University of Oregon: Presidential Profile

Page 1

PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, and continue to make important contributions in their communities, at UO, and across the land we now refer to as Oregon. We express our respect for all federally recognized Tribal Nations of Oregon. This includes the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and the Klamath Tribes. We also express our respect for all other displaced Indigenous peoples who call Oregon home.

2
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Land acknowledgement Table of contents About the University of Oregon Mission, vision, values, and shared governance Overview Research and curricular priorities Student Success Diversity, equity, and inclusion Scholarships and financial aid Location Eugene Portland Position summary Qualities and expectations Procedure for candidacy # 2 3 5 5 7 17 29 33 34 35 35 35 36 37 42

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

MISSION STATEMENT

Serving the state, nation and world since 1876

The University of Oregon is a comprehensive public research university committed to exceptional teaching, discovery, and service. We work at a human scale to generate big ideas. As a community of scholars, we help individuals question critically, think logically, reason effectively, communicate clearly, act creatively, and live ethically.

5

Purpose

We strive for excellence in teaching, research, artistic expression, and the generation, dissemination, preservation, and application of knowledge. We are devoted to educating the whole person, and to fostering the next generation of transformational leaders and informed participants in the global community. Through these pursuits, we enhance the social, cultural, physical, and economic wellbeing of our students, Oregon, the nation, and the world.

Values

• We value the passions, aspirations, individuality, and success of the students, faculty, and staff who work and learn here.

• We value academic freedom, creative expression, and intellectual discourse.

• We value our diversity and seek to foster equity and inclusion in a welcoming, safe, and respectful community.

• We value the unique geography, history and culture of Oregon that shapes our identity and spirit.

• We value our shared charge to steward resources sustainably and responsibly.

Vision

We aspire to be a preeminent and innovative public research university encompassing the humanities and arts, the natural and social sciences, and the professions. We seek to enrich the human condition through collaboration, teaching, mentoring, scholarship, experiential learning, creative inquiry, scientific discovery, outreach, and public service.

Shared governance

Shared governance, as embodied by the University Senate, has long played an important role at the UO. The University Senate collaborates with the trustees, the president, the administration, and various university committees to further the academic mission of the UO. The Senate derives its authority from the Statutory Faculty, by virtue of the University of Oregon Constitution, and expresses the faculty’s will on academic matters through legislation and policy proposals including work on curricula, teaching evaluations, sexual violence reporting requirements, and academic continuity.

6
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

OVERVIEW

Founded in 1876, the University of Oregon is the flagship institution of the state.

It brings together 23,202 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and over 88 countries and offers 316 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its nine academic units:

The College of Arts and Sciences

The Charles H. Lundquist College of Business

The College of Design

The College of Education

The Robert D. Clark Honors College

The School of Journalism and Communication

The School of Law

The School of Music and Dance

The Division of Graduate Studies

7
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL

Undergraduate enrollment in Fall 2022 totaled 19,568 students. Of the 5,348 students in the freshman class, 36 percent are ethnic and racial minorities, 22 percent are firstgeneration college students, and 21 percent are eligible for Pell Grants. Graduate enrollment as of Fall 2022 totaled 3,634 in a variety of doctoral and professional degree programs. Across all student groups, 33 percent are students of color and four percent are international students, while 56 percent are female, and 44 percent are male.

8
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL
9 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE Faculty Honors and Awards 15 American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members 43 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows 11 American Council of Learned Societies Fellows 30 Guggenheim Fellows 1 MacArthur Fellow 10 National Academy of Inventors Senior Members 2 National Academy of Medicine Members 11 National Academy of Sciences Members 23 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellows 2 Franklin Institute Award Laureates 2 National Medal of Science Winners 1 Nobel Prize Winner 1 Pulitzer Prize Winner

UO is a Carnegie R1 research university, a member of the Association of American Universities, and currently employs 1,995 teaching and research faculty. In Fiscal Year 2022, UO received $221.4 million in grants, contracts, and competitive awards including $21.4 million from the federal CARES Act. The university also employs 3,601 staff.

