OUS Chancellor’s Office to take $1 million cut
State Board of Higher Education President Neil Goldschmidt announced last week that the Oregon University System Chancellor’s Office will take an immediate budget reduction of $1 million, according to an OUS release.
The permanent reduction will reduce the impact of Measure 30’s failure on OUS campuses from $7.5 million to $6.5 million.
The cut will come primarily through eliminating the functions of the office’s Academic Affairs division, which is in part responsible for monitoring new campus programs, OUS spokeswoman Di Saunders said. The functions will either be completely eliminated or moved to campuses, she added.
“It’s taking the Chancellor’s Office out of that intermediary position,” she said.
The division cut also means the elimination of the senior vice chancellor for academic affairs position, although Saunders said there has been no timeline established for other layoffs.
Saunders said the Chancellor’s Office may face more cuts, but the $3.75 million cut the board proposed last term was just a “what-if scenario” provided to campuses.
“I think we just need to look at the $1 million at this point,” she said.
With last week’s resignation of Chancellor Richard Jarvis, the board approved former Oregon Department of Administrative Services Director Jon Yunker as interim chief operating officer and executive vice chancellor, according to the release.
Goldschmidt said recruitment for a new OUS chancellor will not begin until the restructuring of the Chancellor’s Office has been finalized, which is expected to take place during the next six months.
The board also heard tuition increase proposals from OUS schools at its meeting last week, including the University’s 12 percent increase, Oregon State University’s 5 percent increase and Southern Oregon University’s 12 percent increase. Portland State University proposed no tuition increases for next year. The board is set to give final approval for any increases at its June meeting.

— Chelsea Duncan