Emmy Award-winning television reporter Ann Curry, an NBC News anchor and 1978 UO journalism graduate, will address the Class of 1996 on Saturday, June 15, during the university's 119th spring commencement.

Approximately 3,450 spring-term degree candidates and fall- and winter-term graduates are eligible to participate in the ceremonies which begin at 12:30 p.m. at Hayward Field, rain or shine. McArthur Court will not be available for use in the event of rain due to roof replacement activity, but the UO Bookstore will stock extra umbrellas and ponchos.

Campus parking will be limited and those attending are advised to arrive early and park in lots located at East 15th Avenue and Columbia Street, or East 14th Avenue and Kincaid Street.

After Curry's commencement address and the conferring of degrees, President Dave Frohnmayer will present the university's 1996 Distinguished Service Awards and Presidential Medals. Recipients of several distinguished teaching awards for faculty members and graduate teaching fellows also will be recognized. [SEE "HONORS..."]

At a pre-commencement brunch, Curry will receive the 1996 Outstanding Young Alumna Award from the UO Alumni Association. Also honored with this year's Distinguished Alumnus Award will be retired Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Edwin Peterson, a 1951 music and 1957 law graduate.

Curry, 39, is a native of Ashland. She began her television news career in 1978 as a reporter and evening news anchor at NBC affiliate KTVL in Medford, moved to KGW in Portland and went to work for KCBS in Los Angeles as a reporter in 1984.

Curry joined NBC News in 1990 and was appointed as the network's Chicago correspondent. She is currently the "NBC News at Sunrise" anchor and is a frequent fill-in anchor of "NBC Nightly News" and the network's "Today" program. She also is a contributing correspondent on "Dateline NBC" and is a co-anchor of "Dateline International."

After joining NBC, Curry reported extensively on the 1991 Gulf War, covering the emotional climate at home. She also reported on numerous inner-city stories and on an array of other topics.

Curry's reporting awards include Emmys for live coverage of the October 1987 Los Angeles earthquake and for coverage of a San Bernadino gas pipeline explosion in 1989. She is the winner of four Golden Mike Awards, several Associated Press Certificates of Excellence and an NAACP Award of Excellence in Reporting.

In addition to the university-wide exercises on June 15, each school or college--including individual departments in the College of Arts and Sciences--will hold its own ceremony at various locations on Friday and Saturday, June 14-15. During these ceremonies, individual recognition will be given to master's and bachelor's degree candidates.

Among spring term's 2,381 degree candidates are 1,755 completing requirements for bachelor's degrees, four for certificates, 439 for master's degrees and 59 for doctoral degrees. Another 124 students received law degrees during the UO School of Law's Commencement on May 12.

Others eligible to participate in the spring ceremonies are 542 fall term and 543 winter term graduates. No ceremonies are held for those terms.

When President Dave Frohnmayer revealed May 23 that Philip H. Knight, chairman of the board and CEO of Nike, Inc., is giving the University of Oregon $25 million, the news of the largest single private donation ever made in the Northwest reverberated across campus.

"This extraordinary vote of confidence from our alumnus Phil Knight will help the UO reach a new level of excellence in quality and in service to the people of the state," said Frohnmayer. "This gift is unusual not only for its size, but also for its broad recognition of the importance of higher education. Phil Knight's generosity will open our doors to more Oregon students, and at the same time will ensure that they are taught by some of the best minds in the world. This is truly a transforming gift for the university."

The university will use $15 million of Knight's gift to endow chairs and professorships in colleges and departments as designated by the UO president. Combined with matching funds and gifts from other donors, the gift will lead to the creation of more than 30 endowed chairs and professorships.

Frohnmayer said the Knight gift will nearly double the number of fully funded endowed positions at the university, increasing the proportion of senior faculty posts with such augmented support to one in four.

The remaining $10 million will help finance construction of a new $25-million law school building and help make room for the expected flood of new Oregon high school graduates over the next two decades. The new construction will free the existing law school building for much-needed general university use, providing additional classrooms and faculty offices and substantially increasing the university's capacity to accommodate additional students in other colleges on campus.

