NEWS RELEASE

For further information contact:

Liz Shelby shelby@sou.edu 541.552.6111

Faculty, campus community will review plan during a 20 University-day comment period

Ashland, OR – February 6, 2014: Southern Oregon University has released a provisional (draft) plan that would eliminate a number of low-enrolled academic programs in order to cut costs. The provisional plan was preceded by three years of campus-wide work to keep costs as low as possible for students in the face of significant disinvestment by the state of Oregon.

Late last year the campus announced plans for “retrenchment,” a word used in the SOU faculty union contract when academic programs are eliminated or restructured.

The plan lays out three scenarios, from best to worst case, with a reduction range from between $3.3 million and $5 million depending on variables such as level of state funding and enrollment that are unknown at this time. The plan also includes a fourth scenario with programs that could be considered for elimination only if a very worst situation emerged, requiring $7 million in reductions. The State Board of Higher Education required that such an extreme scenario be included in the plan. “However, if the very worst scenario occurred,” says SOU President Mary Cullinan, “we would not compromise the mission of SOU with such draconian cuts only in academic areas. We would have broad conversations across campus before we would cut that deeply into academics.”

Funding for Oregon’s public universities remains far behind the levels seen in the past. In 1999, for example, SOU received a state allocation $13 million higher than in 2013 despite an increase of nearly a thousand students since then. Extensive planning initiatives used to determine cost reductions have included sophisticated data gathering, analysis of national models, implementation of best practices in the curriculum, data-driven decision-making, and reorganization of key areas and offices. Faculty, staff, students, and members of the external community have provided feedback on these initiatives.

In order to have the least impact on students as possible, proposed cuts focus on programs with low enrollment and low numbers of graduates.

Cullinan stressed that “All students who are in declared majors by March 15, 2014, will be able to complete their SOU degrees.”

From the day the provisional retrenchment plan is released, according to the faculty union contract, the campus has a 20 University-day period in which to comment on the cuts. The provisional plan will be discussed widely by constituencies on and off campus. Then the final plan will be published. Implementation will occur over three years.

“Just as we’ve seen with many organizations, long-term successful enterprises recalibrate when they need to,” said Cullinan. “We have a great institution here that means a lot to our region and to the state. We’re meeting our challenges head on, for our students now and in the future.”

“I’m grateful for the collaborative campus process that enabled us to develop a strong financial plan for SOU,” said Cullinan. “While this is a necessary action, it is not an easy one. We will lose some of our valued faculty colleagues, each of whom has been an important part of SOU.”

To read SOU’s provisional plan, go to http://stateoftheuniversity.sou.edu/

 About Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power. Visit sou.edu.

The Campus Theme Program at Southern Oregon University (SOU) will present a free screening of the new documentary film The State of Arizona on Thursday, Jan. 16, 7:00 pm in the SOU Meese Auditorium, Center for the Visual Arts.

The film tells the story of Arizona’s controversial “papers please” immigration law. The program is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a panel discussion.  This is a special pre-release “sneak preview” of the film which premieres later in January on PBS.
The State of Arizona, directed/produced by Catherine Tambini and Carlos Sandoval, interweaves the volatile themes of immigration and race portrayed through a mosaic of characters and their responses to the law, SB1070. The film is built around the turbulent arc of the law, from the Governor’s signing the bill in 2010 to the Supreme Court’s June 2012 pronouncement on its constitutionality. Through the personal stories of individuals impacting and impacted by immigration policies, the film explores the social and political circumstances that gave rise to SB1070, examining the roles played by government and business, as well as the human consequences of the policy.

Panel Facilitator:  SOU Professor Echo Fields, Sociology

Discussants: Virginia Camberos, regional organizer for Rogue Valley Oregon Action; Pancho Becraft, SOU alumni; John Almaguer, immigration attorney

Southern Oregon University will test a new public address safety system on Tuesday, December 17, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and lasting most of the day. The drill will include loud speaker announcements that will be heard across campus and possibly in neighborhoods surrounding SOU.

“This system will allow University officials to alert the entire campus to emergencies, saving valuable time in the event of life threatening situations,” says Tom Bieber, SOU manager of environmental, health, safety and risk management.

