The Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate. Nine members are appointed for four year terms; two members are students and appointed for two year terms.
The most recent addition to the Board was Jim Francesconi, former Portland City Councillor and mayoral candidate. He was confirmed by a vote of 28-1 in February, 2007, with Senator Vicki Walker casting the sole "no" vote, and Senator Rick Metsger absent.[1][2][3][4]
Former Governor of Oregon Neil Goldschmidt was appointed and selected as the board's president in January 2004,[5] but the senate confirmation process that approved his appointment also led to revelations of a decades-old sex scandal. Goldschmidt resigned from the board three months after his appointment.[6] Governor Ted Kulongoski took the unusual step of assuming the board presidency following Goldschmidt's resignation.[7]
Becky Johnson, the first person whose appointment to a state Commission was subject to Senate approval, served on the Board from 1962 - 1975.[8]