The university serves as an integral economic driver for the state, with an estimated $2.6 billion annual economic return to Oregon. The main campus spreads over 295 acres and serves as an arboretum and a tree identification classroom. The total university budget is over $1.3 billion for operations, with an additional $164 million of capital investments currently planned for FY2023.

10
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL
PROFILE

Intercollegiate Athletics

Athletics are an integral and valuable part of the University of Oregon community and a strong connector for both current students and alumni to the university. The mission of the UO department of athletics is to provide an exceptional studentathlete experience and strive for broad-based excellence.

The UO sponsors 20 sports at the Division I level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, and the Ducks routinely win conference championships while also competing at the highest level nationally, winning 38 national championships across multiple sports. Students also engage in intramural and club sports with their own events and tournaments; there are more than 40 club teams with over 1,300 participants and many compete at a national level.

11
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Alumni

The University of Oregon’s 252,880 living alumni include winners of Emmy, Oscar, and Tony awards, Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Genius Grants, the Nobel Prize, Olympic medals, Rhodes Scholarships, the National Humanities Medal, and countless other honors for achievement and public service. University of Oregon ROTC graduates rank among the highest in the nation for achieving General Officer ranks (this includes all ranks above Colonel/Captain), and the program has graduated a total of 47 General Officers. The University of Oregon Alumni Association includes domestic and international chapters with alumni living in over 140 countries and offers a breadth of personal and professional engagement programs.

12
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL

Fundraising

In 2014, the UO publicly launched a comprehensive fundraising campaign with three priorities: Furthering Access, Excellence, and Experience. The campaign raised $3.24 billion, surpassing the campaign target by $1.24 billion. Over the course of the 11-year campaign, 147,000 UO donors made it possible to increase faculty hiring, support research and academic programs, and fund initiatives for student success including scholarships. Their investments have also funded new facilities, building renovations, and expansion projects across campus. The campaign helped increase the UO Foundation endowment to more than $1 billion. The endowment is currently valued at $1.3 billion. University of Oregon supporters made 2022 the institution’s third-highest fundraising year on record, with gifts totaling more than $689 million during the fiscal year ending June 30.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

13
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
|

From a total of 45,943 gifts from 32,982 donors, the UO raised more than $172 million for student support, $235 million for faculty programs, and $138 million for capital projects. The number of people making first-time gifts increased by more than 41 percent while total gifts increased by 33 percent. This past fundraising year included significant milestones for the University of Oregon, from launching new academic and research initiatives providing additional support and resources for students.

Fundraising highlights from the 2022 fiscal year included:

• $425 million gift from Connie and Steve Ballmer and the Ballmer Group to launch the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health in Portland.

• $5 million gift from the Papé Family for the Papé Family Innovation Center, which will include incubator spaces in Knight Campus.

• More than $172 million in student support including scholarships, academic support, and student emergency funding.

• $235 million for faculty programs.

• Over $5.7 million toward diversityrelated funding, including more than $1 million for LGBTQA+ support.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL

14
PROFILE

NEW DEGREES SINCE 2020

Graduate Certificates

Environmental Humanities

Institutional and Organizational Conflict Management

Undergraduate Minors

Bioengineering

Commerce and Society Science Communication

Interdisciplinary Cognitive Sciences Forensic Anthropology

Environmental Humanities

Climate Studies

Global Service

Criminology

Black Studies

Latinx Studies

Graduate Specializations

Jazz Pedagogy

Historical Performance Practice

Music Theory Pedagogy

Collaborative Piano

Violin/Viola Pedagogy

Piano Pedagogy

Folklore and Public Culture

Bachelor’s Degrees BS in Bioengineering BA/BS Neuroscience

BA/BS Data Science

BA/BS Native American and Indigenous Studies

BFA Dance

Accelerated Masters Degrees

Multimedia Journalism

Nonprofit Management

Computer Science Electrochemical Technology

Special Education: Early Intervention/ Early Childhood Economics

Mathematics

Masters Degrees Applied Behavior Analysis (online) Language Teaching Studies Psychology (online) Immersive Media Communications (online, starting fall 2023)

