The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in
Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm
Nike, Inc
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
, and its co-founder, billionaire
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
.
UO is also known for serving as the filming location for the 1978 cult classic ''
National Lampoon's Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
''.
UO's 295-acre campus is situated along the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
.
The school also has a satellite campus in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
; a marine station, called the
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (or OIMB) is the marine station of the University of Oregon. This marine station is located in Charleston, Oregon at the mouth of Coos Bay. Currently, OIMB is home to several permanent faculty members and a ...
, in
Charleston; and an observatory, called
Pine Mountain Observatory
Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Oregon Department of Physics. The facility is located 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Bend, Oregon (USA) in the Deschutes National Forest near th ...
, in
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards ...
. UO's colors are green and yellow.
The University of Oregon is organized into nine colleges and schools: the College of Arts and Sciences,
Charles H. Lundquist College of Business
The Charles H. Lundquist College of Business (also known as the Lundquist College of Business) is the University of Oregon's business school. Founded in 1914, the Lundquist College offers undergraduate degree programs in business administration ...
,
College of Design, College of Education, Robert D. Clark Honors College, School of Journalism and Communication;
School of Law
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, l ...
; School of Music and Dance; and the Graduate School. Furthermore, UO offers 316 undergraduate and
graduate degree
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and struc ...
programs.
Most academic programs follow the 10 week
Quarter System
An academic quarter refers to the division of an academic year into four parts.
Historical context
The modern academic quarter calendar can be traced to the historic English law court / legal training pupillage four term system:
* Hilary: Ja ...
.
The university is
classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and is a member of the
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
.
Since July 2014, UO has been governed by its own
board of trustees.
UO student athletes compete as the
Ducks and are part of the
Pac-12 Conference in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA). With eighteen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and track and field program. These two teams are even incorporated into the design of the school's "O" logo.
In the summer of 2022, UO hosted the
2022 World Athletics Championships. It was the first time the event was held in the United States.
UO has a
long and complex relationship with
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
, and the firm's co-founder
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
.
Knight, an alumnus, has donated over $1 billion to UO since the late-1980s.
The school's "O" logo was designed by Nike in 1998 and sports facility projects on campus typically involve both Knight and Nike.
History
The land
The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the
Kalapuya
The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United Sta ...
people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, Kalapuya descendants are primarily citizens of the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (CTGR) consists of twenty-seven Native American tribes with long historical ties to present-day western Oregon between the western boundary of the Oregon Coast and the eastern boundar ...
and the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of more than 27 Native American tribes and bands who once inhabited an extensive homeland of more than 20 million acres from northern Califo ...
Indians.
Motto
The university's motto, ''mens agitat molem'' translates from Latin as "mind moves mass", or poetically as "minds move mountains." The line comes from the
Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of th ...
by
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
, Book VI, line 727.
The motto ''mens agitat molem'' is now shared with the
Eindhoven University of Technology
The Eindhoven University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven), abbr. TU/e, is a public technical university in the Netherlands, located in the city of Eindhoven. In 2020–21, around 14,000 students were enrolled in its BSc an ...
(''Technische Universiteit Eindhoven)'' founded in 1956, the
Military Academy of the German Armed Forces (''Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr'') founded in 1957, the
University of Warwick
, mottoeng = Mind moves matter
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £7.0 million (2021)
, budget = £698.2 million (2020 ...
founded in 1965.
Early years
![UO Villard Hall and Deady Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/UO_Villard_Hall_and_Deady_Hall.jpg)
Despite state funding woes, the
Oregon State Legislature
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the H ...
established the university on October 12, 1872, and named it Oregon State University.
The residents of Eugene struggled to help finance the institution, holding numerous
fundraising events such as strawberry festivals, church socials, and produce sales. They raised $27,500, enough to buy eighteen acres of land at a cost of $2,500. The doors opened in 1876 with the name of "Oregon State University" and
University Hall as its sole building. The first year of enrollment contained 155 students taught by five faculty members. The first graduating class was in 1878, graduating five students.
In 1881, the university was nearly closed; it was $8,000 in debt before
Henry Villard
Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway.
Born and raised by Ferdinand Heinrich Gustav Hilgard in the Rhenish Palatinate of the Kin ...
donated $7,000 to help pay it.
In 1913 and 1932, there were proposals to merge the university with what is now
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
. Both proposals were defeated.
Maturity as a university
During Prince Lucien Campbell's tenure as president from 1902 to 1925, the university experienced tremendous growth. The budget, enrollment, facilities, and faculty members all grew several times its amount prior to his presidency.
Numerous schools were also established during his tenure, including the School of Music in 1902, the School of Education in 1910, the
School of Architecture
This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world.
An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education.
Africa
...
, the College of Business in 1914, the
School of Law
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, l ...
in 1915, the School of Journalism in 1916, and the School of Health and Physical Education in 1920.
However, the University of Oregon lost its School of Engineering to
Oregon Agricultural College
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
, now known as
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
.
In 1917, a "three term" (quarter system) calendar was adopted by the university faculty as a war-time measure.
This academic calendar has remained ever since then. However, it is now referred to as the Quarter System.
The Zorn-MacPherson Bill in 1932 proposed the University of Oregon and
Oregon State College
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
(now "University") merge. The bill lost in a landslide vote of over 6 to 1. The University of Oregon Medical School was founded in 1887 in Portland and merged with
Willamette University
Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...
's program in 1913. However, in 1974 it became an independent institution known as
Oregon Health Sciences University
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a
public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Med ...
.
In 1969, the UO was admitted into the
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
.
UO served as the filming location for the 1978 cult classic ''
National Lampoon's Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
''.
Recent history
The university
occupies over 80 buildings.
In recent years there have been numerous construction projects on campus. These projects were commissioned in part to support current student enrollment as well as possible future increases.
In 2016, the university removed the name of
Frederic Stanley Dunn, head of the Classics department in the 1920s and 30s, from a dormitory named after him, "Dunn Hall", because of his leading role in the
Ku Klux Klan.
UO hosted the
2022 World Championships in Athletics
The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022, with the country hosting that competition for the fi ...
.
Declining state support
Measure 5 established limits on property taxes in Oregon. This impacted the state budget, and lead to budget and programmatic cuts at UO starting the 1990s.
UO has initiated three capital campaigns in the last 30 years. The first campaign of this era was launched with a goal of $150 million. It ended up raising a total of $255.3 million between 1992 and 1998.
With financial support from the state dwindling from 40% to 13% of the university budget,
in January 2001, University President
Dave Frohnmayer
David B. "Dave" Frohnmayer (July 9, 1940 – March 10, 2015) was an American attorney, politician, and academic administrator from Oregon. He was the 15th president of the University of Oregon, serving from 1994 to 2009. His tenure as president w ...
began Campaign Oregon with the goal of raising $600 million by December 2008, the most ambitious philanthropic fundraising campaign in the state's history at the time. With contributions exceeding $100 million from benefactors such as
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
and
Lorry I. Lokey
Lorry I. Lokey (March 27, 1927 – October 1, 2022) was an American businessperson and philanthropist. A native of Portland, Oregon, he founded the company Business Wire in 1961 and donated in excess of $700 million to charities, with the majori ...
, the campaign goal was exceeded by over $253 million.
