Dr. Mary Cullinan

On Saturday (March 24) I flew out of Medford at 6 AM, changed planes in Salt Lake and Detroit, landed in Burlington, Vermont, and was taken via car and ferry, at the end of a very long day, to Plattsburgh, New York.

In the 4^th grade, I remember reading a biography of Samuel de Champlain, writing a book report, and painstakingly drawing and coloring a map of Lake Champlain. So it was great to wake up on Sunday morning and see the still-wintry whitecaps of Lake Champlain out my window.

In fact, staying at the Valcour Conference Center, I could see the site of the Battle of Valcour Bay. In 1776, the rebel fleet under the command of Benedict Arnold took on the British navy in what is thought to be one of the first naval battles of the American Revolution.

I am chairing an accreditation team for the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, so my team members and I have convened from universities scattered throughout the region. (Having long ago made peace with the British, we have an accreditation team member who has joined us from Canada.)

For the next three days we will be immersed in our work on the campus. But it’s fun, at long last, to see the lake I drew so carefully when I was nine!

Gov. John Kitzhaber speaks to the audience at the Oregon University System symposium on Tuesday afternoon. (Amanda Cowan | Corvallis Gazette-Times - Click the image for the Gazette Times story)

On Tuesday (November 1) I joined leaders from around the state to discuss meeting Oregon’s 40-40-20 goal. The goal, signed into law by the governor last June, sets the state’s educational mission: by 2025, 40% of Oregonians will have a baccalaureate degree or higher; 40% will have an associate degree or post-high school training; and 20% will have a high school diploma. For the Oregon University System, that goal means increasing overall enrollment by 60% by 2025.

The meeting in Corvallis, put together by OUS, was titled “From Goal to Reality: Achieving 40-40-20 in Oregon.” Representatives from K-12, public and private universities, community colleges, Oregon tribes, and state agencies as well as state and local elected officials, discussed what this goal means and what it will take to get there.  Governor Kitzhaber spoke to us about bringing together the good work we’re all doing to meet this challenging “stretch goal.”

I moderated a panel examining promising practices and partnerships across sectors to help students get to college. I highlighted SOU’s recent agreement with the Phoenix-Talent school district. Mark Mulvihill, superintendent of InterMountain ESD, and John Turner, president of Blue Mountain Community College, outlined their work to create an Eastern Promise in partnership with Eastern Oregon University. Richard Lariviere discussed a number of partnerships between UO and local schools.

Everyone agreed that we’re doing excellent work in Oregon. But reaching 40-40-20 by 2025 goes beyond a standard “stretch goal.” It’s a breathtaking challenge for all of us.

Saturday (May 21) began with the opening of the seventh Biennial Native American Ecological Education Symposium brought together by SOU’s Native American Student Union, ECOS (Ecology Center of the Siskiyous), and Native American Programs. These groups put together a powerful set of speakers and events over two days to address environmental issues from the perspectives of both native teachings and western science.

I was happy to welcome these folks in the Rogue River Room on Saturday morning—but then I had to hurry home as we had an event planned at my house: a reception for Presidential Scholars and their families.

The reception came together with the work of our Development and Enrollment Services Offices—with lovely food and flowers brought by Sodexo. Brian Banagas, student musician extraordinaire, accompanied the festive event with excellent piano jazz.

Nearly twenty scholars and their guests as well as deans and other SOU folks began arriving at 4 PM. Luckily, the day was magnificent, so people could gather outside on the deck as well as in our livingroom. It was a joy to meet these wonderful students and their proud families—and to celebrate outstanding academic achievement.

These two Saturday events showcased the balance of SOU:  commitments to academic success as well as to connections with our environment and our region.

All photos by Richard Balzer.

Last Monday (February 28) we kicked off our new Distinguished Lecture Series with huge energy and enthusiasm. Dr. Terry Longshore’s (below, left)  musical lecture and performance took us through a whirlwind tour of modern percussion—along with the beautiful and dynamic ways in which composers capture their music visually for the musicians who play it.

In “Seeing is Hearing: Degrees of Interpretation in Rendering Modern Percussion,” Dr. Longshore set the bar high for the Distinguished Lecture Series, which highlights the work of SOU faculty. He was supported wonderfully by his students in the SOU Percussion Ensemble as they made remarkable music from found objects (shoes? an electric train?) and brought physics to life with music and strings (you really had to see as well as hear it).

Our next Distinguished Lecture will take place on April 21 in the Meese Auditorium when Dr. John Roden will provide insights into global climate change—and why there are still skeptics. Join us!

The following posts are from a previous version of this website. They are all from 2009 or earlier and are reproduced here for archival purposes.

Commencement (2009)

Congratulations to the approximately 850 students who received degrees during commencement last Saturday!