"Oregon is poised to command its place on the world stage, as global trade expands throughout the Northwest," Knight said in explaining his motivation for making the gift. "It is critical that the state's major school systems are equipped to prepare the next generation's leaders, and I'm honored to be able to contribute."

The Knight gift moves the university's The Oregon Campaign--the largest fund-raising campaign in Oregon history--past the $138 million mark, two years ahead of schedule on its way to a goal of $150 million.

"Properly managed and leveraged with matching funds, the Knight gift will allow us to fund more than 30 new faculty chairs and professorships at the university in areas where the needs of our students are greatest," said Provost John Moseley. "Endowed chairs not only bring prestige and funding stability to a position, but also ensure that we can offer nationally competitive salaries."

Dean Risa Palm, Arts and Sciences, said that the Knight faculty endowment also will enable the college to expand its offerings in the core liberal arts while contributing remarkably to the quality of teaching for all undergraduate and graduate students throughout the campus.

Construction of the new law school building, to be named in honor of Knight's father, William Knight, who graduated from the UO School of Law in 1932, could begin as early as the summer of 1997 with a 1999 projected opening. The remaining funds needed for the building will come from additional gifts and grants and from the sale of already approved state bonds.

The new building will free 82,000 square feet of space in the existing Law Center, which will be renovated into state-of-the-art classrooms for up to 1,850 students and offices for faculty. UO enrollment is projected to climb to more than 20,000 students by the year 2000.

Philip Knight graduated in 1959 from the UO with a bachelor's degree in accounting and an impressive career in collegiate track competition. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Stanford University before co-founding Nike, Inc., the world's most successful athletic footwear and apparel firm.

Word of mouth has earned John Yates a reputation as the supervisor to work for.

"The number of people who are related and keep coming back to work for me is really rewarding. I take pride in the fact that if students did not think a little bit of me, they would not recommend their brother or sister to come work for me. For instance, there can be a family of five who have attended the university, and I have hired four out of those five to work here. So, that's kind of special," he says.

Yates, working full-time at the university since 1982, is in his tenth year as Physical Activity and Recreation Services (PARS) service director.

"I was an industrial arts teacher in Montana before I started working for the Athletic Department in 1982. With my background in education, I really enjoy working with young people," he says.

Yates admits he never knows what is going to happen from one day to the next.

"There is so much flexibility, which is one of the neat things about this job. I never know if there is going to be a problem with the fields or something wrong with the volleyball nets," he says. "I just have to roll with the punches."

Yates is an avid fisherman and gardener, with a particular emphasis in growing dahlias. He also enjoys bicycling.

And he tries not to get upset about things over which he has no control.

"In supervising 35 students," he says, "I never know if someone is not going to show up for their shift. I can deal with the reality of it after it happens, but there is no sense getting upset over it in the meantime."

--COURTNEY HEDBERG, COMMUNICATIONS INTERN

The cost of UO parking permits won't be going up on July 1 after all.

Taking into account testimony heard at a late February hearing on the proposed 25 percent increase in permit fees, Vice President Dan Williams has decided instead to review how the university manages the parking fund as well as policies governing parking.

"Given our current circumstances, including the parking program review currently underway by the transportation subcommittee of the Campus Planning Committee, it seemed wise to delay the increase while we re-examine the whole issue," he says. "However, I expect we will propose parking permit increases to take effect the next year."

The delayed increase, generating about $100,000 in added revenue, would have hiked faculty/staff permits from $108 to $135 per year and student permits would have gone from $60 to $75 a year.

The university has begun a process of self-study that will culminate in April of 1997 with an on-site visit by an accreditation team from the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.

This decennial accreditation process is intended to assure that the UO and other NASC members meet self-regulated standards in institutional mission and objectives, finance, physical plant, library and information resources, educational programs, continuing education and special instructional activities, instructional staff and faculty evaluation, administration, students, scholarship and research, and graduate programs.

To carry out the self-study and prepare for the evaluation visit, President Dave Frohnmayer has established a five-member executive committee co-chaired by Robert Mazo, Chemistry, and Susan Plass, International Affairs. The president also appointed a 19-member steering committee charged with gathering and analyzing information related to the standards, which will be used as the basis for a written self-study report.

