Administrators chose to look within the University’s ranks for their choice to fill the newly created vice president for finance and administration position after a search that drew more than 50 applicants from across the nation.
Frances Dyke, currently associate vice president for budget and finance and interim director of the Office of Business Affairs, will be elevated to one of the University’s top jobs this summer. The VPFA position will take over parts of the jobs currently covered by Senior Vice President and Provost John Moseley and Vice President for Administration Dan Williams as those two administrators prepare for retirement.
According to a University press release, Dyke will act as the University’s chief financial officer and will report to the provost’s office.
“We have to be good stewards of our money,” Dyke, 56, said in an interview. “We have to make sure that we’ve strengthened the framework for accountability, for policy support, as much as we can so that no matter what our circumstances are, we’re good stewards and we’re responsible to the people of Oregon.”
Dyke started working at the University in 1991. She’s held various positions over the years, including associate director of the budget office, director of institutional research and co-director of the Office of Resource Management. Prior to joining the University staff, she worked as a certified public accountant. Dyke holds a master’s of business administration from the University’s Lundquist College of Business. She also has degrees from Boston University and Simmons College.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Lorraine Davis, who had input in deciding who to hire for the VPFA, said Dyke’s experience
in both financial management
and administrative management made her a top prospect for
the position.
“Any time you’re dealing with financial issues at an institution like the University of Oregon and the tight resources that we operate under, that’s a challenge for anybody that would be in this type of position,” Davis said. “She understands the financial planning, she understands the academic institutions and the pulls and tugs that you have in every situation. There’s never enough to deal with all the problems, but she’s had experience to that.”
Dyke said she hopes to keep the business aspect of the University running smoothly and efficiently.
“The campuses have been given more and more authority to conduct business in the way that is best for that particular campus,” Dyke said. “We need to make sure that we’re really able to meet that challenge in an excellent way so that someone will look at
us and say, ‘Gosh, this is the best-run university.’”
Enhanced collaboration and teamwork are among the improvements Dyke said she would like to bring to the table in Johnson Hall.
“The core issue is always going to be communication,” she said. “Do we have the right communication structures in place? And we’re not talking just about how the president and his senior staff exchange information; we’re talking about how we exchange information with other decision-makers on campus, including the deans and the directors of offices.
“We have excellent staff on this campus, but the world is changing, the way we do business in higher education is changing and that means we have to fine-tune our skill,” Dyke said.
Dyke said she’s looking forward to working with Moseley.
“I have worked with John in various roles ever since I’ve been at the University of Oregon,” Dyke said. “He’s just a wonderful person to work for. He’s been a great mentor to me. He has an outstanding sense of how to manage finances and how to lead academic and research programs at the
University. I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship
for the next amount of time until he retires.”
“Frances really stood out in a group of well-qualified candidates from around the country,” Moseley said in a press release. “I have enjoyed working with her for the last eight years, and I have a high level of confidence in her ability to excel with this much broader level of responsibilities.”

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