UO Donors Fund Excellence Awards For Faculty Members
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Thanks to new Campaign Oregon gifts, twenty of the UO's
best faculty members are being recognized for excellence.
Provost Linda Brady congratulated the first recipients
of awards from the Fund for Faculty Excellence, which
was established in October with an initial gift from an
anonymous donor of $5.2 million and was recently boosted
to $10.4 million with another anonymous gift of the same
size.
"The Fund for Faculty Excellence is designed to support
the University of Oregon's strategic commitment to improve
its overall academic quality and reputation by recruiting,
supporting, recognizing, and retaining world-class faculty
members," Brady said. "This fund is designed to provide
salary adjustments and other support to faculty members
deemed vulnerable to recruitment by other top institutions.
It will enable us to be proactive in our retention efforts."
The award recipients will receive salary supplements
and research support ranging from $6,000 to $15,000 a
year. The faculty members receiving the awards are "on
the cutting edge of research in their disciplines and
emerging areas of interdisciplinary research in fields
such as nanoscience, environmental sustainability, and
conflict resolution," she said. "Their national and international
reputations draw the best students who are seeking opportunities
to study and work with outstanding teachers and mentors."
Fourteen of the twenty recipients are from the College
of Arts and Sciences, four are from the School of Architecture
and Allied Arts, and one each is from the School of Law
and the School of Music and Dance (see list below). Recipients
say the awards will definitely help keep top faculty members
from defecting for higher salaries.
"Competitive salaries are a really important aspect of
how we retain people," says Jim Hutchison, an international
pioneer in nanoscience and green chemistry. "It could
be particularly critical for minority faculty members,"
says Carlos Aguirre, an award-winning teacher and scholar
of modern Latin America. "In the last few years, we have
seen a number of very valuable people leaving the university,
partly for higher salaries."
But the recognition from colleagues and administrators
is an even more important benefit of the awards. "Recognizing
the efforts of faculty members builds loyalty," said Susan
Guion, an influential scholar in second language acquisition.
"I feel very honored, gratified, and flattered," said
Jeffrey Hurwit, who will use part of his award for travel
to support his research on Greek art and architecture.
"It's like winning the sweepstakes-it's wonderful!" said
Alison Kwok, a leader in sustainable design education.
"It helps to feel appreciated, valued, and respected,
even without the money." She will use part of her award
to continue a project that links architecture students
with professionals on case studies of building designs.
The recipients were chosen by the provost based on recommendations
from a group of distinguished faculty members. Brady said
she hopes eventually to make the supplements permanent.
For brief bios on recipients, go to campaign.uoregon.edu
and click on “News.”
Of the $500 million raised so far by Campaign Oregon,
more than $53 million is for faculty support, including
awards, fellowships, endowed chairs and professorships,
and research support. During the campaign, thirty new
endowed chairs and professorships have been established
with gifts from donors.
Recipients
Carlos A. Aguirre
Associate Professor of History
Dare Ann Baldwin
Professor of Psychology
Alice Barkan
Professor of Biology
Douglas Blandy
Professor of Arts Administration
Bryna Goodman
Professor of History
Susan G. Guion
Associate Professor of Linguistics
Michael M. Haley
Professor of Chemistry
Kenneth Helphand
Professor of Landscape Architecture
Jeffrey Hurwit
Professor of Art History
James E. Hutchison
Professor of Chemistry
Alexander S. Kleshchev
Professor of Mathematics
Alison Kwok
Professor of Architecture
Massimo Lollini
Professor of Romance Languages
W. Andrew Marcus
Professor of Geography
Christopher Minson
Associate Professor of Human Physiology
Michael Moffitt
Associate Professor of Law
Jeffrey Ostler
Professor of History
Patrick C. Phillips
Professor of Biology
F. Regina Psaki
Professor of Romance Languages
Milagro Vargas
Associate Professor of Voice
