Lariviere was honest and competent and he wanted the best for UO and its students. So it was just a matter of time until the old guard's knives came out.

Truth tellers have a tough time around here.

That makes the today's Oregonian puff piece a piece of comedy gold.

Alligators usually lurk in muddy back waters.

That seems a little extreme for the Ducks losing to USC.

I suppose the severance and pension will be top notch.

Well, his proposal that the University borrow a billion bucks (with the State guaranteeing the bond payments), and then get rich by investing the borrowed money and earning nine percent (better than PERS' mythical eight percent) was insane.

Fortunately, he couldn't sell that plan...

About time. Lariviere should have been canned a long time ago. The guy was politically tone deaf, throwing out money while the state was trying to sell austerity theater.

And then there's his New Partnership power grab: get the money up front and get the UO out from under any effective oversight. You know if the money ran out early, he or his successors would have been back for more. The lack of control would have created our very own Penn State, an institution that asserts it's public when it suits it and private when it doesn't, complete with an unaccountable police force with full police powers and toys.

Every time I read one of UOMatters' complaints, I think of Brad Delong's chesnut "the cossacks work for the czar" but somehow the guy came out smelling like roses while his subordinates get the blame.

Speaking of subordinates, that was Lariviere's biggest mistake. He forgot who he worked for. Hint: it wasn't Richard Lariviere.

Good riddance. Hopefully the replacement will be better than the last two.

Not quite done yet. He's still a tenured professor in the Religious Studies department.

http://pages.uoregon.edu/religion/faculty/

Maybe Frohnmayer and Lariviere can team teach a class.

I suppose the severance and pension will be top notch.

He's not fired today. He's fired when his contract ends. Thus, no severance.

Pension will depend on how long he's been in the system. A couple years, even at his salary, won't mean much.

Thus, no severance.

You're kidding.

The lack of control would have created our very own Penn State, an institution that asserts it's public when it suits it and private when it doesn't

Sorry, we already have this - it's called OHSU.

Great, back to business as usual, which has served education in Oregon so well.

You might dislike UO, but you unless you're satisfied with Oregon falling further and further behind the world when it comes to education, you have to respect Lavierre for trying something new.

I'm also surprised that, given the usual tenor of posts and comments on this blog, that someone who takes every opportunity to thumb his nose at OUS and Kitz isn't received with more respect.

I hear Phil Knight is thinking of taking the job.

I actually do respect that he was willing to think of new approaches.

But telling your bosses that you want to take the money and work for yourself was not that bright.

And that plan would have played out one way and one way only:

1)we give UofO a billion dollars;
2)investments don't do anywhere near as well as they project;
3)they keep the billion, and the state taxpayers end up supporting them anyway.

More public borrowing, less taxpayer oversight? No, that doesn't play with me.

He seemed like a goofy bugger to me. Not surprised he didn't make it there.

Daddy Warbucks?