This summer, there will be an open faculty seat on the UO Board of Trustees. Oregon Governor Kate Brown will make an appointment among eligible faculty members who apply. As part of her selection process, the Governor will consider letters of endorsement, and the University Senate plans to endorse one or more faculty who apply.

The attached document describes the Senate endorsement process, which has been designed to be a fair, inclusive, and transparent way for the faculty to express support for one or more candidates for the board seat. We’re inviting all faculty who apply for the position to briefly address the Senate at the March 10th Senate meeting. The purpose is for applicants to share relevant information about themselves and the goals they have for their term on the Board of Trustees.

After the March 10th meeting, Senators will make a rank-order vote and the Senate’s Executive Committee will draft a letter of endorsement that describes the results of that vote. The Senate will then vote on a resolution in support of the letter in the April 7th meeting.

Candidates’ participation in the Senate endorsement process is entirely voluntary, and it is not a requirement that they attend the March 10th meeting to be considered within the process. Only candidates that express willingness to be part of the endorsement process will be eligible to be included in the letter. Senators are interested to meet the applicants and learn about their goals for their time on the board.