UO E-clips, May 6

$neaking around (New York Post): Nike sneaker billionaire Philip Knight is leading the pack in the tycoon cash-out sweepstakes with a $1.05 billion windfall - made in just one month. The 70-year-old Nike founder has done hundreds of separate stock sales since mid-April, collecting $1.05 billion - well ahead of his $780 million cash-out of shares in 2007. That's the year he placed 14th in Vanity Fair's ranking of windfalls made by the rich from selling stock or family empires.)

Academic reform to be closely monitored (Washington Post): After few Division I college sports programs were punished last spring for failing to meet academic standards, NCAA officials vowed that significantly more teams could face sanctions this year, a warning that hangs over today's unveiling of the latest penalties. … But programs with poor scores still can avoid penalties if they submit an academic improvement plan that is approved by the NCAA. Nathan Tublitz, a University of Oregon biology professor who co-chairs the reform-minded Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, cautioned that it is important for the NCAA to impose penalties on poor performers consistently and grant waivers sparingly.

Costner’s visit to Eugene now official (Register-Guard): It’s official: Actor Kevin Costner is coming to Eugene. The star of such baseball-themed films as “For Love of the Game,” “Field of Dreams” and “Bull Durham” has signed on for a pair of performances with his Western rock band Modern West, May 30 and May 31 at the Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall. The family-friendly concerts, which will benefit the University of Oregon’s baseball program, will include live music and film clips, UO spokesman Joe Giansante said. Costner is a long-time friend of the UO’s new baseball coach, George Horton. “He’s coming out and doing this because he believes in coach Horton, and he’s happy that he made the move to Oregon,” Giansante said. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the UO’s Baseball Equity Fund, and will go toward the construction of a new baseball stadium. Tickets are $70, $60 and $25, through the Hult Center Box Office (541-682-5000). Seats go on sale at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

UO president asks state to thaw frozen salary money (Associated Press): An Oregon university official is pleading with state lawmakers to release $28 million for salaries that has been withheld as a hedge against an economic downturn. In all, state legislators withheld $125 million for state employee pay raises, about $28 million bound for faculty and staff pay at the state’s seven four-year universities. “It’s really quite urgent because students are signing up for classes now,” said Dave Frohnmayer, who earlier in the week said he would retire next year as president of the University of Oregon.

Recession indicators still mixed (Register-Guard): Ask economic analysts whether the nation is in a recession, and a good number would say yes. Ask consumers, and almost certainly, they’d say yes. Ask the numbers themselves, though, and they’d say, “we’re not sure.” “You really see data that is mixed,” said Tim Duy, economist and author of the University of Oregon’s Index of Economic Indicators. The index tracks eight measures of economic health: five statewide and three national. In March, the index fell 0.7 percent, after a slight rise in February. The index’s base rate was 100 in 1997.