Busy week for Coltrane

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3

9:00 a.m. — Executive Leadership Team weekly meeting

11:00 a.m. — Faculty Advisory Committee weekly meeting

1:00 p.m., Ford Alumni Center, Room 402 — Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting

2:00 p.m. — Welcome visiting international faculty to the College of Education

3:00 p.m. Free Speech Plaza, Erb Memorial Union — Get Out The Vote event
Interim President Scott Coltrane, Secretary of State Kate Brown, and ASUO President Beatriz Gutierrez share donuts and encourage people on campus to vote in the general election on November 4.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4

10:00 a.m. — Bi-weekly meeting with Board of Trustees leadership, via teleconference

11:00 a.m. — Strategic Initiatives weekly meeting

3:30 p.m. — Meeting with Colonel Lance Englet
Informal introduction to Colonel Lance Englet, head of the Department of Military Science 

6:30 p.m., McMorran House — Dinner with Stamps Scholars
The Stamps Scholars join Interim President Coltrane for a dinner gathering at McMorran House.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5

9:00 a.m. — Meeting with acting Provost Frances Bronet

10:00 a.m. — Budget and Finance weekly meeting

11:00 a.m. — Provost Frances Bronet and University Senate President Rob Kyr weekly meeting

12:00 p.m. — Charitable Fund Drive kick-off luncheon
Interim President Coltrane addresses the volunteers who will lead the university’s participation in the annual State of Oregon fundraising drive to benefit charities.

2:30 p.m., Ford Alumni Center, Room 403 — Board of Trustees meeting

3:00 p.m., Lawrence 115 — University Senate meeting

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6

10:00 a.m. — Staff award presentation, to be updated upon presentation

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7

Portland, OR

Meet with external UO partners and supporters

5:30 p.m. — Frohnmayer Award for Public Service
Interim President Coltrane attends the Frohnmayer Award for Public Service reception recognizing the Honorable David Schuman ’84.

Coltrane slips past JH security bubble for coffee with faculty

The rest of the day seems to be none of the public’s damn business though:

Screen Shot 2014-10-30 at 8.59.27 PM

Still it’s a stark contrast with former President Gottfredson. While Dave Hubin made me pay him $108 dollars to see Gottfredson’s calendar, Coltrane has Greg Rikhoff post his schedule on the web – or at least the parts that make him look good. And rumor down at the faculty club is that he’s buying the lattes tomorrow.

“El Jefe” Coltrane imposes student conduct changes

Colleagues,

The University of Oregon has made preventing and responding to sexual assault a top priority. We are reviewing our practices, have added resources, and are hiring staff to strengthen our prevention efforts.

Universities everywhere are struggling to educate students about how to stay safe, what to do if they are sexually assaulted, and how to demonstrate respect for each other.

The University of Oregon is committed to becoming a model campus for preventing and educating students about sexual misconduct. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, too many students are being assaulted. One of the university’s best tools to keep students safe and deal with offenders is the student code of conduct.

Later today, I will ask the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon to strengthen our conduct code with several important modifications. Some of these updates were approved by the University Senate at the close of spring term, and others are temporary measures to bring our code in line with recent best practices endorsed by the White House Sexual Assault Task Force.

The permanent senate-endorsed changes include expanding the jurisdiction of the conduct code, changing the definition of “sexual misconduct” to require explicit consent, and changing the standard of proof in all cases to a preponderance of evidence.

The temporary changes I am asking the board to consider include deleting language in the code that stalls the conduct process during breaks between terms or when a student is not registered, requiring all cases be resolved through administrative conference rather than a panel, allowing the right to an appeal in all cases, and reducing the number of days an accused student has to respond to conduct charges from 14 days to 7 days.

Again, these measures are designed to align our policies with federal laws and regulations for this year, but are temporary in order to protect our students while still allowing for thorough consultation before permanent changes to the code are made.

