• May 1, 2019
Dear University of Oregon community members:
I would like all of us at the University of Oregon to take a moment to extend our thoughts and prayers to the University of North Carolina community following a shooting on their campus in Charlotte yesterday. I extend deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives, and we wish those who were wounded a speedy and full recovery.
• April 25, 2019
Dear University of Oregon campus community,
In the weeks since Provost Jayanth Banavar announced his intention to step down on July 1, I have personally consulted with dozens of faculty members and administrators on how to proceed in the coming months. In addition, I have engaged in dialogue with groups such as the Faculty Advisory Council, Senate Executive Committee, Deans Council, and Academic Council. I am grateful for all of the advice I received.
• Dear Colleagues, Universities today face headwinds from a multitude of sources. In the political sphere, one party castigates us for being ideologically unbalanced and intolerant of free speech and the other for being unaffordable and elitist. Trust in universities is battered by a deluge of criticism and well-publicized scandals involving sexual violence, administrative misfeasance, and admissions improprieties.
• April 3, 2019
Dear University of Oregon community:
I am writing to let you know that Jayanth Banavar will complete his service as provost and senior vice president as of July 1. In stepping back from his academic leadership position, Jayanth, a renowned physicist, will assume his appointment as a professor in the UO’s Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. I am delighted that he will continue to be part of the UO community.
• On March 5, I wrote to let you know that the University of Oregon’s budget situation is becoming more challenging and it is imperative we move forward with efforts to reduce the UO’s annual operating costs. Since then, I have met with a variety of campus stakeholders to receive advice and guidance. Those meetings have been extremely useful in shaping our next steps, including helping identify priorities and principles to guide us. We all have a shared goal of ensuring the institution maintains a strong, upward trajectory even as we grapple with state funding challenges and decreases in international enrollment.
• Over the last few months, we have communicated with a wide variety of campus stakeholders to let them know that the University of Oregon is going into a difficult budget cycle. Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt has given many presentations articulating the increasing expenses that are putting pressure on our FY 2019–20 budget.
• October 29, 2018
Dear University of Oregon community,
Saturday’s horrific massacre of 11 innocent men and women in Pittsburgh, as they worshipped together, no doubt shocks each and every one of us. It should. The 11 souls whose lives were extinguished were targeted solely because of the god they worship. These killings follow on the heels of the murders of two African American shoppers at a grocery store in Kentucky last Wednesday and the attempted delivery of pipe bombs to a number of people who were selected apparently because of their political beliefs.
• Dear members of the University of Oregon community,
The University of Oregon is proud to be a welcoming and inclusive campus that supports the rights of every member of our community, including people of all genders and gender identities.
• March 5, 2019 President Michael H. Schill delivered the following remarks at the UO Board of Trustees full board meeting in Eugene: Good morning. Yesterday Jamie gave us a sobering review of the university’s budget situation. While it presents challenges for all of us, it is something that we will manage our way through without harming all of the progress we have achieved over the past four years. That to me is very important.
