Last night's superbly organized and informative teach-in got me thinking about Wayne Westling and how much I missed him. He would have been delighted at the teach-in, how professionally it was run, and how much information was shared. I felt him sitting next to me, whispering in my ear the question: What is a University?

Is it sharing a pitcher with friends? Going to an autumn football game? Biking through campus? Certainly.

Is it going to classes, listening to a lecture, writing a paper, being in lab, spending time in studio, practicing, reading, studying? Absolutely.

Is it making new friends, enjoying old ones, playing sports, walking, talking, sharing? Yes again.

A University is obviously all of these. But to me, A university is fundamentally a place where one learns two facilities of lasting value: how to think critically and how to express oneself both verbally and in writing. That's it -- the pinnacle (or as Spanky in Our Gang would say pinocle) of a University education.

Let's explore those two points for a moment.

Critical thinking - the current catch phrase de jour in educational circles - means putting together seemingly disparate facts into some sort of unity of understanding. This unity of information is oftentimes difficult to interpret, sometimes brilliant, always meaningful. As a scientist I struggle through this process every day in our experiments. It is like putting together a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle with 1000 pieces on the table. The difficulty lies in finding the correct pieces and getting them to stick to each other. This requires taking each piece and trying to integrate it into the emerging whole. One thing is certain - each piece must be evaluated carefully before it is used or discarded. Implicit in this evaluative process is the notion that each piece is potentially important. No piece is a priori useless. Each piece is treated with respect. Wayne lived and taught this point every day.

Articulating one's thoughts through written and oral statement is the second hallmark of a University. Emphasis is on logic, conciseness and precision. In science as in other disciplines, clarity of statement is a prerequisite for successful communication, and although some might think otherwise, science is an intensely interactive, social activity - the days of nerds in white lab coats spending days in isolation is an overused and inappropriate stereotype. One important outcome of clarity of statement is that it forces the listener to examine what is being stated - it reinforces good listening techniques. And no one was a better listener than Wayne.

Critical thinking and clarity of statement and their offspring, respect for different ideas and good listening is the currency I, Wayne, and most faculty hold most dear in our University.

How's does this University stack up on these two counts? Being a tie-dyed in the wool academic I give it two grades, a ``B+'' and a ``C+''. And Wayne agrees.

The ``B+'' goes to our students, staff, faculty and administration for producing University graduates of a very high caliber. I never cease to be amazed by our students. The biology students I have the privilege of teaching are as good as any University in the country; many match the quality of best students I have taught at Princeton and Cambridge University in England. Our students come here with a willingness and desire to learn, and our faculty do an excellent job of improving their skills. Come to my Senior Research Seminar and meet students who would make you proud to be a member of this University. Of course we can do better and we should, hence the B+ (no grade inflation here - sorry). That's the good news.

The not-so-good news is that, although we teach these skills quite well, we do not always use these skills when interacting with ourselves. Respect for opposing viewpoints and the willingness to be a good listener, are sadly lacking at times. This occurs not only among individuals but between University units, resulting in a serious lack of trust and an heightened sense of suspicion. I hear it all the time...''The professional schools get all the resources''; ``The sciences are protected'', ``Blah blah dept never gets cut''. My three favorites are ``the administration never listens'', ``faculty are self-centered whiners'', and ``athletics are completely out of control''. Like all good just-so stories, these have just enough truth to them to be repeated, but too little to be taken on face value. We've stopped treating each other with the same respect we demand from our students. I grade ourselves a ``C+'' - with the notation of ``underachiever''.

There is the growing realization that the University is, to use the metaphor of President Frohnmayer, in the midst of a period of constant white water. We seem to face an endless set of obstacles in our path. And to extend the Presidents's metaphor, we need to paddle all in the same direction if the obstacles are to be avoided. New routes must be found and these can only be achieved through consensus building and respectful dialog. To achieve our shared goals - and we do have common aspirations and strong values - we have to stop distrusting each other, and develop a framework of mutual respect through shared decision making.

There are hopeful signs that this new model of respectful interaction and shared decision-making is emerging - the Senate Budget Committee's continued work through Wayne's steady guidance on improving faculty salaries and the agreement reached last spring on reducing the financial support for athletics demonstrate that consensus building - through respect for different ideas and good listening-- can generate positive results and develop a unity of purpose among the different stakeholder groups on campus.

But we can't stop there. We must continue to affirm our common goals, our shared values in everything we do, in every decision we make.

In March 2000 the University Senate passed and the University President promulgated a very thoughtful and strong statement entitled Affirmation of Community Standards. It states:

``The University of Oregon community is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the development of integrity. In order to thrive and excel, this community must preserve the freedom of thought and statement of all its members. The University of Oregon has a long and illustrious history in the area of academic freedom and freedom of speech. A culture of respect that honors the rights, safety, dignity and worth of every individual is essential to preserve such freedom. We affirm our respect for the rights and well-being of all members. We further affirm our commitment to:

Respect the dignity and essential worth of all individuals.

Promote a culture of respect throughout the University community.

Respect the privacy, property, and freedom of others.

Reject bigotry, discrimination, violence, or intimidation of any kind.

Practice personal and academic integrity and expect it from others.

Promote the diversity of opinions, ideas and backgrounds which is the lifeblood of the university.''

 

I am very proud to be a member of a University faculty capable and willing to stage last night's Teach-In. Attended by an overflow crowd of 1200+ people, it affirms the very best the University offers - the free discourse of ideas presented and accepted respectfully. The University must provide leadership to our students and staff and to the public during this period of crisis and the teach-in as well as the activities of the recently established Senate ad hoc committee are excellent first steps in the right direction. The University must continue to support these efforts or else we will have failed in our mission.

Perhaps we are improving and that ``C+'' may have to be changed. Last year I gave us a ``C'' and the year before we got a ''D+''. If Herb Cherek our wonderful registrar will allow us to continue to retake the course, perhaps we can aspire to a ``B'', ``B+'' or even an ``A''. I hope we can build upon our recent past and continue to develop models of responsible and respectful discourse that allows the concept of shared campus governance to flourish and prosper. And if we stray from the path, I assure you that Wayne will be behind us, gently nudging us back on course.