Doctoral Bioengineering (partnership with OSU) Spanish Data Driven Music (starting fall 2023)

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

15
PROFILE
PRESIDENTIAL

RESEARCH AND CURRICULAR PRIORITIES

Building on this momentum, the University of Oregon has established a set of research and curricular priorities that bring together strengths from multiple parts of the university. By bringing together faculty from different disciplines, the university is generating new knowledge and preparing students for careers that require training in multiple knowledge domains. A common thread that informs all the priorities is a focus on impact and excellence as well as a commitment to equity and inclusion. As a leading public research university, we are committed to doing research that benefits our state, the nation, and the world.

In 2019, the University of Oregon released a report on the first five years of institutional governance. The 40-page report detailed significant investments in academic programs, research, and student support. Noteworthy accomplishments included record-breaking first-year enrollment, historic philanthropic giving, and increased diversity of students, faculty members and staff on campus. Since then, the university has continued to reach new heights with ever larger incoming classes, the launch of transformational academic initiatives, and the close of an ambitious fundraising campaign.

17
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL

Faculty Diversity

The aftermath of the murder of George Floyd re-focused the nation and the University of Oregon on the gaping inequality among different racial groups in the United States and the need to address the impact of systemic inequality in access to educational opportunities and representation in academic programs. The university has established initiatives to increase faculty diversity and expertise in racial disparities and social justice, new academic programs in LatinX studies, Indigenous Studies, and Black Studies, and renewed focus on distinguished research activities in this area. The university is committed to redoubling efforts to hire diverse faculty throughout the institution—particularly in areas where they are most conspicuously absent like business and the sciences.

Once hired, we must also do all we can to retain our valuable faculty and staff.

18
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
|

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

One of the ways the University of Oregon can serve the State of Oregon is to create new businesses to bring innovations to market and to generate economic activity and jobs for Oregonians. We have a rich legacy of innovation, stretching back to the university’s founding in 1876 and the emergence of Nike in the 1960s, and extending to contemporary research-based spinouts in fields ranging from education to materials science.

Knight Campus faculty, working with our scientists, the vice president for research and innovation, and others are increasingly developing and monetizing intellectual property created by faculty and researchers at the university. These efforts include joint ventures with private companies and the creation of investment funds (both philanthropic and equity) to enable faculty and graduate students to bring their ideas to market, form companies, and thereby impact society. In addition to directly adding to the economic output of the state through company formation, one of the most important things we will do is to educate a new generation of entrepreneurs.

19
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
|

Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact

In October 2016, the university announced a $500 million gift from Penny and Phil Knight, the largest gift ever received by a flagship public university. The donation paved the way for the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact—a $1 billion, ten-year initiative in the applied sciences.

The first phase of the campus was completed in December 2020 with the opening of the first Knight Campus building. The campus has 13 tenure-related faculty members. An additional 78 faculty members from departments as diverse as biology, chemistry, and philosophy have joined as associate or affiliated faculty.

20
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
|

The mission of the Knight Campus is to fast-track scientific discoveries into innovations that improve the quality of life for people in Oregon, the nation, and the world. Thus far the Knight Campus has established research priorities in the following areas: bioengineering, materials for biological applications, precision medical technologies, complex biological systems, and synthetic biology/molecular engineering.

The Knight Campus recently received a second $500 million gift from Phil and Penny Knight which will allow it to add a second research building and at least 17 additional tenure-related faculty members. It has also been the recipient of a $35 million grant from the WuTsai Foundation that will link the Knight Campus, the Human Physiology Department, and Athletics in a research project on human performance.

The Knight Campus has also begun a joint bioengineering PhD program with Oregon State University. This is the first engineering degree at the University of Oregon and will be expanded over the next five years. In addition, the University Senate, Board of Trustees, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) have approved a new undergraduate degree in bioengineering which will be implemented as the Knight Campus builds its faculty.

