Nov. 3, 1997 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 EUGENE, Ore.--Oregon economist David Figlio is coming home to Broadneck High School this week--and not for a class reunion at his Annapolis, Md., alma mater. Figlio, a 1988 Broadneck graduate who is now a professor of economics at the University of Oregon, is a man with a mission. "I want students here to know what a great place the University of Oregon is--it's a top-flight research institution where teachers are also held in high regard. Oregon is an ideal place to earn a university degree," Figlio says. Figlio has received national attention for his research showing that school districts which have lost public tax support are now recording declining student test scores. He will make his case for enrolling at the University of Oregon at an 11 a.m. assembly on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the school. "The Rise of American Research Universities: Elites and Challengers in the Postwar Era," by Nancy Diamond, an administrator at Goucher College in Towson, Md., and Hugh Davis Graham, the Holland N. McTyeire Professor of American History at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., ranked the University of Oregon 15th in the nation among public institutions and sixth among "rising" public research universities. Oregon is a top research institution noted for excellence in areas such as neuroscience, psychology and molecular biology. Specially focused research centers and institutes stimulate explorations of supercomputing applications, advanced laser science, new materials, decision science, marine biology, sports marketing and new media. Named the "most wired" public university in the country by YAHOO! Internet Life magazine, the UO campus features an award-winning high-speed computer networking environment which encourages Internet-based research and innovative applications of educational technology. "The University of Oregon is well known and respected on the West Coast," says Joe Stone, UO College of Arts and Sciences dean. "Although we're not as well known on the East Coast, David Figlio, one of our brightest researchers and best teachers, is an ideal person to carry our story to high school students in Maryland." Figlio embraced the project enthusiastically. "I had a lot of good times at Broadneck High," he says. "Now I get to tell students at my alma mater about the University of Oregon, and I get the opportunity to see some of my old teachers. It's truly a labor of love." -30- #F-6022/Special