SOU’s eighty-third commencement ceremony featured keynote speaker and SOU alumnus Michael Geisen, the 2008 National Teacher of the Year. Geisen earned a master of arts in teaching from SOU in 2001 and is a teacher at Crook County Middle School in Prineville, Oregon.

Representing the Oregon University System (OUS) was Dr. Rosemary Powers, an OUS Trustee and associate professor of sociology at Eastern Oregon University.

Student CheraLynn Renee Sabankaya was chosen by SOU deans to speak on behalf of her graduating class. She has volunteered many hours in service to the homeless and community members with mental health issues. CheraLynn graduated with a degree in psychology and a minor in criminology.

President’s Recognition Dinner

On Thursday, May 28, we welcomed more than 150 guests to campus for the first President’s Recognition Dinner.

Guests were treated to the student film, Without You which focuses on how scholarships changed the lives of five SOU students. We are grateful to the talented students who created this video in Howard Schreiber‘s Advanced Video Class: Vance Beach, Fawn Crow, and Josh Williams.

Vice President for Development and Executive Director of the Foundation Sylvia Kelley emceed this event honoring our friends and donors for their many contributions to SOU. Rob Harvey and his Beasy’s on the Creek team catered the dinner, while guests enjoyed EdenVale wine courtesy of alumna Anne Root ’90, President of the SOU Foundation Board and owner of EdenVale Winery.

Music was provided by alumnus Nicklas Waroff ’09 (saxophone) and student Aaron Blenkush (piano).

Guests were serenaded by students Brianne Cardona (“Laughing Song” from The Bat by Johann Strauss); Brett Aakre ’09 (“Lonely House” by Kurt Weil); and Dan Gibbs (“Some Enchanted Evening” from Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific).

Adjunct Professor of Music Laurie Ann Hunter accompanied on the piano.

President’s Medal Awarded to Jed Meese

During the Presidents’ Recognition Dinner, we announced the awarding of the 2009 President’s Medal to Jed Meese, a local philanthropist and entrepreneur. We were delighted to acknowledge Jed’s history of generous and enthusiastic support for SOU and the southern Oregon community.

A former pharmacist and lifelong entrepreneur, Jed co-founded Vitaline Corporation in 1972. Now retired, Jed lives with his wife, Celia—the 1998 President’s Medal recipient—in Ashland, where they support many local causes.

The Meeses have been key supporters of SOU’s major capital projects, including the Center for the Visual Arts, Hannon Library, and the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center in Medford. A big fan of Raider athletics, Jed helped develop the sports fitness center at Raider Stadium. He was also a member of the SOU President’s Advisory Board for six years, serving on the Emergence in Science, Technology, and Health Professions Committee.

Jed has generously supported causes such as the Ashland Family YMCA, Ashland Community Hospital, Rogue Community College, Rogue Valley Medical Center, Providence Medical Center, La Clinica del Valle, the Britt Festivals, St. Vincent de Paul, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Hearts and Vines, and the Humane Society of Southern Oregon.

Established in 1984, the Southern Oregon University President’s Medal is given each year to a member of the community whose actions merit such a distinguished honor. It is awarded to a person (or in rare instances, a company) whose exemplary service to the University, the region, and the greater community represents such qualities as compassion, integrity, and service.

Congratulations, and thank you, Jed.

SOAR 2009

The second annual Southern Oregon Arts and Research (SOAR) celebration of student and faculty achievements was a tremendous success. We gained a 54-percent increase in participants, with 178 students, faculty, and staff delivering forty-two presentations, twenty-eight poster sessions, eleven art exhibitions, and four live performances of dance and music.

I am so pleased the campus once again took this opportunity to celebrate research and artistic activities, highlighting the accomplishments of our academic community. I wish I could have attended every session. SOAR truly represents what SOU is all about—intellectual creativity, collaborations between students and faculty, and projects that move beyond the classroom to benefit the community.

Caught Doing Great Work at SOU

MaryAnn Neely was caught doing great work at SOU! The first recipient of this award, Enrollment Services IT Consultant MaryAnn was taken by surprise when the vice presidents and I showed up to deliver her award. For nearly two decades, MaryAnn has been providing enthusiastic, dedicated service to the University—all with her characteristic warm smile. Thanks for the great work, MaryAnn!

Thank You Josie Wilson, and Welcome Alissa Arp

On Friday, May 29, Acting Dean of Arts and Sciences Josie Wilson was recognized for her tireless work in directing the new College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) during the past two years, as well as her previous service as dean of the School of Social Sciences. We wish her well as she returns to her faculty position in the Department of Psychology.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Alissa J. Arp as our new CAS dean. Prior to arriving at SOU, Arp served as Vice President for Research and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Hawaii Pacific University. Her previous experience includes eleven years as director of the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies at San Francisco State University.

