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News Release
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bauer800.jpeg
OAICU Selects New President (Photo) - 07/12/18

PORTLAND, ORE – The Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities (the Alliance) today announced the appointment of Jim Bauer as its new president, effective July 16, 2018. Bauer succeeds Kristen Grainger, who announced she will step down on July 13.

“Jim brings to the Alliance nearly 25 years of experience as a strategic thinker and leader for private, independent higher education in Oregon,” said Carolyn Walker, chair of the Alliance Board of Trustees. “With a deep understanding of the important contributions nonprofit colleges and universities make to the state’s workforce, economy, and higher education attainment goals, he is well-suited to engage with employers and policy makers in service of the public good.”

Bauer has served since 1995 as vice president for planning and external affairs at Willamette University in Salem, a position with wide-ranging responsibilities that support campus development and operations. His leadership and advocacy have substantially impacted the Salem community, most recently serving as board president of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Prior to Willamette, Bauer held administrative leadership positions at the University of Idaho from 1980-1995.

He earned an MBA from Willamette University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Idaho.

About the Alliance:

The Alliance represents 18 of Oregon’s regionally accredited, nonprofit private institutions of higher education. Together, Alliance colleges and universities enroll more than 35,000 students, conferring approximately one in four baccalaureate degrees and about half of the master’s and doctoral degrees awarded in Oregon. 

  • One in five students at an Alliance member institution is the first in their family to attend college; one in three is from demographic groups historically underrepresented on the nation’s college campuses; and one in three has sufficient financial need to be eligible for federal Pell grants.  
  • Twenty-eight percent of the graduates from Alliance-member colleges complete their degrees with zero debt; average debt for those students who graduate with debt is about the same as graduates of public universities. 
  • Three out of five students at an Oregon private nonprofit college will finish their bachelor’s degrees in four years, compared to public university students, three out of five of whom take six years to finish, according to the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission. 

The Alliance works to intersect the needs of business and industry with private nonprofit colleges and the public good to create real solutions to build a more educated and skilled workforce for Oregon. 

For more information visit www.oaicu.org.

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