Minutes of the University Senate Organizational Meeting

May 31, 2006

 

 

Present: C.A. Bassett, S. Brownmiller, M. Chong*, S. Cohen, A. Coles-Bjerre, M. Dennis, A. Emami, N. Fujii, S. Gary, P. Gilkey, S. Holmberg*, A. Hornof, J. Hurwit, P. Lambert, L. LaTour, P. Lu, B. Malle, Corlea (Sue) Martinez*, T. Minner, C. Minson, J. Newton, D. Olson, V. Ostrik, F. Pyle, G. Sayre, A. Schulz, J. Sneirson, P. Swangard, N. Tublitz, J. Wagenknecht, K. Wagle

 

Excused: C. Bengston, G. Berk, C. Cherry, A. Djiffack, C. Ellis, R. Irvin, L. Karim, A. Mathas, K. McPherson, M. Pangburn, C. Parsons, G. Psaki, L. Richardson, P. Rounds, J. Stolet

 

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

Senate President Peter Keyes called the organizational meeting of the 2006-07 University Senate to order in the Browsing Room of Knight Library at 3:05 p.m.

 

 

ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS

 

President Keyes asked newly elected members of the senate to introduce themselves, after which the secretary provided information regarding the attendance policies, name badges, and navigating the senate web site.

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

Professor Anne McLucas gave a few remarks acknowledging the contributions retiring Vice President for Academic Affairs Lorraine G. Davis had made to the university throughout her long and distinguished teaching and administrative career. As a former dean of the music school, Ms. McLucas noted how much she and others have appreciated Vice President Davis’ mentoring skills as well as her direct, honest, and fair approach to problem-solving. (See Addendum A for full text of Ms. McLucas’ remarks.)

 

The next presentation was made by Dean Tim Gleason, who acknowledged Senior Vice President and Provost John Moseley and his numerous contributions to the university. Dean Gleason highlighted new science buildings, research institutes, the Riverfront Research Park, strategic planning process, and superb financial acumen as earmarks of Provost Moseley’s tenure as chief academic officer during challenging financial times. He commented too on Provost’s Moseley’s support of the undergraduate mission of the university as well as his interest in promoting international programs. Dean Gleason thanked John personally for his vision and risk-taking qualities, saying the university was a better place as a result of his leadership. (See Addendum B for full text of Dean Gleason’s remarks.)

 

Senate President Keyes then made a few remarks as the outgoing senate president. He noted that the year was a particularly difficult, contentious year with the Student Conduct Code revisions, the Diversity Plan, the sale of Westmoreland student housing, and issues surrounding Department of Defense funded research on campus commanding the bulk of the agenda. He noted that issues such as those coming before the senate this year need to be debated and discussed in an open, respectful atmosphere. President Keyes commented that he had enjoyed the opportunity to interact and work with people who “make things work”. He thanked President Frohnmayer for providing good perspective throughout the year.

 

President Keyes then noted that currently there were no candidates for the Vice President position, and that efforts would be made over the summer months or early fall to identify candidates for the position, with the election taking place during fall term. He then handed the reigns of the senate to incoming President Jeanne Wagenknecht.

 

President Wagenknecht introduced President Dave Frohnmayer who added to the comments regarding the accomplishments of both Lorraine Davis and John Moseley, saying that although their combined and individual achievements were many, neither sought personal recognition. The president then thanked Peter Keyes for being a central part of the processes begun under former senate presidents that were brought to fruition through his leadership. He acknowledged and thanked a number of people who had contributed an enormous amount of time and effort throughout the year.

 

President Wagenknecht made a few brief remarks regarding the university, saying that we must continue to create brilliance and maintain it. She commented that academic excellence is not free, and that we must work to find resources to make an investment in intellectual capital. She then introduced Senator Nathan Tublitz to present the Wayne T. Westling award to the 2006 recipient, Professor of Art History Jeffrey Hurwit.

 

 

WAYNE T. WESTLING AWARD PRESENTATION

 

Senator Tublitz noted that Professor Jeffrey Hurwit was exemplary in service to the university and provided inspired leadership. He noted that Mr. Hurwit’s stellar contributions were both of quantity and quality. Saying that Mr. Hurwit has a commitment to serve with insight, honor and integrity, Senator Tublitz noted that Jeff listens carefully and thoughtfully to his colleagues, which has earned him their respect. Senator Tublitz concluded his remarks by saying that Jeff was a selfless, inspiring citizen of the university, much like the individual for whom the award is named. Mr. Hurwit replied that he was honored to receive the award, especially because Wayne Westling was a personal friend from whom he often received wise advice and counsel.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The meeting was adjourned and followed by a reception for the new senate members and Westling award recipient.