It is important to take these issues to the board now, before students return to campus. Our overarching goal is to create a safe campus climate for all UO students, where all feel welcome and respected. I welcome input from the entire campus community as we consider permanent changes to the conduct code and to our educational efforts surrounding this larger societal issue. We are committed to ending sexual assault and I invite you to help us eradicate unwanted sexual behavior on our campus.

Sincerely,

Scott Coltrane
Interim President

Game Day

10/22/13: For more on ESPN and it’s influence on big-time college football, here’s a good NYT story. The PAC-12 deal with ESPN is worth $3 billion, through 2024. How much of that goes to UO’s academic side? Maybe a negative 6 million or so a year. Still no action on the Senate resolution calling for Gottfredson to end those subsidies.

Dear Colleagues:

On Saturday, October 26, the UO is once again hosting ESPN College GameDay. It could be argued that ESPN College GameDay is one of the main reasons why the source here states ESPN is one the most popular cable networks across the country. The production will be staged on the Memorial Quad with set-up scheduled to begin early Thursday morning. In preparation for the trucks of equipment that will be arriving, all vehicles will have to be moved out of the Johnson Hall parking lot before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 23, and the lot will be fully occupied through the morning of Sunday, October 27.
The Memorial Quadrangle is the grass area between the Knight Library (south) and Lillis Business Complex (north), and Prince Lucien Campbell and Condon halls (west) and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and Chapman Hall (east) on the west side of campus near 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street. Please let us know if there are any activities scheduled in these buildings that may not be on a master schedule or anyone else’s radar. Email Margaret Mahoney with that information: [email protected]

This will be ESPN College GameDay’s eighth visit to our campus. Given the success in previous years of staging on the Memorial Quad, and the dedicated efforts of UO staff, we anticipate another positive experience. Let me emphasize that ESPN is respectful of the UO’s academic mission, and classes and students will remain the top priority on Thursday and Friday.
More information will be forthcoming in AroundtheO today.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Regards,

Scott Coltrane
Interim Senior Vice President and Provost

State of the University, Fall 2013

10/16/13 Update: President delivers fact filled speech to Senate, announces strategic plan, end to athletic subsidies!

Pac-12 media contract revenues from ESPN/FOX, our Pac-12 network partners, the new Rose Bowl agreement and the new College Football Championship agreement will substantially increase funding for athletics. In several years, there will be net funds transferred from athletics to the broader university community for academic and support purposes. Provost Randhawa and Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis and colleagues will determine future uses of those funds.

Oh wait, that’s from President Ed Ray at OSU. Never mind. On the down side, he also says OSU raises will be only 3% for the next few years:

Together, these factors will position us to provide an average compensation increase for faculty of 3% or more in each of the next several years beyond 2014.

Good thing UO has a faculty union.

10/15/13: From an email sent round today. Below is the State of the University address from Pres Gottfredson that Scott Coltrane gave to the Senate last week (Gottfredson was absent). For comparison, here is his speech from last year, and an excerpt:

In my view, the administrative governance responsibilities only work when important policies and practices are informed by consultation and advice from the faculty, staff and students. Such consultation and advice can only be meaningful if it takes place in a spirit of transparency and knowledge and in a timely manner. There’s not much use in consulting after the fact – or not much use consistent with these ideas of governance, anyway.  

So there’s an essential advisory role for the senate, even on administrative matters – an essential role on those matters that are central to the execution of our mission, like budget and finance, space and capital planning, athletics and of course participation in the selection and the evaluation of academic administrators.

As I’ve noted, President Gottfredson was evaluated by OUS this spring without any effort to get faculty input on his performance. The totally unscientific UO Matters poll closed last week. It suggests a fair amount of skepticism:

I emailed Coltrane with a few followup questions about last week’s speech, which he has said he will get answers to this week:

1) I notice that the budget for the Jaqua Center athlete only tutoring has increased from $1.8M in 2012 to $2.3M for 2014. As you know this money is paid by the academic side, specifically out of the Provost’s budget. I’m wondering if you know the reasons for the increase, and whether or not additional increases are forecast? 