Alissa earned her PhD and MA in biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received a BA with honors in biology from Sonoma State University. As a professor of biology at San Francisco State University, Alissa participated in eight deep-sea submersible dives to depths in excess of one-and-a-half miles.

Four Individuals, Team Slated for SOU Sports Hall of Fame

Four individuals and a football team have been selected for induction into the Southern Oregon University Sports Hall of Fame.

Former Women’s Basketball Coach Shirley Huyett, former basketball and baseball player Dave D’Olivo, former baseball player Neil Rivenburg, former wrestler Roger Duvall, and the 1983 SOU Football Team will all be recognized in our Hall of Fame.

Current Events

Arts and Culture

• April 16 through June 20
• Faculty Art Show
• Schneider Museum of Art

Community Events

• July 8, 7:30 pm
• Dr. Kevin Danaher, Sponsored by ECOS
• Rogue River Room (SU)

Credits (top to bottom, left to right)

Commencement 2009 (Jolesch Photography).
Michael Geisen (Rory N. Finney).
President’s Recognition Dinner video (Vance Beach, Fawn Crow, and Josh Williams).
President’s Recognition performers (Jamie Lusch).
Jed Meese (Rory N. Finney).
SOAR 2009 (Dennis Dunleavy).
MaryAnn Neely (Melissa L. Michaels).
Josie Wilson (Marsa Morse) and Alissa Arp (courtesy of Alissa Arp).
Sports Hall of Fame inductee Shirley Huyett (courtesy of SOU Sports Information).

Spring Enrollment Growth

Our enrollment growth continues. Spring marks the third consecutive quarter of enrollment increases over last year. Our total enrollment topped 5,000, reaching a total of 5,240 students. I am also proud to report our minority enrollment reached 13%, an all-time high. Despite the financial challenges facing us, SOU continues its commitment to meeting the higher education needs of our region with strong academic programs.

Ways and Means Committee

The Oregon State Ways and Means Committee met in Stevenson Union on April 30 as part of a statewide tour for legislators seeking input on how to manage the $4-billion shortfall in the next biennium budget. About 500 people turned up to share their concerns with legislators.

"We are here to listen to you," said Rep. Peter Buckley, who represents Ashland and is also co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee. Other local legislators in attendance included Sen. Alan Bates (D-Ashland), Rep. Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point), and Rep. George Gilman (R-Medford).

Many SOU students, faculty, and staff came prepared to testify at the hearing. While only a few were given the opportunity to speak due to time constraints, those who did testify presented a powerful case for keeping higher education affordable and accessible in southern Oregon.

For more on the Ways and Means Committee meeting, see this article.

International Week

International Week kicked off on April 27 with a parade of international students and an international food fair. The celebration continued throughout the week, with a wide variety of cultural traditions and events ranging from workshops, movie nights, and dancing to a soccer tournament and food events. A panel discussion explored the topics of family and education in cultures around the world.

The week's festivities wrapped up with an international evening at the SOU recital hall featuring more than 400 performers from Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, Japan, Egypt, Peru, and Brazil, as well as a Native American performance produced by the International Student Association.

International Week offers an opportunity for students to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of our student community. We hope you enjoy this slideshow featuring salsa dancing and music from the SOU Percussion and Marimba Ensembles.

To view a larger, Flash version of this slideshow, visit the International Programs website.

Guanajuato Week Highlights

In a timely prelude to International Week, SOU celebrated the fortieth anniversary of our relationship with the Universidad de Guanajuato (UG) and the city of Guanajuato during the week of April 13–18.

The series of musical performances, informational sessions, movies, and other events began with a performance by local group Ballet Folklorico on Monday, April 13. A higher-quality Flash version of this slideshow is available at the Guanajuato section of our website.

Led by Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies Terry Longshore, SOU's Percussion and Marimba Ensembles rocked the Hannon Library courtyard on April 14. Here are a few snippets from Brian Banegas and Evin McHill's performance of "Boom," composed by Terry Longshore and Brett Reed, followed by "Medley of Zapateados," arranged by Laurence Kaptain and performed by the SOU Marimba Ensemble:

On Thursday, April 16, Estudiantina de la Universidad de Guanajuato, paraded across campus from Stevenson Union to Cascade Dining. These roving musicians from Guanajuato were dressed in traditional costume and played a range of Mexican songs, including the following:

SOU alumni from Guanajuato gathered for a reception at Plunkett Center on April 16. Above are some highlights from this special alumni gathering.

That same evening, the Schneider Museum of Art hosted a reception for our Guanajuato guests.

On Friday, April 17, SOU hosted the highly successful Ashland Chamber of Commerce Global Conference on How to Do Business in Mexico.

Earth Day

In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, the student group Ecology Center of the Siskiyous (ECOS) hosted a celebration in the Stevenson Union courtyard. Guests enjoyed free smoothies made from a bicycle blender powered by faculty and students, a tie-dye coloring station, information booths with local environmental groups, kiddie bicycle races, and music.

