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UO Faculty Trustee Susan Gary resigns from Board on principle

Last updated on 09/29/2015

Just kidding. It’s UO Student Trustee Helena Schlegel who has the principles.

It seems Professor Susan Gary (Law) intends to try and serve out her new term. Gary was first nominated for the board position by former UO Senate President and Professor Margie Paris (Law) with almost no consultation with the faculty. Gary has not been effective.

On March 11 The UO Senate voted unanimously to reject the decision by Board Chair Chuck Lillis and Interim President Scott Coltrane to recommend that Gary be reappointed as the board’s sole faculty trustee. The legislation calls for an open nominations process. Why did the nomination for the faculty position on the BOT come from Lillis and Coltrane, with no consultation with the Senate, or, from what I can tell, any other faculty?

Why would Professor Gary accept the nomination under these circumstances?

Unfortunately, Oregon’s new Governor Kate Brown – a bit busy at the time – reappointed Gary for 2 more years.  And now, 2 years after her first appointment, Professor Gary is inviting to the faculty “stop by and chat”. Maybe she’ll even answer questions. Here’s her schedule:

A Message from The Board of Trustees

Dear colleagues,

Another academic year is upon us, which is always hard to believe…but also incredibly invigorating.

As a faculty member serving on the UO Board of Trustees, I wanted to set up a number of drop-in meetings, so that any faculty member who is curious about the Board, the role of the faculty Trustee, or issues facing the university can stop by and chat. It will also be an opportunity for me to gather concerns, suggestions, and comments that faculty members would like to share with the Board. (Anyone is, of course, welcome to send comments directly to the Board via email: [email protected].)

As an individual Trustee, I can’t speak on behalf of the Board, but I can chat about my own experiences, perspectives and sense of how things are going. I welcome the opportunity to visit with you.

Here is my drop-in schedule for the next several months. If none of these times work for you, please don’t hesitate to email me with your thoughts, questions or ideas.

Thursday, October 1, 12:00-1:00 pm in Lewis Lounge (4th Floor), Knight Law School
Monday, November 16, 4:00-5:00 pm in 109 Friendly Hall
Wednesday, January 20, 4:00-5:00 pm in 175 Willamette Hall
Monday, February 22, 12:00-1:00 pm in 225 Streisinger Hall (Novick Room)
Wednesday, March 30, 4:00-5:00 pm in 111A Susan Campbell Hall (Leona Tyler Conference Room)
Thursday, May 5, 12:00-1:00 pm in 219B Frohnmayer Music Building

Best regards,  Susan

Susan N. Gary
Orlando J. and Marian H. Hollis Professor of Law
Member, University of Oregon Board of Trustees
541-346-3856
[email protected]

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5 Comments

  1. thedude 09/28/2015

    Here the rub. As a research university that has nobody on our board with a research background, it’d be great to have someone with a research background to help the board filter research BS and understand more what we’re up against. Instead, there’s a lawyer. Plus the fact that the law school is in dire straits is a huge conflict of interest.

    The board could always get another faculty representative. But instead there’s the one lawyer.

    If I had a vote, I’d vote no confidence in her role as a board member.

    • anon 09/29/2015

      Except that Susan Gary is one of the leading researchers at the University of Oregon law school — a winner of the the University of Oregon’s Research Innovation Award in 2010, and a widely respected scholar in her areas of expertise. And faculty trustees have to recuse themselves when the Board discusses issues that might represent a conflict of interest. But let’s not let facts get in the way of the opportunity to trash colleagues.

      • thedude 09/29/2015

        And I’m sure they always recuse themselves and show no self-serving bias.

        And based on a quick search form the the uo library she’s published at least 4 articles in the last 25 years. How many pubs gets you tenure in the law school?

        Seriously though, anybody that understands the publication process, and more importantly if we want to stay in the AAU, grant writing process and some who preferably has a bit of an interdisciplinary bent would be ideal imho.

        • uomatters Post author | 09/29/2015

          My argument is simply that we should have a transparent process for nominations.

          I don’t know why Professor Gary disagrees. So I’ll ask her.

  2. Canaduck 09/29/2015

    6 hours in 8 months… those are some lavish office hours on offer.

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