The University of Oregon’s new president was greeted with applause Tuesday afternoon as he was introduced at a news conference in the Ford Alumni Center.
Michael H. Schill will be UO’s 18th president when he begins on July 1.
“I think Mike Schill can be a truly transformational leader for the university,” said Chuck Lillis, chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon. “This is not a person who is interested in us being average at anything. He has high academic standards. This could be a really remarkable point in our history.”
“You have a new beginning and I am excited to be a part of that new beginning,” Schill said to the crowd gathered for the event.
“We are a family bound together by an appreciation of the university and by our association,” Schill said. “We have a web of connections that make us a family.”
Schill, who is currently the dean and Harry N. Wyatt Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, acknowledged there is a lot yet to learn.
“I have a lot to learn. I need to learn the culture and get to know you all,” Schill said. “I need to learn to do the O.”
Following the news conference, the incoming president spent time with students, faculty, staff and leadership in a series of meetings and at a social event.