21
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |
PRESIDENTIAL

Environment

We are in the midst of unprecedented and transformative environmental change. We face a set of related and integrated challenges—the effects of global climate change, the impacts of structural racism, increased economic insecurity, and the public health fallout from a global pandemic. The University of Oregon has long been associated with environmental research, pedagogy, and activism. We have distinctive strengths in the study of environmental protection, clean energy, global warming, and environmental equity. The UO’s priority on the environment includes a campus-wide coordinated effort to create an active, intellectual hub focused on higher education’s contribution to a just and livable future. It aims to leverage the energy and endeavors of faculty, students, and community partners toward societal contribution through transdisciplinary research, teaching, and experiential learning. Today, perhaps more than at any time in our history, our work in this area is vital. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges our nation and the world must confront in the coming years.

22
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Sport and Wellness

The Sport and Wellness Initiative extends the University of Oregon’s already strong reputation and leadership in the field. Among the university’s many athletic accolades, during Summer 2022, the UO hosted the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field, the first time the event was held in the US or on a college campus. Through the Sport and Wellness Initiative, the UO is establishing itself as a global leader in the sport business, marketing, communication, human performance and wellness industries and is setting the global research agenda in this set of fields. We are pursuing the discovery of valuable research outcomes that will translate into meaningful and positive health impacts for the State of Oregon and the world. We will also contribute insights into the economics, business, law, and culture of the global sports industry.

The University of Oregon is poised to deliver a new model of transdisciplinary education and research that recognizes the integrated nature of the sport and wellness fields and innovate academic experiences for the next generation of leaders. Our programs, courses, research, and partnerships will be structured to address complex sport and wellness problems, examine issues of race in both intercollegiate and professional sports, and attract students from every corner of the globe.

23
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health

The COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the already severe mental health crisis facing young people in the United States—a crisis that disproportionately affects persistently underserved children and has led to growing levels of depression, anxiety, and, in some cases, suicide. In 2022, the UO launched The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health with a $425 million gift from Connie and Steve Ballmer. The Ballmer Institute represents a bold new approach to improving the behavioral health and wellness of children and adolescents in Oregon and beyond.

24
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

The Ballmer Institute creates an entirely new profession, aimed at promoting the behavioral health and wellness of children and adolescents with an emphasis on early detection and prevention of mental health disorders. Child behavioral health specialists who graduate from the Ballmer Institute will enrich the behavioral health and wellness of children and adolescents across identities and abilities, from a variety of family structures and backgrounds, in schools, public health, and other health care settings.

Led by two of the highest ranked units in our university—the Psychology Department and the College of Education—we are hiring 25 new faculty members, beginning a certificate program in behavioral health for teachers in the Portland area, and launching a fouryear bachelor’s degree program to train University of Oregon students to provide mental health services in K-12 schools. The Ballmer Institute will also engage in clinically based research on what interventions are most effective in promoting good behavioral health among our young people.

As part of the launch of the Ballmer Institute, the UO purchased a 19-acre university campus in northeast Portland. The new campus builds on the university’s strong history in the Portland area and allows for new opportunities to connect the UO’s research with communities in Portland and across the state.

25
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL

Data Science

The sophisticated analysis of large and varied data sets is transforming society and scholarship within universities leading to breakthroughs in understanding and the ability to improve our citizen’s health and wellbeing. In 2018, the UO announced the Data Science Initiative, which is building on the UO’s long history as a liberal arts research university with a strong culture of interdisciplinary collaboration. The domains of focus thus far include accounting, biology, earth sciences, economics, education, English, geography, linguistics, marketing analytics, physics, and sociology.

In 2019 the UO announced a partnership with Oregon Health & Science University to further catalyze discovery and scientific impact, with a focus on research collaborations, educational programs, and administrative policies, including a new joint Center for Biomedical Data Science. An undergraduate program which began in fall 2020 has 85 students in its first two cohorts and has served 271 students in DSCI 101, an introductory general education course required for entry into the major.

