Athletics have been an ongoing point of contention at [the University of] Oregon. The Chronicle [of Higher Ed] notes that the faculty has long felt that the athletic spotlight has overshadowed the university’s academic mission… [Nike] money has allowed the athletic department to become financially independent from the university, which has led to questions of accountability. [Campus football] scandals only support the claim that there is none. Further, while athletics have had all the focus in the past few years, the academics have suffered.
Oregon has fallen in our ranking of America’s Top Colleges for the second time in a row (210th in 2012; 217th in 2013; and 236th in 2014).
… We wish Scott Coltrane, the university’s provost and now-interim president, the best of luck, and hope that he refocuses the school on academic success. What better time to do that than while the football team is on probation?