Thank you, President Kyr, members and guests of the Senate. I appreciate the provost filling in for me last month when I had to be in Salem.
I continue to be impressed beyond measure by our student scholars whom you get to see daily in your classrooms and laboratories. I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time at recent receptions and dinners with our Giustina Foundation Presidential Scholars and the Robert W. and Bernice Ingalls Staton Scholars. These are truly spectacular students who desire to further their education are able to do so without financial burden. Thank you for what you do for these students and all others at our university.
One of the greatest strengths of this university is the quality and commitment of the faculty to teach. Teaching is an enormous responsibility – an enormous challenge – and a wonderful privilege.
I’m pleased that the University of Oregon recognizes and honors great teaching each year. On January 30 the nominations closed for this year’s Ersted and Herman teaching awards, and in May we’ll learn who the recipients are. It is not too late, however, to submit nominations for the Williams Fellowship. You have until March 18. If you have any questions about the Williams Fellowship you can contact Dave Hubin.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Atlas of Yellowstone
Congratulations to associate dean Andrew Marcus, fellow geographer Jim Meacham, and everyone who played in a part in the Atlas of Yellowstone. The Atlas, a project that started 9 years ago as a class project, has been named the recipient of the American Publishers Association' PROSE Awards, which stands for Professional and Scholarly Excellence. The Atlas of Yellowstone received the organization's award for Excellence in Physical Sciences and Mathematics – one of the top five PROSE categories.
Peace Corps
Another hallmark of the University of Oregon is our student’s commitment to service. The University of Oregon climbed to No. 8 in the Peace Corps’ 2013 Top Colleges rankings, a jump of two spots that reflected the university’s long-standing commitment to international service. The annual list recognizes the highest volunteer-producing colleges and universities for small, medium, large and graduate institutions. There are currently 82 undergraduate alumni from UO serving overseas and the university has produced 1,165 Peace Corps volunteers since the corps’ inception. The UO is the only large university in Oregon to rank in the top 25 and has historically had some of the highest participation rates per capita of any university larger than 15,000.
Museum Events
On Friday at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art they opened a new exhibit called “West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965-1977.” The museum director assures me that it’s okay to enter the exhibit wearing a coat and tie. And on Saturday our Museum of Natural and Cultural History held “Darwin Days” with tours and activities for all ages. These are just a couple of reminders of the many ways we serve Oregon.
Economic Impact
We have released of our latest economic impact figures. Economist Tim Duy’s recent study shows that the university’s total economic impact for the most recent fiscal year was $2.6 billion. The return on the state’s investment in this university is phenomenal. Consider this: our state appropriation last year was $44.8 million. In that same period, the income tax alone generated by our employees was $44 million. So the net cost to the state was $800,000. And that’s not even taking into account the $273 million spent by our students or the $119 million contributed to the state’s economy in construction spending. With the direct and indirect contributions we make to the state, we return $55 to the state’s economy for every $1 appropriated by the state.
Development Activity
We are grateful for the steadfast support we continue to receive from our alumni, parents and friends. In spite of great economic uncertainty late in the fall, we received strong year-end giving, ensuring that for the current fiscal year, we will surpass the $100 million mark for the sixth year in row. Through the end of January, we have secured $120 million-plus, putting us on track for one of our best years on record. While we deeply appreciate the significant support we are receiving related to our athletics capital projects, I am pleased to note that we are tracking ahead of fiscal 2012 mid-year totals on the academic side. We are confident that we will see this trend continue through the remainder of the current fiscal year. We continue to make great strides in preparations for the next major campaign. I look forward to sharing more details when our feasibility and readiness assessment is completed. The timeline for firming up campaign details is affected in part by our current efforts related to institutional boards, so in many ways, the coming year gives us many reasons for optimism.
Classified Staff 25+ Years of Service
Earlier today I had the privilege of thanking our classified workers who have at least 25 years of serving the university and the state of Oregon. I appreciate their dedication and their great work. None of us could do our jobs if not for our classified staff.
GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS UPDATE
The activities of legislators meeting in Washington, D.C., and Salem continue to concern the university.
Federal
Yesterday President Obama addressed the on-going budget crisis facing this country in his state-of-the-union address. The threat of sequestration remains real and problematic, especially for faculty whose work is funded by federal research grants. I have been in regular communication with the Oregon delegation on this matter and appreciate their engagement.
Tuition Equity
I was in Salem this morning to testify in support of tuition equity, a measure to allow non-documented students who graduate from Oregon high schools access to in-state tuition rates. California has had a similar measure for a decade. Tuition equity is in the spirit of Lincoln’s commitment to the Morrill Act, the notion that higher education is the key to individual social and economic mobility, and therefore of consequence to the general public interests of our society. Public universities sustain the long-held policy that access to education must not depend on status or stature. Tuition equity gives youth who have attended Oregon’s schools, worked hard and earned a diploma a path to a future by allowing access to the same resident tuition rates as their peers. I was pleased to testify in support and to be joined by so many of UO’s students.