In the fall of 2014 the institution announced that it would attempt to raise $2 billion from donors. This campaign's quiet-phase began in 2010, and $700 million was raised before the campaign was announced to the public.
This number was revised to $3 billion in the fall of 2018.
In October 2016, it was announced
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
and his wife Penny will contribute $500 million to establish the
. The donation will be dispersed over a ten-year period. At the time it was the largest donation to a public research university. Knight gave an additional $500 million to the Knight Campus in 2021.
In 2022,
Steve Ballmer made a large gift of $425 million to fund a new institute for
children's behavioral health.
According to the publication
The Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to re ...
, as of 2022, UO has received three of the twenty largest gifts in higher education history.
The Chronicle's list includes prominent global initiatives such as the
Gates Millennium Scholars Program The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program is an academic scholarship award and program for higher education, available to high-achieving ethnic minority students in the United States. It was established in 1999 and funded by Microsoft founder Bill ...
, and the George Soros funded Open Society University Network. All gifts were received during Schill's tenure as president.
Support from Nike and Phil Knight
The school's "O" logo was officially adopted by the university as a whole in 2002. Designed by Nike, it was first adopted by the athletic program in late-1998. The inside of the logo is said to depict
Hayward Field
Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...
, the institution's track and field venue. The outside of the logo is said to represent
Autzen Stadium, which is UO's football stadium.
Phil Knight has financed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction projects on UO's campus going back to the late-1980s. Knight contributed to the renovation and expansion of the Main Library, now called the
Knight Library, and the construction of the William W. Knight Law Center.
Knight did not make a major contribution to academics between 1996 and 2016.
Knight is widely known in the sports world as a prominent
athletic booster.
Knight also has contributed to, and managed, the construction of various athletic department facilities. Knight's involvement in said projects usually does not involve any university oversight, making them controversial.
Knight also financed the majority of the Hayward Field renovation project, which cost over $270 million according to the UO Athletic Department.
Push for independence
In 2010, the newly installed UO president, Richard Lariviere, proposed establishing a new governance and funding model for UO. The New Partnership, as it became known, sought to establish an independent board and large endowment to fund the university into the future. Funding had become too low and unpredictable for UO officials, and the new model would provide the university with a consistent stream of funding and the legal freedom to borrow money for large capital projects. Lariviere's proposal called for $800 million in state bonds and "an equal amount" of private gifts. The new funds would provide a large boost to UO's then modest endowment.
In a 2010 interview, UO booster
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
discussed the New Partnership. Knight explained that Lariviere's plan would allow UO greater control and possibly allow it to set its own tuition for in-state students.
Ultimately, the New Partnership failed. Lariviere was fired in late-2011. Neither the governance proposal or funding model was established during his presidency.
On March 31, 2012, a
Political Action Committee called Oregonians For Higher Education Excellence was formed by
Columbia Sportswear
The Columbia Sportswear Company is an American company that manufactures and distributes outerwear, sportswear, and footwear, as well as headgear, camping equipment, ski apparel, and outerwear accessories.
It was founded in 1938 by Paul Lam ...
CEO
Tim Boyle.
As of May 23, 2012, the organization has raised over $320,000. Notable contributors to the PAC include,
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
, Patrick Kilkenny, and Tim Boyle. According to Boyle, the PAC's stated goal was to help facilitate an increase in autonomy at the University of Oregon.
In reaction to a growing movement to establish an independent university board, the Oregon Legislature in 2013 passed SB 270, requiring local governing boards for the state's three largest institutions. Effective July 1, 2014, the University of Oregon became an independent public body governed by the
Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
. Proponents of local governing boards believe an independent board will give the university more autonomy, and free it from relying on inadequate state funding.
On August 6, 2014,
Michael R. Gottfredson
Michael Ryan Gottfredson (born January 16, 1951) is the former President of the University of Oregon, serving from August 1, 2012 to August 6, 2014.
Biography
He has a B.A from the University of California, Davis, a M.A. and a Ph.D. from the Stat ...
resigned as president. In the summer of 2014, former UO president
Robert Berdahl
Robert Max Berdahl (born March 15, 1937) is a retired American college and university administrator.
Biography
Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Berdahl received a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College in 1959. Additionally, he obtained a Ma ...
told the president of the university's board of trustees he believes UO risks losing its membership in the
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
. To address this growing concern, UO began preparing several initiatives which include a cluster-hire and a capital campaign.
On April 14, 2015, it was announced that
Michael H. Schill would become the next president of the university. This was the board's first major move since the previous president resigned.
Michael H. Schill became the university's president in the summer of 2015. In June 2015, UO's endowment surpassed the $700 million mark.
Academics
As of Fall 2014, UO offered 272 degree programs.
The UO student body is composed of students from all 50 of the United States, the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, two U.S. territories, and 89 countries around the world. As of Fall 2015, Pre-Business Administration was the most popular undergraduate major at UO (12.3% of all majors), followed by Psychology (6.4%), Human Physiology (5.3%), Economics (4.8%) and Business Administration (4.4%).
The University of Oregon is organized into nine colleges and schools. UO's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) covers a large array of departments in the arts and sciences. The School of Global Studies and Languages is embedded within CAS. The
Charles H. Lundquist College of Business
The Charles H. Lundquist College of Business (also known as the Lundquist College of Business) is the University of Oregon's business school. Founded in 1914, the Lundquist College offers undergraduate degree programs in business administration ...
(LCB) was founded in 1884 and offers courses in fields such as accounting, decision sciences, entrepreneurship, finance, management, and marketing. The
School of Accounting was established in 2017 to oversee the accounting program. The
College of Design (COD) was founded by
Ellis F. Lawrence in 1914. The college offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in design and policy related fields. The college was known as the School of Allied Arts and Architecture and was renamed in 2017.
The college is divided into three schools:
School of Architecture & Environment,
School of Art + Design, and the
School of Planning, Public Policy and Management. The College of Education (COE) was established in 1910 as the School of Education. The Robert D. Clark Honors College (CHC) is a small honors college intended to complement the majors in place at the university by joining select students and faculty for a low student to teacher ratio (25:1 maximum). The School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) is one of the oldest journalism schools in the United States. The first journalism class was offered in 1901, and it began as a department in 1912, and became a professional school in 1916. The SOJC is located in Allen Hall on the University of Oregon's
Eugene campus, and is named for the school's founder, newspaperman Eric Allen.
The
School of Law
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, l ...
was formed in 1884 in Portland and moved to Eugene in early 1915.
The School of Music and Dance (SOMD) was initially just the Department of Music in 1886, and developed into the School of Music in 1900.
The university previously had a medical school. The University of Oregon Medical School was founded in 1887 in Portland and merged with
Willamette University
Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...
's program in 1913. However, in 1974 it became an independent institution. It is now known as
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a
public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Med ...
.
The university operates on the
Quarter system
An academic quarter refers to the division of an academic year into four parts.
Historical context
The modern academic quarter calendar can be traced to the historic English law court / legal training pupillage four term system:
* Hilary: Ja ...
with the exception of the law school, which operates on the Semester System.
An academic quarter involves 10 weeks of classes and one week of exams. Minimum full-time study is 12 credits, which translates to 3 courses.
Most full-time students will take four academic courses per quarter, or 15-17 credits.
