Please join us for our Annual Fall Listening Session. We will hear from senior members of the University Administration, including President Scholz, and give OAs a chance to share their thoughts with the OA Council, Senior University Administration, and each other.
 

OA Fall Listening Session 
Tuesday, November 12th 
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM  
EMU Ballroom (in-person)
All OAs are Encouraged to Attend
No RSVP Required *   

Additionally, this time is when we will formally recognize our 2024 OA Star Winners!  

* Remote viewing link to be shared via email prior to the event for remote viewing. 

 

OA Star Selections 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the nomination process to recognize this year’s OA Stars. The honorees will be recognized at the OA Council’s Fall Listening Session on November 12th and this portion of the program begins at 3pm. The honorees will receive a certificate and have already enjoyed a seat in the presidential suite at a home football game earlier this season. 

Officers of administration selected to receive OA Star Awards excel not only in their positions and departments but also embody a spirit of collegiality and vision, working with peers and partners across departmental and divisional lines. They strive for continuous improvement and look to build relationships and solutions that improve the university for all stakeholders. Thank you to all who nominated OA Stars for 2024! 

Below is the full list of this year’s award winners.

Cecile A. Gadson 
Cody Weaver 
Emma Bjorngard Basayne
Evey Lennon 
Jonathan Jacobs 
Luis Ruiz
Nick Mahlum 
Patty Smith   

You can read the highlights from their nomination entries here. 

 

Goals for the 2024-25 Academic Year  

After careful deliberation and based on the feedback collected by OAs through various channels, the OA Council has selected the following goals to strive toward for the 2024-25 academic year. If you have ideas about how we can reach these goals, would like to help, or have any questions, please let us know.

Compensation
Professional Development
Flourishing 

You can read more about each of these goals here

Thank you to everyone who participated in the nomination process to recognize this year’s OA Stars. The honorees will be recognized at the OA Council’s Fall Listening Session. The honorees will receive a certificate and have already enjoyed a seat in the presidential suite at a home football game earlier this season. 

Officers of administration selected to receive OA Star Awards excel not only in their positions and departments but also embody a spirit of collegiality and vision, working with peers and partners across departmental and divisional lines. They strive for continuous improvement and look to build relationships and solutions that improve the university for all stakeholders. 

Below is the full list of this year’s award winners. 

  

Cecile A. Gadson
Dr. Gadson is a licensed psychologist and the African American and Black Student Specialist at the University of Oregon Counseling Services. Dr. Gadson is an inspiration in the effort she has put into making connections, network, and work collaboratively with campus and community partners and agencies to develop programming and resources to support university student health, well-being, and success. 

Cody Weaver
Cody is the definition of a relationship builder who is able to build strong working relationships beyond his department, encompassing colleagues, contractors, vendors, and industry professionals. His collaborative, thoughtful, and caring approach in all communications helps build a more positive and supportive campus environment. 

Emma Bjorngard Basayne
Through a holistic approach to advising, Emma is making an impact on the lives of many by consistently going above and beyond expectations. She is a beloved advisor in the COE who advises and coaches students through difficult decisions around academic, professional, and sometimes personal issues. 

Evey Lennon
Evey is a leader who is a forward-thinking individual who has worked to push the library into the future of its versatility, adaptability, and fiscal consciousness. Every is the epitome of a creative, positive, and collegial partner and it comes through in the results she is able to achieve on a regular basis. 

Jonathan Jacobs
In a challenging year for enrollment and financial aid, Jonathan helped create financial models that enabled the University of Oregon to deliver more scholarships to deserving students. These scholarships were critical to keep UO competitive and help students finance their dreams. 

Luis Ruiz
Luis’s work with study abroad scholarships highlight his efforts to ensure opportunities for historically marginalized groups. His assistance to students eligible for the Gilman scholarship – exclusively for Pell Grant students – stands out. He meets one-on-one with students to advise on the requirements, provide guidance on applications, and follow up as needed. Due to his efforts, UO consistently ranks among the top ten Gilman-awarded universities, among larger institutions like UCLA and NYU. 

Nick Mahlum
Nick’s exceptional work at the School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) is making a profoundly positive impact on our campus. His dedication to creating a welcoming and efficient environment for both current and prospective employees is unparalleled. During the interview process, Nick consistently goes above and beyond to ensure candidates feel valued and at ease. 

Patty Smith
Patty Smith serves as the Executive Assistant within the Department of Physical Education and Recreation and is a vital member of the department’s Leadership Team. She thrives in her role within the department, she brings people together and inspires them to do their best. 

  

Congratulations to this year’s Stars and thank you for your contributions to our community! 

 

After careful deliberation and based on the feedback collected by OAs through various channels, the OA Council has selected the following goals to strive toward for the 2024-25 academic year. If you have ideas about how we can reach these goals, would like to help, or have any questions, please let us know.

 

GOAL 1: Compensation

Partner with university leadership to develop a clear plan of multi-year scheduled pay increases for OAs with a preference for COLA/ATB paired with merit and propose process refinement for merit.

 

GOAL 2: Professional Development

Promote the professional development and career progression of OAs. Facilitate the design of clear career progression paths for OAs. Cultivate ways for OAs to highlight and receive recognition for time/experience at UO within hiring and compensation processes.

 

GOAL 3: Flourishing

Cultivate a sense of belonging for OAs at UO, develop and share common onboarding resources specifically for OAs, including networking and mentoring resources. Encourage support and community building for remote work. Facilitate networking events for OAs and connect OAs with each other and relevant affinity groups.

Welcome to Fall term, the academic year is off to an engaging start full of activity!

The OA Council (OAC) is an elected body that represents the UO’s diverse group of unclassified professionals to promote and facilitate communication, identify and address pertinent issues, share information, enhance professional identity, and create opportunities for collegiality.

OAC is committed to advocating for the needs of our constituents. At the close of last academic year and over the summer, OAC met with stakeholders and UO leadership to highlight what we heard in the OA survey administered by the Council last year. Specifically, OAC has been focused on communicating the need for a transparent longer term pay increase plan for OAs, the need for a pay increase prior to January 2025, the need to address salary compression, and the need for a cost of living/across the board increase over merit. As we saw in the plan announced this morning, university leadership has heard those concerns.

The OAC’s 2024-25 goals are in active development and are based on OA input and continuing work from 2023-24. OAC preliminary 2024-25 goals were presented to the Board of Trustees at their September 17th meeting and thematically focused on the following:

1. Compensation: partner with university leadership to develop a clear plan of multi-year scheduled pay increases for OAs with a preference for COLA/ATB over merit and propose process refinement for merit.
2. Professional Development: promote the professional development and career progression of OAs. Facilitate the design of clear career progression paths for OAs. Cultivate ways for OAs to highlight and receive recognition for time/experience at UO within hiring and compensation processes.
3. Flourishing: cultivate a sense of belonging for OAs at UO, develop and share common onboarding resources specifically for OAs, including networking and mentoring resources. Encourage support and community building for remote work. Facilitate networking events for OAs and connect OAs with each other and relevant affinity groups.

As OAC did last fall, we are making plans to host an Information Session/Fall Open Meeting. This will include an update and Q&A with President Karl Scholz and campus leadership, discussion of the OAC goals for 2024-25, and the presentation of this year’s OA Stars.  Please look for more information about the OA Council Fall Open Meeting and the OA Council Goals in our next email!

Sincerely,
OA Council