2011 President-Elect Faculty Senate Candidate
HAL KOENIG (at OSU since 1987), Associate Professor of Marketing, College of Business
FACULTY SENATE SERVICE: Business Faculty Senator, 1999-01
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS SERVICE: Research Committee, 2010-11; Promotion and Tenure Redesign Task Force, 2010, 2008; Close to the
Customer Project, 2005-present (Senior Director); Graduate Program Committee, 2000-06 (Chair, 2002-05); MBA Redesign Task Force,
1999-00 (Chair); Salary Equity Study Committee, 1996; Accreditation Coordinating Committee, 1995-97; Scholarship
Committee, 1994-97 (Chair, 1996-97); and Research Committee, 1988-90
UNIVERSITY SERVICE: Graduate Council, 2003-07 (Chair, 2005-07)
SEARCH COMMITTEES (at the level of department head and above): Applied Economics Director, 2008
Candidate Statement: I am honored to be nominated for the position of Faculty Senate President-Elect. I believe that shared
governance is an important part of a strong and vibrant university. As a member and chair of the Graduate Council, I was
impressed by the ideas, skills and the level of commitment that the OSU community brings to evaluation and, if problems
are found, how to solve them. I would like to be involved in the effort to address some of the issues that OSU is facing.
What will be the critical issues and how can you help move those issues forward?
Statewide, there is the immediacy of the September unemployment figures – thirty–six states have lower unemployment than
Oregon. In addition, the Oregon Legislature’s 40–40–20 goal for 2025 has drawn a "line in the sand" and as that discussion
begins, OSU should be involved. Obviously, neither of these issues will be solved quickly or easily, but we need to
look for good short-term adjustments and start to discuss the issues with an eye on plans and programs for the long run.
Closer to home but related to the issues mentioned above – what enrollment is right for Oregon State, and if we are to
grow larger, how quickly should we get to that size?
In addition, we have good healthcare benefits but more costs are being passed on to each of us. OUS is a significant
purchaser of healthcare services – this position in the market can be leveraged and help to find ways to cut wasteful spending.
How has your experience prepared you for this position?
As the chair of the group that redesigned the MBA program a decade ago, I directed a fact-finding effort to better understand
the market for the degree and how the degree was delivered at both peer and aspirational universities. This effort took
time and I don’t believe the task force members thought it was fun, but it provided a set of benchmarks that were
invaluable when the group arrived at the design stage. The bottom line is that the time spent in understanding the problem
and the context helped to shape the redesign, and the program is now thriving. Working with a group of motivated individuals,
spending the necessary time and arriving at a good decision would be my approach.