Opportunity Initiative
I was pleased to host Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler on our campus last week for a session with students to talk about the Oregon Opportunity grant and the treasurer’s idea to create a stable funding source to support financial aid for lower income Oregonians. The Oregon Opportunity Initiative is a great idea, one that will provide reliable and stable financial support for Oregon students to participate fully in higher education. Hearings are now underway to consider both the legislation authorizing the program and the referral to voters that is required to allow the state’s bonding authority to be used for programmatic purposes.
Governor’s Budget
Having convened Feb 4th, the Legislature is now in its second week of session. The Governor’s budget will continue to be the focus of our attention as significant rebalancing will be required if the assumptions upon which it is based are not sustained. The Ways and Means Co-Chairs will offer their budget at the end of the month which will provide us with insight into how we can expect the operating budget for education to fare this session. The governor also released his G-bond funded capital construction priorities last week. He included Straub Hall on the list of projects and his press release called out the Science Library as an example of a project that should be funded if the Legislature decides to grant additional bonding capacity. We are working with the Lane County delegation and government relations team to support the university’s capital construction priorities.
Governance Update
Over the past year, a tremendous amount of effort has gone into developing the foundation for an alternative model of governance for Oregon universities. The Special Committee on University Governance put forward a solid framework for institutional boards for further development and passage in the 2013 legislative session and hearings are already underway to consider the legislation. A well-conceived board must strike a balance with the right structure of membership and authority to strengthen our universities’ ability to address the unique challenges and opportunities of our individual institutions, with a high degree of transparency, increased public accountability, and greater efficiencies to support the state’s educational and economic development goals. With your leadership and the governor’s vision for education reform at every level, I believe we can move forward on a new governing model for the UO and PSU that will ultimately benefit the entire academic system.
OUS UPDATE
A meeting is scheduled tomorrow morning to address the issue of an Oregon University System interim chancellor.
FOLLOW UP TO SENATE BUSINESS
Ombudsperson
Almost a year ago, the University Senate's Ad Hoc Committee for Respectful Workplace recommended that we explore the possibility of adding an organizational ombudsperson to mediate disputes – real and potential. I have authorized that position, which will report directly to the president, and the job description is now being prepared. The university ombudsperson will be an impartial and confidential third-party who will be assigned to help students, faculty, staff and administrators resolve disputes through informal negotiation and mediation.
Administrative Review Advisory Committee
The senate president has convened a committee that will develop draft policies and procedures regarding comprehensive reviews of senior academic leaders. At a minimum I believe such reviews should occur at least every five years with broad participation and opportunities for input. I had the opportunity to meet with this group, and I produced a plan for academic administrative reviews for their critique and comment. We will use this plan starting in the fall, as amended through the advisory committee process.
Intercollegiate Athletic Committee
One of the important charges of the Senate’s Intercollegiate Athletic Committee is to consider the academic experience of our student athletes. At your last meeting a motion was approved regarding making available certain data on the academic achievements of our student athletes. The Registrar, of course, has an institutional responsibility to protect student privacy in making any records available, as do those who use them. It is my understanding that the information is being gathered and is now being made available to the committee.
Task Force on Substance Abuse
I have asked Vice President for Student Affairs Robin Holmes to head up a new Presidential Task Force on Substance Abuse, and that six-member committee has now met for the first time. The task force, and three subcommittees I have urged it to form, will take a comprehensive look at substance abuse problems on and near our campus, focusing on intervention, prevention and off-campus behaviors. Substance abuse and problem drinking have had significant consequences at the University of Oregon and in the neighborhoods surrounding our campus. We must work with the neighborhoods, local law enforcement and our students to be more accountable for the problems that have strained our town/gown relationships.
CAMPUS POLICE
Later on your agenda you will hear more about the issue of whether or not the university will seek authority to arm our sworn campus police officers, but I want to provide a brief overview now. The university requested permission to create a sworn police force, and two years ago the legislature, governor and State Board of Higher Education granted that authority. The State Board reserved their decision about arming the officers. An advisory group of students, faculty and staff has since researched and discussed the issue of arming UOPD officers who are sworn and fully trained by the same state agency that trains all police forces in Oregon. They are busy collecting campus input through forums, meetings and correspondence. I urge everyone who wishes to do so to provide their views. Three campus forums were scheduled to allow the campus community to weigh in on this issue. The first was Monday evening, and the next two forums are Feb. 26 and March 6. Additional information can be found at the AroundtheO webpage.
CONCLUSION
As always, much is happening across campus and the state. Thank you for your time serving on the senate, paying attention to the many issues that affect the academic quality of the institution and the experience of our students.
I want to end by recognizing a member of the University of Oregon family we recently lost. Becky Vaughan, a longtime employee in our public safety office, died Jan. 31, and a celebration of life was held this past Saturday. For those of you who knew and worked with Becky, we share your loss.
Q&A