SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Confronting a future that promises fewer taxpayer dollars and growing pressure to raise tuition, Oregon’s public universities have asked the Legislature for more power to manage their affairs.
A key senator, Mark Hass (Has) of Beaverton, says they could get it in a measure lawmakers have been working on for more than a year. It would allow the schools greater control over personnel, construction and fees.
The committee Hass chairs heard proposals Tuesday to grant even greater authority to the University of Oregon.
The measure sought by University President Richard LaRiviere would endow the school with $800 million and make it an independent public body like the Oregon Health & Science University.
But the rest of the higher education system opposes the university’s proposal, and its prospects are uncertain.