With advisor approval students may take up to 24 credits, which translates to approximately a maximum of 6 classes. If students successfully submit a petition to the Academic Requirements Committee they may take more than 24 credits.
Admissions
The University of Oregon's admissions process is "selective" according to ''
U.S. News & World Report''. For students entering Fall 2019, 22,329 freshmen were accepted out of 27,358 applicants, an 81.6% acceptance rate, and 4,525 enrolled for a yield of 20.3%.
[
Among freshman students who enrolled in fall 2019, ]SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
scores for the middle 50% ranged from 560 to 660 for evidence based reading and writing, and 540–650 for math.[ ACT composite scores for the middle 50% ranged from 22 to 28.][ The average high school ]GPA
Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
for incoming freshmen was 3.65.[ Of the 10% of entering freshmen who submitted high school class rank, 26% were in the top tenth of their graduating class, 57% in the top quarter, and 86% in the top half.][
]
Faculty
As of May 2022, at least 19 UO faculty (living or deceased) have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
As of the fall of 2017, the university has 2,041 faculty members. Among this group there are 782 tenure and tenure-track (ladder) faculty members. Among US doctoral universities UO is ranked 80th when it come to full professor salaries. However, when other compensation measures are factored in, UO ranks 58th.
Research
The university is a member of the Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
, a group of leading research universities in the United States. It is also classified as a "Very High Research Activity" university, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UO has comparatively small research spending totals for an AAU level university. According to the National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
, Oregon spent $111 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 151st in the nation.
The university has 19 research centers and institutes. The university also maintains nine "research core facilities". The Institute of Molecular Biology was established at the university in 1959.
Prominent current and former researchers include: Michael Posner, Frank Stahl
Franklin (Frank) William Stahl (born October 8, 1929) is an American molecular biologist and geneticist. With Matthew Meselson, Stahl conducted the famous Meselson-Stahl experiment showing that DNA is replicated by a semiconservative mechanism, ...
, George Streisinger
George Streisinger (December 27, 1927 – August 11, 1984) was an American molecular biologist and co-founder of the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon. He was the first person to clone a vertebrate, cloning zebrafish in hi ...
and Aaron Novick
Aaron Novick (June 24, 1919 – December 21, 2000) is considered one of the founders of molecular biology. He started the University of Oregon's Institute of Molecular Biology, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, in 1959.
A gradu ...
.
Administration
Accreditation
The university is accredited
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 as an institutional accreditor for colleges and universities. ...
, which is recognized by the United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Departmen ...
.
University governance
The university's internal governance is conducted in accordance with ''The Constitution of the University of Oregon''. The UO Constitution provides a collaborative process that ensures a strong voice for the faculty, acting through the University Senate. The representation of students, civil servants, and administrative employees in the senate ensures this predominantly faculty body operates in the best interests of the entire university community.
UO Board of Trustees assumed control in 2014. The trustees have the broad authority to supervise and manage the university and may exercise all the powers, rights, duties and privileges expressly granted by law or that are implied by law or are incident to the board's powers, rights, duties and privileges.
Former provost Scott Coltrane served as interim president, from August 6, 2014, through June 30, 2015, following the resignation of Michael Gottfredson. This resignation occurred with less than 24 hours notice amidst a number of controversies, including allegations of mishandling of sexual violence, a decline of $100 million in university donations, and the alienation of faculty members around unionization and academic freedom. Including one interim president, Gottfredson was the university's fourth president in six years, a situation that led Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to r ...
to label the position a "revolving door."
On April 14, 2015 Michael H. Schill was named president, with a start date of July 1, 2015.
Campus security is enforced by the University of Oregon Police Department
In the U.S. state of Oregon, enforcement of local, state, and federal law on public university property is delegated to a number of security, public safety, and police agencies.
Public institutions in Oregon may elect to form campus police. The Un ...
. The department was known as the Department of Public Safety. Formerly a campus security force, the department transitioned to its new role in 2012.
Budget
UO's FY14 operating revenue total $905 million. , the estimated economic impact of the University of Oregon is $2.6 billion annually. Despite a large increase in undergraduate enrollment, state appropriations are less than what they were 10 years prior. The university also receives less state support than many of its peers. According to FY13-14 data from the AAU, UO ranks last in state funding and receives approximately $47.8 million from the state.
Campus
The campus is spread over and includes eighty buildings. Additionally, the campus is an arboretum consisting of 500 species of trees. In total there are over 3,000 trees on campus. It is adjacent to the West University
West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city was 14,955. ...
neighborhood and Pioneer Cemetery
In the United States, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere, a pioneer cemetery is a cemetery that is the burial place for pioneers. American pioneers founded such cemeteries during territorial expansion of the United States, with founding dates spa ...
. Eugene is near many prominent geographic features such as the Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
, Cascade Mountains
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...
and the Pacific Ocean. Also within a two-hour drive is the Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
metropolitan area.
The campus is occupied by approximately 80 buildings. However, there are several ongoing construction projects, as well as plans to build new facilities. The campus is the home of the Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical legacy, held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in late June and early July.
About the festival
The festival's programming is three-fold. It ...
.
Based on Ellis F. Lawrence's vision, many of the university's buildings are planned around several major quadrangles, many of which abut the 13th Avenue pedestrian mall. The university is known for being the site of a pioneering participatory planning experiment known as the Oregon Experiment, which is also the subject of a book of the same name that evolved into the well known book ''A Pattern Language
''A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction'' is a 1977 book on architecture, urban design, and community livability. It was authored by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein of the Center for Environmental Struc ...
'' by Christopher Alexander. The project's two major principles are buildings should be designed, in part, by the people who will use them with the help of an "architect facilitator", and construction should occur over many small projects as opposed to a few large ones.
Although academic buildings are spread throughout the campus, most are along East 13th Avenue, with heavy pedestrian traffic at the intersection with Kincaid Street. Student recreation and union centers are toward the center of the campus, with residence halls on the east side. Sports facilities are grouped in the southern-central part of campus with the Autzen Stadium and PK Park
PK Park is a baseball stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. It is the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12 Conference, and during the summer, the home of the minor league Eugene Emeralds of the No ...
complexes across the Willamette River. The university also owns and operates several satellite facilities, including a large facility in the White Stag Block
The White Stag Block facility refers to the Bickel Block Building, the Skidmore Block Building, and the White Stag Building, in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, in the United States. It was purchased by the University of Oregon ...
of downtown Portland and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (or OIMB) is the marine station of the University of Oregon. This marine station is located in Charleston, Oregon at the mouth of Coos Bay. Currently, OIMB is home to several permanent faculty members and a ...
in Charleston, Oregon.
The campus has been smoke and tobacco free since 2012.
Old campus and memorial quad
The oldest section of campus is in the northwest area of the current campus. The university's first building, University Hall, opened on October 16, 1876, when the university had an enrollment of 177 students. It was known as "the building" before being named after Judge Matthew Deady in 1893. The second building on campus is known as Villard Hall
Villard Hall is a historic building located in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1886, it is the second-oldest building on the University of Oregon campus after University Hall. The Second Empire-style building was listed on National Re ...
and is home to the Theater Arts and Comparative Literature Departments. Completed in 1886, the hall was named after railroad magnate Henry Villard
Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway.
Born and raised by Ferdinand Heinrich Gustav Hilgard in the Rhenish Palatinate of the Kin ...