26
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Global Studies and Languages

As the world struggles with a pandemic, racial reckoning, climate change, and the rise of authoritarianism, the need for people who can think, communicate, and collaborate across cultures and nations has never been greater. These major societal issues inherently transcend borders. They also require individuals who are adept in approaching problems and solutions from multiple and interdisciplinary perspectives and who can communicate and collaborate across diverse cultures and peoples. The new School of Global Studies and Languages within the College of Arts and Sciences provides an opportunity to draw on diverse strengths in languages and social sciences at the UO to provide new training and career opportunities for students and support for innovative research among faculty. To date, the faculty have articulated a clear vision of what the school can become, and the central administration has committed substantial resources, curricular innovation, international engagement, and new facilities that will allow the school to create a clear identity and base of operations within Friendly Hall. Next steps involve hiring a new director for the school, implementation of new curriculum and hiring of new faculty.

27
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
|

STUDENT SUCCESS

There is no goal more important to our university and the State of Oregon than educating our students and launching them into productive lives. The university has defined student success as follows: “Our students will graduate from the University of Oregon having had a positive experience, and will be well educated, socially responsible, and career ready.”

Timely Graduation

The value of a college degree has increased dramatically in recent years. Failure of students to graduate on time, or sometimes at all, is extraordinarily costly to our students and their families and represents a waste of public resources. In 2015, the university set a goal of improving four-year graduation

by 10 percentage points by 2020. The opening of Tykeson Hall, and the investment by the university in 23 new academic advisors, contributed to an increase in the four-year graduation rate to 60.7% in 2019 and 61.3% in 2020.

The pandemic, the economic distress accompanying the pandemic, and the university’s adoption of remote education for much of the 2020-21 school year took its toll on timely graduation.

According to the most recent data, the graduation rate has fallen to 59.3% (for the class that matriculated in 2017). The retention rate for first time, first year students, however, has increased from 84.2% for the class of 2023 to 87.2% for the class of 2024 .

29

Disparities in graduation rates exist between the university’s white student population and its under-represented students. Among white students, the four-year graduation rate is 61.5%. The corresponding rates for Black, Latino, and Native American/ Alaska Native students are 51.4%, 50.4%, and 50%, respectively. Socioeconomic disparities in timely graduation also exist: among Pell Eligible students, the four-year graduation rate is 51.7%; among non-Pell Eligible students it is 61.7%. One program of pride for the UO is PathwayOregon, which covers the cost of tuition and fees for academically qualified, Pell-eligible Oregonians. PathwayOregon students graduation rate is 57%, approaching the UO’s non-Pell eligible students.

The university is focused on two objectives with respect to timely graduation. First, we are working to recover the two percentage point pandemic-related loss in four-year graduation rates and push the rate even higher than our record of 61.3%. Second, we are focused on reducing the disparities between under-represented student graduation rates and white student graduation rates. We will also reduce or eliminate disparities between lower income and first-generation students, and the rest of our students. It is unacceptable for these disparities to continue, and their elimination is the top priority of our student success and equity efforts. To make this happen, we are focusing on intensive advising, efforts to achieve inclusion, financial aid, and the hiring and retention of historically under-represented faculty and staff.

30
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Career Readiness

One of the primary outcomes students and parents, alike, seek from a college degree is a career, preferably one that is fulfilling to them and allows them to live comfortably. Indeed, the building of Tykeson Hall was informed by the belief that academic advising should be paired to career advising and experiential activities like internships and research assistantships. Despite some improvements in focus and impressive projects like the Portland Internship Experience and several internal internship opportunities, we need to do more to successfully launch our students and ensure opportunities are available to all students regardless of their race, income, or other characteristics.

This effort will require the cooperation of the Career Center, Undergraduate Education and Student Success, Residential Life, and the University of Oregon Alumni Association. It will also require the investment of resources for career advisors, paid internships, and staff to connect students to internship opportunities and other forms of experiential learning. We anticipate our efforts to promote career readiness will make good use of our new Portland campus.

