Oregon governor Kitzhaber takes the lead in making college affordable - Dashiell Paulson, Daily Emerald

Central to the budget is the creation of a Department of Post-Secondary Education, which would roll the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce, the Oregon Student Access Commission and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission into one group. The new department is intended to be a lean, unified agency of Kitzhaber’s will in Oregon higher education and would absorb many of the old responsibilities of the Oregon University System. DPSE would also be directed by the governor to develop outcome-based formulas for state funding instead of old enrollment models. The goal with this policy is that “students who receive a new Oregon Diploma (high school) are able to afford to attend college.” One aspect of the budget that could heavily impact the UO is a little clause tucked away on page seven which states: “The Governor, in consultation with the OEIB, is evaluating capital projects proposed by the colleges and universities based on their contribution to the state’s 40-40-20 goal …” This seems to imply that the wave of construction and renovation on campus, which has been funded through state bonds and private donations, could come to depend on how close the UO follows to the 40-40-20 plan. http://dailyemerald.com/2013/01/07/2282185/