December 10, 1999
MediaOne Group chairman Charles Lillis and his wife, Gwen, have given $12 million to the Lundquist College of Business. It is the second largest private donation ever made to the UO.
The college will use the gift to help finance construction of the Lillis Business Complex at the current site of the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business. With this gift and other pledges, the college now has reached the halfway mark in funding the proposed $35 million—$40 million teaching facility.
"Gwen and I believe an outstanding business school requires an outstanding physical facility. We’re very pleased to be able to help the Lundquist College build a nationally competitive infrastructure," says Lillis, who earned a Ph.D. from the UO business college in 1972.
"Thanks to this and many other generous gifts, the Lundquist College will soon have a new way of doing business–one that suits its innovative curriculum that brings technology, team projects and real-world business experience together inside and outside the classroom," says Dean Philip Romero.
An additional $4.85 million in private gifts has been pledged to the project, and the State of Oregon will furnish 10 percent of the project cost through the sale of bonds.
The Lillis Business Complex will add 145,000 square feet of new construction to 55,000 square feet of renovated space in Gilbert Hall.
The building, designed by SRG Partnership of Portland, will feature seven learning centers that cluster faculty offices, student study areas and resource centers around particular disciplines. The new complex will enable the college to better deliver innovative education that is at its core student-centered.
In addition to the learning centers, there will be a 300-seat auditorium, a 200-seat lecture hall and a 120-seat lecture hall. Internet access will be available throughout the building, and a distance learning classroom with video teleconferencing capabilities will be included. The project will provide a net gain of 600 classroom seats.
Lillis is chairman and CEO of MediaOne Group, an international communications company with net revenues of more than $7 billion and 16,000 employees working in 10 countries. AT&T recently purchased the company for $58 billion.
A long-time member of the college’s Business Advisory Council, Lillis last spring received the college’s Visionaries Alumni Trailblazer Award.
He also has served as president and chief executive officer of US West Media Group, as dean of the University of Colorado at Boulder Business School from 1984—1985, as a general manager for General Electric and as a professor of business at Washington State University.
A native of Kansas, Lillis obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington. He and his wife Gwen live in Engelwood, Colo.
Gov. John Kitzhaber will keynote the university-wide Convocation with a talk addressing diversity issues at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, in the EMU Ballroom. All members of the campus community are invited to attend this centerpiece event in the campus celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Faculty are encouraged to wear academic regalia for the processional. To arrange for caps, hoods and gowns, contact the UO Bookstore, 6-4331, by Jan. 7. The President’s Office will underwrite rental costs.
For information, call 6-3036.
The campus construction boom is raising some important questions: With all the money going to buildings, what is happening to faculty salaries? Are we forgetting about people and academic programs?
In fact, people and programs have been the principal beneficiaries of private giving during the 1990s, and these two categories will remain top priorities in future fundraising, UO officials say.
Seventy percent of private dollars raised by the UO has been devoted to academics and research; 18 percent to athletics (including sponsorships); and 12 percent to student services and scholarships.
More than 80 percent of the $255 million raised in the recent Oregon Campaign was devoted to people and programs, not buildings. Beneficiaries included faculty ($63 million), students ($30 million), Oregon Model educational programs ($23.5 million), graduate and research programs ($27.5 million) and the support of ongoing core activities ($62 million).
Buildings are needed as well. In order to support UO faculty and staff, and to provide a great education to UO students, the university also must maintain and expand its infrastructure.
For instance, recently completed and planned construction projects will help to improve classroom education (Gilbert and Grayson halls and the AAA Field House), share campus resources and expertise with the public (Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History), increase campus diversity (Many Nations Longhouse), and continue to improve the quality of life for UO employees and students (Student Recreation Center and Vivian Olum Child Development Center expansion).
"Apparently there are some misconceptions going around about the funding for the capital projects," says Provost John Moseley. "The statement that, of the $135 million total funding for these projects, ‘over 90 percent will come from private gifts’ has led to the inference by some that the other 10 percent would come from general university funds which might be available for other priority uses. This is not the case."
Moseley says the only general funds in all of these projects derive from two sets of legislatively appropriated "G" bonds, to be repaid by the state from general funds, not from funds directly appropriated to the Oregon University System.
The first of these is approximately $3.7 million appropriated for general university classroom renovation and expansion as a part of the Gilbert Hall project. These funds, together with other private funds, will result in the replacement or renovation of all of the classrooms in that complex, and the addition of several classrooms for general university use.
The second is approximately $6 million appropriated for the renovation and expansion of the Museum of Art. These bonds will be matched by an equal amount in private donations.
Autzen Stadium is not being expanded with funds available for other purposes, he explains. More than 80 percent of the Autzen expansion is being funded by private donations dedicated to that purpose, and otherwise unavailable to the UO.
