UO alum asks board to keep founder's name on campus building

In 2003, he noted, he participated in the drive to rename Centennial Boulevard, which runs between Eugene and Springfield, to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Bartlett told trustees he wouldn't object if university officials opted to rename Dunn Hall, whose namesake, a professor, was reportedly a Ku Klux Klan member.

Deady ultimately became one of the state's most respected and influential people, and a steadfast advocate for the university, Bartlett said.

Schill also announced that he's appointed Yvette Alex-Assensoh, the UO's vice president for equity and inclusion, to lead the university's response to a dozen demands that black students presented to the university last month.

The black students' demands include creating a scholarship initiative for black students; making Ethnic Studies 101 a graduation requirement; and keeping and publishing data on efforts to increase black representation and retention among the student body.

Earlier on Thursday, trustees met in small groups with black students to hear about the students' on-campus experiences and their desire for more university support.

Schill said the UO has stepped up its faculty hiring to improve its academic standing, with a goal of a net increase this school year of 20 to 25 new faculty.

With replacements for retiring faculty, the university now has 40 ongoing faculty searches, and increasing diversity is a key objective, he said.