Other events held throughout the day included a yoga class, tie-dyeing and mushroom workshops, and a showing of the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?

Medford Opportunity High School Visits the ECOS Community Garden

Soon after Earth Day, SOU alumna Molly Mclaughlin and fellow instructor Kate Giles brought a group of Medford Opportunity High School students to visit the ECOS Community Garden. Molly graduated with an anthropology degree in 2004 and is currently enrolled in the MAT program. As a student, she worked in the community garden, which was also the subject of her capstone project. Now, she and Kate lead service-learning projects for Medford Opportunity High School in collaboration with The Job Council.

Over the years, this program, titled the Medford Youth Cooperative, has brought groups of high school students to work in the community garden on our campus. These students learn about environmental and social issues as they grow food to alleviate hunger through Uncle Foods Diner, which offers weekly meals to homeless and economically disadvantaged community members.

SOU students and faculty also participate in this weekly project by growing food in the ECOS Community Garden and volunteering at Uncle Foods. Dining Services collaborates with the gardeners by donating coffee grounds from the campus coffee shops to be used in the garden's composting.

This is one of the finest examples of sustainable practices on our campus, as well as demonstrating the important role SOU plays in addressing regional needs such as hunger and homelessness.

Note that a high-resolution Flash version of this video is available on the Environmental Studies website.

Southern Oregon Math League

As many as 250 students from sixteen Oregon high schools competed in the final event of the Southern Oregon Math League on April 28 at Stevenson Union. The Math League was established in 1971 by SOU Emeritus Professor of Math Ron Steffani and high school teachers from Jackson County. Today, high schools in Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Curry Counties compete in five annual events. SOU's Math Department helps to organize this high-powered annual competition.

Ashland High School "mathletes" came out on top, winning both the team and individual portions of the event. Ten of the thirty Ashland students who competed qualified for the state competition next month.

For more details, watch this video or read the the Ashland Daily Tidings article.

Spring Theatre

The Department of Theatre Arts is presenting two exciting productions this term.

Running May 14–24, Edwin Sánchez's Icarus tells the story of a young man, his sister, and their mysterious homeless companion. This cast of characters moves into a beach house, where they befriend a man in a ski mask and the aging actress who lives next door. Though beset by physical and mental afflictions, these characters continue to dream, carrying them beyond the malaise of their everyday existence.

Love's Labor's Lost will run May 21–31. In Shakespeare's comedy, the King of Navarre and three of his lords attempt to devote themselves to three years of study while forsaking the company of women. Their oath is quickly tested when the Princess of France and her ladies-in-waiting arrive for a visit to the King's court. Shakespeare's characteristic wordplay combines with the absurdity of the situation to create this delightful comedy.

For more information or to order tickets, visit the Theatre Department website.

Alumnus Vernon Snyder Returns for a Campus Recital

We were delighted to welcome SOU alumnus Vernon Snyder, who returned to SOU on April 27 to give a solo classical piano recital. The program's repertoire included the music of Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, and Liszt. Below is Vernon's performance of Etude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12 by Alexander Scriabin:

Vernon graduated from SOU in 2005 with a BA in music performance and music education. He went on to study at California State University, Long Beach, earning an MM degree in music performance. Last summer, Vernon continued his studies in German at the ActiLingua Academy in Vienna, receiving a Zertifikat—Deutsch als Fremdsprache diploma, with additional piano studies at the Vienna Conservatory.

He is currently pursuing the DMA degree at Claremont Graduate University. Vernon has been inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Societies, and he was recently awarded a Graduate Fellowship and the Fernandez Prize in Music at Claremont Graduate University. Vernon serves as Director of Choirs at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Arcadia, California.

Career Fair

More than fifty businesses from the Rogue Valley were on hand for the annual Career Fair on May 7 at Stevenson Union. Representatives were looking for SOU students interested in employment, internships, volunteer opportunities, and graduate programs.

Students and alumni turned out in professional attire to meet with prospective employers in businesses ranging from hotel management to criminology to forestry. Graduates and students at every level were seeking summer jobs, internships, and long-term employment. Employers were eager to interview students, answer questions, and offer advice. The event has proven extremely successful in the past, and this year's turnout of employers provided some much-needed optimism.

Storyteller Thomas Doty

On May 14, storyteller Thomas Doty performed "Doty and Coyote: Stories from the Native West" at Hannon Library.

Considered among the finest of Oregon's storytellers, Doty is nationally known for his impassioned performances of traditional and original Native stories. He has released several recordings and delivered daily and weekly broadcasts on public radio. His recognitions include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the national American Indian Program. Doty has published many books and is featured among the authors on the Oregon Literary Map.