"I believe this project can help us clarify and accomplish many mutually shared goals," Frohnmayer said. "This is an opportunity to turn what is a mandated institutional exercise into a purposeful look at where we are as an academic community and where we want to go."

The university will honor 16 individuals with major awards during its June 15 commencement. Each will be recognized for exemplary service, philanthropic leadership and teaching excellence.

• DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS--Honorees are two prominent Oregon music directors--Marin Alsop, music director of the Eugene Symphony and founding artistic director and conductor of the Oregon Festival of American Music, and Royce Saltzman, former executive director of the world-renowned Oregon Bach Festival--and an Oregon businesswoman and activist--Jean Tate, president of Jean Tate Investments, Inc.

The faculty select recipients of this award "who by their knowledge and skills have made a significant contribution to the cultural development of Oregon or society as a whole."

• PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS--Three couples are recipients of hand-forged solid silver Presidential Medals. Honorees are Jim Rippey, president of Columbia Management Co., and his wife Shirley, a Portland civic activist and philanthropist; Ehrman Giustina, chief executive officer of E.V. Giustina & Associates of Portland, and his wife Lee, partner in Lee World Travel Service, Inc.; and pharmaceutical researcher and manufacturer Alec Keith and his wife Kay. Alec Keith is founder and CEO of Zetachron, Inc., a Pennsylvania pharmaceutical company, and chairman of the board of Watson Laboratories of Corona, Calif.

The Presidential Medal honors supporters of the university. Each medal is a replica of the myrtlewood medallion worn by the UO president at ceremonial occasions such as commencement.

• ERSTED AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED TEACHING--Linda Fuller, Sociology, is an innovative teacher who uses a great deal of cooperative and group learning in her undergraduate classes. She is described as "a perfect mix of a good, decent human and a scholarly, bright sociologist... who teaches with heart and with motivation." She also uses inclusive dialogue and creative group exercises to build further class discussions.

Wesley W. Wilson, Economics, is a very conscientious, enthusiastic, well-prepared and organized instructor. He is credited with infusing new dynamism into the undergraduate program in economics by his dedicated involvement with students and by establishing a staffed, computer-equipped economics center for undergraduates. A former student says Wilson "is an exceptional teacher... who conveys class material with such enthusiasm that he makes you want to learn."

Given since 1957, the Ersted awards encourage and reward exceptional teachers early in their careers. They are supported by a trust fund created by the late A.J. Ersted of Atherton, Calif. Recipients, chosen on the recommendation of a faculty committee, receive a crystal apple, and $2,000 will be added to their base salaries in subsequent years.

• THOMAS F. HERMAN FACULTY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED TEACHING--Carol T. Silverman, Anthropology, is one of the most popular and well-liked teachers in the anthropology department at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A former student says Silverman takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating folk dancing, folk music, guest lecturers, films and slides into her lessons, so that "students use all of their senses in her classes and come away with a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter."

The Herman Award, supported by an Alamo, Calif., business leader and 1962 UO alumnus, continues the tradition of the previous Burlington Northern Foundation awards by honoring senior faculty members who have achieved outstanding records as teachers. Recipients, recommended by faculty members and students, receive a crystal apple, and $2,000 will be added to their base salaries.

• GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOW AWARDS--Doctoral students Debra Guatelli-Steinberg, Anthropology, and Bradley Butterfield, Comparative Literature, will receive $500 honoraria.

Guatelli-Steinberg's teaching techniques help "motivate underachievers and challenge bright and gifted students." Having taught both as a volunteer and as a GTF, she says "Teaching is not just about communication information. It is about generating interest, stimulating thought and being dedicated to students."

In teaching comparative literature, Butterfield says, "My goal has always been to inspire thought as well as to provide information." His students praise this approach because he has a love of knowledge that adds excitement to their study of literature.

Two other GTFs--doctoral student Steven Brence, Philosophy, and master's student Cara Galbraith, Russian--will receive $100 honorable mention awards.

The awards, established in cooperation with the UO chapter of Mortar Board and first presented in 1979, recognize excellence in teaching and academic guidance. Fifty graduate students from 30 departments or programs were nominated this year.

