 Dear Colleagues,In the past few weeks, the University of Oregon has successfully transitioned to a new executive leadership team. As interim president and acting provost, we are incredibly grateful to our stellar team of vice presidents, deans, vice provosts, the university, and the community for supporting this transition and helping maintain momentum on major initiatives and preparing for the new academic year.
 The important work of the university continues, and we are pleased to offer an update on current university planning and searches.
Strategic Initiatives
The executive leadership team is working to further major initiatives started during the past year. These projects include:
- Renewing our academic plan and setting strategic goals
- Creating a facilities framework vision for campus
- Supporting the faculty cluster hire initiative
- Preparing the public phase of our fundraising campaign
- Finalizing our new mission statement
In addition, the university will embark on a comprehensive policy review and adoption under a new board structure; work with the University Senate to enhance shared governance; continue implementing the faculty collective bargaining agreement; and continue reforms relating to curricular development, research oversight, student conduct, benchmarking, and transparency.
Searches
In the coming 2014-15 year, the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon will conduct a national search for president. Additional details about the search process are expected to be shared during the September board meeting. Also this year, the university will hold a national search for general counsel and conduct an internal search for dean of the Graduate School.
To allow the new president to be involved in other important hires, the university will conduct searches for vice president for research and innovation, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and dean of the School of Journalism and Communication in the following year, 2015-16.
Challenge Creates Opportunity
Our ambitions for excellence are intact. Through our collective efforts, we are building strength. This is a pivotal moment for the University of Oregon and we invite the entire campus community to join us in innovating to shape our future.
Sincerely,
Scott Coltrane Frances Bronet
Interim President Acting Provost |
Thank you Dr Coltrane. This is the kind of communications that have been missing for years.
Yes it is early that I applaud this, but I was so hopeful that we are on the right track that I wanted to say something. I am tired and weary. It is actually with a tear in my eye that I write this, filled with emotion. I do hope that the page has turned; that pompous self serving shit like around the O are quietly shut down; that we no longer must suffer under incompetence; that public information in any state much less under Oregon sunshine laws become nothing more than standard operating procedure; that UOM shuts down because of this or at least becomes the place where we all go to revel in our success and brandish our laurels.
Please show me no more Go Ducks, but rather:
Challenge Creates Opportunity…
Sincerely
The U of O had a major crisis last spring related to issues of sexual assault and the safety of our women students at the university. This made national attention, in part because it engaged a national concern with these issues, and led to the appointment of two committees to focus attention on our campus climate in the coming year.
Nothing about this appears in any of these remarks on administration priorities. Instead, we are told that, after “renewing” (?) our academic plan, the next priority will be “Creating a facilities framework vision for campus”. What the fuck does that mean?
It’s nice to see Coltrane looking so happy. He’s obviously not thinking about anything unpleasant.
Yes, “he’s happy” — the Gottfredson legacy. Remember: it’s an exciting time to be at UO!
It will take a strong President to overcome what is now a weak presidential template. The question is whether the Board is really up to the challenge, or will they just go along and decide Coltrane will suffice while they and other power brokers continue to run things covertly.
Challenge Creates Opportunity! Love it!