University faculty and administrators are constantly asking questions of their students to try to get to know them better. Now the tables have turned.
In hopes to get to know the faces students will be staring at in classes, visiting in offices and seeing around campus, the Emerald has asked eight University faculty members and administrators to answer a few “get to know you” questions, and to find out what it means to be in their respective positions.

Duncan McDonald, Vice

Affairs and Development
After working in reporting and editing positions, McDonald joined the University faculty in 1978 to teach at the School of Journalism and Communication.
“Why I came to the University can best be answered by the sense of excitement and challenge that one is surrounded by on a major university campus … It is a pleasure to be a part of an institution that honors inquiry and open, honest discourse,” he said.
In 1997 McDonald assumed the role of vice president for public affairs and development.
“In terms of what my position means,” McDonald said, “it is clear to me that communicating the mission and priorities of our University is a never ending challenge — and a great opportunity as well.”
If he could change one thing about higher education, it would be focused on the off-campus community.
“It would be the immediate creation of a stronger sense of respect for higher education in the state of Oregon.”

Anne Dhu McLucas,

Dean of the School of Music

and Department of Dance
McLucas came to the University during the summer of 1992 after 25 years in the Boston area, where she taught at Wellesley and Harvard, and founded a new department of music at Boston College.
“I wanted to come west, and Eugene seemed like the perfect place for its balance of the outdoor life, the arts and a great university,” she said.
She is currently serving as professor of music, as well as her positions as dean.
“I treasure both roles,” McLucas said. “I am very glad to be finishing my career here at a state university, where we interact with students of all kinds and all backgrounds, and where we have a chance to make a true difference in the life of a student.”
As dean, McLucas said she tries to solve the daily problems, both large and small, of students and faculty. As professor, she tries to impart the gift of music to students from freshmen to doctoral levels.
“If I could change one thing about higher education it would be complacency on the part of both students and faculty,” McLucas said. “We are so lucky to have this chance to learn and teach — we should treasure every moment.”

Suzanne Clark, English Professor
The University’s excellent reputation and the Center for the Study of Women and Society are two things that lured Clark to campus.
“The University offers fine opportunities for professors with interests like mine,” she said. “I have talented students who work hard and provide a constant source of new knowledge for me.”
As a professor, her work-load is split between teaching, research and service.
“Like most faculty members I enjoy my work enormously, but like almost everyone I’m frustrated with the interruptions of excessive business and bureaucracy,” Clark said.
If she could change one thing about higher education it would be funding.
“Salaries here for faculty, administration, graduate students and staff are at low levels compared to other universities,” Clark said.

Clyde Bentley, Adjunct Professor in the School of Journalism and Communications
After a couple decades as a newspaper man, Bentley discovered a new passion.
“I eventually came to a point where a byline or bonus check wasn’t nearly as fulfilling as teaching a cub reporter or budding ad manager the ropes,” he said. “My position now allows me to pay back the news profession in the best way I can. I help train a new generation of journalists while I conduct research that helps the media better serve the public.”
Bentley came to the University after deciding to leave newspapers to teach at a community college.
“I came to Eugene to visit my daughter who was an undergraduate at the J-school,” he said. “Once here, I was persuaded to apply to the doctoral program.”
Rather than move on after finishing his doctorate, Bentley said he stayed at the University as an adjunct professor so his son could finish high school and his wife could grow in her profession.
His idea for change in higher education is geared toward students getting more of their time spent in school.
“I would like to see freshmen and sophomores have greater opportunities to explore their intellectual passions rather than fulfill requirements,” Bentley said.

Wendy Mitchell, Assistant Dean of Academic Programs in the Lundquist College of Business
After receiving her MBA at the University, Mitchell felt committed not only to the program, but to the institution, as well.
“I cannot imagine a better environment to work in,” she said. “Walking onto campus every day and facing enthusiastic, energetic young people who challenge us to continually be better at what we do and who offer creative, thoughtful ways to approach things is very stimulating.”
Mitchell has worked her way to the position of assistant dean.
“What that means to me, specifically, is feeling responsible for seeing to it that students feel they are listened to, responded to and getting their money’s worth,” she said.
Like many of her colleagues, Mitchell says she would like to see more funding for higher education.
“Most of the issues we face could be addressed successfully if we were better funded,” Mitchell said. “It is extremely frustrating to be constantly constrained by limited resources.”

Robert Barton,

Theater Arts Professor
As a member of the acting department, Barton has a pretty big role to fill.
“My job is to coordinate all acting classes and extra-curricular acting projects,” Barton said.
This means training and supervising acting teachers, coaching actors for auditions, competitions and festivals, as well as designing and implementing new courses. In addition to that load of responsibilities, Barton teaches about a dozen acting classes.
“I also hook up actors with other groups, on and off campus, which need their talents,” he said.
The University became Barton’s choice for profession because of “the beauty and ambiance of the town and campus. My family was looking to escape Washington, D.C., for some place green.”
Barton’s proposed change in higher education includes fewer daily obligations.
“Everything seems to involve too many meetings, too many forms, too many cooks in every stew, so that everything gets ‘cooked’ in the most laborious way possible,” he said. “It is really challenging to try to create without interference. I would also like to make it less expensive for the individual student.”

Caroline Forell, Professor of Law
After graduating from the University of Iowa Law School, Forell took a nine-month, non-tenured legal research and writing job at the University’s law school, to give herself a better chance to find a lawyer position in Oregon.
“I discovered I enjoyed academic life and that I had the qualifications to become a tenure-track professor,” Forell said. “So that’s what I did, and I’ve never regretted it for a moment.”
Even today, Forell says she still finds her job gratifying.
“I feel honored and privileged to teach law and to teach at the [University]; even after 22 years, it is still exciting and rewarding.”
Forell says she believes students bear too much cost for higher education, a factor she would change.
“Unive
rsities shouldn’t continue to be expected to cut more corners while still doing a quality job of preparing students for the 21st century,” she said. “Well-funded public higher education is one of the best investments the state can make for its citizens.”

Peter Briggs,

Director International Recruitment
Originally from Seattle, Briggs’s love for the Northwest, the campus reputation and the community was what made him choose a job at the University.
“The international community here is fantastic — it enriches the campus environment in so many ways,” he said.
In addition to his director position, Briggs has served as an adviser to University students and scholars since 1981.
“Through my work with international students, I have gained incredible experiences, deep friendships and a highly personalized global perspective,” Briggs said. “I wish everyone could enjoy the experiences that I have been so fortunate to have had here.”
Continuing the drumbeat of other administrators, Briggs wants Oregon citizens to truly grasp the biggest problem in higher education.
“The under-funding of higher education in Oregon is sad,” he said. “I wish we could get beyond talking about money and focus on the good work that goes on here. I think Oregonians might better appreciate how their higher education tax dollars are spent.”