The understanding and reassessment of these expectations and how faculty involvement in change is impacted are not trivial. Any change must enhance, not diminish, the synergy of the research and teaching mission. The UO has all the talented people it needs to lead it in new directions, and cannot expect significant increases in human or financial resources. The challenge is not so much a matter of finding new leaders or locating new resources as it is motivating and empowering the community that already exists. Communication needs to occur before, during, and after change.
Effective communication demands the responsible involvement of both the speaker and the listener.
Although it is more comfortable to present a message that is wholly consistent with one's own view, the communicator has a responsibility both to those from whom they receive messages to be communicated and to those to whom they communicate to convey information as completely and objectively as possible. Based on reports from our issues group members concerning the quality and quantity of information given and received, some perceive that the communication patterns between administrators and other faculty and staff have not had a collaborative sense of purpose and a sufficient degree of shared information. The listener also has a responsibility in this communication process. Singular and independent voices are often listened to and heard, but response, decision-making and action must be based on evidence representing the community at large, not the result of minority views or anecdotal incidents. The representation of student views is important, but the formal means of input has its limitations.