Doty serves as storyteller in residence at Dragonfly Place, a Center for the Study of Storytelling, Literature, and Performance in the Siskiyou Mountains. Doty's recent projects include returning the Sacred Salmon Ceremony to its original Native site on the Rogue River and the twenty-foot tall Native carving titled We Are Here in downtown Ashland. Doty also co-directs Reading the Rocks and serves on the international Board of Directors of CIRCLE, the Centre for Indigenous Research, Culture, Language, and Education located at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Doty's performance is part of the Hannon Library's Siskiyou Views Lecture Series. For more information about Doty and his art, visit Doty's website or the Hannon Library website.

OCH Conversation Project

This November, the Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH) will kick off its first season of the Conversation Project: A New Chautauqua with sixteen scholars from across Oregon, including SOU faculty Prakash Chenjeri, Daniel Morris, and Vicky Sturtevant (emeritus).

The inaugural season will feature seventeen programs that span diverse topics, including friendship, the future of rural communities, media literacy, and re-imagining the American prison system. Much like the current Oregon Chautauqua program, which runs through August 2009, the overarching goal of the Conversation Project is to offer statewide opportunities for civic dialogue and humanities learning, with emphasis on contemporary issues. Chenjeri and Morris will discuss the principles of American
individualism and voluntarism as illuminated by French author Alexis de
Tocqueville in his monumental work Democracy in America. View the press release for more details.

For more information about the Conversation Project, please contact Director of Programs Jennifer Allen at 503-241-0543, ext. 118.

Blue Ledge Mine

Blue Ledge Mine—a subject of research by SOU faculty and students—will receive funding under a $157-million federal stimulus package. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for national forests in Oregon and Washington, the U.S. Forest Service will begin an $8.5-million environmental cleanup of the long-abandoned mine in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. In addition to the Blue Ledge Mine, several other projects—involving millions of stimulus dollars and several hundred jobs—are also slated for the local forest.

Above is a picture of Jara Johnson (Geology, Class of 2008), Nick Brettner (Geology, Class of 2009), and Levi McKay (Geology, Class of 2009) at Blue Ledge Mine.

Read more at the Mail Tribune website.

Digital Media and Advanced Photojournalism Portfolios

Associate Professor of Communication Dennis Dunleavy has shared two exciting galleries—one from his spring Digital Media Foundations 201 class, and the other from his Advanced Photojournalism class. Check out our talented students' work! The Digital Media Foundations portfolio is available here, and the Advanced Photojournalism one is at this site.

Beverly Bennett Scholarship

Thanks to the generosity of the late Beverly Bennett, SOU has received a $25,000 endowment for women's athletic scholarships.

Beverly taught and coached women's sports at Southern Oregon College from 1950 to 1984, established the School's first competitive sports program for women, and was instrumental in organizing women's leagues in the Northwest. A nationally rated basketball and volleyball official, Beverly was one of the first twelve inductees into the SOSC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Beverly served on the Ashland City Council from 1984 to 1987. She died last October at the age of 82. We are grateful for her great contributions to women's athletics.

Kreuz and Baker Double up at Conference Championships

Southern Oregon senior Cameron Kreuz and junior Antwun Baker came away with two victories each at last week's Cascade Conference Track and Field Championships.

Kreuz, who won the 1,500 on Friday, came away with the 800 title on Saturday. Kreuz won the event with an NAIA Automatic time of 1:51.95. Kreuz was also voted the Conference's Track Athlete of the Meet.

Baker, who set a championship record with his victory in the 100 Friday night, won Saturday's 200 in 22.10.

In the team race, the Raiders finished third on the men’s side and fifth on the women’s side.

In the men’s 5,000, SOU took home four of the top eight spots. Joe Rath (14:59.96) and David Laney (15:02.93) both broke the previous conference championship mark, but finished second and third. Chris Paterson finished fifth in 15:21.66 and Ryan Ghelfi finished sixth in 15:24.53. Laney also won the 10,000 on Thursday night and broke the conference championship record.

On the women’s side Saturday, senior Stephanie Miller finished third in the javelin with a throw of 140-05 and Chenin Young finished fourth in the triple jump (32-11).

The Raiders are now off until the NAIA Championships May 21–23.

Fouty, Fritts Earn Conference Honors

Cascade Conference coaches voted Southern Oregon University senior Strohm Fouty Newcomer of the Year and Head Coach Kim Fritts Coach of the Year.

Fouty, sophomore outfielder Meghan Laughlin, freshman pitcher Jordyn Kurtz, and freshman designated player Kathryn Moy were all voted to the All-Cascade Conference squad.

Fouty, a transfer from Grand Canyon, set school marks for stolen bases (43) and on-base percentage (.519) and led the conference in hits (54) and runs scored (40). Fouty finished second in the league and on the team in batting at .458. Fouty finished tied for third in the nation in total stolen bases. Fouty led the NAIA in stolen bases per game.