The system includes five stations located in the new North Campus Village, Churchill Hall and Taylor Hall, plus several outdoor speakers. The emergency notification system was added to the buildings during recent construction and remodeling.

Ashland, OR – December 5, 2013: Southern Oregon University president Mary Cullinan made the formal announcement today that the university needs to make academic program reductions to ensure its long-term fiscal strength and student affordability. Termed “retrenchment,” the formal move enables the faculty contract to be opened so that a process of eliminating and reducing programs can begin.

The retrenchment announcement came this morning during a University forum at which Dr. Cullinan as well as faculty senate president Dave Carter and student body president Tommy Letchworth addressed faculty, staff, and students on the need to cut programs in order to balance the budget and reinvest in core programs.

“Retrenchment is the only option for SOU,” said Cullinan. “It will enable us to sustain and advance our university, offer our students a high quality, affordable education, and serve our regional mission. The new landscape offers less certainty about enrollment and state funding, and a greater certainty that only through affordable tuition can we keep SOU accessible for Oregonians. We need resources to support and enhance in-demand degree programs and help students stay in school and earn a degree.”

The next step of the retrenchment process is to develop a provisional plan that provides a draft of program eliminations and reductions. The plan, to be released in January, will be consistent with SOU’s mission and reflect academic needs and enrollment priorities, but also enable the university to meet its budgetary goals. The campus community has a 15 university-day period in which to provide their comments for consideration in the final plan.

“Losing valued faculty members will be the hardest part of this process,” said Cullinan. “Because of the length and nature of this process, those whose programs face reduction or elimination will know well in advance, so they will have preparation time and help from SOU with their transition.

“SOU is incredibly important to present and future generations of students. Our university is vital to this region and to the state of Oregon. We need to do what is best for the short and long term. This means cutting low-enrollment, low-demand programs and retargeting resources so that SOU remains affordable and provides the programs student need most.”

# # #

Public TV and community TV are joining hands for “Immense Possibilities.”

The SOPTV public affairs program “Immense Possibilities” is moving its production to Southern Oregon University’s high-tech Digital Media Center (DMC) at Rogue Valley Community Television. The program is also expanding its reach to Portland, Redding and other parts of the West.

“This is a great example of regional collaboration,” says SOU President Mary Cullinan. “We’re harnessing DMC’s exceptional technology and SOU’s talented Digital Media students to work with the experienced staff and talent from Southern Oregon Public Television. Together they’ll create a compelling TV program that can be viewed broadly in the West. It’s a wonderful showcase for southern Oregon.”

“With the help of SOU, we plan to make ‘Immense Possibilities’ a more regional program,” says Mark Stanislawski, President & CEO of SOPTV.  ”KIXE in Redding begins broadcasting ‘Immense Possibilities’ in January, and this season of ‘Immense Possibiliites’ will be seen on Oregon Public Broadcasting.   We hope more stations on the west coast broadcast the series and so we can expand the exchange of community-building experiences even further.”

The DMC’s state-of-the-art “green screen” technology was a big reason for the move from SOPTV’s studio in Medford to the SOU campus in Ashland. The green screen technology allows the host and studio guests to be superimposed on a variety of virtual sets, enhancing the visual appeal of the program.

DMC’s green screen allows the program host and guests to be superimposed on a variety of virtual sets.

SOU’s participation in the partnership also creates opportunities for dozens of students to gain real-world experience in producing a program aired on PBS stations in the West, on-air presenting and social media campaigning. “The University has made it a strategic priority for our students to be more engaged, more visible and more productive in the world outside of our campus,” said SOU faculty member Erik Palmer.

“We plan to bring more intergenerational activity to the show,” says “Immense Possibilities” host and producer Jeff Golden. “We’d like to see someone in their 20s host a regular segment within ‘Immense Possibilities’’ That’s an important element of the community building that our program is all about.”

The “Immense Possibilities” partnership will be formalized on Friday, December 6 at 2:30 p.m. in a ceremony at the Digital Media Center on the SOU campus. President Cullinan and SOPTV President and CEO Mark Stanislawski will view a student demonstration of the virtual set to be used for “Immense Possibilities.”

About Southern Oregon University

As the public liberal arts university of the West, Southern Oregon University focuses on student learning, accessibility, and civic engagement that enriches both the community and bioregion. The university is recognized for fostering intellectual creativity, for quality and innovation in its connected learning programs, and for the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.

