11/14/2010: President Lariviere’s restructuring plan calls for more UO autonomy and the unique state bond financing plan Michael Redding drew up. The UO Senate Budget Committee report on both is here. Very thorough and is generally very favorable on both counts.
They do call for more transparency, particularly with the Foundation which will be laundering the donation money, and for a *voting* board member from the faculty. It’s crucial that the member be elected by the faculty, and have a vote, or the principle of shared governance will be a total joke.
The OUS Board has a competing proposal, which involves more power for the OUS Chancellor and less UO autonomy. They want to keep their jobs supervising UO. The OUS “Governance and Policy Committee” meets on Thursday. Their agenda includes a set of specific metrics for UO, including targets for in-state enrollment. They call for an increase of exactly 42 graduate degree awards over the next 4 years for UO. This would be 35 more than we had in 2004. Meanwhile the number of undergraduates has grown by about 4,000.
Do the math. This is supposed to be a research university. We are way below the national averages on this. This is a sad joke OUS is playing, made only sadder by the fact that the UO administration can hardly call OUS to task on it. They blow the money we do get on the Jock Box, new 4×4’s for Public Safety. Millions in tuition money and state funds have been spent on the silliest sorts of administrative extravagances. While President Lariviere is selling his proposal to the legislature, he has left Frances Dyke to make the crucial resource allocation decisions for UO. I do not understand where Provost Bean has been while this has been happening.
But on balance, it’s time for us to dump OUS and go our own way. At least then it will be crystal clear who is accountable. My take after reading the Senate report is that if you are still opposed to Lariviere’s plan, it’s your turn to explain why. You can use the comments.
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