Letter from UO President Frohnmayer to the UO Community April 5, 2002

April 5, 2002

Dear Colleagues:

Nearly every quarter, I try to write words of news and greetings to you. The task always seems easiest in the spring when buds, blossoms, and sun-filled skies herald the change of seasons and promise ever-lengthening glorious Eugene days. This spring is no exception.

We have seen a year so far of great contrasts: ever increasing enrollments of bright, inquisitive, and highly qualified students and darkening fiscal reports from the state capital in Salem; an unparalleled series of successes in football and men's and women's basketball, coupled with vocal concerns about the appropriate place of intercollegiate athletics at the nation's major universities; efforts to accommodate ever-increasing numbers of persons from diverse cultures and backgrounds amid recriminations that our performance is inadequate or that our behaviors are inconsistent with professions of tolerance and inclusion. Let me touch on some of these topics.

Thanks to an administrative structure that is lean by any measure and academic units that are both disciplined and prudent, we have not been irreparably damaged by two budget-cutting special sessions. I am particularly grateful to deans, department heads, the provost, and the senate budget committee for their collegial participation and wise choices in administering our budget during these precarious times.

As I write, a third special session is contemplated for some time later in the spring. Let me assuage the concerns of those who worry that further budget adjustments might be made only after the conclusion of the academic year when many faculty are absent from campus. Our system of shared governance is such that I would convene members of the Faculty Advisory Council and the Senate Budget Committee as a regular part of our consultative process if significant actions are required. As of this date, I have no information that leads me to believe that a catastrophic cutback is looming, but I will keep you informed.

It is a cruel irony that a series of budget crises should mar a year so bright with promise in so many respects. Friends, both near and far, old and new, tell us that athletic successes have enhanced the luster of the university and raised its profile academically as well as athletically. Private fund-raising for all purposes continues to proceed at a record-setting pace. The coverage we have received in the national media is gratifyingly, perhaps even astonishingly, positive, and the university has become the desired destination of many for whom it would not have been a choice even a few years ago. A very recent opinion survey, which we are still studying, shows an overwhelmingly positive impression of the university by alumni, donors and the Oregon public.

Despite the halo of success, it is unwise to deal with present fiscal uncertainties as merely temporary phenomena. For the past six months we have been developing a plan for the next five years that identifies our "strategic directions." Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of members of the university community have made thoughtful suggestions in the development of this document. A new working draft, we hope in nearly final form, will be ready for further distribution soon. Associated with this planning process, we have developed the case for a newly defined relationship with the state, an essential step in reaching our strategic goals and in developing even greater fiscal autonomy. Only 18 percent of the budget of the University of Oregon comes from state tax sources, and, by the time budget cuts are processed, that number may fall as low as 15 percent. This shocking level of disinvestment surely argues for giving us greater authority to raise revenue and manage our fiscal affairs. You will hear much more about our directions in the next several weeks, and I give you an early notice of a town hall meeting on May 20 that the University Senate leadership has generously agreed to host.

We have been much occupied with issues concerning diversity and, in particular, issues of race and ethnicity. We are still engaged in an active internal dialogue on recommendations made by Dr. Elson Floyd and others concerning directions that would make us more effective in dealing with these vexing issues in the future. At the same time, it is a grave disservice by anyone to overlook the substantial progress we have made in recent years. For that reason, I will shortly release a discussion paper that will contain an accurate and, in my view, impressive recitation of the expenditures and achievements we have made in the pursuit of a richly diverse campus culture.

I am deeply grateful to all of those who have given their comments, views, and constructive advice on the university's logo and the broader question of how we represent ourselves to a variety of internal and external audiences. I will announce my decision on this matter very early next week.

As I write, we have completed the groundbreaking ceremonies marking the massive and much-needed renovation of Gilbert Hall. This is the largest academic project for which private funds have ever been raised on this campus. The completed building will be a masterpiece that will serve virtually every academic unit in a manner befitting twenty-first century education. The intervening months before completion, however, will undoubtedly be difficult for a great many people on campus, both those whose classes are displaced and those who will be exposed to the sounds and burdens of a major construction project. I issue here a plea for tolerance and understanding. We need to work collectively to minimize the burdens of completing this needed project and to make sure that they do not fall unfairly on the good-spirited few.

As always, I welcome your advice, comments, and observations. Please feel free to contact me at pres@oregon. I wish you a productive and joyous spring.

Warm regards,

Dave Frohnmayer President