University of Oregon
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

The UO Academic Plan makes several references to environmental stewardship. Important examples include:

Page 2 of the Academic Plan:
Respectful Stewardship – "We are guided by the humble recognition that we have been entrusted with human and natural resources that we must sustain and manage for posterity. This sense of stewardship, inspired and renewed by the extraordinary beauty of the region and reflective of the broader public trust extended to us by the state of Oregon, underlies the environmental commitments of many of our colleagues, students and staff. It shapes our research, teaching and our practices. We cherish a campus life and a curriculum that publicly fosters our keen sense of the aesthetic, and champions creative and artistic expression within a rich and beautiful natural environment."

From Page 3:
Oregon's Future - "We honor our commitment to a bright future by contributing to the economic and human development of Oregon. We educate Oregonians to take leadership roles in business, education, law, arts and multicultural communities across the state, and around the world. The comprehensive excellence of our University serves to attract the best and brightest from around the globe. In their artistic, professional and scholarly achievements our students and faculty serve the state of Oregon within an increasingly global environment. The knowledge created in our academic core furthers humanity's ability to prosper, at peace with our neighbors and our environment."

From page 6:

Natural Environment - "As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, environmental concerns play an ever larger role in local and global public discourse, and are of particular relevance for us, given our commitment to sustaining our natural resources. Moreover, we belong to a distinctive region of the United States: the Pacific Northwest. Our goals and plans should capitalize upon our setting."

Equally important is the "Big Ideas" strategy outlined in the plan which proposed to identify several big ideas that unite faculty and students around common pursuits. Three of the Big Ideas - Sustainable Cities Initiative, Green Product Design Network, and Global Oregon - have sustainability of environment and cultures at their foundations.

The Plan clearly and repeatedly recognizes the importance of supporting diverse perspectives and cultures.

From Page 3 of the Academic Plan:

Equity and Diversity – "The shifting demographics of the state of Oregon call to mind the central mission of liberal education in a free and diverse nation: namely, to foster informed, public discussion of matters of genuine concern, enabling individuals to develop their fullest potential within a context that mirrors the full range of persons and perspectives that constitute society. Our state, like our nation, has always been a multicultural body, and our collective history makes evident the necessity for a true multicultural education. The UO thus strives to maintain a diverse and equitable community of discussion governed by principles of inclusion, freedom of thought and freedom of expression. We are committed to fostering an environment that ensures equitable access to the opportunities, benefits and resources of the institution for all, and that fosters curricula and other educational opportunities informed by our commitments to equity and diversity. We likewise commit to an educational excellence mission in which diversity and inclusion are integral. We hereby reaffirm the UO's "Affirmation of Community Standards," widely endorsed by faculty and student governing bodies in 2000 and appended to this document. We further reaffirm the University's Diversity Plan, adopted by the President and ratified by the University Senate in 2006, as the blueprint for our progress in the areas of equity and diversity."

From Page 11:

Goal 3: "To Enroll, Retain and Engage a Diverse Community"

Our 2006 Diversity Plan states, "As members of the University community, we take it upon ourselves to protect and enhance all intellectual discourse and to discharge the obligations such investigation requires of us. To that end, we should constantly work to make ourselves more adept at understanding how race, ethnicity, national origin or citizenship, gender, religious affiliation or background, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic class or status, political affiliation or belief, and ability or disability affect the way we live and learn, so that we are better able to respond to intolerance and prejudice, which violate our purpose and mission. The University will not sacrifice quality for diversity because diversity is an important component of quality and the aspiration to enhance quality is at the heart of our University mission statement itself."

Our final goal is to promote a vibrant community where the wealth of human experience, knowledge and perspective may enrich the collective wisdom and life choices of us all. Such diversity is, indeed, the true brain-trust of higher education. The objectives for this goal comprise a range of tactics designed to ensure our ability to enroll, retain and inspire a student body, and a broader university community, that engages the full range of human life.

Leadership in Diversity. We seek to lead in offering a full spectrum of study and research on the past and present interactions of peoples, as well as the future needs of diverse communities to live in mutual respect. As the demographics of the state, region and world continue to change, leadership in building a just and equitable world becomes ever more salient. In order to build a community of scholarly perspectives and ideas drawn from a variety of life experiences, we intend to lead the state and region in the recruitment and retention of students, staff and faculty from diverse backgrounds.

The plan frequently references a commitment to provide access to those who could not otherwise afford the cost of higher education.

An example from Page 9:
Access - "We are committed to ensuring full access to the University of Oregon for all qualified Oregon high school students, regardless of financial need. This commitment will require not only sufficient financial aid to meet the full need of Oregonians consistent with the objectives of the Pathway Oregon program, but it will also require a directed effort to identify and address non-financial barriers. These barriers include, for example, first-generation status and English as a second language, which unwittingly limit access of many communities of Oregonians."

Links to each plan:
Academic Plan: http://provost.uoregon.edu/files/2009/12/Academic-plan-10_13_09-final.pdf

Physical Campus Plan: http://uplan.uoregon.edu/plandoc/CampusPlan/CampusPlan.html

Sustainable Development Plan: http://pages.uoregon.edu/recycle/PDFdocuments/SDPFull.pdf