‘Sheer determination’ fuels Frohnmayer’s fire
■ The University president discusses academic ambitions,
technological feats, fund raising and student activism
By Kristy Hessman
Oregon Daily Emerald
University President Dave
Frohnmayer has an impressive re
sume.
After graduating magna cum
laude from Harvard College in
1962, he went on to Oxford Uni
versity, and in 1967 received his
law degree from the University of
California at Berkeley. In 1981 he
was sworn into office as Oregon’s
Attorney General.
He has represented Oregon be
fore the United States Supreme
Court, personally arguing seven
cases, and coming away with the
best record of any current State
Attorney General. In 1992 he as
sumed the duties of dean of the
University of Oregon School of
Law. In July 1994 Frohnmayer
was appointed president of the
University.
He recently shared with the
Emerald answers to a variety of
questions regarding the future of
the University.
Q: What is your personal goal
for this year?
A: There are three of them real
ly: to re-emphasize academically
and re-articulate the academic
mission of the University in light
of modern needs; to work with the
Legislature to secure adequate
funding, which also means work
ing on several ballot measures;
and to lay the ground work for fu
ture fundraising for the Universi
ty
Q; What role should the Uni
versity play in the personal
growth of its students?
A: One hopes that it is a life
transforming role. We can’t be pa
ternalistic or maternalistic, but
this is a place where one hopes
that there is social and personal
growth, as well as intellectual
growth. It’s an arena for great
growth and exploration, for devel
oping curiosity as well as the de
velopment of friendships, and
skills for dealing collaboratively
with other people from a wide va
riety of backgrounds. It should be
a vital community.
Q: What is your opinion of stu
dent activists these days on this
campus and other campuses?
A: Activism is welcome to the
extent that it is directed thought
fully to causes that need attention.
I would certainly rather see that
than people passively accepting
everything they see. Some ac
tivism I have disagreed with, oth
ers, it’s not been the ends, it’s been
the means. Civil disobedience is
usually a last resort and usually
not very persuasive.
Q: What role do you think tech
nology will play in the future of
this-University and higher educa
tion in general?
A: It has already changed in a
very dramatic, revolutionary way.
The notion that 10 years ago you
would have told me I would be
sitting here responding electroni
cally to 65-70 messages a day —
when I can’t even type except
with two fingers — I would have
said, ‘Hey I don’t know what you
are talking about.’ But in fact we
do our business increasingly
through technology. It has its dark
side as well as its upside, in rela
tion to misinformation that can
spread, but there is no doubt that
it does make us a global commu
nity. It is very cutting edge when
looked at it in the way of instruc
tional techniques — things that
could never have been done any
other way.
Our history faculty has actually
pioneered engineering a type of
atlas where you can see how the
Roman Empire built its roads.
Technology opens the way to tra
ditional styles of learning as well
as new styles of learning. We were
at one point the nation’s leader —
it is a tremendously expensive in
vestment — but we are still among
the nation’s most wired universi
ties. We are moving pretty fast.
Q: Where does the University
faculty stand in relation to other
peer Universities?
A: We are in the top 60 of Amer
ica’s research universities by eval
uation as our status as an AAU
University; notwithstanding, our
faculty salaries are nowhere near
where they should be. They are
scandalously low, but we are still
a choice destination for a great
number of very talented people.
Q: How do you see the current
climate around fund raising?
A: We had a record-breaking
year for fundraising last year. Tar
get for this coming year is equally
ambitious, so my hope is that it
will continue. With this recent
controversy (the Worker Rights
Consortium and Phil Knight’s
consequent withdrawal of a $30
million contribution) it has been
very worrisome on the part of
some donors, but our hope is that
those issues can be resolved.
Q: How do you respond to com
plaints that universities are being
bought off by wealthy donors?
Catharine Kendall Emerald
University President Dave Frohnmayer is excited for the upcoming school year, and says
the future is bright with regard to fund raising, technology and activism on campus.
A: In the case of this University, it
is not true. We welcome our donors
[and] they don’t try to interfere with
the internal affairs of the University.
We have a process for screening
gifts that come to us — you can ac
tually object to a donation that is
made. All of the conditions of any
gift are scrutinized by the Universi
ty of Oregon Foundation.
Q: Your personal life has seen
emotional trauma throughout the
years. What keeps you going?
A: Sheer determination to do
things that are worth doing.
Q: Do you ever find it hard to
come into the office each day?
A: No, I don’t [find it hard], I
love it. I think it is a calling ... as
long as you think you can make a
difference, it puts a spring in your
step.
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