The University of Oregon Board of Trustees plans to discuss goals for the new president, research and the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overrule affirmative action, among other university-related topics at its meetings Monday and Tuesday.
Starting at 9 a.m. Monday, three committee sessions will be held: the Finance and Facilities Committee; the Executive, Audit and Governance Committee; then the Academic and Student Affairs Committee.
Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will include the full board and action items to be voted on as well as public comment and reports from the Associated Students of UO and the University Senate. There will also be a closed executive session held beforehand at 8 a.m.
For both days, the meetings will be held at the UO Portland Campus, 70 NW Couch St., in the White Stag Building. All meetings will also be streamed on UO’s YouTube channel.
UO is accepting requests to speak during public comment until 9 a.m. Monday, 24 hours before the full board meeting. Email trustees@uoregon.edu for more information.
Presidential goals
This quarterly meeting is the first since the last regular meeting in June. Since then, President Karl Scholz has stepped into his new role as head of the university.
One of the roles of the Board of Trustees is to oversee and review the president. Scholz has submitted a list of priorities for the 2023-24 school year with a focus on building organizational foundations, professional and community relationships and engagement.
This will be discussed during the Executive, Audit, and Governance Committee meeting at 10 a.m. Monday.
The following are Scholz’s priorities for the coming year:
- Build an outstanding leadership team.
- Foster a strong culture of leadership and collaborative responsibility within theleadership team.
- Build and deepen ties with the UO community through extensive engagement.
- Support the university’s objectives through philanthropy and set the stage for expanded support and engagement.
- Position the university to provide stability, visibility and future academic/athletic conference success.
- Establish the university’s roadmap for success and flourishing in the years to come.
Research report
During Monday’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting, Anshuman “AR” Razdan, vice president for research and innovation at UO, will give an annual report on university research.
The presentation highlights wins for UO research, including recent awards.
In fiscal year 2023, UO research received $180.5 million in awards to go toward research endeavors. Overall in 2023, research statistics remained “steady” compared to FY 2022.
Razdan will also give an update on Launch Oregon, the university’s program to help get startups off the ground.
Supreme Court decision and enrollment
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn affirmative action. With the decision, the high court overruled Grutter v. Bollinger, a 2003 case that allowed institutions of higher education to use race as a factor in post-secondary school admissions.
Shortly after the vote, UO was among a slew of colleges that publicly denounced the change. A statement from university leaders said UO was disappointed in the decision, reaffirming a commitment to admitting “excellent students,” which has supported its values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
During Tuesday’s board meeting, UO vice president and general counsel Kevin Reed and vice president for equity and inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh will give a presentation on the Students for Fair Admissions decision and its impact on admissions.
According to the materials in the meeting packet, the presentation will go over UO’s values, including diversity and fostering equity and inclusion. It also outlines demographics for the school, both for students and staff.
The presentation also will discuss strategies to advance inclusion within these new constraints.
Agenda items, meeting-by-meeting
Finance and Facilities Committee at 9 a.m. Monday:
- Quarterly financial and treasury reports.
- Long-term financial projections.
Executive, Audit and Governance Committee at 10 a.m. Monday:
- Review board governance policy.
- Presidential goal setting.
- Annual internal audit report.
Academic and Student Affairs Committee at 1 p.m. Monday:
- Provost’s report.
- Presentation from the Sustainable City Year Program.
- Updates on UO Portland.
- Annual research report.
- Proposed changes to the Student Code of Conduct.
Board of Trustees executive session regarding collective bargaining at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Board of Trustees meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday:
- Public comments.
- Reports from ASUO, University Senate and UO President Karl Scholz.
- Vote on motions approved by Monday’s committee meetings.
- Presentation on recent Supreme Court decision.
- Presentation on university athletics finances and transition Big Ten.
- Presentation on state and regional dynamics and the role of higher education.
Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.
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