2) You mentioned that there had been a dramatic increase in the number of “students of color”. I’ve heard that there was a recent change in the definition used to classify these students. Do you know how much of the increase is driven by this change? 

3) In 2011 the draft CAS salary proposal said 

“Step 3 (as early as FY 2012/13 and no later than FY 2013/2014), increases based on internal equity and merit. The total amount of funding made available for salary increases by the College in Step 3 will be at least the amount necessary to increase the College’s average salaries to make up the remaining distance to the average salaries of the OUS 8 comparators.  Distribution of funds to departments will be at the discretion of the dean after consultation with department heads.” 

Is this still the plan, and if so what is the new target date? 

4) You discussed planning for the new board. Who is in charge of drafting the board by-laws, and interfacing with the members, and is there a plan for involving the Senate in those discussions? 

I’ll post the answers when I get them.

10/8/2013 State of the University:

Dear Colleagues,

I hope your academic year is off to a great start. I’ve enjoyed meeting new students and welcoming our outstanding new faculty and staff members to campus at events marking the beginning of school, from “Unpack the Quack” and our neighborhood welcome walk to the annual new faculty picnic. Since the close of our previous academic and fiscal years, we’ve made significant progress on a number of fronts that affect the university, and I’m pleased to take this opportunity to share a few highlights with you. 
I frequently mention our dual obligations of access and quality that are the foundation upon which our university is built. As we now plan for the UO’s future, it is critical that we elevate both, for quality that is limited only to those with the means to afford it does not serve the public interest, and access without excellence is a hollow promise. 
We are on the right trajectory, as this year’s freshman class demonstrates. Numbers won’t be final until the fifth week of classes, but we can say with confidence that this incoming class will break records in several key areas linked to both quality and access. It is the most academically prepared class we have ever enrolled, with an average 1126 SAT and 3.6 GPA. Nearly 27 percent of freshmen are from underrepresented populations, and among Oregon freshmen, 37.6 percent are Pell eligible. Our total enrollment will hold steady at about 24,500 as planned, with about 5,200 new students, 54 percent of them Oregonians, coming to the UO. 
We are focusing intently on reducing financial barriers to attendance for Oregon residents, who continue to be hit by ongoing reductions in state funding that have shifted the burden of paying for education onto the shoulders of students and their families. This year, we increased financial aid to in-state students by 75 percent through scholarships aimed at high-achieving Oregon students, such as Summit and Apex, and the outstanding Pathway Oregon program. 
It was a summer of construction around campus, with about $300 million in physical improvements in the works. Recently launched projects include renovations and classroom expansions at Straub and Earl Halls, a major expansion of the Student Rec Center, significant upgrades and expansions of the Science Commons and Research Library and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, and maintenance involving everything from seismic upgrades and new roofs to sewer-system improvements. Soon, the long-awaited renovation of the Erb Memorial Union will begin. 
I anticipate that such infrastructure improvements will become easier to realize as we adopt a new governance model that will provide greater flexibility in the way we manage the institution. The long-sought move to governance by local institutional boards was approved by the legislature and signed into law this summer. I am grateful to the Lane County delegation and many other supportive legislators, Governor Kitzhaber and his staff, the UO Foundation, and the UO Alumni Association for their partnership in bringing about this momentous change this spring. The governor has appointed a 14-member board for the UO that reflects a remarkable range of experience and expertise. Ten of our new board members are alumni, and all bring a commitment and dedication to the future of this university that will serve us, and the state, well. I look forward to working closely with them as we determine new ways to finance the institution and support programs and practices that will strategically focus our resources to improve access, elevate excellence, and secure our position among our peer research universities. We must develop the means to better support research, to address threats from sequestration and cuts in federal funding, and to close the innovation deficit that compromises our nation’s capacity to remain the world’s leader in innovation, creativity, and discovery. 
At the heart of the university’s ability to carry out its mission are, of course, our faculty and staff. I am pleased that we are beginning the new academic year with new contracts for our union-represented faculty and staff, and with a schedule of compensation increases in place for faculty, classified staff, and officers of administration. At the same time, I recognize the pressures that faculty and staff are feeling from successive years of declining state investment and burgeoning undergraduate enrollment. Your work with our students, in the classroom and in informal settings, is what distinguishes this university and creates the quality educational experiences that will define your students’ futures. Improving the teaching and research environment for our outstanding faculty and staff is among my top priorities, and essential to our success in realizing our aspirations of access, excellence, and innovation. 
Best regards, 
Michael R. Gottfredson
President

