The State Board of Higher Education has unanimously voted to fire University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere (la-RIV'-ee-AIR') effective Dec. 28.
Board members voted 12 to 0 on Monday to oust Lariviere, saying they have lost trust and confidence in his ability to lead the university. Lariviere was hired in 2009 and has publicly clashed with the Board and with Gov. John Kitzhaber, who says Lariviere's advocacy for the UO has undermined other universities. The Following is from the University website and is a portion of a letter written by the UO President:
Since becoming the UO’s 16th president in July 2009, my focus has been on enhancing the education of our students at Oregon’s flagship public university. I have sought to do that by focusing on our critical public mission and tapping the brilliance and innovation that resides here among our faculty staff and students.
The UO has had a leading voice in public discussions that resulted in this year’s legislative overhaul to the structure of Oregon’s entire educational system – from early childhood through post-doctoral studies. Our bold ideas have led to the promise of additional changes in the not-too-distant future, including eventual consideration of our proposal for individual universities to form local governing boards.
But our primary mission has been to provide educational opportunity and academic excellence, and you have taken both to new heights. Enrollment is at an all-time high this year, topping last year’s record enrollment. Much has been made of our ability to attract out-of-state and international students, but we are also educating more Oregon students than ever before. This year’s freshman class is the most diverse and has the highest grade point average of any incoming class in UO history, and we have raised freshman-to-sophomore retention to a new level.
We are what great students look for in a university. We are different, and embrace difference. We have brilliant, dedicated faculty, cutting edge research, and award-winning programs. Through careful financial stewardship we were able to give well-earned salary increases to faculty and staff. UO’s research grant funding has set records.
Even though the past 2 years have been difficult economic times for our entire country, we have generated a quarter of a billion dollars in private gifts at the UO and we have half a billion dollars in ongoing construction projects.
One of my proudest accomplishments is the concerted advocacy for public policy, governance and funding changes to strengthen the university and the entire state. I remain hopeful that honest debate and the exploration of new ideas – whether academic or political – will be celebrated and encouraged.
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