University Provost Linda Brady on Wednesday unveiled a collaborative effort by Oregon’s major universities to secure increased emphasis and financial support from the state for graduate education.
The Graduate Education Policy Package, presented as a draft to the University Senate, will aim to improve the University’s competitiveness in recruiting and retaining high-level graduate students, Brady said. Some benefits of the plan include raising minimum GTF salaries to $15,000 per year, moving toward eliminating graduate student fees and providing them paid childbirth leave.
Brady estimated the plan, which she called “an extremely exciting initiative going forward in the next (legislative) session,” would need about $50 million in support from the Oregon legislature during the next three biennia. The Oregon University System already plans to request $10 million in the 2009-2011 biennium as a starting point, Brady said.
“I’m still pushing to see if we can up that a bit, and pushing in conjunction with my counterpart at Oregon State,” she added.
Of the initial $10 million for the plan, about $6 million would go toward stipends, research and graduate student fee reduction. Another $3.5 million would support fellowships, and the remaining $500,000 would pay for the childbirth leave option, Brady said.
In addition to recruiting more graduate students in the future, Brady said the package could also raise the visibility of graduate education at the University and potentially attract new faculty.
“I’m really very excited that we have the opportunity to do this,” she said.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Frances Dyke also updated the Senate on the parking plan for the new basketball arena at Wednesday’s meeting. The current plan includes an underground parking garage that would have room for 400 to 500 cars.
Those spaces would likely be made available for University faculty and staff, Dyke said.
Following Dyke’s presentation, a few senators raised questions about the University’s proposed academic learning center for student athletes. One questioned whether the building’s elaborate design and amenities fit with the University’s commitment to sustainability and efficiency. Another asked about the “extravagant” staffing plan that includes at least two dozen workers.
Brady responded that many of those are existing positions in the athletic department, and any new staff costs would be covered by the athletic department.
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