Mandatory harassment training

10/8/2013: There’s an ongoing debate about the constitutionality of sexual harassment rules and procedures. From the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education:

WASHINGTON, October 1, 2013—The University of Montana’s (UM’s) new sexual harassment policythreatens the First Amendment rights of students and faculty. Drafted in consultation with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), the policy was approved by the agencies last week. Faculty members are also alarmed that a list of faculty who refuse to attend the university’s trainings on the new policy will be reported to the federal government. 

“Not only has the federal government approved an unconstitutional speech code, it has demanded a list of the names of faculty members who don’t attend a training session about it,” said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. “Worse still, students and faculty may face discipline even if they are cleared of harassment and discrimination charges. Couple these flaws with broad, vague definitions, and the result is that UM has vast discretion to silence students and faculty members, to the detriment of fairness, clarity, and free speech.”

It will be interesting to see how UO’s new training addresses these issues. The announcement went out today:

Dear Colleagues,  

Next month the University of Oregon will introduce a new online Preventing Workplace Harassment training that will be required for faculty and staff, including GTFs, and strongly encouraged for student and temporary employees.  

The program will be available online beginning mid-October to better inform our faculty and staff about behaviors that constitute prohibited discrimination and sexual harassment. The goal is to clarify employees’ understanding of reporting responsibilities as it relates to harassment and to raise awareness about our obligation to report credible information regarding incidents of prohibited discrimination, including sexual violence, which encompasses sexual assault, partner or dating violence, and gender-based stalking.  

This training is important for all of us who work in the UO community. Increased awareness can stop inappropriate behavior, prevent its recurrence and foster a more supportive community. Under federal law, educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance are required to train their employees to know how to identify and report sexual harassment and sexual violence. This new online training will help to ensure that we are appropriately educating faculty and staff about these issues.  

Members of the university leadership team have been working on this program for the last year, and have collaborated extensively with the Faculty Advisory Council and Executive Leadership Team on its development.  

The training is approximately 90 minutes long and all employees are expected to complete the training by March 30, 2014. Going forward, it will be required every three years.  

More information about the program will be available in the coming weeks. Please look for that information and make this training a priority.  

Thank you for your attention to this important responsibility.  

Regards,
Scott Coltrane, Interim Senior Vice President and Provost

Q: How long, Provost Coltrane, how long?

9/23/2013: A: Seven years and $70K, best case scenario.

Interim Provost Scott Coltrane’s email about the new faculty contract is here. He offers to answer questions. I’ve got a few, and I’ll keep you posted on the answers. You’ll have a chance to ask him yourself during the public presentation he will have to make as candidate for the permanent UO Provost job.

Meanwhile, here’s the math on how long it will take to get to comparators, and an estimate of what you’ll lose meanwhile – about $70,000, lower bound.

The faculty union did what it could. But while Gottfredson was happy to pay Sharon Rudnick and her consultants $1M, his word is that “the well is dry” when it comes to faculty pay, and Coltrane now seems just fine with that:

The original faculty union proposal, of 1.5%, 8%, 9% (which Gottfredson’s team laughed at) followed by a second contract at 6%, 6%, would have got us to the AAU average by 2016 – just 3 years later than the Lariviere proposal:

The next contract will need to be 10%, 10% to reach this goal, which the administration has purported to want to achieve since the 1998 Senate White paper.