, who provided financial aid to the university in 1881. Before its naming, it was known as "the new building." Both University and Villard Halls were designated National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
s in 1977.
Just south of Old Campus is the Memorial Quad, which runs north and south along Kincaid Street, capped at both ends by the main campus library, Knight Library, on the south side, and the Lillis Business Complex
The Lillis Business Complex (LCB) is a building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. It is home to the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business (thus the LCB acronym for the Complex),. The complex consists of four buildings; the ...
on the north. It is flanked on the west by the tallest building on campus, Prince Lucien Campbell Hall
Prince Lucien Campbell Hall (PLC) is a high rise building on the University of Oregon (UO) campus in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Named for Prince Lucien Campbell, the fourth president of the university, PLC houses classrooms, staff offices, and an aud ...
, also known as "PLC", Condon Hall on the west, housing the Geography department, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
:''see also the ''Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art'', Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The original building ...
on the east, which was remodeled and reopened on January 23, 2005. Also adjacent to Memorial Quad is Chapman Hall, which houses the Robert D. Clark Honors College.
Central campus
The center of campus houses a mixture of academic buildings, an administration building, and student recreation buildings. Just to the east of Memorial Quad, facing 13th Avenue is Johnson Hall
Johnson Hall State Historic Site was the home of Sir William Johnson (1715–1774) an Irish pioneer who became the influential British Indian Department, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York, known for his strong relation ...
where offices for higher administration and trustee offices are found, including the offices of the university president. Directly across 13th Avenue, facing Johnson Hall is " The Pioneer" a statue of a bearded, buckskin-clad pioneer cast in bronze by sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor
Alexander Phimister Proctor (September 27, 1860 – September 5, 1950) was an American sculptor with the contemporary reputation as one of the nation's foremost animaliers.
Birth and early years
Proctor was born on September 27, 1860 in Bo ...
in 1919. In 1932, Proctor's " Pioneer Mother" statue was dedicated in the Women's Memorial Quadrangle on the other side of Johnson Hall; the two statues are aligned so they can "see" one another through the large windows of the hall's main floor.
Lawrence Hall is at the end of hardscape walkway, directly north of the intersection of 13th Avenue and University Street. It houses the School of Architecture and Allied Arts and is named after its first dean, Ellis F. Lawrence, in 1957. Allen Hall, opened in 1954, is adjacent to Lawrence Hall and houses the School of Journalism and Communication.
Additionally, Erb Memorial Union
The Erb Memorial Union (EMU) is the student union building of the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
History
The building was constructed in 1950. It was named for Donald M. Erb. Two subsequent additions were built in ...
and the recreation center are in this part of campus.
Lorry I. Lokey Science Complex and east campus
The Lorry I. Lokey Science Complex comprises multiple science buildings to the east of Lawrence Hall, on the north side of 13th Avenue. Willamette Hall's Paul Olum
Paul Olum (August 16, 1918 – January 19, 2001) was an American mathematician (algebraic topology), professor of mathematics, and university administrator.
Early years
Born in Binghamton, New York to a father who was a Russian Jew who immigrated ...
Atrium is the center of the university's hard sciences complex. The construction of the $45.6 million additions of Willamette Hall
Willamette Hall is a building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. Opened in 1990, it is home to the university's Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion a ...
, home of the physics department; Cascade Hall, home of the geology department; Deschutes Hall
Deschutes Hall is a building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. Opened in the Winter term of 1990, it is home to the university's Computer Science department. The four-story building contains faculty and graduate student offices ...
, home of the Computer and Information Science Department; and Streisinger Hall to the complex were completed in 1989.
Within the Lokey Science Complex are two facilities focused on integrative science. One is the Lokey Laboratories, which is a shared-use facility with state-of-the-art characterization instrumentation. Lokey Laboratories is associated with the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) and was dedicated to Lorry I. Lokey
Lorry I. Lokey (March 27, 1927 – October 1, 2022) was an American businessperson and philanthropist. A native of Portland, Oregon, he founded the company Business Wire in 1961 and donated in excess of $700 million to charities, with the majori ...
on February 19, 2008, for his $25 million donation toward the project. It is underground, beneath the quad between Heustis and Deschutes Halls, to minimize vibrations. The newest building, the Lewis Integrative Science Building, sits at the north end of this quad and opened in the fall of 2012. Immediately to the east of the Lokey Science Complex is Oregon Hall, which houses administrative offices including the Office of the Registrar and Office of Admissions.
The Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library is also within the Lokey Science Complex. It underwent a major renovation and expansion with the new building reopening in 2016.
The northeast corner of campus is home to the Ford Alumni Center and Matthew Knight Arena
The Matthew Knight Arena (MKA) is a 12,364-seat, multi-purpose arena in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is home of the University of Oregon Ducks basketball teams, replacing McArthur Court. It is located on the east side of campus at the cor ...
. Most of the rest of the eastern part of campus is dedicated to residence halls. Carson Hall, near the Erb Memorial Union, provides dining services along with dormitories. Just south is the Living-Learning Center, opened in 2006. It is a collection of functions including dormitories, classrooms, study areas, dining rooms, and recreational rooms to provide a single location for many student activities. The newest residence hall, the Global Scholars Hall, opened in the fall of 2012. It primarily houses returning students and students enrolled in the Robert D. Clark Honors College, College Scholars, and the global scholars language programs.
South campus
The center of south campus is where much of the on-campus athletic facilities reside. Hayward Field
Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...
, home to the Ducks track and field program, sits in the eastern area of the athletic facilities. It has hosted a number of prominent track and field events such as the US Track and Field Olympic Trials, the NCAA Track and Field Championships, and USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 a ...
Championships.
To the west of the athletic facilities lies Pioneer Cemetery
In the United States, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere, a pioneer cemetery is a cemetery that is the burial place for pioneers. American pioneers founded such cemeteries during territorial expansion of the United States, with founding dates spa ...
and further west is where the current facilities for the College of Education exists, in the southwest corner of campus. The HEDCO Education building and the Frohnmayer Music Center are in the vicinity. The Knight Law Center is just opposite of Hayward Field in the southeast corner of campus. The Many Nations Longhouse and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History are East of Knight Law.
Knight Campus
The is a future billion dollar applied science campus. The campus will consist of three state-of-the-art research facilities. The campus will be on the north side of Franklin Boulevard.
UO supporters Phil and Penny Knight will donate $500 million towards the endeavor over ten years. The rest of the funding is expected to come from state bonds and private support.
Other areas and satellites
The controversial Riverfront Research Park is a small facility maintained by the university, across Franklin Boulevard from the main campus, next to the Willamette River. The park is used for creating new technologies, such as research about artificial intelligence at the Computational Intelligence Research Lab, and it is the home of the Zebrafish Information Network The Zebrafish Information NetworkZFIN is an online biological database of information about the zebrafish (''Danio rerio''). The zebrafish is a widely used model organism for genetic, genomic, and developmental studies, and ZFIN provides an integr ...
(ZFIN), the zebrafish
The zebrafish (''Danio rerio'') is a freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often ca ...
model organism database. Local controversy has existed since before the development and approval of the site master plan by the City of Eugene in 1989. Controversy stems from the lack of citizen involvement in the planning process for the use of public lands, and the potential for multi-story office buildings and parking lots to replace open space, civic space, and wildlife habitat along the Willamette River. The university and student senates have each passed resolutions against construction on the banks of the Willamette River under the current development plan, yet plans for development persist. In March 2010, the issue of a conditional use permit extension for the Research Park was appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals by a group of citizens, students, and faculty.
