Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Welcome to the new UO President

Katie D.

July 5, 2009 - 10:00 AM

Richard Lariviere became the new president of the University of Oregon on July 1st. I already have a good feeling about this guy: he threw an ice cream party for the university and community last week. And yesterday he joined 5,000 other Eugenians (can that possibly be how you say that?) in the 10K Butte to Butte run/walk. It seems that he's well on his way to making a transition from the University of Texas to life in the Northwest.

I attended the ice cream party with a group of the Humphrey Scholars I work with at the American English Institute. We went to greet the new president, and I was immediately impressed by how he welcomed each of them, made a brave attempt at names from more than 15 countries, and spent a few moments to truly notice each of them as individuals. He also greeted several in their own languages: in French, Spanish, and Hindi.

That is a good sign from a new president.

You can find all kinds of information about him on his website, including his biography, blog, curriculum vitae, and more. I spent a little time looking through his profile and his background. It seems to me that we have a new leader who is not only well-qualified, but also extremely interested in social justice and diversity both at home and abroad. He reads seven languages, including Sanskrit. And the list of countries where he has studied is truly exciting.

David Frohnmayer was the UO president for fifteen years, and his departure is an enormous change for the entire University community. I cannot claim a complete perspective on Frohnmayer or his presidency. But I do have hopes that this change in leadership will also lead to some changes for our university, especially in a shift toward a more socially conscious attitude toward our community and our world.

I encourage anyone with an interest in the University of Oregon to visit President Lariviere's web page and get to know our new president better. I look forward to following his first year of leadership here closely. I hope he settles in well to this new life in Eugene, and that he acts with wisdom and integrity in this new post.

Good luck to you, sir. And thanks for the ice cream.