Historically, Oregon legislators and State officials have had as much interest in quality higher education as they have had in Saturn. Their interest has been in how to get degrees to as many students as possible in as short a time as possible for as little expense as possible. Their euphemism for degrading education is "removing obstacles to graduation." I wouldn't count on them for holding anyone accountable for anything but spending less.

The UO, like many universities, has to cater to a customer base that includes out of state and international students in order for it to stay in business. How far this catering goes depends on "enrollment management" needs. EM is quite a complicated part of the forecasting business for hitting targets. These customers require marketing strategies and retention efforts against competition from other U's.

Given the pressures and limits, faculty at the UO generally do a courageous and effective job of preserving educational quality.