14 OregonStater.org daaaaaaaaaaam. no added hormones. never given antibiotics. Ranching at Nature’s pace. for democracy, for the general idea that the U.S. stands for good in the world — this is very important currency. Currency that is much more important than the money these students bring in. How is OSU taking action on these issues? We are working to identify the things that we can actually act on. We’re hardening our research enterprise, figuring out a way to deal with long-term uncertainty. We’ve got to broaden the base of research. We have to build relationships in Washington D.C. We’ve got to advocate for research support. But we’ve also got to work extensively with national bodies on the advocacy front. Individual universities can do some things, but I think the collective is much more powerful. That collective must find its voice. We also have to tell the story of higher ed as the ultimate soft power. Immigration issues are important, but student visas are not the central reason for the mess in immigration that we have. We’ve got to continue to educate the public about the issues around immigration and the extraordinary role international students have played in American prosperity. And when we recruit international students, we must support them, we must provide them with security and safety. A lot of what you’re talking about is us telling the story of why the university is important and why science is important. Have we not told that story? To some degree we have, and to some degree we have not. For example, I’ve been very surprised at the lack of understanding around what research funding is. The federal government is paying universities to do this research because it wants the results. It’s not a favor. They’re not paying our bills for the sake of being nice. They want the work that we’re doing. So I’ve got to ask whether we’ve ever really educated the public on how research is done in the country, how it’s funded, how it’s deployed. None of that appears to be clear. At the state level, we also need to tell the story that the university creates knowledge, but that this also has an economic impact in Oregon and the world. That’s the reason that we recently commissioned a study of the university’s economic impact. We’ve tried to tell the story there, and the numbers are pretty stunning.We have an impact of $3.5 billion a year on the state. For every dollar that the state spends on OSU, we generate more than $13.The multiplier is really big. That’s exactly the story we need to be telling. [Editor’s note: See page 18 for more about the economic impact report.] Is there anything else you’d like to share? We are here to provide education of the highest quality to every Oregonian who is capable and has the desire to take advantage of it.We have our mission of student access and student success. We will continue to pursue big ideas that lead to big solutions and that translate into use for society.We have a mission of service to the community as a land grant university. All of these ideals have been driving us for 150 years. They’ll drive us for 150 more. In the deeply turbulent and unstable environment we find ourselves in, we need the help of our alumni and our community to tell our story and to help us stay true to these values. THIS INTERVIEW WAS EDITED FOR CLARITY AND LENGTH. “THESE ARE VERY REAL LOSSES, NOT JUST FOR OSU, BUT ALSO FOR SOCIETY MORE BROADLY.” continued VO I C E S
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