University of Oregon names new president

The University of Oregon name John Karl Scholz its new president on Monday.

Scholz replaces Michael Schill, who left Eugene last year after seven years at the university to become the new president at Northwestern University.

Scholz is the 19th president of the University of Oregon.  His background is in economics with expertise in labor markets, bankruptcy law, and financial barriers to higher education, per The Oregonian/Oregonlive.

Scholz previously was provost at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a position he held over three years after a previous six-year run as the school’s dean of the College of Letters & Science.

For fans of Oregon Ducks athletics, curiosity builds into Scholz’s stance on conference realignment, the ongoing conference media rights negotiations, and the prioritization of athletics as a whole to the university.  A natural link from Scholz’s Big Ten ties to his new job in Eugene can raise eyebrows.

James Crepea of The Oregonian/Oregonlive tweeted Scholz’s statement from last summer following the Big Ten’s poaching of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12:

“This expansion helps solidify the Big Ten Conference as the one, true national powerhouse conference, with member universities, teams and fans stretching from coast to coast.”
Oregon’s new president, while at Wisconsin https://t.co/BruwmpX6rE

— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) March 13, 2023

Scholz begins his position at UO on July 1st.