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Excerpts from: Oregon University System can sustain positive momentum with more autonomy, leaders tell City Club of Portland – Bill Graves, The Oregonian

Published: Friday, January 21, 2011, 7:17 PM 

 “Oregon public universities are pretty much on track to bring the next generation of Oregonians to education levels never before enjoyed in this state,” said George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University System. “If we lose that momentum, it will be hard to get back.”

And the university system will lose momentum, he said, if it is forced to keep operating as a state agency with restrictions on how it manages, spends and raises money.

He and Ed Ray, president of Oregon State University, argued universities deserve the kind of independence the state’s 17 community colleges enjoy, as proposed in Senate Bill 242, since universities are getting less money from the state. Adjusting for inflation, state funding for the universities dropped 16 percent over the two decades ending in 2009 while enrollment climbed by 27 percent.

“The university system is subject to the controls of thousands, thousands, of budget line items imposed by state government even though only a minority of the funds received by the universities come from the state,” Pernsteiner said.

For the full article: http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2011/01/oregon_university_system_can_s.html

 Excerpts from: For Oregon higher Ed, signs of higher interest – David Sarasohn, The Oregonian

 “Higher education’s first priority in Salem is a restructuring that would end its status as a state agency, giving universities more control over their tuition revenue and more freedom in spending their money. But in one of the country’s lowest-ranking states in state money spent per student, money is also an inescapable issue.”

For the full article: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf/2011/01/for_oregon_higher_ed_signs_of.html

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Students oppose UO proposal

“The state cannot afford a risky bet like this,” said Lane Community College student president Mario Parker-Milligan, who also is the OSA board chairman. “Especially when it does nothing to guarantee an affordable college education for Oregonians.”

For the full article: Student organization opposes UO proposal