Is Phil Knight’s Agenda Overshadowing the University of Oregon’s Priorities?
Post by: Matt Casey
An organizational mission statement states the purpose and goals for what is being accomplished on a daily basis on the Oregon campus. The University of Oregon, much like any business that has a stake in the American economy, has a mission statement. At the U of O, there are defined benchmarks and guidelines set for the function of the university. It states, “The University is a community of scholars dedicated to the highest standards of academic inquiry, learning, and service. Recognizing that knowledge is the fundamental wealth of civilization…”
In a recent interview with the Oregonian, University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere shed light on his experiences with education and what his mission for the university entails. The university already faces declining state financial support and brimming enrollment. Along with that, Lariviere would like to pay the faculty more, improve student graduation rates, increase student diversity, and protect access for students who are the first in their family to attend college. This may seem like a very standard set of goals for a university president, however, given the events of this past school year surrounding the media and the athletic department, these goals have been put on hold.
LeGarrette Blount, former football running back, received mass amounts of national media attention this last fall for pummeling an opposing player on the field after the season opener. That alone was enough to take the attention needed for day-to-day tasks away from Lariviere. With all the news of athletes being arrested for assault, drunken driving, theft, and harassment, it became hard not to see a trend in the attitude of “student-athletes.”
The crimes committed by athletes, however, weren’t the only thing holding Lariviere back from his academic plans for the university. Recently, former football coach and Athletic Director Mike Belotti left the school with a $2.3 million settlement that has been the cause of major dispute in Eugene. There was no record indicating that any amount of money was agreed upon before Belotti took over the post as athletic director. The only form of information there is to confirm Belotti had been promised this money was the word of former athletic director Pat Kilkenny and the athletic department.
Lariviere has denounced the shoddy business practices of the athletic department over the time since his arrival on campus. Lariviere believes that Phil Knight and his donations have overshadowed the mission of the University of Oregon. If spoiled athletes and unprofessional administrators remain in the media spotlight then this may just hold true. The university needs to be able to focus on what it’s here to do. As it reads in the university mission statement, the university is here to foster the growth of knowledge and intellectual wealth not win sports championships.
http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2010/04/university_of_oregon_president.html
http://aaa.uoregon.edu/bov/mission/uo/
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4444898
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35837611
http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=3755462
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2010/04/the_23_million_question_how_mi.html
University of Oregon & University of Nike 