31
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential drivers of excellence at the University of Oregon. The UO is committed to recruiting and retaining qualified students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds to enrich the university’s scholarship and teaching and allow the institution to better serve our diverse communities throughout Oregon. At the UO, the vision is for diversity, equity, and inclusion to be commonplace in all aspects of the institution. The university continually monitors, evaluates, and acts on these aspects of campus life to ensure accountability.

33
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |
PRESIDENTIAL

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID

Scholarships and financial aid are essential for the university to achieve many of its priorities. Some academic programs such as those within the Ballmer Institute will not achieve their goals if we do not provide a significant proportion of the enrolled students with scholarships. In addition, the university’s objective to enroll and graduate more under-represented students and students from families with modest incomes will only succeed if we can offer appropriate financial aid. While the Pathway Oregon scholarship model is sufficient to enable most lower income Oregon residents to attend the university tuition-free, it does not cover housing and food expenses, which are increasingly becoming barriers to attendance. Thus, we will seek to expand our financial aid and scholarship programs to help more students afford the full cost of attending the University of Oregon.

34
PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON | PRESIDENTIAL

LOCATION

Eugene

The University of Oregon’s home campus is located in Eugene, Oregon. Situated in the southern end of the Willamette Valley, the campus is an hour from the Oregon coast, an hour from the Cascade Mountains, and two hours from Portland. Lovingly referred to as “Tracktown USA,” Eugene is known for its active community of runners, arts and culture scene, and burgeoning “foody” venues with locally grown food and beverages. It is ranked one of the top biking cities in the United States.

Portland

The purchase of the campus in Northeast Portland formerly used by Concordia University presents extraordinary opportunities for the University of Oregon. The highest priority is to establish the campus as the home of the Ballmer Institute. Second, the university will transition programs currently operated out of the White Stag Building in Old Town to the new campus. The opportunities are endless and include new degree programs proposed by our schools and colleges, internship programs, continuing education, and pipeline initiatives.

35
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The University of Oregon (UO) seeks to appoint the next president of the university. The UO seeks a president who relentlessly pursues and promotes institutional excellence and has a demonstrated and well-articulated passion for public higher education. This person will be an innovative leader and a strategic thinker with a record of uncompromising integrity and an unwavering moral compass.

The Position

The President is the University of Oregon’s chief executive officer, administrator, and advocate. They are the university’s standard bearer for institutional excellence, one who can use their leadership effectively to positively transform the entire institution. The President of the University of Oregon personifies the institution’s care for and commitment to its great purpose—enhancing the social, cultural, physical, and

economic wellbeing of our students. Together with the Board of Trustees, the President will provide vision and strategic leadership for the University. The University of Oregon is among the nation’s great public research universities as a member of the AAU. The President will honor the deep commitment the university has to students, research, and to its liberal arts roots while it continues to make unprecedented investments in areas of societal impact, as demonstrated by recent initiatives in the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact and the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health in Portland.

The university’s next leader should work with and support faculty from a wide range of disciplines who are committed to enhancing their academic influence and societal impact in ways that further accelerate the university’s ambition and commitment to excellence.

36
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

The university’s success is inextricably linked to the success of its faculty, staff, and students. The UO is committed to being a sought-after destination for faculty, staff, and students who create knowledge and practical impact. The next President will cultivate and nurture an environment that attracts and supports the highest quality, highest performing, and most diverse faculty, staff, and students to deliver on this mission of academic excellence, research, and public service. They will do so by utilizing their experience to lead and support an exemplary campus culture and community, one that fosters inclusion, belonging, safety, respect, and equity. Institutional excellence comes through strong management, principles of shared governance, as well as prudent and bold financial leadership. The President will provide clear, trusted management and direction to leaders throughout the institution, including vice presidents and direct reports.

They should be able to collaborate in shared governance with the University’s Senate to develop and implement high standards of our academic mission. The next President should have a demonstrated track record of making financial and managerial decisions to ensure fiscal strength. The next President will lead an ambitious commitment to earning private philanthropic support and partnerships.

