January 11, 2022
Dear colleagues,
You are invited to provide feedback to the Oregon State Legislature about the Board of Trustees governance of the University of Oregon. Last summer, the Oregon Senate commissioned a study on the governance of Oregon’s public universities. The study, conducted by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, includes extensive engagement with campus stakeholders and other state leaders. As a part of this outreach process, AGB will be holding virtual office hours to solicit feedback from our full university community. Below is a letter from State Senator Michael Dembrow, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, describing the process in more detail and how you can participate.
This assessment of governance of our institution is something we take seriously so your feedback would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Michael H. Schill
President and Professor of Law
Oregon Governance Project
Message from Senator Dembrow, Chair, Senate Education Committee:
The Senate Education Committee is overseeing a study of the governance of Oregon’s public universities. It has been nearly a decade since Oregon moved from having a single statewide Board of Directors to allowing each university to have its own governing board. The purpose was to allow the work of the boards to be more focused on the needs and unique missions of the individual universities and “closer to home” for the members of the university communities.
The goal of this study is to assess how well we’re doing. The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB has been engaged to conduct this review of the governing board structure and bylaws for each of Oregon’s public universities. They are looking at alignment with best practices, transparency, and public access. Carol Cartwright and Rich Novak are the AGB consultants doing the work.
The consultants have conducted about 30 interviews with faculty, staff, and student government leaders, faculty and staff union representatives, state and legislative leaders, chairs of the boards of trustees, and administrative leaders. They are nearing the end of the information-gathering phase of the review and are extending an opportunity to members of each university community who have not been previously interviewed to voice their opinions and share their perspectives about the effectiveness of board governance.
The consultants will hold virtual office hours for the University of Oregon community on January 18, 2022, from 9 a.m. to noon. If you want to participate, join the Zoom meeting any time between 9 a.m. and noon using this link**. If you are unable to participate virtually, you are invited to submit written comments by email to the consultants at ccartwri@kent.edu and rnovak@agb.org. Comments should be submitted by January 18.
The Committee is pleased that the consultants are providing this opportunity to include all interested voices in the review. Please know that we value your commitment to higher education in Oregon and appreciate the comments you provide.
**The Zoom link for the session was included in individual emails to the campus community. If you would like to be resent the link, contact the Board of Trustees office at trustees@uoregon.edu using your uoregon email.