The complex for the Ducks football and baseball team is north across the Willamette River. It includes the football stadium ( Autzen Stadium), the baseball park (PK Park
PK Park is a baseball stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. It is the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12 Conference, and during the summer, the home of the minor league Eugene Emeralds of the No ...
), an indoor practice football field (Moshofsky Center), a soccer field (Pape Field), an outdoor practice field (Kilkenny Field), and the Casanova Center which includes offices, the athletics Hall of Fame, locker rooms, weight rooms, a film review theater, and a treatment center.
UO Portland
The university also leases space in Old Town Portland in the White Stag Block. UO-Portland provides an urban study environment for the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, the School of Journalism and Communication, the School of Law, and the Lundquist College of Business. Additionally, the Division of Continuing Education, the Labor Education Resource Center, and the Department of Athletics have active offices there. The Duck Store
The Duck Store is the bookstore for the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is a not-for-profit corporation governed by an elected Board of Directors composed mostly of students. It is independent of the University of Oregon ...
has a
shop in the building.
In 2022, UO purchased the campus of the now closed Concordia University. In 2023, most of UO's academic programs located in Portland will be relocated to this campus.
Sustainability
The undergraduate architecture program is consistently ranked among the highest in the country, and is currently ranked as the #1 public program for "Sustainable Design Practice and Principles" by DesignIntelligence magazine.
The University of Oregon received a grade of "B+" from the Sustainable Endowments Institute on its last published College Sustainability Report Card in 2011.
There has also been a push for sustainable buildings on campus with a development plan that requires any new building or renovation to incorporate sustainable design. The Lillis Business Complex
The Lillis Business Complex (LCB) is a building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. It is home to the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business (thus the LCB acronym for the Complex),. The complex consists of four buildings; the ...
was the catalyst for the policy. The building, completed in 2003 has earned a LEED Silver rating, the highest rating of any college business building in the United States. , there were 15 different buildings on campus that have been awarded LEED Silver or above ratings.
The Green Product Design Network was created by a group of leaders from the UO with expertise in green chemistry
Green chemistry, also called sustainable chemistry, is an area of chemistry and chemical engineering focused on the design of products and processes that minimize or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. While environmental che ...
, product design, business, communications, and journalism.
Libraries and museums
The multi-branch University of Oregon Libraries serves the campus with library collections, instruction and reference, and a wide variety of educational technology and media services. The UO is Oregon's only member of the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 127 research libraries at comprehensive, research institutions in Canada and the United States. ARL member libraries make up a large portion of the academic and resea ...
. The main branch, the Knight Library, houses humanities and social sciences, Learning Commons, Music Services, Government Publications, Maps and Aerial Photos, Special Collections & University Archives, Media Services, the Center for Educational Technologies, and a Cinema Studies lab to be available in Winter 2010. Other branch locations are:
* The Design Library in Lawrence Hall (renamed "Design" from the "Architecture & Allied Arts Library" when the school changed its name to the College of Design in summer of 2017)
* The John E. Jaqua Law Library in the Knight Law Center
* The Loyd & Dorothy Rippey Library at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (or OIMB) is the marine station of the University of Oregon. This marine station is located in Charleston, Oregon at the mouth of Coos Bay. Currently, OIMB is home to several permanent faculty members and a ...
in Charleston, Oregon.
* The Mathematics Library in Fenton Hall
* The Portland Library & Learning Commons in the White Stag Block in Portland, Oregon
* The Science Library in the Price Science Commons
The UO Libraries hosts Scholars' Bank, an open access (OA) digital repository created to capture, distribute and preserve the intellectual output of the University of Oregon. Scholars' Bank uses open-source DSpace
DSpace is an open source repository software package typically used for creating open access repositories for scholarly and/or published digital content. While DSpace shares some feature overlap with content management systems and document manag ...
software developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
and Hewlett-Packard.
The Libraries' Educational Video Group maintains th
UO Channel
which uses streaming media to provide access to campus lectures, interviews, performances, symposia, and documentary productions.
The UO is the founding member and host of the Orbis-Cascade Alliance, a consortium of academic and research libraries in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The combined collections of the Alliance exceed 20 million volumes and can be searched via the Summit union catalog. The Orbis Cascade Alliance serves faculty and the equivalent of more than 258,000 full-time students. In addition to its members, the Alliance extends selected services to more than 280 libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies in seven western states.
The Special Collections & University Archives house a collection of Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
's literary manuscripts, comic books, and other materials, including over 200 letters from fans. It is also the home to a rare collection of thousands of Japanese senjafuda (votive slips), part of the Gertrude Bass Warner Collection.
The University of Oregon is home to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
:''see also the ''Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art'', Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The original building ...
and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.
There are multiple galleries around the main campus, including (but not limited to):
* The LaVerne Krause Gallery in Lawrence Hall
* The Adell McMillan Gallery in the Erb Memorial Union
* The Aperture Gallery in the Erb Memorial Union
* The art gallery on the second floor of the Knight Law Center
* The Washburn Gallery in the FAS Ceramics building.
Campus life and events
Special events
UO is home to various special events. One of the most popular and well-known events held on campus is the Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical legacy, held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in late June and early July.
About the festival
The festival's programming is three-fold. It ...
. The festival is a donor-sponsored program of the university and the only major music festival affiliated with an American university. Founded in 1970 by German conductor Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970),
the Internationale Bachakademie ...
and UO professor (and past president of the American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...
) Royce Saltzman, the festival has grown into an international program that draws hundreds of musicians and over 40,000 attendees annually. The festival's focus is choral and orchestral music, and it hosts a professional choir and orchestra each year to perform major works by Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...
and other composers; it also sponsors a master class in conducting that draws participants from around the world.
The festival has presented such artists as Frederica von Stade
Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
, Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
, Garrison Keillor, and Thomas Quasthoff
Thomas Quasthoff (born 9 November 1959) is a German bass-baritone. Quasthoff has a range of musical interest from Bach cantatas, to lieder, and solo jazz improvisations. Born with severe birth defects caused by thalidomide, Quasthoff is , and has ...
, who made his American debut in Eugene in 1995. The festival actively commissions and premieres new choral-orchestra works, including pieces by Arvo Pärt, Osvaldo Golijov
Osvaldo Noé Golijov (; born December 5, 1960) is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work.
Biography
Osvaldo Golijov was born in and grew up in La Plata, Argentina, in a Jewish family ...
, and Tan Dun
Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a dichotomy which has shaped much of his life and ...
. A Bach Festival recording of the world-premiere performance of Krzyztof Penderecki's ''Credo'' won the 2001 Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for best choral performance.
Another popular event held on campus is the men's and women's track and field Olympics Trials. This event has been held on campus for the last three qualifying years (2008, 2012, 2016). Additionally, they have been held five times in all on campus.
Furthermore, the campus is hosting the 2021 World Championships in Athletics
The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022, with the country hosting that competition for the fi ...
.
Clubs and groups
There are more than 250 student groups at the University of Oregon, most of which are headquartered in the Erb Memorial Union.
