4/20/2010: Bill Graves of the Oregonian has a long story on President Lariviere:
The State Board of Higher Education expects him to “get things under control” and put athletics “in proper perspective,” said Paul Kelly, board president. “The indications are, he is going to be a good leader,” Kelly said, “assuming he meets the leadership test on this Bellotti matter.”
That’s pretty outrageous, Mr. Kelly. You and the rest of the OUS board winked at Frohnmayer for years while he set up the Bellotti deal and many even sleazier other ones. Then you gave him a sweetheart retirement contract – $245,700 from UO, while he took a second job at Harrang, Long, etc. “Leadership test” you say?
With state support declining, Lariviere and presidents of the other state universities want more autonomy from the state Board of Education and the Legislature. They’ve discussed seeking authority to define their missions, set tuition and faculty salaries, manage their costs and revenues, sell bonds, borrow against assets and possibly levy taxes.
Lariviere’s plan is politically risky given that both the state board and the Legislature may be reluctant to relinquish power. But the president said the quality of the university is at stake. He said he must find a way to raise faculty salaries, now at about 80 percent of their peers in comparable institutions.
“The quality of a university is determined by its faculty.”
In my experience, good students don’t hurt either.
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