In the scheme of a $800 million budget, we’re not talking about a lot of money. But it’s not going to happen unless we spend the next 18 months exposing Johnson Hall’s money wasting activities, and convince the new UO board that faculty are more important to their university’s future than more administrative bloat, sports subsidies, and expensive White Stag distractions.

Provost Scott Coltrane on faculty union contract

Sept. 20, 2013 Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement
To:           University of Oregon faculty members
From:      Scott Coltrane, interim provost
On September 18th, the University of Oregon (sic) and United Academics reached a tentative agreement on a first-time collective bargaining agreement. The Union has scheduled a ratification vote of the bargaining unit faculty members for Oct. 8th.  The contract will be effective through June 30, 2015.
Both bargaining teams worked diligently over the last 10 months to reach an agreement that reflects our joint commitment to support academic excellence and advance the University of Oregon as a major public research university. The tentative agreement invests in faculty at all levels, promotes academic freedom and research, and reinforces faculty members’ roles in shared governance.
Throughout the past several months, the University has repeatedly voiced its commitment to treating all faculty similarly, regardless of whether they are represented by United Academics.  That means the University plans to extend benefits offered to United Academics to non-represented faculty, including a minimum 8% salary increase at future promotion and, beginning in July 2014, subject to approval by our Board of Trustees, six weeks’ leave for new parents and reduced tuition for a second child enrolled in a UO undergraduate program.
The salary package included in the tentative agreement includes across-the-board raises, money for merit increases, and money to address equity issues affecting tenure track faculty and to establish salary floors for non-tenure track faculty:
UO/UA tentative agreement on salaries
Implement 2014
Implement 2015
TTF
FY13:
1.5% ATB
FY15:
1.5% ATB
FY14:
1.5% ATB
FY15:
3.5% Merit
FY14:
2.0% Merit
FY15:
1.5% Equity
NTTF
FY13:
1.5%ATB
FY15:
1.5% ATB
FY14:
1.5% ATB
FY15:
3.5% Merit
FY14:
2.0% Merit
FY14:
2.0% Floors
Average total raises over this contract for TTF (with compounding) will be 11.9% and average total raises for NTTF (with compounding) will be 12.4%.
Following ratification, the agreement also provides for a one-time $350 payment to full-time faculty who are members of the bargaining unit. The one-time payment for part-time faculty will be pro-rated.   The University will provide that same one-time payment to all non-represented faculty as well.
(The version posted on the “fact-check” page includes this:)
There has also been some misunderstanding by the media about what the tentative agreement means for non-tenure track faculty contracts. For all Career NTTF with non-funding contingent appointments in the first rank in each classification, the agreement provides for contracts of at least one-year in length for the first four years in rank, followed by a minimum of two-year contracts. All faculty in the middle or highest rank in each Career NTTF classification whose contracts are not funding-contingent will have at least 3-year contracts.
Drafting a first-time agreement is always a lengthy and complex process. It’s expected that faculty
members will have more questions or need for clarification. You have my word that I will do whatever I can to get those questions answered. Also, look for ongoing communications and FAQs on the UO/UA negotiations website: http://uo-ua.uoregon.edu/.

Provost Coltrane’s message does not include the administration bargaining team’s customary warning to UO faculty about Professor Harbaugh’s “false, inaccurate, misleading, and consistently anti-university” UO Matters blog, though it’s still posted on the official UO website he references:

Update, Coltrane on faculty obligations if staff strike

9/19/2013 update: Provost Coltrane on the faculty’s obligations (legal, not ethical) if the UO staff strike:

Date: Sept. 19, 2013
To: Faculty  

From: Scott Coltrane, Interim Provost  

Subject: UO preparations for possible strike  

OUS has received notice of intent from SEIU to strike with a projected strike date of September 30, 2013. I write to remind you of your responsibilities as faculty in preparation for a possible work stoppage.  