 

 

Gwen Steigelman

Secretary

 

ADDENDUM A

 

Remarks recognizing Vice President for Academic Affairs Lorraine G. Davis on her retirement

Professor Anne McLucas, School of Music

 

The opportunity to make a few remarks about Lorraine Davis as she steps down from her role in the administration of many years, is both a pleasure and a sorrow. The pleasure is probably obvious, since we have all had our wonderful moments with Lorraine, which I’ll get to in a moment. The sorrow has to do with the end of an era at the U of O. As one of the people I talked to about impressions of Lorraine said, we have operated for many years in an oral culture, with a lot of the most crucial information about administering things going unwritten.

 

When I came here as a spanking new dean in 1992 I remember being frustrated by this—where was I to turn for information about how to do my job? And then I found out where—to the master storyteller of our oral culture, Lorraine. Under that practical haircut, lurks a mind that retains the ways in which every department and every college has done things for the past few decades, along with a treasure trove of her own personal wisdom from teaching, chairing and dealing with every possible problem that comes up. And if it’s a new problem, she’ll sit with you and figure it out.

 

As a new dean—and even 9 and 10 years into the job—I found myself calling Lorraine at least once a week, and at crucial times even once a day. The remarkable thing was that she was usually there and ready to talk or answer e-mail, or if not, you would usually hear from her by the end of the day. I wish I had managed to get her secrets of time management while I was asking those questions! But this is true not only for green deans, but also for those with lots of experience—my successor as dean at the School of Music, Brad Foley told me that in his 22 years as an administrator he has never found an upper-level administrator who was more helpful, generous, responsive, encouraging, and such a positive spirit.  He told me that she is one of the most important reasons he chose to move 3500 miles to be here because I wanted to work with her. 

 

As one past associate dean put it, she has exemplified the qualities of "humane" and "tough", so seldom found in a single individual.  Of course, some people had even more colorful stories about that tough side of Lorraine. Here’s one from Joe Stone:

 

Lorraine Davis:  G-Woman.  In a pre-dawn raid early today, Lorraine Davis, (courtesy) FBI agent, raided the rooms of a local internet piracy ring on campus.  Lorraine, wearing a bright blue FBI field jacket, with the six inch letters FBI emblazoned across it, burst through the door, warrant in hand, to successfully capture the internet pirate.  Simultaneous raids were executed at MIT and Cambridge in the UK to capture other members of the piracy ring.  Asked to comment, Agent Davis, said, “At least we are in good company.” 

And that points up another aspect of her persona—that understated humility, probably from her country upbringing in rural Minnesota.

I’d like to end by reading an e-mail from a former dean who could not be here—but if he had been, I’m sure he would be doing this speech. Robert Melnick writes from Los Angeles:

I first met Lorraine in the late 1980s. I was department head in landscape architecture and Lorraine was in the provost's office. I learned then, through a challenging tenure review, that Lorraine was honest, direct, and fair. Through my years as head and then dean, I could not have done my job without her support and advice and patience.... and her private number on my cell phone. I count her among my best friends and colleagues at Oregon. Lorraine and I always had an understanding: agree or disagree, when an issue was done, it was done. She never once reminded me of all the mistakes I made [well, maybe once] and I never argued that she should have made a different decision once it was done. Lorraine and I had our regular 6 a.m. meeting almost every day, even in the rain, cold and dark. Sometimes we talked about work, sometimes about family, sometimes we didn't talk at all. We once made a run for the border, as she reminded me, and we often tossed around ideas about the details of life between Lawrence Hall and Johnson Hall. It is too easy to say that her impact on this campus, and on all of us, is immeasurable. But it is. So, Lorraine, I thank you in more ways that I can say, and wish you the very best. There really is life after administration.

 

I echo that sentiment—we all thank you, and we all wish you the very best. And yes, there IS life after administration, and it can be delightful!

