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Berdahl’s appointment letter

1/6/2012: Written 12/28/11, link here. Apparently there will be a more complete contract by 1/31/12. Salient points: It’s open ended. He’s got a key role in the search. Kitzhaber wants UO to have its own board, but not until the 2013 session, and on his own terms. And George Pernsteiner writes like George Orwell’s worst nightmare:

Notably, the letter does not include the conditions Pernsteiner imposed on Lariviere last summer, and which he then used to fire him:

(1) (a) Attendance at Board meetings and Presidents’ Council meetings, absent a legitimate and unavoidable conflict;

 (b) Active participation in Board, Board committee, and OUS discussions on governance, institution boards, and sustainable financing models in preparation for the 2012 legislative session, including presenting and advocating for a specific proposal on governance and financing now known as “The New Partnership” for Board committee and Board consideration;

(c) Refrain from advocating, in any way, including through employees and contractors, for The New Partnership or a governance/financing proposal substantially similar to The New Partnership, except through the Board’s processes;

(d) Refrain from opposing any legislative proposal adopted by the Board and/or advanced by the Governor for presentation to the 2012 Oregon Legislative Assembly.  

(2) Termination without cause providing for 30 days’ notice and liquidated damages of whatever state salary is remaining on the contract.

5 Comments

  1. Anonymous 01/06/2012

    Richard’s was written that way because he couldn’t play well with others (other universities in the system or his bosses). He thought HE was the boss, and didn’t want to answer to others, especially those who were in an oversight role to his. There’s a reason his was worded like it was.

  2. Anonymous 01/06/2012

    Anonymous: yeah, it’s a good thing we have a board of useless bureaucrats to create hoops for people that actually do positive work for the Universities to jump through.

    Really working hard to earn that 400k…

  3. UO Matters 01/06/2012

    Pernsteiner fired Lariviere because the New Partnership was a threat to the OUS gravy train. The mystery is why Kitzhaber went along with it.

  4. Anonymous 01/06/2012

    Richard was not doing positive work for the University or the others within the system.

  5. Anonymous 01/07/2012

    Kitzhaber wanted to have the control of the situation with an independent board (his idea of course!) appointed in the framework of his new plan for Education in the State of Oregon. Richard was going too fast and around him. Now we don’t even know if 2013 will be the year we will get an independent board, if any. And for the time being the State will keep reducing its financial support to our State University, taking more and more advantage of what faculty at the UofO are able to do, e.g. teaching larger and larger classes.

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