UO is a public institution of higher education with the responsibility to provide the best education possible for our students. Oregon law is clear that only members of the designated bargaining unit are permitted to take part in the strike, and those not represented by SEIU are prohibited from participating. As faculty, your contribution to meeting our academic mission is critical, including holding regularly scheduled classes and conducting scheduled research and service activities.  

We respect the right of SEIU employees to conduct a legal strike and hope that the parties reach a fair and equitable agreement quickly. It is important to remember that bargaining involves not just UO, but all seven OUS public universities.  

Additional information is available at: http://hr.uoregon.edu/employee-labor-relations/classified-staff-negotiations-2013. As more information is available, updates will be communicated and posted on the HR webpage.

9/18/2013: Eder Campuzano has the story in the ODE. The UO staff has voted to authorize a strike on the first day of classes, their negotiations with OUS continue. 

Coltrane on union negotiations and pay

8/21/2013: It’s long past time for Gottfredson to bring in an adult. Maybe too late, given the hole Rudnick has dug him. But Interim Provost Scott Coltrane is willing to try. Remember that, as CAS Dean, Coltrane supported the Lariviere raises, and CAS set aside money to fund parts 2 and 3 of them – back in 2011:

We all agree that students deserve a meaningful classroom experience and that the UO needs to recruit and hire more tenured and tenure-track faculty. Students, faculty, and our state deserve no less from an AAU research institution. The negotiating teams return to the table on August 29. I’m optimistic that these talks will yield a faculty contract that builds on our areas of agreement and propels us into the next decade as a stronger, more united and more equitable institution.

His entire 8/16/2013 letter:


Message from Interim Provost Scott Coltrane

Since becoming the University of Oregon’s Interim Provost on July 1, I have spent considerable time
immersing myself in the details of our emerging first-time labor agreement between the University and
faculty. I’m impressed with the attention this process has focused on fundamental issues that will
strengthen the University of Oregon and its academic mission.

We are in this together for the long term and I firmly believe that our new labor contract will be a useful tool to ensure equity and fairness, standardize procedures, and set mutual expectations.
For example, it’s notable that language addressing academic freedom will be expanded to specifically
include research as well as teaching. We’d like to think that has always been the practice, but it is useful to reaffirm the general principle. Faculty should have the latitude to delve into controversial issues or explore new and emerging areas in their fields of research without fear of censorship or retaliation. And it is important to reaffirm that faculty shape the content of the curriculum.

President Gottfredson and I also agree with the faculty that shared governance is essential to the wellbeing of the academy. I am certain the contract language will underscore the faculty’s front-line role in this regard. We believe that faculty, working with the President, should have responsibility for setting academic standards, creating new classes, determining what material should be included and how classes are taught. The faculty also assigns grades to students and determines who should be awarded degrees.

Significant discussions have also been held on the topics of sabbaticals, tenure and promotion, and
recognition of the role non-tenure track faculty play on our campus. For example, the University has
proposed paying 100 percent of the salary for faculty who take sabbatical for one quarter; that’s an
increase in support from the current 85 percent pay. The University and the faculty union, United Academics, broadly agree about maintaining the integrity of the tenure review and promotion process and the contract reaffirms procedures to protect that tradition.

Several of the proposals focus on non-tenure track faculty (NTTF). The UO will have a contract that
ensures NTTF are eligible for professional development funds. The contract will also set down policies for regular review and appointment of non-tenure track faculty with appropriate faculty involvement and oversight. Along with better pay, it’s important for NTTF to have stronger job security and potential for promotion.

Much attention throughout this process has been paid to enhancing the resources necessary for
excellence. We all agree that students deserve a meaningful classroom experience and that the UO
needs to recruit and hire more tenured and tenure-track faculty. Students, faculty, and our state
deserve no less from an AAU research institution. The negotiating teams return to the table on August 29. I’m optimistic that these talks will yield a faculty contract that builds on our areas of agreement and propels us into the next decade as a stronger, more united and more equitable institution.