In addition to its athletic teams, the university has a competitive intercollegiate Speech and Debate
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...
team. The University of Oregon Forensics program was founded in 1876, at the same time as the university. Initially the program consisted of two student-formed forensic societies, which developed into "doughnut league" inter-dorm competitions in the 1890s. In 1891, the UO began intercollegiate competition. Forensics continued to grow as a staple of the university's community and by 1911, the team was so successful that it began charging admission to debates. Money raised during these events was often donated to the fledgling University of Oregon football program.
Parliamentary debate
Parliamentary debate (also referred to as "parliamentary" or "parli") is an academic debate event. Many university-level institutions in English-speaking nations sponsor parliamentary debate teams. In addition the format is currently spreading to ...
was integrated into UO Forensics in 1998–99 and the team has been competitive since. In 2001, the UO's Alan Tauber and Heidi Ford claimed a national title, winning the first ever National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE). In 2011, the team of Matt Gander and Hank Fields claimed both national titles, winning the NPTE and the National Parliamentary Debate Association
The National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) is one of the two national intercollegiate parliamentary debate organizations in the United States. The other is the American Parliamentary Debate Association. Its membership is national with ...
Championship, coached by Thomas Schally, Benjamin Dodds, Sarah Hamid, and Will Chamberlain.
The University of Oregon is home to three student-run a cappella groups: Divisi, a treble ensemble; On the Rocks, a TTBB ensemble; and Mind the Gap, a mixed ensemble. All three groups have competed numerous times in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). On the Rocks placed 3rd at ICCA finals in 2002 and 2nd in 2003. Divisi has competed at ICCA finals three times – the only treble ensemble in the world to do so – in 2005, where they placed 2nd, as well as 2010 and 2016. In 2020, The A Cappella Archive ranked Divisi at #14 all-time among ICCA-competing groups, as well as the highest-ranked treble ensemble.
Media
The University of Oregon has a diverse array of student-run and student-created media, including the ''Daily Emerald
The ''Daily Emerald'' is the independent, student-run weekly newspaper produced at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Its predecessor, the ''Oregon Daily Emerald'' newspaper, founded in 1899, trained many prominent write ...
'', the ''Oregon Commentator
The ''Oregon Commentator'' was a student publication at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded on September 27, 1983, and first published on October 24, 1983, it was a self-described "conservative journal of opinion," ...
'', and ''Ethos Magazine
''Ethos Magazine'' is a student publication produced at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Originally ''Korean Ducks'' magazine (after the school sports team name), which focused on Korean culture, it has since developed ...
'', among others.
The university is also home of two radio stations: KWAX
KWAX (91.1 FM) is a non-commercial classical music radio station in Eugene, Oregon, broadcasting to the Eugene-Springfield, Oregon area. The station is a listener supported service of the University of Oregon. Some programming is spoken word: ...
(classical music) and KWVA
KWVA (88.1 FM) is a college radio station broadcasting from the EMU building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Licensed to the University of Oregon, it serves the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area and has a ...
( campus radio). For a more exhaustive list of campus media organizations, please see the above linked article.
Government
The Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) is the student government at the University of Oregon. It is a non-profit organization funded by the University of Oregon. Its purpose is to provide for the social, cultural, educational and physical development of its members, and for the advancement of their individual and collective interests both within and without the university. Membership consists of all students at the University of Oregon, who have paid the current term or semester student incidental fee.[ASUO About Page](_blank)
, Associated Students of the University of Oregon website, University of Oregon.
Student participation in governance of the university extends to membership in the University Senate, which has five student members with full voting rights plus the ASUO president as a nonvoting member. Students are also represented on the university's board of trustees by a voting member appointed by the Governor of Oregon
The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...
.
The total FY2014-15 ASUO budget was $15.24 million.
Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation
The University of Oregon Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) was established in 1976 to represent graduate student workers and it is one of the oldest graduate student unions in the U.S. The UO administration objected to the establishment of the union, citing that graduate workers were "students, not employees." The Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB) ruled in favor of the graduate students and supported their right to organize. The GTFF began organizing its first contract in April 1977 and reached a negotiation with the university administration after two strike votes. In 1993, the GTFF successfully bargained for employer-paid health insurance.
In 2014, the GTFF went on strike for the first time. In October, GTFF members voted to authorize a strike over two issues not yet included in the GTF contract: a pay raise to the minimum GTF salary and a form of paid sick leave
Sick leave (or paid sick days or sick pay) is paid time off from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health needs without losing pay. It differs from paid vacation time or time off work to deal with personal matters, because ...
. The strike lasted a week and overlapped with the university's administration of final examinations. Although the union members accused the university administration of strike breaking activities, intimidation of international students, and unlawful demands,[ a compromise was reach on December 10 and the strike ended.
]
Facilities and housing
The Erb Memorial Union
The Erb Memorial Union (EMU) is the student union building of the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
History
The building was constructed in 1950. It was named for Donald M. Erb. Two subsequent additions were built in ...
(EMU) is the student union, which functions as a center for student life. It sits on the southeast corner of 13th and University St. The EMU underwent a $95 million renovation and expansion project from 2013 to 2016. The wing, built in 1973 was demolished in 2014 to make way for a new wing. Opened in the fall of 2016, the new facility includes improved dining options, faculty and group offices, and meeting spaces. It also features a campus pub operated by local brewery Falling Sky. There is also a bike-share program, multi-purpose auditorium, and craft center.
South of the Erb Memorial Union across a small quad is the Student Recreational Center (SRC) which is an exercise and recreation facility. It includes fitness equipment, rock climbing walls, a swimming pool, racquetball courts, an indoor elevated running track and basketball courts. Tennis courts, turf fields, and a running track are outdoors next to the Rec Center. The facility reopened in early 2015 after a major renovation and expansion. The Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center, named in honor of alumna, civil rights activist, and counselor Lyllye-Reynolds Parker, opened in October 2019.
The current Residence Halls are: Barnhart, Bean, Carson, Earl, the Global Scholars Hall, Hamilton, Kalapuya Ilihi, the Living-Learning Center, Riley, and Walton. The newest residence hall, Kalapuya Ilihi, opened in the Fall of 2017 and is named in honor of the indigenous Kalapuya tribe who lived in the Eugene area. Kalapuya Ilihi opened next to Global Scholars Hall, and hosts 531 students, as well as includes an open-space for students and faculty on the ground floor. Additionally, several residence halls are expected to undergo major renovations in the near future.
Traditions
* A cappella groups perform at the venue in front of the EMU on Friday afternoons.
* "It never rains at Autzen stadium." – It is a tradition for the announcer to call this out sometime during each football game.
* Street Fair – Twice a year, a street fair lines the entire stretch of the University of Oregon campus on 13th Street. It features exceptional food and plenty of arts and crafts.
* Each year in May there is University Day, a campus-wide effort by students and faculty/staff to beautify the grounds. It is a single day filled with planting trees, flowers, cleaning up landscapes and making the campus more presentable for the upcoming graduation ceremonies. In 1905 this event replaced the rowdy, destructive and sometimes violent class-on-class Flag Rush days.
* Each year, the university community hikes up Skinner Butte to paint the Big "O" overlooking Eugene.
* Many people make "O" gestures with their hands to show support for the university.
