Eugene
Lunar Logic, maker of websites and electronic supplements to
textbooks, lost 120 workers over the past year to outsourcing.
The company began in 1997 and counts Thomson, a college
textbook publisher based in Toronto, Ontario, as its one major
client. Lately, Lunar Logic owner Mark Lipson says there is
pressure for companies to move work offshore.
“There’s less that the customers want us to
do,” he says. However, Lipson added that while most of
the offshore work has been data processing, quality assurance
and technical support jobs, companies “still need experts
in their time zone.” The effects of the layoffs can be
felt in some of the downtown businesses, especially at cafes
and coffee shops. The company employs about 60 people in Eugene
and is looking to diversify by taking on smaller projects.
At every university there are outstanding faculty members who
achieve acclaim in their field, win grants for their research
and gain national attention. At the University of Oregon, more than $10
million in gifts will help the university recruit and retain
more of these stellar professors over the next 10 years. The
gifts include an endowed chair in the journalism school, a
distinguished scholar award and two faculty fellowships in the
business college, and an anonymous donation to create a fund
for faculty excellence.
