Efficiencies gained through organizational changes will enable $1.5 million in recurring funds to be redirected toward the clusters of excellence faculty hiring initiative, the president and provost announced in an email to faculty and staff.Dear Colleagues,

Supporting the University of Oregon’s core academic mission is our top priority. To advance this mission we are pleased to announce the redirection of recurring funds to support the clusters of excellence faculty hiring initiative.

This initiative will enable us to hire two to five new faculty members in each of several key academic areas, raising already strong programs to the level of the best in the country or the world. Proposals for faculty cluster hires are due to the provost’s office by May 1. More information about the initiative and submission process is available on the provost’s website.

Last April, President Gottfredson announced organizational changes that combined two vice-presidential administrative units—University Relations and Development—to create a single University Advancement unit under the leadership of Vice President Michael Andreasen. The president requested that this reorganization yield significant recurring operational efficiencies to be redirected to core academic functions, as well as enabling greater integration of communications, state and federal relations, licensing, development, and alumni relations.

One year later, we see many positive results of this shift, including the desired efficiencies and opportunities for strategic reinvestment of resources toward our academic mission. These organizational changes have enabled us to redirect $1.5 million in recurring funds to support the initial cluster of excellence faculty hires. We will seek additional funding for this key strategic initiative in our upcoming capital campaign.

We are pleased to make these new investments in our academic priorities, and will continue to look for additional ways to provide more resources for academics. We thank Vice President for University Advancement Michael Andreasen and Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt for working diligently to make this investment possible.

Regards,

Michael Gottfredson
President

Scott Coltrane
Senior Vice President and Provost