The other funds in the project that are not from private gifts will be approximately $7 million in the financial plan for the Autzen Stadium expansion project which will come from the increased revenues over time, generated by the increase in seating capacity and the rental of the sky boxes. These funds will be borrowed, but will be repaid from the stadium-related revenues, not from general university funds.
Increased revenues from the Autzen expansion should allow the UO to add at least one more intercollegiate sport for women. It also should permit the university to phase out legislatively required support from its general fund, which is used to subsidize non-revenue sports and to pay for Title IX compliance costs.
This subsidy, approximately $2.2 million per year, to be recovered over a 5- to 7-year period beginning with the completion of the stadium, is specifically built into the financial plan for the Autzen project. The $2.2 million will be unrestricted funds in the university’s budget, available for general university needs, and is the equivalent of the payout from a $55 million endowment.
The provost says faculty support remains a top priority. As in every legislative session, the university will continue to push forward on the issue of faculty salaries.
"Our destiny is, to an extent, in our own hands: The new budget model provides us with clear directions on how to improve the financial position of the university," Moseley says.
• This year’s Charitable Fund Drive has a lot of UO heroes who are making their community better by giving. CFD coordinator Nancie Fadeley reports that, because contributions are still coming in, she is still determining the exact number of UO CFD heroes who, in the words of Oregon’s late governor, Tom McCall, "… are people who say, ‘This is my community and it’s my responsibility to make it better.’" Fadeley says contributions are still very welcome, noting that it looks as if the UO will have more CFD heroes this year than last year. The campus goal is to raise $180,000–five percent more than last year–with participation growing to 23 percent of UO employees. Final results of the 1999 drive will be announced soon.
• Two Food for Lane County barrels are at Oregon Hall–one in Business Affairs and another in the Registrar’s Office. Volunteers will collect the barrels shortly before Christmas. Donations of canned food or unopened packaged goods are gladly accepted. For information, call Dave Musgrove, 6-4340, or Suzanne Hanson, 6-2926.
• The Holiday Gift project, coordinated by Human Resources, offers all Oregon Hall employees the opportunity to donate to Stepping Stone Lodge, a service of Looking Glass for at-risk boys providing supervised group living; individual, group and family counseling; school; and alcohol and drug counseling. You may purchase a gift for a particular youth from a wish list available in Human Resources or you can donate cash. Make checks payable to Looking Glass and give them to Nancy McKaughan, Human Resources. "Rosie," the piggy bank, also is accepting spare change which last year raised $25 alone for the project. The deadline for donations is Monday morning, Dec. 20. For information, call Chris Lonigan, 6-2963.
Campus officials have spent months, preparing for that second following 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31 when clocks tick into the 21st century. As this News & Views issue goes to press, they want to assure employees of their confidence that the campus is ready for the arrival of 2000.
• Human Resources reminds faculty and staff that, while winter term classes do not begin until Wednesday, Jan. 5, for students, all university offices will be open on Monday, Jan. 3. All employees should check with their supervisor or department head to confirm when they are expected to return to work. In the event of any disruptions, employees are advised to follow inclement weather notification procedures by tuning to local radio and television stations.
• Computing Center staff will shut down their machines from 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, to noon on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000, in order to avoid possible external Y2K complications.
Officials are confident that UO systems are Y2K ready but they realize that other computing systems may or may not handle the transition smoothly.
"We are unable to predict the behavior or side-effects that might arise from malfunctions of these other systems during the transitional period," says Director Joanne Hugi. "We are taking all precautions we feel necessary to prepare."
Since the shutdown will occur during official UO holidays when the institution is closed, Hugi says the precautions are not expected to cause a major disruption of normal university operations.
Machines affected by the shutdown are Darkwing and all it’s virtual web hosts including <www. uoregon.edu>; Gladstone; Oregon/Daisy/Donald; the Alpha Unix cluster, including River, Geyser, Downpour and Thunderstorm; and search.uoregon. edu, the campus Altavista search engine.
Hugi says UONet, the campus network, and wide-area connectivity will remain active, including all UO network routers, switches and hubs. E-mail messages sent to Darkwing, Gladstone or Oregon/Donald/Daisy during the shutdown will be stored for delivery once the systems return at noon on New Year’s Day.
Hugi reminds members of the UO community that other Y2K information is available at http://y2k.uoregon.edu/ or from a link on the UO homepage, http://www.uoregon.edu. For more information about the planned shutdown, call UO systems staff, 6-1730.
• Facilities Services and the Central Power Station will have crews on duty from 8 p.m. Dec. 31 until 1 a.m. Jan. 1 to monitor and manage the situation. Additional staff will be on standby. During this time, the Customer Service Center phone, 6-2319, will be staffed to receive information about problems on campus and to dispatch workers as needed. Also during this time and throughout the New Year’s weekend, an information line will be available at 6-5272, to update callers on the status of campus operations.
