your vast Okie superiority on them. For what they do, you get an excellent education without tuition.

Part of what makes some of the best universities I've been to so outstanding other than academics and related programs are the landscaping. They all have an army of full time landscapers so I'd think OU should too. I'm not trying to say OU needs to compete with Stanford, but we shouldn't get a defeatist attitude here. One thing that always stands out to me it how ugly OKC is in regards to the lack of landscaping in almost every aspect of the city. That is slowly changing for the better I've noticed, but it sure would be a shame to see OU move downhill in this regard.

[Plutonic Panda]

Anyway, in my opinion and I do at least visit lots of campuses, OU has an absolutely beautiful campus and it is a factor that sets it a part from some peer institutions. Again, I'm not saying what should be spent, but just pointing out that it does make a noticeable difference.

Last time I came to OKC, I brought a friend who is attending Stanford and when we toured Norman and OU, he immediately pointed out how beautiful the campus was noting that is was beautifully landscaped.

Take it for what its worth, but anecdotally, I've had several occasions as I am always bringing in friends and family from other states at every chance I get to see OKC and Oklahoma. One common theme among almost all of them was their high impressions of OU's campus.

[Pete]

I am not commenting on OU's spending on landscaping because I haven't researched it, but as someone who is on college campuses everyday, I will say that landscaping makes a big difference in the overall aesthetic and beauty of a campus. In some cases, good landscaping is the result of someone actually caring about what it looks like. I've seen campuses where no one cared, including the landscaping staff, and the campus looked terrible. Anyway, in my opinion and I do at least visit lots of campuses, OU has an absolutely beautiful campus and it is a factor that sets it a part from some peer institutions. Again, I'm not saying what should be spent, but just pointing out that it does make a noticeable difference.

Having lived on campus for 4 years that pre-dated the Boren era, then making a point to walk around the whole campus (and I mean the ENTIRE campus) on frequent occassions since, the change is nothing short of miraculous.

Not just the lanscaping but all the patios and fountains and public spaces.

What some would see as a waste I see as one of the greatest marketing tools of all. Get someone there and they can't help to be very impressed, from prospective students and staff to donors.

[dcsooner]

Having lived on campus for 4 years that pre-dated the Boren era, then making a point to walk around the whole campus (and I mean the ENTIRE campus) on frequent occassions since, the change is nothing short of miraculous.

Not just the lanscaping but all the patios and fountains and public spaces.

What some would see as a waste I see as one of the greatest marketing tools of all. Get someone there and they can't help to be very impressed, from prospective students and staff to donors.

+1

[HangryHippo]

Having lived on campus for 4 years that pre-dated the Boren era, then making a point to walk around the whole campus (and I mean the ENTIRE campus) on frequent occassions since, the change is nothing short of miraculous.

Not just the lanscaping but all the patios and fountains and public spaces.

What some would see as a waste I see as one of the greatest marketing tools of all. Get someone there and they can't help to be very impressed, from prospective students and staff to donors.

This. As you said, the change is nothing short of a miracle and should be celebrated and continued. I can't tell you how many people I've taken to OU who have been blown away by the aesthetics of campus. You can't put a price on that kind of impression, IMO.

[Pete]

IMO, the OU campus is the best place to walk in the entire state.

More than once, I've parked on Campus Corner and walked all the way to Loyd Noble and back, taking a winding route. Then, top it off with a cold beer on one of the corner's great patios.

People don't even realize that in the Boren era they made the entire South Oval car-free, creating sidewalks and landscaped areas where there once were cars and roads. Same way with Brooks Ave., which runs east/west.

So much to see, tons of protected sidewalks and just a great place to be outside.