It's January 15. After two weeks and a day, have you kept your New Year's resolutions?

According to some historians, the concept of setting resolutions dates back to the Babylonians, whose ancient practices included a huge festival and pledging to pay off debt—goals surprisingly relevant today.

At the Lundquist College of Business, and no doubt the larger business community, resolving to improve each year is essential. But that resolve must be coupled with action. Here are some of our most prime goals, along with a short progress report for each.

Hire Additional Top-Tier Tenure-Track Faculty

With nine faculty searches underway (seven for existing positions and two for new posts), the Lundquist College seeks to deepen its bench in all academic departments. Three have been concluded successfully—two in marketing and one in decision sciences. If the remaining searches prove equally productive we will have made a good start towards our goal of expanding our tenure-track faculty to 60. These new faculty will come on board in fall 2015 and will join the six truly exceptional tenure-track professors announced in October. During the past three decades, we have achieved amazing results with approximately 45 faculty members. However, our comparatively small faculty has constrained our efforts to create new programs, grow significantly beyond Eugene, and generate additional research grants. With these talented additions to our college, we grow closer of enhancing and solidifying our intellectual leadership in the academic community.

Grow Our Portland Presence

Portland is the business hub of the state of Oregon. It is a region with near limitless potential for our students, with opportunities for collaborations with top firms, recruitment, and enhanced alumni relations. As a proof point, we are investing in a new home for the Oregon Executive MBA, as well as our planned interdisciplinary academic sports product management master's degree program. Located in the heart of Portland's Old Town Chinatown, the University of Oregon will occupy two floors of a new building across the street from the UO White Stag Block. In the new space we aspire to significantly increase the number of graduate students we serve. With the Sports Product Management Program launching this fall and using space in the new building and the White Stag Innovation Lab, we are firmly planting our green and yellow flag in Oregon's largest city. Graduate, undergraduate, and nondegree courses are planned—and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Increase Our Global Posture

Students and instructors from around the globe are seeking our unique blend of business fundamentals and on-the-ground experiential learning. In fact, we boast more international students than any other school or college within the University of Oregon. Additionally, our diverse group of students and scholars gain exposure to multiple perspectives through cultural study tours, exchange opportunities, and internships abroad. Curricula are presented through local, national, and global lenses. Recent achievements in this category include a formal exchange program with Singapore Management University slated to launch this fall, and the reinvigoration of our partnership with Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands. But we need to do more.

Campaign Like Never Before

While previous campaigns have focused primarily on infrastructure, this audacious new campaign aims to increase access for students, help drive excellence in research, and curate world-class professors. The Lundquist College has received commitments of approximately $25 million to the campaign already (in current and deferred gifts) and we are planning to far exceed our charge of $100 million, with a stretch goal of $130 million. To those who have given, our most sincere thanks. You inspire us to greatness. Continued support is essential to maintain our ascension toward nationwide and worldwide recognition of the Lundquist College of Business as a top educational institution.

Our Resolution

We resolve to serve our students and the business community in Oregon and around the globe with graduates who drive innovation, think critically, challenge the status quo, and inspire trust.

We have the attention of the world. Let's harness that energy and take the college to new heights of achievement.

Cordially,

Cornelis A. “Kees" de Kluyver
Rippey Distinguished Professor