To avoid possible damage in the event of any power interruption, employees are requested to back-up and unplug computers and to power down appliances and other sensitive or critical equipment to the greatest extent possible. Reducing the electrical load will help Facilities Services and the Central Power Station to provide emergency service to campus, should that become necessary.
"We have a very high level of confidence in our system, as well as our ability to respond as needed should problems occur," says Facilities Services Campus Relations Manager Greta Pressman.
• Public Safety will have additional officers on patrol New Year’s Eve–with all employees on standby for the entire weekend–to verify that access systems and alarms continue to function properly. Essential security systems on campus have been tested and found Y2K compliant, and back-up generators are in place. Anyone who encounters a problem on campus should call 6-5444 to report the situation.
"In Oregon, we have the advantage of being able to monitor newscasts and check with our east coast colleagues, so we can be forewarned of developing problems," says Associate Director Tom Hicks.
• Local agencies have been coordinating their efforts to assure area residents that Y2K won’t add a sour note to New Year’s celebrations. With preparation and forethought, they suggest that everyone can be ready for Y2K and just about any other emergency such as winter storms and power outages. For answers to questions about what local governments, schools, public safety agencies, utilities and medical services are doing to prepare for Y2K, call the Lane/Metro Y2K Team, 682-5656, or visit http://www.clickoregon.com.
Joanne Hugi, Computing Center, has been elected to the EDUCAUSE Board of Directors for a 4-year term, 2000-2003. Hugi has been a member of the CAUSE/EDUCAUSE Network Award Committee since 1997, chairing the group in 1999. Under her supervision, the UO has received national recognition for its networking environment, including the CAUSE Award for Excellence in Campus Networking in 1996; and placement in the top 10 U.S. universities in Yahoo’s "America’s Most Wired Colleges" competition in 1997 and 1998.
Ehud Havazelet, Creative Writing, won the H.L. Davis Award for fiction for Like Never Before, a book of connected stories. Pimone Triplett, Creative Writing, won the Hazel Hall Award for poetry for Ruining the Picture.
Gregory Bothun, Physics, and the team of Anne Laskaya, James Crosswhite and Suzanne Clark, all English, are among 50 educators or teams of educators statewide selected as semifinalists for the Oregon Innovators in Education Awards. A national panel will select 25 finalists. Award recipients will receive $2,000 and other honors at a conference in February.
Holly Moline has joined Admissions as assistant director, responsible for publications. Josephine Co is an admissions coder, responsible for data entry and database maintenance; and Khela Singer-Adams is a half-time telephone receptionist.
Deanna Miller has been promoted to resident services manager of University Housing where she is in charge of supervising all three residence hall area desks.
John Lukacs, Anthropology, recently published research findings on defects of tooth enamel formation in the baby teeth of great apes as "Enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth of great apes: Do differences in defect prevalence imply differential levels of physiological stress?" in the November issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
Lawrence Crumb, Library emeritus, published an article, "Stanford & Swords: Publishers to the Young Episcopal Church," in Anglican and Episcopal History in September 1999. The article is an abridged version of an earlier one published in Publishing History.
Albert Leong, Russian and East European Studies, presented an invited paper, "Gulag and Laogai," at the Sept. 17—19 Laogai Conference, "Surviving Voices from China’s Gulag," at American University in Washington, D.C.
Greg Ringer, International Studies adjunct, presented "Jewels of the Mekong: From Extraction to Attraction" at a September conference on "Interconnected Worlds: Southeast Asian Tourism in the 21st Century," jointly sponsored by the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board. His paper addressed tourism challenges and trends in the Mekong sub-region.
Robert F. Tate, Mathematics retired, died Nov. 7 of heart failure in Eugene. A UO faculty member from 1965 until 1986, Tate, 77, was a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of North Carolina. He was a member of the Sierra Club and the Institute of Math Statistics. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sierra Club.
M. Frances Dougherty, Dance emerita, died Nov. 22 in Tucson, Ariz. Founder and head of the UO dance department from 1959 until her retirement in 1975, "Dr. D," 88, also taught and was a school administrator in Colorado and New York. She studied and performed under dance great Martha Graham and others. In 1982, she received the National Dance Association Scholar Award. No services were held but the Feb. 25—26 faculty dance concert will be dedicated to her memory, with tributes as part of "Dance 2000: For Dr. D."
A memorial service for Marian Donnelly, Art History emerita, is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at Eugene’s Central Lutheran Church. A tireless volunteer for the Oregon Bach Festival, KWAX and other community organizations, she died Nov. 15. Memorial contributions may be made to the Marian Donnelly Student Travel Endowment through the UO Foundation.