As the Ducks continue their streak of BCS Bowl appearances over the past few seasons, the University of Oregon has perpetuated its own tradition of delegating an official party of faculty, administrators and students to represent the UO in special service projects and recruitment events centered around the bowl game. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=3377&SPID=233&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&Q_SEASON=2012@@
This year, the list of officials invited to be part of the delegation included Vice President and Provost Jim Bean, Vice President for finance and administration Jamie Moffitt, Vice President for student affairs Robin Holmes, general counsel Randy Geller, School of Journalism Dean Tim Gleason and 45 other University officials and guests. @@http://www.uoregon.edu/leadership@@
The delegates received their offer to attend the Fiesta bowl as a University official — all expenses either reimbursed or paid — via a memo sent in late November by President Michael Gottfredson.@@checked name@@
“As an official delegate, you are required to represent the University of Oregon by participating in social and other events surrounding the game as part of your job responsibilities,” Gottfredson said in the memo. “The (University) is likely to benefit financially, programmatically, politically and otherwise from your presence.”
Although some disagree with the purpose of sending faculty and administrators to bowl games, the UO is within its boundaries to delegate such a group as laid out by the Oregon University System policy.
“For many years, (OUS) policy has provided for an official delegation of university employees and their spouses to serve as representatives of the University at bowl-related functions and ceremonies,” Phil Weiler said, University vice president for communications. “The official delegation generally includes the senior leadership of the university, such as members of the Executive Leadership Team and the Deans of the schools and colleges. These representatives are asked to attend a variety of fundraising, student recruitment and public service events.”@@http://uorelations.uoregon.edu/office-strategic-communications@@
This year’s service project had Ducks and Wildcat’s working together to pack more than 250,000 meals to be distributed by St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance which provides food to two-thrids of Arizona’s 15 counties.
Although Senate President Robert Kyr did not attend this year’s bowl game, he did participate in last years events. He and others including Holmes and former ASUO Executives Ben Eckstein and Katie Taylor participated in a service project organized by SOVA (PDF) — a community food and resource program for families in the Los Angeles area. @@http://senate.uoregon.edu/content/robert-kyrs-inaugural-address@@ @@http://dailyemerald.com/2012/05/24/asuo-president-ben-eckstein-and-executive-staff-will-be-leaving/@@
They also engaged in a recruitment event organized by the office of enrollment management prior to the pep-rally held at Santa Monica pier. It was the largest admissions recruitment the University has ever put on outside the state of Oregon.
“The admissions outreach event at the 2012 Rose Bowl was a very effective way to reach out to students and their parents, who otherwise would not have had direct personal contact with individuals from the University regarding academics and university life,” Kyr said. “I spoke at length with students and parents from California, Arizona and Nevada and some from Wisconsin, as well.”