Laughlin put up numbers better than anyone in the league during her breakout season. The sophomore set a school record with a .463 batting average, a mark that led the league. Laughlin also led the league in triples (four); finished second in the league in runs (35), on-base percentage (.479), and doubles (11); ranked third in hits (50); and finished fifth in RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.667). Laughlin ended up ranked 20th in the NAIA in hitting. She batted an amazing .506 during conference play.

Laughlin also earned the Cascade Conference’s Gold Glove Award after committing just one error this year.

Kurtz exploded on the scene as a freshman and proved to be one of the most dominating pitchers in the conference. She led the conference and set a School record with 30 complete games. Kurtz’s 21 wins ranked first in the conference and her 2.32 ERA ranked third. She also led the conference in innings pitched (217.2) and shutouts (five), finishing third in strikeouts (188). Kurtz finished 10th in the league in hitting at .364.

Moy was another important part of a Raider offense that led the conference in hitting. Moy ranked sixth in the league with a .373 average and also scored 21 runs and drove in 16.

Fritts, who guided the Raiders to a 22-15 overall mark and an 18-6 conference record, earned the Top Coaches honor. In her third season, Fritts led the Raiders to their first 20-win season since 2006 and their 18 conference wins rank third all-time. The Raiders finished second to College of Idaho in the standings.

Current Events

Arts and Culture

Community Events

Student Events

Credits (top to bottom, left to right)

Spring day on campus (Gregory Martin).

Ways and Means Committee photos courtesy of The Siskiyou (Photographers Rebekah Hill and Kelsea Richmond).

Henna tattooing and sushi-making during International Week (Rory N. Finney).

Salsa dancing during International Week (photos by Rory N. Finney; music by SOU Percussion and Marimba Ensembles; slideshow by Melissa L. Michaels).

Ballet Folklorico performance during Guanajuato Week (photos by Rory N. Finney; music by Estudiantina de la Universidad de Guanajuato; slideshow by Melissa L. Michaels).

Percussion and Marimba Ensembles perform during Guanajuato Week (Rory N. Finney).

Estudiantina de la Universidad de Guanajuato musicians (Rory N. Finney).

Guanajuato alumni reception (Rory N. Finney).

Schneider Museum of Art reception during Guanajuato Week (Rory N. Finney).

Global Conference on How to Do Business in Mexico (Rory N. Finney).

Icarus and Love's Labor's Lost (Ezra Severin)

Vernon Snyder (courtesy of the Music Department)

Earth Day (Marsa Morse).

Who Killed the Electric Car? (courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics under the Fair Use Act).

Medford Opportunity High School students video the ECOS Community Garden (photos by Rory N. Finney; music by Terry Longshore and David Akash; video by Melissa L. Michaels).

Southern Oregon Math League Competition (courtesy of the Ashland Daily Tidings).

Career Fair (Marsa Morse).

Thomas Doty (courtesy of Thomas Doty).

Prakash Chenjeri, Dan Morris, and Vicky Sturtevant (Rory N. Finney).

Jara Johnson, Nick Brettner, and Levi McKay at Blue Ledge Mine (Bill Elliott).

Cameron Kreuz and Antwun Baker on the track (courtey of SOU Sports Information).

Women's Softball team members; Strohm Fouty slides into base (courtey of SOU Sports Information).

Guanajuato 40th Anniversary Week

This week, we are delighted to welcome to campus our many friends and colleagues from Guanajuato, Mexico. Together, we will celebrate forty years of partnership, student and faculty exchanges, joint programs, and sister-city relationships.

Fifteen Universidad de Guanajuato faculty will be visiting our campus to engage in meetings, class visits, guest lectures, field trips, and a joint strategic planning session.

We hope you will be able to join us for the many events planned throughout the week (see below for a calendar of events). This Thursday, we will host an open symposium on “Envisioning Mexico and the U.S. in the 21st Century” beginning at 1:30 in the CVA’s Meese Auditorium.

The Global Conference on Doing Business with Mexico will take place on Friday. Thanks to the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and the School of Business for cosponsoring this conference.

The week will be filled with music, dancing, art, movies, and cultural events. The Estudiantina from the Universidad de Guanajuato will perform throughout the week, with a final performance on Friday evening at Ashland High School. Director of Percussion Studies Terry Longshore and the SOU Marimba Band will perform at the Library at noon on Tuesday. In the evenings, we’ll enjoy Mexican movies at the SU and an information session on Wednesday at noon to learn about studying abroad in Guanajuato. You can view the complete schedule at our website.

There are also many activities scheduled by the City of Ashland, Chamber of Commerce, Amigo Club, Ashland service clubs, and others. We will have more than eighty visitors from Guanajuato visiting throughout the week.

Above are some highlights from yesterday’s performance by Ballet Folklórico.

I hope you will join us in celebrating forty years of friendship. Here’s to many more ahead!

