October 2013 Government & Community Relations Update
Matt Roberts joins Government and Community Relations
Matt Roberts recently joined the UO Government and Community Relations team as senior director for community relations. Roberts brings to the position 17 years of experience at the UO, most recently as senior director of development for the Oregon region. Prior to that he served 12 years as assistant dean for external relations at the UO School of Law.
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Federal shutdown enters second week
As the federal government enters its second week of a partial shutdown, caused by the inability of Congress to reach agreement on continued funding, there is no clear path to resolving the impasse. It seems likely that any deal on FY14 spending will be combined with legislation to raise the debt limit—which Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has warned must be raised by October 17.
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Congress keeps Federal Helium Reserve open
On October 1, President Barack Obama signed the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, H.R. 527, which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to continue to sell crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve . The act averted the shutdown of the Federal Helium Reserve, which would have dramatically reduced and destabilized the global helium supply.
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President Gottfredson, Mayor Piercy welcome students during Welcome Walk
On September 30, University of Oregon President Michael Gottfredson, Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, and Associated Students of the University of Oregon President Sam Dotters-Katz joined dozens of representatives from the UO, the City of Eugene, and other sectors of the community in going door-to-door in several near-campus residential neighborhoods during the UO Community Welcome Walk, meeting stud
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Legislature moves bills during special session
On October 3, the Oregon Legislature passed a set of bills that makes changes to the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), increases revenue, and provides additional funding for education (including $25 million for the Oregon University System), mental health services, and senior services. The major components of the package of bills passed are outlined below.
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Governor Kitzhaber names Ben Cannon executive Director of the HECC
On October 3, Governor John Kitzhaber announced the appointment of Ben Cannon as the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC).
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