 

 

ADDENDUM B

 

Remarks recognizing Senior Vice President and Provost John T. Moseley on his retirement

 

Tim Gleason, Dean, School of Journalism and Communication

 

Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words about the contributions of Senior Vice President and Provost John Moseley to the UO. Given the length and distinction of his service to this university and the Oregon University System, the academic community, the state of Oregon and beyond it is impossible to fully capture his contributions in this brief moment. The difficulty of the challenge is perhaps highlighted by the juxtaposition of these remarks to the Today Show’s three-hour tribute to Katie Curic this morning. John has been a leader on this campus for longer than Katie has been on the Today Show, and I would argue, he has confronted and made many more tough decisions.

John Moseley came to the UO as an Associate Professor of Physics in 1979 and was promoted to professor in 1982. He was, to quote one of his colleagues, a “major player” in his area of research. John participated in the development of techniques for the determination of ion-molecule transport properties and reaction rates. He developed gas phase techniques for ion photodetachment, photodissociation, and spectroscopic measurements. And he developed high-resolution methods for molecular ion spectroscopy. He was the principle investigator on several million dollars in research grants and published at least 70 research articles.

 

But John quickly began to move beyond his own research program and entered the world of academic administration in order to build the University of Oregon. In the early 1980s he was instrumental in the creation and the administration of the Chemical Physics Institute. Among the first interdisciplinary centers on campus, the CPI was an indicator of John’s interest in and vision of a campus where interdisciplinary centers are the norm and where work across disciplinary boundaries is a signature strength.

 

After briefly serving as Chair of the Department of Physics, he was named Vice President for Research, where from 1985 to 1994 he was a member of the executive leadership teams of Presidents Paul Olum and Myles Brand. The headlines of his tenure as VP for Research include: the building of the Science complex, doubling external grant support, establishing the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, development of the Riverfront Research Park, and the creation of a number of new research institutes.

 

While VP for Research, John became heavily involved in both federal and state legislative relations, in overall university financial planning and budget, and to recall an effort that may evoke a mixture of memories from those participants in the room today, he chaired the strategic planning process initiated by President Myles Brand.

 

He was appointed Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1994, and since July 2001 has been serving as the Senior Vice President and Provost of the University of Oregon. (One of the more memorable moments in my nineteen years on this campus was the day in 1994 when then law school dean and chair of the provost search committee Dave Frohnmayer informed the committee that he would be moving to the president’s office. He then returned the committee to the job at hand.)

 

John’s tenure as Provost is noteworthy on so many levels. He has served as our chief academic officer through exceedingly tough times and there can be no doubt that we are a better institution – some would say better than we have any right to expect given the circumstances – because of his leadership and his tireless advocacy for the UO in the Oregon University System, in the halls of the state capitol and on the hill in Washington, D.C.

 

John is -- for better or worse -- a scientist -- but his vision for this university embraces all parts of the university – he has a deep appreciation for the entire breadth of the institution. He has helped build our research mission across the College of Arts and Sciences and the professional schools while at the same time strongly supported and working to enhance our undergraduate and graduate teaching mission. And he is a champion of international programs.

 

John’s advocacy for the UO in the state legislature and with the state board of higher education has been a major factor in our ability to maintain our position as the state’s flagship AAU university. It is fair to say that not only have we benefited but also discussions, deliberations and decision at the state level have been all the better because of John’s clear focus and disciplined approach to the challenges we face in Oregon higher education.

 

And then there is the UO budget. Recent news stories about higher education in Oregon all include some variation of the following sentence: “All of this [drama] is playing out against a backdrop of financial uncertainty, as six of the state's seven universities search for ways to trim their budgets, and the state Board of Higher Education debates plans that could reshape the future of the 81,000-student system.” Year in and year out since 1994, John Moseley has been in the budget trenches playing a leading role in crafting and implementing funding strategies, budget strategies, budget models and implementation strategies that have kept us not just afloat but in a position to make progress on many fronts. While I suspect everyone in this room has some complaint about the current UO budget model (and certainly about their own allocation), the bottom line is that because of John’s vision, talent and dedication, we are financial in a positive position, the budget process today is more transparent, and more decentralized (giving greater autonomy to all of us).

 

Finally, having spent time with John touring Portland real estate over the last eighteen months, let me say a word about vision and taking risks. As we have walked through vacant spaces, John would point out features of building and spaces and talk about what they could become, if we could make it happen. Just as he has for more than 20 years, John has a vision for the potential of this university and he is going to find a way to make that vision a reality.

 

I know that these remarks have not done justice to the extraordinary career and contributions of John Moseley to the UO; however I appreciate having the opportunity to thank John personally and on behalf of all members of the university community for all that he has done for us. John, thank you.