Terry Hunt is new dean of Honors College

8/8/2013: Colleagues:

It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Terry L. Hunt as Dean of the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon.  Terry comes to us from Hawaii, where he served as the

Director of the University of Hawai`i Honors Program with responsibility for oversight of honors offerings across the entire campus.  Dean Hunt will assume his new duties on September 16, 2013.

Dr. Hunt has been a member of the Department of Anthropology at University of Hawai`i-Manoa since 1988 where he was also affiliated with the Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology.  He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Hawai`i, Hilo; a Master’s Degree from the University of Auckland (New Zealand); and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Washington.
Terry Hunt is an archaeologist whose research and teaching focus on historical environmental change and life on the islands of the Pacific Ocean.  He has been conducting archaeological field research in the Pacific Islands for more than 30 years, with extensive work in the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Easter Island (Rapa Nui).  Over the past 12 years Dr. Hunt has directed archaeological field research on Easter Island, where he and his students work on many aspects of the island’s prehistoric past.  His continuing research on the island addresses questions concerning the trajectory of cultural and ecological changes, including the role of the colossal statues and monuments in the ancient society.
Dr. Hunt has published numerous scholarly articles on Pacific archaeology, prehistory, ecology, and linguistics.  His work has been published in Science, Nature, American Scientist, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Journal of Archaeological Science, PLoS and Current Anthropology, among others.  He has co-edited four books, including a collection on historical ecology and ancient landscape change.
In 2008 Dr. Hunt was awarded the prestigious University of Hawai`i Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Research in recognition of his innovative work on Easter Island. In 2005, Dr. Hunt also won the University of Hawai`i Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching.
Terry Hunt’s recent book, The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the mystery of Easter Island (Free Press, New York, 2011) co-authored with Carl Lipo, revisits the dramatic story of Easter Island’s cultural and environmental history.  Hunt and Lipo’s book won the Society for American Archaeology’s book of the year award and their research was recently featured in a Nova television special: http://video.pbs.org/video/2299677471/
As Terry joins us, I would also like to thank David Frank. As the first Dean of the Clark Honors College, David has served admirably for the past five years.  We appreciate the excellent leadership David has provided and applaud his many efforts to strengthen and expand the Robert D. Clark Honors College as it celebrates 50 years of excellence.  David will be returning to the faculty this fall, and encourages all of us to join in welcoming Terry Hunt to the College and to the University of Oregon.
Scott Coltrane
Interim Senior Vice President and Provost

Tranegram: Galvan and Freinkel

Galvan confirmed as permanent Ambassador to Gabon, Freinkel as VP for UGS. Nothing yet on HC Dean.

Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost - University of Oregon

7-17-13 Interim Provost’s Message

July 17, 2013 • PROVOST’S WEBSITE • FORWARD THIS EMAIL

Scott ColtraneScott Coltrane
Colleagues,
As I step into my new role as Interim Senior Vice President and Provost, I am delighted to announce the appointments of Dennis Galvan as Vice Provost for International Affairs and Lisa Freinkel as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies.  Both Dennis and Lisa were appointed through internal searches.
Dennis Galvan, a professor of Political Science and International Studies, served the UO as Vice Provost for International Affairs for the past 18 months in an interim capacity and has now been named to a regular appointment. Dennis has been at the UO since 2001. He was the director and department head of International Studies from 2005-09, chair of the African Studies Committee from 2004-08 and director of the Ethnic Studies Program from 2003-04. He has done extensive fieldwork in West Africa, especially Senegal, and in Central Java, Indonesia. He was a Fulbright Fellow in Senegal from 2009-10.
Dennis is also the co-founder and co-director of the Global Oregon Initiative, which will form the core of the new Global Studies Institute within the Office of International Affairs. I am certain that Dennis’s extensive background and research in international affairs will help the UO to expand its global outreach.
Lisa Myobun Freinkel is an associate professor of English and Comparative Literature and has served as head of Comparative Literature since 2004. She has been at the UO since 1995. Her innovation in teaching has been recognized with both an Ersted award and a Williams Fellowship. Lisa created Comparative Literature’s “translation pedagogy” program in 2005. Her current research explores the notions of “mind” and “mindfulness” in liberal education.
Lisa’s publications include Reading Shakespeare’s Will: The Theology of Figure from Augustine to the Sonnets, and articles on a variety of topics including Kantian critique, psychoanalysis and early modern encounters with Buddhist Asia. Lisa’s impressive credentials and proven track record will help raise the bar for all UO instruction.
Please join me in congratulating Dennis and Lisa on their appointments.
Regards,
Scott
Scott Coltrane
Interim Senior Vice President and Provost
University of Oregon
[email protected]
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The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Marcus to be interim CAS Dean, call for AD of Soc Sci nominations

