Meeting Statewide Higher Education Goals

The Oregon University System (OUS) Chancellor’s Office carries out the Oregon State Board of Higher Education’s (the Board’s) statewide goals and initiatives for the benefit of Oregon and Oregonians, as well as implementing legislatively identified and required fiduciary, compliance, and other duties, Board and Governor’s policies, and all directives related to higher education. Chancellor George Pernsteiner was appointed by the Board in July 2004.

The Chancellor’s Office moves policies developed by the Board, Governor and Legislature to action. This includes development and implementation of policies governing institutional missions, academic programs, class size, program demand, enrollment, and admission requirements; diversity; tuition; transfer policies; accounting, budgets, and other fiscal policies. The Chancellor’s Office is also responsible for leading the biennial operating and capital budget process; facilitating campuses’ efforts to achieve their educational missions and overall System goals; creating partnerships among OUS campuses, community colleges and K-12 institutions; and working closely with the Oregon Legislature, the Governor, and other constituencies for support and investment in higher education. For more information on the system structure, see the Oregon University System Organizational Chart.

As the chief executive and administrative officer of the OUS, the Chancellor reports directly to the Board, and serves as the agency head for the Department of Higher Education, the budgetary name for the OUS. The Chancellor supervises a system administration leadership team (see contacts below) who, along with the campus leadership and councils, manages the work of the OUS. In addition, the Chancellor is regularly and routinely briefed by all Chancellor's Office department directors including the Executive Director of Internal Audit, who also reports to the Board. For more information, see the 2011 Issue Brief on Major Work of the Chancellor's Office or go to OUS Departments.

Chancellor:

• George Pernsteiner, Chancellor, bio
  
  • Contact: Maggie Bice, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor

Vice Chancellors:

• Jay Kenton, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, bio
• Sona Karentz Andrews, Vice Chancellor, Academic Strategies, bio

Senior staff whose functions are shared with the Board:

• Bridget Burns, Chief of Staff, bio
• Ryan J. Hagemann, Legal Counsel, bio
• Diane 'Di' Saunders, Director of Communications, bio
• Charles Triplett, Board Secretary, bio