Alumni voices are powerful, and they’re being heard in Salem, Washington, DC, and across the country.
This year, higher education and federal research funding have faced budget cuts that endanger the futures of students and research at the UO. Alumni advocates have stepped up and spoken out in support of the university’s mission. Together, they’ve helped protect the research that fuels discovery and opportunity at the UO.
Over the last year, alumni advocates have sent more than 900 notes to members of Congress in 11 total states including Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Florida. Alumni have engaged on issues related to federal research funding, Pell grants, and access to student loans in these campaigns.
Olivia Mannon, MPA ’22, the Duck, and State Representative Nancy Nathanson, BS ’75 (geography), at 2025 UO Day at the Capitol.
You can join them. By sending a quick message to your representatives, you’ll help protect research funding and join the UO Advocates network, a group of passionate alumni across the country making sure the UO’s voice is heard, and Oregon’s students and future are supported.
Community support like this makes a difference in students’ lives and helps the University of Oregon continue to lead as a Tier 1 national public research university. The UO remains committed to developing ideas that drive impact in key areas, including environmental resilience, youth behavioral and mental health, human performance and sport, and accelerating innovation and scientific impact. Federal research funding is more important than ever to advance groundbreaking research that supports our changing world.
Emailing and calling your legislators is just one way to participate as a UO advocate, but you can engage in person too. When legislators hold town halls, join fellow alumni and community members and meet with your elected representatives in discussions about supporting Oregon’s students, families, and future with federal research funding. Check out UO Advocates’ website for a calendar of town halls you can attend.
Alumni can also attend in-person events like UO Day at the Capitol, UO Advocates’ largest advocacy day of the year at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. University students, faculty, staff, and alumni come together each spring to advocate for the UO and higher education at the state level.
The Duck, along with UO President Karl Scholz explain UO’s goals to State Representative Ben Bowman, BA ’14 (political science), at 2025 UO Day at the Capitol.
During the 2025 UO Day at the Capitol, former ASUO Presidents Chloe Webster, BS ’25 (planning, public policy and management), and Greg Leo, BS ’74 (community service and public affairs), met with legislators and advocated for the university, research funding, and higher education.
Webster spoke to what Oregon loses when higher education is underfunded. “I love the UO, and I love what opportunities the UO has given me to go on into the workforce and become a future Oregonian. And so, I think that when the state doesn’t fund higher ed, it loses the students who want to bring their talents to the state and also to their higher ed communities,” she said.
Whether you graduated five or 50 years ago, alumni advocacy is an empowering way to stay involved with the university and support the students of today and tomorrow.
–By Sarah Bathke, BA ’25 (journalism), UO Alumni Association communications generalist and Joe Erickson, BS ’20 (political science), UO director of advocacy and policy