5/23/2013:
I am delighted that W. Andrew Marcus has been appointed as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
The next step in the process is to solicit nominations for an Interim Associate Dean for Social Sciences.  The interim appointment will begin July 1, 2013 and will run for 6-12 months.  A tenured appointment at the rank of professor in a social science discipline is required, and preference will be given to faculty with prior experience serving as a department head.
Nominations should be sent to Miriam Bolton ([email protected]) no later than Wednesday, May 29th.  We hope to make a decision before graduation.
Thanks, Scott
Scott Coltrane
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

Coltrane to be interim Provost

5/1/13, Some good news. Here’s hoping he got some commitments from Gottfredson on reforms as part of the deal. For the nostalgic, here are the FIVE BIG IDEAS, here’s Lorraine Davis’s To Do list for Bean when he returned from sabbatical last May, and from July 2012, here’s Bean’s promise to get faculty input into reviewing the academic plan and developing priorities:

Priorities:  Later this month, our leadership retreat will address the most pressing priorities for the Provost’s Office during this coming year.  The group in attendance will include the Leadership Council augmented by faculty, staff, student, Foundation and Alumni Association leadership.  I will present some ideas such as review of the Academic Plan and the Big Ideas, office and classroom space, etc.  The group will have an opportunity to add topics and to do an initial prioritization.  I have already spoken with Robert Kyr, President of the University Senate, about an online ranking process of these priorities, to be run by the Senate in September, involving the entire community.  From all this input, the President and I will settle on the priority topics for this year.

That would have been last September. Just in case anyone needed a reminder about the lack of faculty input into UO’s priorities – a question which Hubin finessed in the accreditation report, and which Rudnick made the mistake of bringing up at the bargaining table. Too bad Coltrane doesn’t start the job until July.

Dear colleagues: 

I am delighted to announce that Scott Coltrane, dean of the University of Oregon’s College of Arts and Sciences, has accepted my invitation to serve in an interim role as the UO’s senior vice president and provost beginning July 1. 
He will succeed Jim Bean, who will leave his current position of senior vice president and provost at the end of June, to return to the Lundquist College of Business. Dean Coltrane will serve in the interim position as we conduct a nationwide search for a permanent senior vice president and provost. 
I would like to thank all those who submitted nominations to fill this interim position and I’d especially like to extend my appreciation to members of the Faculty Advisory Council who served as the selection advisory committee for this appointment. 
The provost is the UO’s chief academic officer, heading our academic programs and overseeing the quality of our teaching and research. The provost ensures that we maintain a high quality faculty by providing leadership in appointments, promotions, working conditions and tenure. 
Dean Coltrane has served since 2008 as the head of our College of Arts and Sciences. He has also served as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and has extensive experience and familiarity with the fundamental issues facing our entire university – from the growth of recent years, to the space and staffing issues we are currently addressing, to facilitating our research mission. 
A prominent sociologist, Dean Coltrane’s own research has focused in part on families and fatherhood and the domestic divisions of labor and gender inequality. Prior to joining the UO in 2008, he served for 20 years in a variety of teaching, research and administrative positions at the University of California at Riverside. 
Please join me in congratulating Scott Coltrane and welcoming him to his interim role as senior vice president and provost. 
Sincerely, 
Michael R. Gottfredson