Register Guard
April 15th, 2015
Michael Schill, dean of the University of Chicago Law School, is the University of Oregon’s new president.
After a lengthy search, the UO Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved hiring Schill to fill the vacancy created by last year’s sudden resignation of Michael Gottfredson. Schill, who will start work on July 1, will be the UO’s 18th president.The hiring, the first presidential pick of the two-year-old board of trustees, comes at an important time for UO, which has been roiled by turnover in the president’s office, concerns about sexual assault, rising tuition and labor strife.
The university also is in the midst of its largest-ever fundraising drive to attract top-flight faculty and students.
UO Board of Trustees Chairman Chuck Lillis said board members picked Schill from four finalists after deciding he was “good enough to lead us at this pivotal, transformational time for the university.”
Lillis, with other board members present, introduced Schill at a press conference in the Ford Alumni Center.
Schill, whose beginning annual salary will be $660,000 — a 21 percent boost over Gottfredson’s — said he was attracted to the job because of UO’s reputation and its governing board, which allows “flexibility and focus on this university.”