Brady Outlines IT's Role in Meeting Challenges
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JANUARY 16, 2007—Provost Linda Brady spoke with members of the campus IT community about the challenges facing the UO and the central role IT must play in meeting those challenges.
The UO's new chief academic officer began by sounding the keynote of academic excellence in research and teaching, and this theme reverberated throughout her talk.
We must now grapple with the problem of how to build and sustain quality in an increasingly competitive environment shaped by generational changes in our faculty and the history of state disinvestment in higher education. Because we lack the resources to invest across the board, she said we must decide where we want to be in ten years and then make incremental, strategic investments that move us toward our goals.
Where should we invest our scarce resources? Brady sees the following five areas as essential:
1. Faculty and staff. The UO must recruit and retain excellent faculty and staff. Brady pointed out that half of our current faculty will reach retirement age in the next decade. Because of the UO's below-average salary schedule, we face challenges as we compete to recruit the best and brightest to fill their places. The goal, however, remains essential. "The excellence of the university," Brady emphasized, "is founded on the excellence of our staff."
2. The underserved. The UO needs to provide access and support to Oregon's underserved populations, including low-income students, Latinos, and students of color. A look at the current demographics of the K-12 population in Oregon reveals that the fastest growing groups don't traditionally receive the most educational opportunities. We need to reach out to such students and focus on making them successful. We must also find creative ways to use technology to improve retention and graduation rates.
3. Graduate education and research and faculty research. The UO should enhance graduate education and research capability and ensure support for faculty research. To realize this goal, we must invest in a solid, up-to-date IT infrastructure.
4. Globalization. The UO must strive to create a global university that goes beyond our existing programs. We need to establish partnerships with institutions around the world--especially in East Asia--and explore how we can use technology to make our research and resources available to people around the world.
5. Community engagement. The UO must work to enhance community engagement statewide and explore ways to reach into the rural parts of the state. Technology is a tool to engage those populations. Brady noted that "we are responsible to the communities that support us--especially with questions of access." She cited the opening of UO Portland in the former White Stag building as an opportunity to reach out to more Oregon residents.
After her presentation, Brady engaged in an easy give-and-take with her audience and encouraged the UO IT community to share their ideas and concerns with her directly at lbrady@uoregon.edu.