Trustees get Neurons to Minds talk at Day 2 of BOT meeting

FRIDAY: 8:30 am:

Liveblog disclaimer: I’m no neuroscience professor.

2. Research Area in Focus ‐ Neuroscience: 

 

Chris Doe, Professor of Biology and Co‐Director of the  Institute  of  Neuroscience  (ION); 

Chris Doe starts off with a talk about how scientists can now grow self-organizing functional clusters of neurons from skin cells, and use these to study early brain-development and study drug effectiveness.

David McCormick, Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology, Yale University

McCormick takes on the middle range – going from neural activity to simple behaviors. New imaging methods let us see activation in individual neurons using the newly developed mesoscope and neurons with fluorescent.

Ulrich  Mayr,  Department  Head  and  Lewis  Professor  of Psychology;

Mayr deals with human behavior. Always looking for a new source of cheap data, Mayr has the trustees perform a simple task-switching exercise – then shows them how performance on this task is reduced, permanently, in athletes after concussions. Sneaky. Then he shows some of Mike Posner’s new work on how meditation can heal the damaged myelin.

McCormick wraps up by talking about the many potential applications of the work the Neurons to Minds research group. McCormick explains that he came to Oregon because of the opportunity to do mesoscale neuroscience, in collaboration with scientists studying the micro and human levels.

Trustees ask questions about how the university can help support this sort of research – need more data scientists? More funding?

Pres Schill says that the Knight Campus can help provide some of the needed resources but more philanthropy will be needed.

3. Tuition Structures –
UO History and Peer Practices: Brad Shelton, Senior Vice Provost for Budget  and Strategy;

Very little differential tuition at UO – really just at the HC, to cover higher costs of smaller classes.

UO takes 10% of all tuition and uses it for tuition remissions for selected students – about $32M. This is on top of endowed scholarships, which were about $7M last time I looked.

Roger Thompson, Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management;

Plateaus. Roger Thompson likes them – students take more courses, graduate sooner. Dean Nutter notes that it can encourage students to take too many courses, do badly.

Sarah Nutter, Dean of the Lundquist College of Business

Focuses on how to compete in the market for new students. Look at the schools we really compete with for students – that’s OSU, UA, etc. Not all AAU publics. Her LCB students told her they didn’t think a plateau was fair. Has started an experimental direct admit into the LCB for good students – this worked, increased number of new students.

4.Seconded Motions and Resolutions from Committee (pending June 1 committee action)

‐‐Seconded Motion from FFC: Unthank Hall

— Seconded Motion from FFC: FY18 Operating and Capital Expenditure Authorizations

5. Executive Session re Labor Negotiations (pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(d))