Letter from UO President Frohnmayer to the UO Community October 4, 2003

Dear Colleagues:

The passing of the fall equinox, the growing awareness of shorter days and the chill of early mornings all signal the new season. The arrival of anxious but eager new students and the return of more seasoned faces always gives this campus its annual burst of renewed energy that spectacular autumnal colors shortly will salute as well. I am happy again to bring you my own warm words of welcome.

The entering class we have just greeted brings us motivated students with the highest grade point averages, best test scores and broadest racial and ethnic diversity in our history. The 2004 edition of the respected Fiske Guide to Colleges lists us among the nation's top forty "best buys" for the sixth year in a row. We are the single west coast public university in this category.

In three weeks, we will host, for the first time in our history, the annual fall meeting of the Association of American Universities _ the select organization of the 62 leading research universities in North America. Our scholars continue to win international acclaim; we have replaced departing faculty with world-class recruits; our success in winning external support in peer-reviewed awards has grown by 30 percent in slightly more than a year; and our private fundraising last year exceeded our total state appropriation. If I were to conclude this entirely truthful account here, our reaction should be one of justified pride and unrestrained joy.

But, of course, the account truthfully cannot stop here. A beleaguered state economy and a long, politically fractured legislative session brought serious cuts to our state funding. Nearly twenty percent of our students now are being educated on the increment of their tuition dollars alone. A mandated and, in my view, unfair and unwise salary freeze will bring personal hardships that compound other issues challenging our national competitiveness. A settlement with our classified staff a few weeks ago happily averted a strike, but the economic climate, compounded with legal uncertainties over the future of retirement programs, leaves these valued employees with a lessened sense of security than their long and loyal performance should merit. Amidst my words of welcome, therefore, let me add my words of deep gratitude for all who continue to work here for your high performance and your exceptional good spirit in these times. These are not idle words: parents of new and returning students routinely tell me of the exceptional faculty and employees who have greeted or helped them here.

We have only begun the process of assessing how we will meet the financial challenges of this biennium. I continue my pledge to engage faculty leadership in the discussion of our budgetary strategy as soon as numbers are available to us. That process has already begun with the faculty leadership retreat this month. We so far have avoided the layoffs and program reductions affecting other campuses in Oregon and the nation because of our fiscal prudence, wise resource management and long anticipation of the state's economic circumstances. We have vowed, whatever more drastic measures may be required, that we will not sacrifice the quality of our education and inquiry. My memory of Oregon's budgetary crises in higher education extends back to 1971. We have survived each crisis and emerged stronger with our sense of community and our aspirations intact. We can do so again.

For this report to be balanced, I should report legislative successes as well, and those were substantial. We secured, with many allies, passage of SB437, the Higher Education Efficiency Act, which gives us new tools to operate with flexibility and economy. We received initial funding for a "Signature Research Center," and we received bonding authorization for several needed capital upgrades and expansions, including the use of student fees for an expanded Health and Counseling Center and several housing projects. On a federal level, thanks to our congressional delegation, we received another $3 million for our Brain, Biology and Machine Initiative and other needed projects beyond that priority.

Our comprehensive campaign is on target. Outstanding leaders have agreed to serve; we have received substantial but as yet unannounced commitments; our ambitious private fundraising targets are on schedule; and our messages are being refined and well-received. The campaign will "go public" at this time next year as the most ambitious philanthropic effort for any cause, public or private, in the history of Oregon.

This letter would seem uninformed or less than candid were I not to mention other matters of concern. The burden on our students of an increased share of educational costs is heavy for many families, and they deserve both our empathy and our full service. The issues presented by intercollegiate athletics will continue to command both our attention and an informed dialogue. The fact that we have developed one of the few self-sustaining programs in the nation has not alleviated an evident fear of the creation of two cultures: one of privilege and the other of deprivation. In this respect, however, let me acknowledge the spectacular philanthropy that has built the extraordinary Lillis Business Complex. In a few short months, nearly twenty percent of the university's teaching spaces will, quite literally, be the world's most modern.

As I write these words, I have just announced the Howe Field site for the new arena. This, in my judgment, will best serve the university's students and our larger community for generations. The design phase is intended directly to accommodate concerns that neighbors, faculty and staff forthrightly have expressed. Those constituencies will be heard directly in the design process. I also believe the location will allow us better to address long-standing parking and transportation issues that affect many employees as well as visitors to the activities of our campus.

These words are only a beginning of our conversation this year, not a conclusion for it. Through the years, I have appreciated the direct communications on issues that concern you. As the fall term begins, I extend this invitation once again, with deep gratitude for your hard work and good will. Feel free to contact me at pres@oregon.uoregon.edu.

Warmest regards,

Dave Frohnmayer President