Project expected to boost economy
Board approves land lease for science park
By Michael Hosmar
Of the Emerald
The University is one step closer to development of
its proposed Riverfront Science Park project.
At the State Board of Higher Education meeting
Friday in the EMU, the board approved the University’s
request to lease 70 acres of land to a non-profit corpora
tion, which would oversee development of the park.
The proposed project would be located north of
Franklin Boulevard on land owned by the University
and the board.
The park will be used primarily by research-related
industries that need corporate space at a reasonable
price. It is expected to help improve economic develop
ment in the Eugene-Springfield area while advancing
research at the University.
The research-oriented university “is a major
academic and cultural attraction for technology cor
porations,” according to an executive summary of the
project. And research at the University would be
enhanced if students and faculty interact with cor
porate employees and scientists in the science park.
Research areas of “special importance” to the pro
ject might include physics, chemistry, chemical
physics, biomedical/sports medicine, computer
science, artificial intelligence, and brain chemistry, ac
cording to the summary.
University President Paul Olum told the board the
three purposes for the project are to:
•Develop significant contact between Eugene’s
economic development and research at the University;
•Enhance the University’s research efforts; and
•Obtain enough receipts to pay for the project’s
development.
Also related to economic development in Oregon,
state system Chancellor Bud Davis gave a report to the
board about his recent visit to the General Motors Corp.
in Detroit. He met with GM officials to persuade them
to locate their planned $3.5 million state-of-the-art
“Saturn” automobile production plant in Oregon.
“We spent a third to 50 percent of the time talking
about education," Davis said.
GM officials were interested in the number of
engineers and computer scientists Oregon schools turn
out. Davis said. They wanted to know about the quality
of people, he said, not monetary incentives or conces
sions from the Legislature. “Obviously, they were very
interested (in Oregon),” he said.
If the plant is located in Oregon, there will be a
need for a highly trained working staff, Davis told the
board, and community colleges in the state have ex
pressed interest in such training. The state’s ability to
adapt and provide continuing education on all levels
for people interested in training for jobs in industry
“will be the wave of the 80s,” he added.
In other business, the board heard a report on an in
tegrated information system that would be part of a
computerized communications network for the entire
higher education system.
Bill Lemman, vice chancellor for administration,
said the computer system would, among other things,
link the state system's financial, payroll and student in
formation together into a more manageable form. The
integrated system would provide better access to cur
rent information, improve resource sharing throughout
the system, and add educational opportunities through
two-way video instruction, he said.
Automated library systems also would be part of
the information network. The automation system at the
University calls for computer terminals on each floor of
the main library that would enable students, faculty
and administrators to tap into a computerized card
catolog.
With the exception of the library automation
systems, the entire communications network would re
quire no extra funding from the state.
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