* The Canoe Fete, one of the most beloved past traditions of the university, took place on the Eugene millrace.
Athletics
The University of Oregon is a member of the Pac-12 Conference and the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
. The athletic programs have garnered 28 NCAA team championships, as well as 60 NCAA individual champions in various track and field events. The strength of the track program, as well as its connection to Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
, has made Eugene known as "Track Town, USA". The two primary rivals of the Oregon Ducks football team are the Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-1 ...
and the Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers are the athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for ...
, though they also have a strong rivalry with the Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic program com ...
. The football rivalry with Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
is one of the nation's oldest. Every year, the two teams face off in the last game of the regular season. The two teams have faced each other nearly every year since 1894 except for five years. Games were not held in 1900, 1901, 1911, 1943, and 1944.
The university competes in 14 sports: football, men's and women's basketball, cross country, track and field, baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, women's lacrosse, women's volleyball, and acrobatics & tumbling. This does not include club sports which competes at the Division I level in Rugby, Soccer, Rowing, and Waterpolo. As well as women's Division I club athletics in Rowing, Rugby, and Waterpolo.
With 20 NCAA championships between them, cross country and track and field are the two programs at the university that have enjoyed the most success. The programs have produced many world-class athletes including Steve Prefontaine
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who from 1973 to 1975 set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, a ...
and Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where ...
, the latter of whom was also a coach until he was banned for life. Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
had been formed by the former track and field head coach Bill Bowerman
William Jay Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champi ...
and former University of Oregon track runner Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
. The successes of the programs have given the name of Track Town, USA to Eugene.
Created in 1893, the football team played its first game in 1894 and won its first Rose Bowl in 1917 against the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
. The 1938–39 men's basketball team, nicknamed the "Tall Firs," won the first-ever NCAA basketball tournament by defeating Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in the March 28, 1939 championship game.
Originally recognized as an official sport at the university in 1908, baseball was disbanded in 1981 due to concerns with Title IX
Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
. In 2007, the athletic director Patrick Kilkenny announced plans to reinstate baseball and to drop wrestling while adding women's acrobatics & tumbling.
Relationship with Nike
The Athletic Department (AD) and university (UO) have a long and complex relationship with Nike Inc.
Nike, Inc. (stylized as NIKE) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is head ...
The corporation has significant historical ties to UO. It was founded by two UO alumni. Nike founder Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
is also one of the largest benefactors in the history of UO. In recent years he has invested heavily in developing and maintaining the athletic apparatus.
Mascot
The mascot of the University of Oregon is the fighting duck. The popular Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
character Donald Duck has been the mascot for decades, thanks to a handshake agreement between then-Athletic Director Leo Harris
Leo A. Harris (August 6, 1904 – April 22, 1990) was an American athlete, coach, and athletic director. He played college football at Stanford University, coached football and basketball at Fresno State College, and was the first athletic directo ...
and Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
in 1947. The mascot has been challenged more than a few times in its lifetime. The first came in 1966 when Walt Disney died and the company realized there was no formal contract written for the use of Donald's image. A formal contract was written up in 1973. Potential heirs "Mallard Drake" and "Mandrake" challenged Donald's position in 1978 and 2003 respectively, but both were unpopular and discontinued.
Song
The fight song
A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...
is "Mighty Oregon "Mighty Oregon" is the fight song for the University of Oregon. It is played by the Oregon Marching Band at home football and basketball games. Director of Bands, Albert Perfect, along with journalism student DeWitt Gilbert, wrote the fight song, "T ...
", written by professor Albert Perfect and student John DeWitt Gilbert in 1916. It has undergone several changes since its original performance.
In fiction and popular culture
Onscreen
The film ''National Lampoon's Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
'' (1978) was filmed on the university campus and the surrounding area. The building used as the exterior of the Delta House (which belonged to the University of Oregon Pi Kappa Alpha chapter) was demolished in 1986, but the interior scenes were shot in the Sigma Nu house, which still stands. The Omega house belongs to the Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States.
The ...
fraternity and still stands. The sorority house where Bluto climbs the ladder to peek in on the female students was actually the exterior of the Sigma Nu fraternity. Other buildings used during filming include Johnson Hall, Gerlinger Hall, Fenton Hall, Carson Hall, and the Erb Memorial Union (EMU). The EMU dining facility known as "The Fishbowl" was the site of the famous food-fight scene. The Knight Library and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art can also be seen in the movie.
Other films shot at the university include
* '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940)
* ''Five Easy Pieces
''Five Easy Pieces'' is a 1970 American drama film directed by Bob Rafelson, written by Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce) and Rafelson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach, Lois Smith, and Ralph Waite. The film tells the s ...
'' (1970)
* ''Drive, He Said
''Drive, He Said'' is a 1971 American independent film directed by Jack Nicholson, in his directorial debut, and starring William Tepper, Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Robert Towne, and Henry Jaglom. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Jerem ...
'' (1970)
* ''How to Beat the High Cost of Living
''How to Beat the High Cost of Living'' is a 1980 American comedy heist film starring Susan Saint James, Jane Curtin, and Jessica Lange. Set in the aftermath of the economic recession of the 1970s, the film follows three women in suburban Oreg ...
'' (1980)
* '' Personal Best'' (1982)
* '' Stand By Me'' (1986) (shot primarily in nearby Brownsville)
* ''Without Limits
''Without Limits'' is a 1998 American biographical sports film. It is written and directed by Robert Towne and follows the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded ...
'' (1998)
* ''Zerophilia
''Zerophilia'' is a 2005 romantic comedy film with speculative-fiction elements directed by Academy of Motion Pictures' Student Academy Award-winning director Martin Curland and produced by Microangelo Entertainment. It is about a young man who di ...
'' (2005)
The University of Oregon also appeared in the documentary ''The Hunting Ground
''The Hunting Ground'' is a 2015 American documentary film about the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States and the reported failure of college administrations to deal with it adequately. Written and directed by K ...
'' after allowing three basketball players accused of sexual assault to play in an NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Tournament. The documentary focuses on campus rape
Campus sexual assault is the sexual assault, including rape, of a student while attending an institution of higher learning, such as a college or university. The victims of such assaults are more likely to be female, but any gender can be victim ...
in higher education institutions in the United States.
People
Alumni
File:Sam Adams Nov 2012 (cropped).jpg, Sam Adams, first openly gay Mayor of Portland
File:Suzanne_Bonamici.jpg, Suzanne Bonamici
Suzanne Marie Bonamici ( ; born October 14, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 1st congressional district, a seat she was first elected to in a 2012 special election. The district includes m ...
, U.S. Representative from Oregon's 1st district
File:Mark-few-USD-vs-Gonzaga-feb-18-08.jpg, Mark Few
Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines through ...
, current head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team
File:Neil Goldschmidt.jpg, Neil Goldschmidt
Neil Edward Goldschmidt (born June 16, 1940) is an American businessman and Democratic politician from the state of Oregon who held local, state and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the United States Secretary of Transportat ...
, 33rd Governor of Oregon
The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...
and 6th United States Secretary of Transportation
File:Justin_Herbert_2021.jpg, Justin Herbert, current NFL Quarterback of the Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
File:Sabrina Ionescu 2019 Pac 12 Tourney 2019-03-08 (cropped).jpg, Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...
, NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
all-time leader in triple-doubles
File:Philknightfootball.jpg, Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
, co-founder of Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
File:Marcus Mariota 2018.jpg, Marcus Mariota
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota pl ...
, 2014 Heisman Trophy winner
File:Kaitlin Olson by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg, Kaitlin Olson, actress
File:Chuck Palahniuk (21955) (cropped).jpg, Chuck Palahniuk, journalist and author of ''Fight Club
''Fight Club'' is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. Norton plays the unnamed narrator, who is d ...
''
File:Senator William V Roth.jpg, William V. Roth, former U.S. senator from Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
File:Paul_Simon_(US_Senator_from_Illinois).jpg, Paul Simon, former U.S. senator from Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
File:Norv Turner.JPG, Norv Turner
Norval Turner (born May 17, 1952) is an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). An offensive assistant for the majority of his coaching career, he came to prominence as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator during the ...
, former head coach of the San Diego Chargers
File:Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan.jpg, Nguyen Thien Nhan, former Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Phó Thủ tướng Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), known as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers ( vi, Phó Chủ tịch Hội đồng Bộ trưởng) f ...
File:Ron Wyden of Oregon.jpg, Ron Wyden, U.S. senator from Oregon
File:Ryan Zinke official portrait.jpg, Ryan Zinke
Ryan Keith Zinke (; born November 1, 1961) is an American politician and businessman. Zinke, a member of the Republican Party, served in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2013 and as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large congressional d ...
, 52nd United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...
Alumni include at least two Nobel Laureates, five members of the National National Academy of Sciences, 16 Pulitzer Prize winners, who have won a combined 20 awards, 19 Rhodes Scholars and 5 Marshall Scholars
The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious sc ...
.
There are more than 195,000 University of Oregon alumni around the world. The Ford Alumni Center, adjacent to Matthew Knight Arena
The Matthew Knight Arena (MKA) is a 12,364-seat, multi-purpose arena in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is home of the University of Oregon Ducks basketball teams, replacing McArthur Court. It is located on the east side of campus at the cor ...
, houses an interactive exhibit. The UO Alumni Association is also based out of this facility.
Prominent alumni include: academic leaders Lee Bollinger
Lee Carroll Bollinger (born April 30, 1946) is an American lawyer and educator who is serving as the 19th and current president of Columbia University, where he is also the Seth Low Professor of the University and a faculty member of Columbia La ...
(president of Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and former president of the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
), Gene Block (chancellor of UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
), and Asher Cohen (president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), TV host Ann Curry
Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, S ...
, author and counter-culture figure Ken Kesey
Ken Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.
Kesey was born in ...
( ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''), businessman Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...
(founded Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
in Eugene), NFL quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
s Marcus Mariota
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota pl ...
(2014 Heisman Trophy winner) and Justin Herbert ( 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy recipient and 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year), screenwriter Stephen J. Cannell, author Chuck Palahniuk ( ''Fight Club''), cognitive scientist and author Douglas Hofstadter ('' Gödel, Escher, Bach''), U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, American sportscaster and former professional football player Ahmad Rashad
Ahmad Rashad (born Robert Earl Moore; November 19, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1972 NFL Draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was known as Bobby Moo ...
, professional basketball players Luke Ridnour
Lukas Robin Ridnour (born February 13, 1981) is an American retired professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
High school career
Ridnour was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and grew up in Blaine, Washington. His fa ...
, Luke Jackson and Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...
, former American football quarterback and current sportscaster Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973-87). After a relatively undistinguished fi ...
, actress Kaitlin Olson, Circuit Court Judge Hollie Pihl
Holger Mathew Pihl, Jr. (September 23, 1928 – October 3, 2018) was the Circuit Court Judge of Washington County, Oregon until 1995, and then a Senior status, Senior Judge until his retirement in 2005. Appointed to the court by Oregon Governor ...
, A cappella vocalist and YouTuber
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influe ...
Peter Hollens
Peter James Hollens (born March 4, 1980) is an American singer/songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. He has been involved with ''a cappella'' music since 1999 when he and Leo da Silva founded the University of Oregon's ''a cappella'' group, On ...
, trumpeter and musician Tony Glausi, Hilda Heine
Hilda Cathy Heine (born April 6, 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician, who served as the eighth President of the Marshall Islands. Prior to assuming office, she served as the Minister of Education. She was the first individual from the ...
(president of the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...
), and Coach Mark Few
Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines through ...
(coach of Men's Basketball Gonzaga Bulldogs.)
Faculty and staff
Current University of Oregon faculty and researchers include 1 Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
laureate, and 11 members of the National Academy of Sciences Furthermore, two Oregon based researchers have been awarded the President's National Medal of Science.
Notable current and former faculty and staff include: renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erikson, biochemist and biophysicist Brian Matthews (also known for Matthews correlation coefficient
In statistics, the phi coefficient (or mean square contingency coefficient and denoted by φ or rφ) is a measure of association for two binary variables. In machine learning, it is known as the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) and used as ...
), neuroscientist Michael Posner, behavioural psychologist and risk researcher Paul Slovic
Paul Slovic (born 1938 in Chicago) is a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and the president oDecision Research Decision Research is a collection of scientists from all over the nation and in other countries that study decision- ...
, molecular biologist and geneticist Franklin Stahl
Franklin (Frank) William Stahl (born October 8, 1929) is an American molecular biologist and geneticist. With Matthew Meselson, Stahl conducted the famous Meselson-Stahl experiment showing that DNA is replicated by a semiconservative mechanism, ...
(noted for Meselson–Stahl experiment) which he performed at Caltech, molecular biologist George Streisinger
George Streisinger (December 27, 1927 – August 11, 1984) was an American molecular biologist and co-founder of the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon. He was the first person to clone a vertebrate, cloning zebrafish in hi ...
(pioneered the use of Zebrafish
The zebrafish (''Danio rerio'') is a freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often ca ...
in biological research), and 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
winner Knight Research Professor David Wineland
David Jeffrey Wineland (born February 24, 1944) is an American Nobel-laureate physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physics laboratory. His work has included advances in optics, specifically laser-cooling trap ...
, formerly of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
.
Notable current and former athletic department staff include: track coach Bill Bowerman
William Jay Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champi ...
(known for co-founding Nike, Inc.) and football coach Chip Kelly
Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl ga ...
(also known for coaching Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
and San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
).
See also
*Oregon Student Association
The Oregon Student Association (OSA), a non-profit organization, was established in 1975 to represent, serve and protect the collective interests of students in post-secondary education in the U.S. state of Oregon.[Oregon Exchanges ''Oregon Exchanges'' was an American newspaper published by the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications (SOJC) in the early 20th century. It initially described itself as a "Newspaper for Newspaper Men"; by 1930, it had adopted ...]
'', a newspaper covering the news industry in Oregon, published in the early 20th century.
Notes
References
Further reading
*
''Annual Catalogue of the State University of Oregon, 1886–1887.''
Portland, OR: George H. Himes, 1887. —Includes several annual catalogs listing professors, alumni, students, and college rules.
External links
*
*
*
Oregon Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon, University Of
1876 establishments in Oregon
Flagship universities in the United States
Eugene, Oregon
Educational institutions established in 1876
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Tourist attractions in Eugene, Oregon
National Register of Historic Places in Eugene, Oregon
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...