Preview Day

Thanks to everyone who made last Friday’s Preview Day the biggest success in our history! More than 550 prospective students and guests visited campus. I appreciate all that each of you did to encourage this high attendance and to make our guests feel welcome while they were here. You can learn more about the event in the Mail Tribune article or watch the KOBI coverage here.

All-Campus Address

In case you missed my all-campus address on Tuesday, April 7, you’re welcome to peruse the text at my web page, where you will also find a link to the video.

New Appointments

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Alissa Arp, our new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dean Arp has served as Vice President for Research and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Hawaii Pacific University since 2006, and she has held the rank of professor since 1994. In her role as Vice President and Dean, she managed a budget in excess of $6 million and led a university-wide research initiative for a faculty of 600. Dr. Arp helped to develop a science division that serves more than 500 full-time students with 55 full- and part-time faculty. She also established a master of science degree program and built an innovative partnership with an affiliate research institute in the marine science area.

As a faculty member, Dr. Arp has taught extensively. She served as the Director of the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies from 1995 to 2006. Dr. Arp garnered resources in excess of $10 million dollars for operations and infrastructure improvement, and she increased grant revenues from $1 million to over $13 million during the eleven years she was director.

Dr. Arp brings extensive experience in all aspects of university administration, from academic affairs to public and governmental relations.

I am especially grateful to the members of the search committee and their chair, Dean of Education Geoff Mills, for the fine work they did to bring well-qualified candidates to campus. I also want to thank Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Josie Wilson for her excellent service as founding dean of the College.

Dean Arp will arrive on campus to begin work on June 1. Please join me in welcoming her to Southern Oregon University.

I also invite you to join me in warmly welcoming Craig Morris to the permanent position of Vice President for Finance and Administration. Craig brings twelve years of experience on this campus and many years in the private sector. I feel confident he will continue to provide positive, effective leadership as we face the challenges of this extraordinarily difficult time. He will begin the permanent position on July 1, 2009.

I want to thank the search committee, committee chair and Provost Jim Klein, and the campus community for hard work and active participation in the search process. We received sixty applications; the committee interviewed thirteen candidates; and three highly qualified individuals interviewed on campus.

SOU Receives $1-Million Endowment from the Osher Foundation

I am happy to report that SOU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) has been awarded a $1-million endowment gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation. These funds will support the ongoing operations of the learning program under the management of the SOU Foundation. This is the largest cash gift the Foundation has ever received.

“This is a very generous gift, and we are extremely grateful,” says SOU Foundation Executive Director and SOU Vice President for Development Sylvia Kelley. “It’s exciting and encouraging to work with organizations like the Osher Foundation that have faith in the future and continue to support education in these trying economic times.”

For more information about becoming an OLLI member, visit their website or call Program Coordinator Sally Klein at 541-552-6048.

Native American Spring Powwow

As the focal point of Native American Month at SOU, the Native American Student Union held their seventeenth annual Spring Powwow this past weekend. Each year, this event draws hundreds of people to Ashland and features Native American singers, dancers, and vendors from around the state, northern California, and other areas of the Pacific Northwest. This year’s powwow also included the Red Hoop Drum Group from Nevada.

This student-sponsored event is the result of much hard work and is supported by fundraising activities that begin in the fall. Thanks to all of our students and faculty for their hard work on this important event!

Schneider Museum Cultural Events

The Schneider Museum of Art and the College of Arts and Sciences Friday Seminar Series partnered with Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV) to screen the PBS documentary, 400 Years of the Telescope, on March 13.

Along with the screening, producer Kris Koenig, writer Donald Goldsmith, and SOPTV CEO Mark Stanislawski held a discussion with the audience. A reception followed in the Schneider Museum with a viewing of the exhibition Arp’s Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. You can learn more about the documentary here.

A poetry reading of original works by SOU students was held at the Schneider Museum on March 17. Associate Professor of English and Writing Kasey Mohammad invited his poetry students to respond to the current SMA exhibition. Kandy Rachwalski and Tiffany McCormac presented a poetic and visual work entitled “Synchronistic View of Arp the Astronomer and Arp the Dadaist,” which connected the astronomy work of Halton Arp with the Dada poetry of his cousin Jean Arp. The presentation was followed by an open mic for local poets, who shared their works about our relationship to the cosmos.

Above are images from an interactive drawing-with-light photography event held in the museum in late February. Ashland photographer Marc Sirinsky led students and guests in exploring the nature of light, time, and space.

These events are part of the International Year of Astronomy, an initiative of UNESCO, the International Astronomical Union, the American Astronomical Society, and hundreds of other partners from around the world. For more information on the 2009 Year of Astronomy, visit their website.

Empty Bowls

The tenth annual Empty Bowls fundraising event took place Friday, April 3, in the SOU Art Building’s Thorndike Gallery. The Empty Bowls project raises money to alleviate hunger in our community and is a joint effort by Soroptimist International of Ashland, the Schneider Museum of Art, the SOU Art Department, and Clayfolk.

