If your annual utility bill were about to go up by $700,000, you'd be looking at ways to save energy, too.

The university expects its bill for 2001-02 to increase by that amount from the $1 million paid prior to the California energy crisis. The increase includes higher rates for electricity and natural gas, along with the cost of a generator the campus has rented to keep power on regardless of rolling blackouts.

In response to the crisis, the university has assigned Physical Plant Associate Director David Kohler full time to address energy alternatives.

Buildings are being retrofitted with more efficient lighting, and Kohler is looking into a thermal cooling system that operates in off-peak hours, producing the cold water necessary to air condition the campus during the heat of the day.

In addition, employees in some buildings with a minimal number of employees working this summer may be relocated. Staff at the Truesdail Center, for example, will be temporarily moved to the Administration Building. Some Liberal Studies Programs courses that meet at the Gannett Center will be relocated. And Summer Conference Programs will consolidate their residence hall usage.

"If there is a silver lining behind the state's energy crisis," Kohler said, "it is that it's forcing all individuals and organizations to become much more aware of how we're using our resources. In the long run, more efficient equipment and better consumer education will be of benefit to the environment as a whole."

The crisis took a toll on the 2000-01 university budget as well, resulting in a unique Redlands Fund appeal.

Earlier this year, the university turned to alumni and friends for help with the excessive energy bills. Enclosed with the plea was a copy of the university's Edison bill from December--for $63,262.94, double the usual monthly costs.

"We felt that the university community would be interested in knowing the impact," said Associate Vice President of Development Neil Macready, "and they have responded by supporting their alma mater."

More than $50,000 was pledged.

Patricia Meyers has been appointed dean of the School of Business. Meyers comes to Redlands from Northern Arizona University, where she has been dean of the College of Business Administration since 1997. The appointment is effective July 1.

Meyers' appointment continues the university's efforts to enhance its business degree programs to meet the needs of working adult students seeking a high-quality academic experience.

"Pat brings exceptional academic and management background to this position," said President James Appleton. "Her particular expertise in marketing will be of great value as we position the quality of Redlands programs in the very competitive area of business education."

The School of Business is an outgrowth of the university's former Whitehead College, which began in 1976 as one of only three programs in the state offering degree programs for working adults. That number since has increased to include more than 60 colleges and universities in Southern California alone. Redlands' offerings for working adults now have been separated into two schools--the School of Business and School of Education--providing more focused attention in these areas. A series of dedication events for the School of Business will be held in the fall.

"I am particularly attracted to the School of Business at Redlands because of its commitment to blending high-quality professional and liberal education," said Meyers. "Its programs are designed to develop both content knowledge in business and the critical, analytic, ethical and communication skills that are necessary in today's complex global business environment.

"Redlands is uniquely qualified to fulfill this mission, with a 100-year-old tradition of academic excellence throughout the institution and nearly 30 years' experience in designing curriculum and teaching methods tailored to the working adult. I look forward to working with students and businesses throughout Southern California as they seek the best possible education for success in the 21st century."

During her years at Northern Arizona, Meyers established partnerships with such businesses as Oracle, Bank of America and Bank One and was appointed to the Arizona Partnership for the New Economy. Fund raising for the College of Business Administration went from $150,000 up to $3 million annually.

Meyers previously worked in a variety of positions at Syracuse University, including as associate dean for master's degree programs in the School of Management. For 10 years, she served as associate director of the Innovation Management Program, a program funded by Xerox Corp. and General Electric Co. to research the influences of innovation in American business.

Her research and teaching experience has been in such areas as new product development, implementation teams, organizational learning, relationship marketing, management of innovation and technology management.

Meyers received her Ph.D. and M.B.A. in marketing from Syracuse University. She earned a master's degree in English language and literature from the University of Michigan and bachelor's degree in the same field from Mercy College in Michigan.

A high-level executive was appointed to the university's most prestigious business faculty position.

Jack L. Osborn of St. Louis, Mo., who has served in senior management positions with such firms as Mitsubishi Electric and TRW, joins the university in the fall as the Richard C. Hunsaker Chair in Management in the Department of Business and Accounting.

Osborn also is an alumnus of the university, receiving his bachelor's degree in international relations in 1969. He went on to earn a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Edinburgh and a graduate law degree from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Osborn's experience in such areas as strategic planning and marketing has spanned the globe as he has worked with operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

"Jack's appointment reflects the university's interest in expanding undergraduate students' abilities to understand today's increasingly global business environment," said President James Appleton.

It also marks the first time a corporate executive has joined the faculty as a full professor, he added.

In the fall, Osborn will teach courses on American capitalism, human resource management, business policy and strategy and administrative law.

"Coming back to the university is an exciting opportunity and a way of paying back some of the debt I owe the many earlier opportunities I've had because of the university," Osborn said.

Osborn served as president and chief operating officer for Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc. of Georgia for six years, growing annual revenues from $600 million to $900 million.

He earlier spent nine years at TRW Inc., a Fortune 100 Diversified Manufacturer, last serving as vice president of Asia Pacific, TRW Overseas Inc., in Tokyo. He also has served as president of Kibun Products International Inc. in North Carolina and Crane National Vendors in Missouri. He currently is a part owner of Bravo Foods Inc. in Georgia.

As a management consultant, he has worked with firms including Campbell Soup Co., Eastman Kodak Co., General Motors Co. and Sears Roebuck and Co. He also has taught at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and USC School of Public Administration.

Osborn was a White House fellow for the President’s Commission for Executive Exchange and served as the State Department’s attache for high technology at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where he was responsible for managing technology issues between the United States and Japan.

Osborn's professional activities include service on the boards of the National Automated Merchandising Association, Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and the Duke University Fuqua School of Business.

Endowed chairs are named in honor of private donors who provide funds for salary and program support for the positions.