About Immense Possibilities

“Immense Possibilities” is a weekly public TV and Internet visit with guests whose social creations are building vibrant communities.  In the process they are infusing others with realistic hope and inviting them to engage in the activities around them.  Says one recent IP guest,  ”With Americans waking up almost every day to a barrage of discouraging, disempowering news stories, ‘Immense Possibilities’ is exactly what we need right now.  It inspires us with proof that positive, life-affirming solutions to our big challenges aren’t just possible — they’re actually unfolding around us everyday”

—Ocean Robbins, Founder of YES!

Immense Possibilities video highlights.

About the Digital Media Center

The Southern Oregon Digital Media Center (DMC) provides a space where people, tools and technology blend together to inspire relevant and compelling media for the 21^st century. The center serves both Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the larger community in Southern Oregon and Northern California. The DMC builds on and expands the mission of SOU’s Rogue Valley Community Television organization (RVTV), and supports the teaching function of multiple academic programs at SOU. We are #thehouseofyes.

About Southern Oregon Public Television

Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV) is a nonprofit, community-owned, governed and operated educational television station.  Using television, the Internet and community outreach, SOPTV connects communities in five southern Oregon counties and a portion of northern California by partnering with local organizations and corporations. Made possible by the financial support of its viewers, SOPTV is accessible to all regardless of their means. SOPTV is available from Roseburg to Happy Camp, CA and from Brookings to Klamath Falls. Its headquarters are located in Medford, Oregon.  More information on SOPTV and its programs and services is available at www.soptv.org. 

 -SOU-

Fall 2013 Enrollment Down 5%, reflecting national trends of lower post-recession college attendance

(Ashland, Ore.) –As the economy turns up, Southern Oregon University’s enrollment numbers are turning down, following a national trend at many universities. SOU headcount is 6,140 this fall, 5.3% less than the previous year, and 8.9% less than fall 2011, SOU’s record enrollment year. 2011’s enrollment was a 32% spike from 2009.

SOU’s numbers follow a trend at Oregon’s other public regional universities and community colleges, and at many campuses across the country. These institutions serve growing numbers of low- and moderate-income students whose families have been hard hit during the recession, making it harder to go to college or stay there. SOU also saw its two largest-ever graduating classes exit in 2011 and 2012, and enter the work force.

The drop in enrollment comes at a time when SOU is increasingly dependent on student tuition to offset a steady decline in state support. Twenty years ago tuition provided just 30% of education costs, and state support supplied most of the balance. Today 70% of the cost of education is covered by students and their families.

SOU President Mary Cullinan notes that “Lack of state support for public higher education puts the burden on students. Although SOU remains one of the most affordable universities in Oregon, students still struggle with the cost.  Many are working several part-time jobs. As the employment picture improves,” she adds, “significant numbers of students are increasing their work hours and not enrolling in university classes.”

Oregon’s regional campuses are the most sensitive to economic downturns. 72% of SOU’s students receive financial aid, and more than 60% of students who receive financial aid are eligible for federal Pell grants to low income families.

The US Census Bureau reported in September that the demographic group showing the largest decrease on college campuses is adults 25 and older.

Although most SOU enrollment categories were down, some continued to go up:

• Headcount is 6,140, 341 students or 5.3% less than 2012.
• Full Time Equivalent (FTE) enrollment is 4,351, or 4.9% less than 2012.
• New freshmen enrollment is down 6.7% and new transfer enrollment is down 1.1%. Rogue Community College transfer enrollment is down 17.7%.
• Although total California enrollment is down 19 students or 2.0%, new California freshmen and California transfers were both up slightly.
• Latino enrollment continues to grow, up 5.8% from fall 2012.
• Freshmen retention decreased slightly from the year before.
• Foreign student enrollment is up 22 students or 16.1%. The biggest increase is students from South Korea.

SOU Ten-Year Fall Enrollment History

About Southern Oregon University 

As the public liberal arts university of the West, Southern Oregon University focuses on student learning, accessibility, and civic engagement that enriches both the community and bioregion. The university is recognized for fostering intellectual creativity, for quality and innovation in its connected learning programs, and for the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.