College of Design Fall 2017 Update

Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to the start of another academic year. As we kick off the year, I am excited about our new college and new schools, and the opportunities these create for you to collaborate across disciplines in new ways. I will be working with your school heads to support and empower them to lead their academic areas and to make these intellectual spaces visible and successful. We also need to remain focused on three priorities for the college as a whole: increasing diversity, enhancing research, and supporting faculty-led pedagogical and curricular innovation. I look forward to working with you on making meaningful progress in these areas.

To celebrate our new name, I would like to invite you to attend the College of Design Launch Party on Friday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m. in Lawrence Hall. Come enjoy refreshments, music, and the company of students and colleagues, as well as the Dean’s Advancement Council, who are supporters and champions of the students, faculty, research, and curricular innovation in the College of Design. Members of the University of Oregon Foundation Board and President Schill will also join us for the festivities.

While scheduling conflicts were unavoidable, we invite those of you in class to bring your students to the party, even if it’s just for a few minutes, to partake in the celebration.

We are proud of our 103-year history, and of our academic community’s ongoing commitment to civic responsibility, environmental sustainability, international understanding, and interdisciplinary education. In the midst of many alarming policy changes and demonstrations in the U.S. over the past several months, we remain committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community. We support diverse perspectives, beliefs, and cultures, and people of all races and ethnicities, all nationalities and religions, all sexual orientations and gender identities, and all abilities. I deeply appreciate the contributions that each of you makes as an important member of our community.

We hope you will join us for the celebration on October 6 in Lawrence Hall.

Sincerely,

Christoph Lindner
Dean and Professor