UO E-Clips is a daily report prepared by the Office of Communications (http://comm.uoregon.edu) summarizing current news coverage of the University of Oregon.
Media mentions for October 5
State legislative panel endorses autonomy for UO, other universities
The Register-Guard: The University of Oregon moved one step closer to its sought-after independence Thursday when a legislative panel unanimously approved language for a bill to create local governing boards. But, meeting in Salem, the Special Committee on University Governance also retreated from granting the university-based boards the autonomy to hire university presidents. Instead, the state Board of Higher Education would keep approval over the top job at the state’s seven major and regional universities, according to a draft that will now be formalized for consideration by the Legislature, which convenes in January.
EDITORIAL: States downgrade research
The Register-Guard: The National Science Foundation exists to promote scientific research and education, and it couldn’t serve its mission without state universities. Sixty percent of the $33 billion the federal government spent to support nonmedical research in 2010 went to the nation’s 101 top public research universities, including the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. The foundation recently issued a report sounding an alarm about declining state support for its partners in scientific and technical research. Oregon should pay special attention to the foundation’s warning: The decline in state support for the UO and OSU has been among the nation’s steepest.
Cambridge Architectural Solar Shading Contributes to LEED Gold Certified Ford Alumni Center
PR Web: Solar shading fins from Cambridge Architectural adorn the gateway to the University of Oregon -- the Ford Alumni Center. The new alumni center, designed by TVA Architects, Inc., welcomes past and prospective students to the campus with interactive information kiosks and a sustainable design which awarded LEED Gold Certification.
Obama, Romney Face Off in First Debate
The Chosunilbo: President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, faced off Wednesday in their first debate of the election campaign. The debate focused on the top issue of the campaign, the state of the U.S. economy ... Joseph Lowndes, a professor of political science at the University of Oregon, says the first debate is usually the most important, especially for the challenger. While he believes both candidates performed well, he says Romney did not score a decisive victory. “No challenger who has trailed as much as Romney has, going into this debate, has ever won. So I think, you know, it is not likely to be enough of a bump to actually change the game in any significant ways,” he said.
The Bend Bulletin: University of Oregon economist Tim Duy’s Index of Economic Indicators increased by more than two points, year over year, in August, according to a report released Thursday. The number of initial unemployment claims dropped in August compared to August 2011 -- to the lowest level since October 2007, Duy wrote -- while the number of residential building permits and the national consumer sentiment increased. “The UO Index suggests continued economic growth, although that growth is likely to remain somewhat below that experienced in periods of economic expansions in Oregon since 1990,” Duy wrote.
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Late mentions for October 4
Panel advances bill for university independence
KPIC: A legislative panel voted Thursday to send the full Legislature a bill allowing some Oregon universities to create their own governing boards and increase their independence from the statewide university system. The draft legislation was adopted unanimously by the Special Committee on University Governance, a panel created earlier this year following a strong push by the University of Oregon and Portland State University. Administrators at UO and PSU say independent boards would help them raise more money and better manage their affairs in an era of diminished state funding. The presidents of other universities have been more skeptical.
'Silent Earthquakes' Ripple Under Cascadia
KUOW: Parts of Washington and Oregon are in the midst of silent earthquakes this week. You can't feel this so-called “slow slip” quake and it doesn't cause damage. Still, scientists want to learn more about the recently discovered phenomenon. Little is certain so far, but there's a possibility these deep tremors could trigger a damaging earthquake or serve as a warning bell for the Big One ... University of Oregon Professor David Schmidt makes an analogy to a car teetering partway over a cliff. “And these small slow slip events are somebody standing behind that car giving it a little nudge every several months. So even though the nudge is small, at some point that nudge might be enough to kind of tip us over the edge and cause the car to fall off the cliff.”
Just the Facts: Television Revenue
GoDucks.com: There is considerable misinformation on television contracts and the amount of money the University of Oregon receives from the Pac-12 Conference. Television revenue has been grossly overstated in various reports. The amount reported is often an average of the projected revenue over the life of the new television contracts with ESPN and Fox as well as projections on Pac-12 Networks revenue. The University of Oregon has been transparent in sharing UO financial date with the public ... Here are the facts.