Good morning.

It is great to be in Portland with all of you. As you know, we usually hold the September Trustee meeting in Portland, but this new campus wasn’t quite ready as faculty, staff and contractors were working furiously to open in time for the start of the academic year. Hence, we postponed our Portland meeting. It is now great to be here as we are wrapping up the fall term. The campus looks beautiful.

Let me start with a few updates: 

We are currently searching for our next VP for Enrollment Management. Our committee will start reviewing candidate materials in mid-January.

A UO employee’s social media post made national news after the election. Among other things, the employee suggested that those who are food insecure should simply get better jobs and those voting for President Trump should jump off a bridge. We respect the first amendment. At the same time, the views that were expressed are grossly inconsistent with the values of the university and speech that interferes with one’s ability to do their job is not protected. The employee was quickly placed on administrative leave while we conduct the requisite investigative and HR processes.

 We have also had a few antisemitic incidents on our campus this fall. 

• At the end of September, the Israeli flag that is one of the 156 flags on display surrounding Hayward Field was removed from its pole (it was replaced within a few days, as soon as Athletics could obtain a new one). 
• On October 7, a group of demonstrators burned an Israeli flag outside the EMU. 
• And on November 10 in Unthank Hall, a swastika was drawn on a bulletin board and items supportive of Israeli hostages were torn from residents’ room doors.

Our teams in University Housing and Student Life worked swiftly to support students who were impacted by the behavior in the residence hall, and our Police Department and Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance have documented and opened investigations into these incidents.   

We’ve been fortunate to have a positive and open connection with leadership of Hillel and Chabad, and the Jewish Federation of Lane County; and to have been able to meet with students to hear first-hand about their experience on campus. 

This summer and fall, colleagues from the Division and Equity and Inclusion have hosted several workshops, including for university leaders, on approaches to recognizing and combatting antisemitism, islamophobia, religious intolerance and other forms of bias.  Any antisemitic, Islamophobic and other hateful or intimidating behaviors have no place in our community.

Vice President Angela Chong and I met, just this last week, with leaders from the Muslim Student Association. Provost Long, Vice President Chong and Vice President Alex-Asenso have had many similar student-focused meetings.  

Open, respectful relationships are critical for my team and for me as we lead the university through social tension, political division and as we collectively strive to create a thriving community that honors discourse, discussion, divergent opinion and demonstrates real care for one another. 

 Let me pivot to two other timely, big-picture issues.

Portland Business Summit

I apologize for missing the first part of yesterday’s meeting, but I had a unique opportunity to participate in a conversation alongside Oregon State University President Jayathi Murthy on stage at the Oregon Business Leadership Summit.

President Murthy and I—along with moderator Jordan Papé—discussed how our universities are creating and contributing to economic growth in the southern Willamette Valley as well as our visions for the future. It was a great experience. 

I’d like to touch on some of the salient points, which tie into our strategic plan. 

We’re fueling the talent needs of Oregon’s industries through efforts like our Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program and our new Material Sciences and Technology undergraduate degree. From tech innovators to public service leaders, our graduates bring essential qualities that strengthen communities across Oregon. We also serve as an engine of opportunity and economic mobility.

• We were also able to share how we have partnered with OSU to catalyze opportunity in our part of the Willamette Valley. Our new Bioengineering PhD program is a great example of that collaboration.
• Our first PhD student in bioengineering, Kylie Williams, is a native Oregonian. Kylie has graduated from our Knight Campus with two seals on her diploma: one from the UO and one from OSU and is now working at Penderia Technologies, a Knight Campus spinout focused on implantable medical sensors.
• As another example, working alongside OSU, we’ve secured two federal tech hub designations, and two Regional Innovation Engines planning grants. The tech hubs are focused on developing, scaling, and commercializing microfluidics technology. The Regional Innovation Engines leverage the expertise highlighted in the Tech Hubs, in the areas of semiconductors and mass timber. 

We’re committed to economic prosperity in our region and in the state.  We’re undergoing a road-mapping process for our economic development efforts at the UO that will bring together voices from across Oregon.

We are committed to working with others to break down silos and partner with business leaders, community organizations, and public officials in developing and executing our economic prosperity plans. 

Our success will matter, for us, our children and for Oregon. We will create businesses and stable, high-paying jobs. It’ll help us retain students. Our in-state students won’t feel compelled to leave, and our out-of-state students will have more opportunities to stay. It will provide a tax base that will support culture, parks, bike trails and great schools. 

By working together, we can make sure the Southern Willamette Valley, and all of Oregon, are places where opportunity flourishes and new ideas take root. This is just the beginning, and I’m excited about everything we can accomplish together.

I don’t need to remind Trustees that the strength and stability of this vision depends on decisions we make in the next few years. This requires good decision-making and careful stewardship of our resources, balancing the needs of our many constituents, enhancing the student experience, supporting our research enterprise, and continuing to ensure the financial stability of our university.

Athletics and how they elevate the rest of the UO

I would like to use my remaining time to reflect on athletics and how it helps raise the profile of the entire university. 

Our women’s cross-country team finished fifth in the nation and won the school’s first Big Ten Conference championship. The women’s volleyball team just hosted the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Matthew Knight Arena and are headed to the Sweet 16, and our men’s basketball program rocketed up the rankings and are 9-1 as they begin Big Ten play. And we have a mighty fine football team, 13-0, that is headed to the Rose Bowl for the quarterfinal round of the CFP.

And let me repeat a point I make frequently—we are one of roughly 20 athletic programs around the country that does not receive core (E&G) funding from the state or money from student tuition payments.  Our athletic program is financially self-sustaining.

Athletic success brings a valuable national spotlight. After the football team’s incredible victory against Ohio State in October, we saw our national brand rise even higher in every measurable statistic. This gives us the opportunity to call attention to the great scholarship and work our university does, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit we cultivate here.

• The most natural correlation is our work in human performance and sport through the Warsaw Center in Sports Business, Sports Product Design, Sports Product Management, Dance, Human Physiology, and the Wu Tsai Initiative in human performance. I’m also pleased to say we have received approval from the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee to have an Olympic Studies Research Centre, which will be named the "University of Oregon Olympic Studies Hub" and will be housed in our Warsaw Sports Business Center in the Lundquist College of Business. 

There is a “through-line” of innovation, entrepreneurship and success that characterizes both the academic and athletic parts of the university.  The Princeton Review just ranked college and university undergraduate entrepreneurship environments.  UO was No. 22. There are more than 2500 4-year colleges and universities in the country – this puts us comfortably in the top 1 percent.  Poets and Quants ranked MBA entrepreneurship programs – UO’s Lundquist College program was No. 6 in the country. 

Innovation, entrepreneurship and success shines through in every research area of the strategic plan, whether our work in environmental resilience, youth behavioral and mental health, or efforts to accelerate scientific impact

The success of one part of the university is a success for the whole. Athletics are an incredible gateway to those curious about Oregon. Athletics have a positive impact on awareness of universities, particularly for prospective students who live outside of the state. As our Director of Admissions, Erin Hays, tells her team, “When the sports spotlight shines, be ready to showcase the entire university while people are looking.”  

And right now, people are looking.

I feel very good about where we are and where we are headed. We of course have plenty of challenges ahead, but we are accelerating our efforts to increase our impact and therefore our standing as a preeminent public research institution.

The University of Oregon is a remarkable place, and the opportunities in front of us are breathtaking.

Thank you.