Trustees welcome Bepko

The IU board of trustees will hold its monthly meeting today and Friday in Bloomington to address issues such as the proposed faculty trustee bill and funding for higher education.\nThe trustees will also hold a reception for Interim President Gerald Bepko today to welcome him to Bloomington.\nGovernmental Relations\nOne of the major issues to be discussed at the board meeting will be the role of Indiana's government in promoting higher education.\nStan Jones, Indiana's Commissioner for Higher Education, will speak to the entire board first thing today about improving relations between the University and legislature, and raising standards for K-12 education to prepare high school students for college.\nBoard of Trustee Vice President Steve Ferguson, who previously served for the Commission on Higher Education, said standards need to be increased as more students attend four-year universities.\n"Statistics have shown that if students have a Core 40 degree or better, they will have more success in college," Ferguson said. "Furthermore, as more and more students go on to higher education, there is a continual need to have a Core 40 or more for college preparation."\nIn addition, during the External Relations Committee Friday, state representatives Peggy Welch (D-Bloomington) and Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) will address the committee on funding from the General Assembly.\nPierce and Welch are also co-authors of the bill to make a faculty trustee position at Indiana public universities. The bill has already been passed by the Indiana House of Representatives. \n"Just like the student trustee, which the state began appointing over 20 years ago, faculty should have a say as well," Pierce said.\nTrustee and External Relations Committee Chair Sue Talbot said the representatives will take questions and most likely will address the issue of the new position. \nBoard of Trustee President Fred Eichhorn said the faculty position would create a "conflict of interest" because the faculty trustee would be deciding personnel issues.\nTalbot said she expects many faculty members to support the board's position at the meeting.\n"Bob Eno has said that relationships between faculty and the board of trustees are better than most public universities," Talbot said.\nReception for Bepko\nThe trustees won't be spending all of their time dealing with controversial issues and University problems. Eichhorn and his wife Judy will host a reception open to the general public for Interim President Gerald Bepko from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today at the IU Art Museum.\n"I think IU is very lucky right now to have such fine leadership," Talbot said. "President Bepko is very knowledgeable and has an incredible way with people. We are very lucky to have him as our interim president."\nOne of Bepko's successes is with the General Assembly, which has proposed a slight increase in IU's budget, despite Gov. O'Bannon's State of the State recommendation that state educational funding be flatlined. Eichhorn said these accomplishments have led many to ask Bepko to continue his career with IU. \n"People have encouraged him to apply for the job of the presidency permanently," Eichhorn said. "He will stay as a law professor, but he has served here for over 30 years, and it is understandable that he wants to retire"