President Karl Scholz spoke to a crowd at the grand opening of the University of Oregon's Portland Campus on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
Good afternoon!
It is quite an honor to stand before you all today to commemorate this special day. Portland has always been a part of the University of Oregon’s history, but this campus truly gives us a launching pad.
I am thrilled to be here to celebrate its official opening and fete the vision of what this place could be, the generosity by Connie and Steve Ballmer and the other donors who made this possible, and the hard work of so many people to execute the dream and make it a reality. I’d also like to echo the gratitude of Elisa and Jane for Senator Merkley and Congresswoman Bonamici attending today.
What a great day.
There are many people that deserve credit for this, especially the Ballmers for their pivotal gift. I think though, despite her unwillingness to be a focus, some credit also needs to go to Jane Gordon, without whom this day might still be in the distant future. I’d also like to extend gratitude to my predecessors, Patrick Phillips and Mike Schill for the groundwork they also laid in making this day come to fruition.
At some point along this journey Jane said something about UO Portland that I find incredibly poignant for this moment: There are times when all the right pieces fall into place. When foundational work and serendipity intertwine to spawn an audacious idea that has the potential to impact and inspire generations to come.
The UO had outgrown its downtown Portland location, limiting any ability for expansion. Suddenly a residential college campus in a lovely part of Portland became available, and an invigorating vision and gift from the Ballmers, inspired by the significant work being done by UO faculty, brought all the pieces together.
I must admit, when I became the president two years ago this place looked much different. I toured the campus before officially starting and I struggled to see how we would end up where we are today. There was so much work to be done. But I trusted in the vision and process and quickly watched as this place was transformed from a shuttered university property back into a thriving campus where students are now living, where incredible work is being done and where a future building to house the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health will be.
The University of Oregon’s presence in Portland spans back to 1884 when we established a law school downtown. We also established a department of medicine that eventually became OHSU. We’ve had a consistent presence in the state’s economic hub for an extremely long time.
Today, it is incredibly exciting to stand before you to commemorate a big and meaningful step in this evolution. Speaking of serendipity, we are approaching our 150th anniversary as a university. I think we are at a point of remarkable opportunity. How will we meet this moment?
To me it is by creating a shared vision fueled by our educational mission, focusing our efforts to generate new knowledge, and accelerating the benefits of scholarship for our state, the nation and the world. Some of this has been codified in our strategic plan, Oregon Rising, which will guide us in this challenge. Portland will play a pivotal role in this endeavor.
I mentioned the truly unique Ballmer Institute, which is creating a new employment category of well-trained, evidence-based practitioners with bachelor’s degrees who can be embedded in schools and in pediatrician’s offices to intervene before problems become crises. That is an audacious vision. It’s an example of the UO changing the world through our research and practice.
There are other wonderful Portland programs too: in law, executive MBA, sports product design, sports product marketing, architecture, immersive media, and strategic communications. Portland programs have been carrying the excellence of UO academics and research into the region in meaningful ways for many, many years.
There is also a deeply human importance to furthering our mission here. This Portland campus gives alumni a local touchstone, strengthening connections to the UO. There are more than 55,000 alumni in the Portland area. This beautiful setting serves as a point of connection, identity, and pride.
While the distance to Eugene can seem far at times, I see the connection between the two campuses growing. Portland, the region and the state are woven into the fabric of the University of Oregon, our students, employees and alumni. We are one Oregon.
Thank you to all of those here today who made this possible and thank you for your continued support as we continue to push the bounds of knowledge and do incredible things. The future, as I love to say, is truly breathtaking.