Statement on the Termination of President Lariviere

This morning the University of Oregon community learned that our president, Richard Lariviere, was told that his contract will not be renewed. He was given the option to resign immediately, or to serve out his current term, which will end on 1 July 2012.

We, the United Academics of the University of Oregon, are outraged, saddened, and dismayed by this turn of events. We are outraged at the manner in which President Lariviere was dismissed, without prior communication or consultation with the University of Oregon community. We are saddened by the loss of a president whose concern for promoting scholarship and teaching at the University of Oregon is as strong as our own. And we are dismayed by the prospect of a new president who might not share our priorities.

No one in United Academics expected that President Lariviere would be an ally in the move toward collective bargaining at the University of Oregon. On the contrary, we expected a tough and vigorous negotiation with him. But we would much rather negotiate with a president who understands our priorities and goals for the university’s future than with one who does not. More generally, President Lariviere’s termination serves as a reminder that in the absence of a binding contract, faculty, researchers, and teaching staff will remain confined to a limited and ineffectual role in shaping the university’s future.