The Oregon Association of Scholars (OAS), an affiliate of the National Association of Scholars, launched a new website at the beginning of 2017: www.OregonScholars.org.
Operating with a mission to “uphold the classical standards of excellence in scholarship and teaching in higher education, centered on intellectual freedom and political diversity, the search for truthful knowledge, and the promotion of virtuous citizenship,” the OAS aims to unify those in Oregon around a desire for integrity in higher education.
Since the fall 2016 election of new president Dr. Bruce Gilley, Oregon’s state chapter of NAS has begun weighing in on items of public interest, publishing press releases on the University of Oregon’s “blackface” incident and on the University of Oregon’s last-place national ranking in political diversity.
President Gilley was also quoted in Oregon Live providing additional comments on the University of Oregon’s choice to investigate the professor who wore blackface to her own Halloween party. Noting that though the professor’s choice was unwise, Gilley states that “The attack on Dr. Shurtz’s academic freedom is a direct consequence of the environment of politically correct partisanship and the ideological narrowing of higher education in the state that needs to be changed.”
The Oregon Association of Scholars website features three key issue areas:
- Excellence in Research and Teaching
- Academic Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity
- Merit-Based Student Admissions and Faculty Hiring & Promotion
Under each area, the OAS provides resources to inform and educate on the topic.
The website also features the OAS newsletter, Trail Notes, authored by President Gilley, and it provides ways for students, scholars, trustees, staff, and members of the public to get involved.
If you are a scholar in Oregon, join NAS and automatically become a member of the Oregon Association of Scholars. If you're from another state, join your local affiliate organization.
Image: Oregon coast landscape (cropped) by Loren Kerns // CC BY 2.0