Retirement Deadlines Ahead

• June 7 is the registration deadline for a Preretirement Planning Workshop set July 16-17 for UO faculty and staff who are within five years of retirement, and their spouses/partners. Oregon Retirement Planning Services will present the two-day workshop along with specialists in PERS, tax-deferred compensation and health insurance. The $29.50 fee covers two people and includes a retirement planning workbook. Cancellation deadline is June 19. For information, call Helen Stoop, 6-2967.
• June 15 is the final day eligible management service staff, officers of administration and tenured faculty members may sign up for the university's Early Retirement Incentive Plan. The one-time, irrevocable decision signifies that participants will retire no later than June 30, 1997. The UO plan includes discretionary part-time employment and a health insurance subsidy. For plan information, call Helen Stoop, 6-2967; for PERS questions, call 686-7556.
• Sept. 27 is the deadline for all existing academic employees who were eligible for a retirement plan before April 1, 1996, to enroll in the new Optional Retirement Plan made available by the 1995 Legislature as an alternative to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). The irrevocable decision gives academic employees more choice and portability in their retirement plan and more control over how their retirement funds are invested. Faculty may invest with Fidelity, TIAA/CREF, Twentieth Century and VALIC. For information, call Helen Stoop, 6-2967.

Knight Library extends hours

During Dead and Finals Weeks, the Knight Library will extend its service hours. Circulation service, study space, collection access and the Information Technology Center will be available from 8 a.m.-1 a.m. June 5-6; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. June 7; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. June 8; 10 a.m.-1 a.m. June 9; and 8 a.m.-1 a.m. June 10-13. For information, call 6-3056.

Printing sets fiscal year deadlines

Printing Services reminds customers that June 7 is the deadline for printing orders and June 19 is the final date for quick copy orders that need to clear on the June billing for fiscal year 1995-96. Departments should write a large "97" on the top of order forms submitted before those deadlines if the job needs to be billed in the new 1996-97 fiscal year. For information, call 6-3794.

In the spotlight

Six people were named Environmental Citizens of the Year in May by the campus Environmental Issues Committee. Honored were Alan Dickman, Biology; Jen Ditmar, EMU; and Steve McBride, Intercollegiate Athletics; graduate student Kevin Parkhurst, Community and Regional Planning; and undergraduates Christian Kaylor, Political Science; and Steve Patton, Landscape Architecture.

Dianne Dugaw, English, received a $10,000 Rippey Award to develop an innovative model bringing an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and historical perspective to the introductory literature course, English 104.

Kathleen Rowe, English, has won the Emily Toth Award for the best single-authored feminist study of popular culture/American culture from the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association for her book, The Unruly Woman: Gender and Genres in Laughter.

Brent Mallinckrodt, Counseling Psychology, has received the 1996 Distinguished Early Career Award by the Society for Psychotherapy Research.

On the move

The UO Alumni Association has welcomed several new faces this spring. Kelly Evans MA `94 is assistant director for communications and membership services. She replaces Bob Bray who left in June 1995. Nikole Koelbel is assistant director for chapter relations and will coordinate regional alumni events as well as serve as adviser to the Student Alumni Association. She replaces Kalista Bernardi who resigned in March. Julie Strandlien does double duty as UOAA executive assistant and office manager. Carol Anderson `65 joins the UOAA as alumni events assistant.

In print

Michael A. Arnzen, English GTF, has recently published: "The Same and the New: Cape Fear and the Hollywood Remake as Metanarrative Discourse" in Narrative 4.2 (May 1996).

The University of Wisconsin Press published in 1996 The Rhetoric of Reason: Writing and the Attractions of Argument by Jim Crosswhite, English.

New York University Press has just published Heterosexual Plots and Lesbian Narratives by Marilyn Farwell, English.

On the podium

In April, Madonna Moss, Anthropology, presented "Constructions of Gender in Northwest Coast Societies" to the Society for American Archaeology. In May, she discussed "Perspectives on Northern Northwest Coast Prehistory, 1966-1996" at the Canadian Archaeological Association meeting.