Issues in higher education ranging from a lack of public funding to equality and access will be explored at the annual O’Connell Conference being held at the UO’s Portland campus Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Titled “Oregon’s Public Universities and Colleges: Facing the Challenge,” the conference explores the theoretical, jurisprudential and political aspects of ongoing changes in public higher education and legal education.

"We are pleased to bring together nationally recognized scholars and local experts to examine public higher education in Oregon — its past and future possibilities," said Margaret Hallock, faculty co-director at the UO’s Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. "We can learn from best practices elsewhere, and new leadership structures point to new directions."

The conference runs from 1-5 p.m. It begins with a welcome by UO President Michael Schill and UO Law School Dean Michael Moffitt, followed by three panel discussions featuring judges, experts and scholars. The event is free and open to the public, and four Continuing Legal Education credits are available. View the schedule

The O’Connell Conference is an annual event examining current topics in public policy and public affairs made possible by former Chief Justice Kenneth J. O’Connell and presented by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics and the UO School of Law. This year's conference kicks off the Wayne Morse Center's 2015-17 theme of inquiry, “The Future of Public Education.”