May 2013 Government & Community Relations Update
President Gottfredson, Connected Lane County present to OEIB
On May 14, UO President Michael Gottfredson and Connected Lane County partners presented at a meeting of the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) at the invitation of Oregon Chief Education Officer Rudy Crew.
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US House and Senate move legislation to stop student loan interest rate increase
Last week, the US House and Senate began to move legislation to stop the scheduled increase to the undergraduate student loan interest rate from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1. The interest rate had been scheduled to increase last year, but Congress passed a stop-gap bill in 2012 which delayed the doubling for one year, paying for the delay by cutting existing student loan subsidies
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Capital construction hearing held May 10
The Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction held a hearing on capital requests for Oregon University System projects on May 10. UO has five projects under consideration.
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Quarterly revenue forecast triggers movement on budget
At a May 16 joint meeting of the Oregon Senate Finance and Revenue Committee and House Revenue Committee, State Economist Mark McMullen released the quarterly Economic and Revenue Forecast.
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University of Oregon supports reauthorization of America COMPETES Act
The University of Oregon joined partners from business, higher education, scientific and engineering communities in signing onto a set of guiding principles for the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act.
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State Representative Phil Barnhart to hold town hall at UO on May 7
State Representative Phil Barnhart (D-Eugene) will hold a town hall meeting on the University of Oregon campus on May 7. Barnhart’s House District 11 includes the University of Oregon campus. He serves as the chair of the House Revenue Committee and the co-chair of the Joint Committee on Tax Credits. He is also on the House Rules Committee. Details below:
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Merkley highlights UO STEM CORE in Eugene visit
US Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) visited Eugene’s Churchill High School to discuss his science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education proposals. Introduced last month, the STEM Education for the Global Economy Act aims to improve student engagement in and increa
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UO Women's Indoor Track and Field recognized at Eugene City Council
On May 22, The Eugene City Council honored the UO Women’s Indoor Track and Field team for winning their fourth consecutive NCAA national championship. The women came back from being in 11th place to become only the second team ever (behind Louisiana State University, ‘93-‘97) to win four straight national championships
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OSTP director strongly defends merit review and NSF support of social sciences
On May 2, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director John Holdren offered a strong public defense of merit review in federal research funding and of the important role of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in supporting all areas of science and engineering, including the social sciences.
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State round-up: hearings on capital construction budget and Cultural Trust
The budget continues to be the focus of attention in Salem. Hearings have also been scheduled for many university priorities.Capital Construction hearing set for May 10
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Athlete agent bill headed to Governor's desk
On April 25, the Oregon Senate gave final legislative approval to a bill intended to protect student-athletes.
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