Wednesday afternoon’s gathering of some of the university’s faculty and administration members revolved heavily around discussion of impending changes at the University of Oregon, including the possibility of phasing out Blackboard.
Deborah Carver, dean of UO libraries, detailed the current review of the Blackboard online education system and explained the schedule to test and elect a new system moving forward. By next fall, she said, the university should have a clear decision as to whether or not it will retain the Blackboard system. However, if a new system is selected for use, 2014-2015 will demand that campus collaborate with both systems as Blackboard is gradually phased out.
Changes to administration with the advent of the independent governing board were also discussed. President Michael Gottfredson started the meeting with an update on the progress of the Higher Education Coordinating Committee and Oregon University System in deliberating the division of administrative functions under the new governance system. Duties formerly reserved to the state have been dispersed between a group designated to deliberate “Shared Services” between the seven public universities — including labor relations, benefits and risk management — and some have been reserved to individual university responsibility, including treasury functions, tax recordings and internal audits.
In addition, Gottfredson outlined the progression of the UO’s new board of trustees which includes meetings to determine their duties in the upcoming months (schedule here), paid notice to Scott Coltrane’s Tuesday address to the UO community as a candidate for Provost, and the recent statement he released denouncing the boycott of Israeli academic institutions in the name of academic freedom.
Following Gottfredson’s remarks, the floor was opened to reports concerning various faculty proceedings (full agenda here).
A report on the state of admissions delivered by Vice President for Academic Enrollment Roger Thompson highlighted the notable achievement of UO’s most recent freshman class, including unprecedented achievements in grade point average and the economic and demographic diversity of those enrolled.
In addressing questions from the audience, Thompson explained the university’s current intentions to hold a stable enrollment rate (currently 25,400) and expressed his opinion that a pivotal goal of the university should be to capture and retain of Oregon’s top high school graduates.
“I want us to become the institution of choice for the best and brightest in the state of Oregon,” he said.
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