President Gottfredson's university update, below, was distributed to members of the University of Oregon Board of Trustees at their spring meeting on March 27, 2014.

Good morning. Since we last met as a full group, we have experienced great progress and we have reason to celebrate on campus. You may have heard about many of these accomplishments, but I think it is important to share our success, collectively, as we work toward our aspirations. Others will expand on some of these topics over the course of this meeting.

I am very pleased with the work this board has accomplished already in its short tenure; at our first meeting, and in our recent committee meetings. I remain impressed and humbled by your commitment. I fully expect today and tomorrow to be extremely productive.

I am delighted to say that Scott Coltrane has a firm, and now permanent, grip on the academic reins of the university. He earned his position as senior vice president and provost. The selection committee conducted a national recruitment effort that yielded about 200 applicants, which was narrowed to 25 candidates. We interviewed 11 semifinalists and brought three exemplary finalists to campus for interviews before selecting professor Coltrane. Prior to this appointment he served as interim provost and before that was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for five years. He also continues to be an active scholar in his field of sociology, focused on researching parenting roles. The provost’s academic priority and cluster-hiring initiative is moving forward and creating an opportunity to claim our place as the premier public residential research university in the United States. I am thrilled to have him at my side as we lead the university into this important next chapter of UO history.

I am happy to report that the UO Foundation, a source of great strength for our university and the steward of our investments, is doing an outstanding job. Last year, the foundation’s 13.8 percent annualized rate of return placed it in the top 16 percent of university endowments, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. Its annual performance ranked second among Pac-12 universities, and on the final day of our last fiscal year, our endowment reached an all-time market high of $533 million. To serve our mission of access and excellence, growing our endowment will be a critical focus of our public campaign.

We are pleased overall with the outcome of the short legislative session. The legislature appropriated $2.1 million in capital construction funds to repair one of two campus utility tunnels under Franklin Boulevard, and although we were not able to secure the funds we requested for the renovation of Chapman Hall, I believe we made significant progress in helping legislators understand the value of the project and the need to invest in deferred maintenance on our campus. Importantly, the session saw no rollbacks or restrictions on the authorities that were granted to the UO Board of Trustees by SB 270 last year. I thank our Lane County delegation, who I met with and who understand our needs, for their work to support higher education and the UO.

The face of our campus continues to transform, as several construction projects advance. The first phase of the EMU renovation and expansion is underway in the heart of campus. Demolition work for the new Craft Center is well underway, and most student association groups have set up temporary offices at Mac Court, which we are calling EMU South. Construction is underway to double the size of the Student Recreation Center, which is scheduled to open next January in time for the beginning of winter term. The deferred maintenance project for Straub Hall is also scheduled to be done in time for the winter term. This historic 1929 building will be completely remade and will welcome back the psychology and linguistics departments. By this time next year, we expect the 1,000 new classroom seats to be ready in Straub Hall, including a spectacular new 500-seat lecture hall. Architects, librarians, researchers, and other users were busy last term working on the design of the Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library project. A design/build team has been selected for the Central Kitchen Project and design work should begin soon after spring break.

The Oregon track team outdid itself this season, as the men’s team sealed its first championship and the women claimed their fifth-straight NCAA indoor title– making them only the second team in history to accomplish that feat. Second-year head coach Robert Johnson was named Division I Coach of the Year in both men’s and women’s track by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Freshman Edward Cheserek, who won two individual titles, was named the National Track Athlete of the Year by the same organization.

We must always be cautious when we talk about college rankings, as the criteria do not always measure what we consider to be important to our mission, but some rankings do provide valuable insight. For example, the accounting faculty at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business was ranked second worldwide in publishing academic tax research over the past six years, according to ratings compiled at Brigham Young University.

Several programs, including law, education and the sciences, are included in the just-released U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America's Best Graduate Schools” 2015 edition. The UO School of Law is one of only two public institutions in the nation having three or more top-10-ranked specialty programs. Those programs are conflict resolution, environmental law, and legal research and writing. Sciences, including chemistry, geology, and mathematics have joined biological sciences in the top 60 for their respective categories. The College of Education has been a top program for the past 15 years. It is ranked number six among public institutions and 13th overall. For the 15th year in a row, the special education program is ranked number three in the country.

I am also extremely proud to report that our own Geri Richmond, the UO’s second Presidential Chair and Professor of Chemistry, has been chosen to serve as president-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS is the world’s largest science organization, dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of all people. Professor Richmond is known for her study of complex surface chemistry, her service on national science boards, and her work on the advancement of women in science, as well as for her teaching. This is an incredible honor and opportunity for professor Richmond and the UO.

Finally, over the past month I have traveled to several cities around the country to meet with our foundation trustees, former trustees, and other loyal supporters to share the opportunity that this board presents for the UO. Vice President for Advancement Mike Andreasen, members of this board, and I have listened to these supporters, and will continue to do so. We’ve talked about our opportunity for greater efficiencies, more agility and flexibility to act, authority to adjust tuition, and ability borrow money to take advantage of opportune timing and meet our bold aspirations. Thank you to all of you who have supported and attended these meetings.