Grounded in a commitment to collaboration and excellence, the University of Oregon is a leader in the local community, state, region, nation, and beyond. The President will lead university engagement with the community; including elected and governmental officials; professional and educational associations; state, federal, and international agencies, and the public at large. The President will actively participate in community affairs in Eugene/Springfield, Portland, and the broader state of Oregon and will build strong relationships with communities across the state,

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

37
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE

and advocate for public resources at the state legislature.

The President will work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, other university Presidents, elected and appointed officials, education leaders, and business leaders to advance shared goals for public education and impact/or service in the state of Oregon.

• An earned doctorate, appropriate terminal degree, or equivalent record of successful executive leadership with experience sufficient to warrant the respect of the academic community;

• Uncompromising ethical standards and strength of character (honesty, integrity, authenticity, humility, and empathy);

Along with its commitment to academic and environmental excellence, the University of Oregon also has a tradition of excellence in athletics, which has helped introduce the university to the world. The President will maintain institutional oversight of and support the success of the UO’s Division I NCAA intercollegiate athletics program.

The Board encourages those who have demonstrated a track record on the issues outlined above to apply to lead the university’s next ambitious era. To ensure success in the role, the next President should have the following:

• Record of leadership in promoting racial equity and inclusion enhancing diversity in all its forms, which includes a cohesive and inclusive culture;

• Executive leadership and management experience demonstrating shared governance, and the ability to lead a large, complex academic institution with multiple campuses;

• The ability to navigate political landscapes with a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing public higher education, from a state and national perspective, and their impact on a competitive research university;

38
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

• An ability to develop and effectively communicate a shared, compelling, and exciting vision to move UO into the top 50 national universities, while inspiring and mobilizing the various constituency groups to implement and achieve the vision;

• A vision for leveraging UO’s well-known brand identity to foster growth of the academic and creative enterprises, expand research opportunities (both basic and applied), value arts and humanities, and maintain the highest standards of quality in undergraduate and graduate education;

• A strong commitment to inclusion, transparency, collaboration, and shared governance, and excellent communication skills including the ability to collaborate effectively and build consensus across multiple constituencies, both internal, faculty, staff, and student, as well as external alumni, donors, local and state community members;

• Unwavering commitment to the overall well-being of undergraduate and graduate students, ability, and enthusiasm to connect and relate with students and the student experience, a record of involvement in initiatives that support student success, achievement, graduation, and career-readiness, and the ability to support underrepresented students;

• Fiscal acumen with demonstrated success in navigating shifting financial landscapes;

• Commitment to recruit and retain talented faculty and staff, especially those from underrepresented and/or marginalized backgrounds;

• Appreciation for and an understanding of the complexities of a multi-union environment;

• Successful track record of fundraising and developing external and community relationships;

39
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

• A commitment to and understanding of the value of a strong Division I intercollegiate athletic program and the academic success of our student-athletes;

• A perspective that values the importance of communitybased relationships that are strategic, constructive, and positive; and an ability to use that perspective to bolster relationships in the Eugene/Springfield area, Portland, Salem, and throughout the state;

• A commitment to environmental sustainability efforts and their systemic impact on our local, regional, and global responsibility;

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a full range of external constituents, such as alumni, donors, members of the community, media, legislators, other government officials, and leaders in the private and nonprofit sectors;

• Value in and respect for a robust arts community.

40
| PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

SEARCH TEAM AND CONTACT INFORMATION

The Search Committee invites nominations, applications (a letter of interest, full curriculum vitae or resume, and the names and contact information of five or more references) or expressions of interest to be forwarded to the search firm assisting The University of Oregon (electronic submissions preferred). Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. All nominations and applications should be submitted to the search firm prior to February 1, 2023.

Laurie C. Wilder, President

Porsha L. Williams, Vice President Parker Executive Search

Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875; Atlanta, GA 30328

Phone: 770-804-1996 X 102 or X 109 lwilder@parkersearch.com || pwilliams@parkersearch.com

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON |

41
PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE
An equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.