Gov. John Kitzhaber has appointed ASUO President Ben Eckstein to sit on a recently formed task force to address higher education issues.
The group, called the Task Force on Higher Education Student and Institutional Success, is composed of legislators, business owners, faculty members and others from around the state, as well as a student from either the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, or Portland State University and a second student from one of Oregon’s smaller public universities.
The group will, according to House Bill 3418, have a broad range of powers to examine and recommend changes to current practices and funding models in higher education. The group will hold hearings throughout the state to receive input from invested parties.
“I am honored that the Governor has asked me to represent students in this important statewide conversation,” Eckstein said. “Students are the primary investors in post-secondary education in our state, and we deserve a voice at the table whenever decisions that affect us are being made.”