Clayfolk potters, SOU students, and local school groups donated more than 300 handmade ceramic bowls and other art items. Proceeds will benefit the following local food agencies: ACCESS Food Share, Ashland Emergency Food Bank, Uncle Food’s Diner, and Food for People. For more information about Empty Bowls, please contact Sally Jones at 541-482-9677 or Amanda Pyle at 541-535-2449.

Poetry Readings at Hannon Library

An event honoring women’s poetry took place at Hannon Library on March 9 as part of SOU’s celebration of International Women’s Day. Students gathered to present original poems, as well as favorite poems by women from around the world.

Cosponsored by Hannon Library, the SOU Women’s Resource Center, and the SOU Women’s Studies Program, the event also featured students representing West Wind Review. In addition to English and writing majors, students from many disciplines and nations were on hand to share their poems in celebration of women.

Hannon Library will present Dori Appel in a celebration of National Poetry Month on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 pm in the Meese Meeting Room. Appel will be reading from her new collection of poems, Another Rude Awakening.

Known for her keen wit and compassion, Dori Appel is an award-winning playwright and poet. She is the author of seventeen full-length plays, including three Oregon Book Award winners: Freud’s Girls in 1998, The Lunatic Within in 1999, and Lost and Found in 2001. Her plays have been performed throughout the United States and have been translated for performances internationally.

This event is part of the library’s Siskiyou Views series and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 541-552-6835.

Wine Basics

ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum in Ashland is hosting a series of workshops on the fundamentals of winemaking, taught by the region’s leading experts in the field, including Professor of Environmental Studies Greg Jones (“Unraveling the Mystery of Terroir”) and Associate Professor of Chemistry Steve Petrovic (“Wine Chemistry 101″). To register for these and other workshops, visit their website.

Canned Food Statue

SOU’s Art Club, Boise Cascade, and S&B James Construction are collaborating on a special art project for the upcoming Art in Bloom event in downtown Medford on May 9Ð10. They are currently accepting cans of food to use as building materials for a nine-foot-tall lighthouse sculpture. While only specific types of canned food will be used in the statue, all donations will be accepted and will benefit ACCESS. Drop off your cans Monday through Friday at SOU’s Art Building.

Oregon Council for the Humanities Welcomes Ed Battistella to the Board

Professor of English and Writing Ed Battistella was elected to the OCH Board in February 2009. He is coeditor-in-chief of Wiley-Blackwell’s online journal Linguistics and Language Compass and the author of several books, including Do You Make These Mistakes in English? The Story of Sherwin Cody’s Famous Language School (Oxford University Press, 2008).

SOAR: Deadline Extended

The deadline for SOAR applications has been extended to April 24, 2009. Please visit the SOAR website for more details.

In Passing: Sebastian Sanzberro Lastiri

I am sad to report the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Sebastian Sanzberro Lastiri, who died on February 21, 2009, at his home in Guanajuato, Mexico, after a battle with cancer.

Many of you may remember Sanzberro from his service as interim dean of our School of Business in 2005–06. He also served as a visiting professor in the School of Business during the 2004–05 academic year.

Sanzberro is remembered as a brilliant and compassionate man. Assistant Professor of Business Dennis Slattery says, “Sebastian was a great man of great intelligence and a great heart. There are too few like him to lose at any time, but to lose him so young and not benefit from his wonderful leadership is an immeasurable loss.”

A citizen of the U.S., Spain, and Mexico, Sanzberro was born on November 3, 1958, in Pomona, California, to Basque immigrants. His family later moved to Mexico. He married Edna Leticia Esqueda Cordero in Guanajuato, and they have a son and daughter, who attended Ashland High School and Ashland Middle School from 2004 to 2006. Sanzberro is survived by his wife, children, sister, father, and mother-in-law.

Sanzberro graduated from the Universidad de Guanajuato with a degree in industrial relations. He also had a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Southern Oregon University. At the Universidad de Guanajuato, Sanzberro served as dean of the School of Industrial Relations from 1995 to 2000, secretary general (provost) from 2000 to 2003, and interim rector from May to September 2003. His last assignment was as coordinator general for the Institute of Management and Leadership of the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education from 2007 to 2008.

Two memorial services are planned for Sanzberro this week as part of the Guanajuato fortieth anniversary celebrations: one during the Friday night closing events for SOU and UG faculty, and another on Saturday evening for the general closing of the Guanajuato events.

In honor of Sanzberro’s role in the Amistad program, as well as his longstanding friendship with the late SOU Professor of Business Terry Gaston, the Gaston Memorial Amistad Scholarship Fund will be renamed the Gaston-Sanzberro Amistad Scholarship Fund.

Raiders Go Deep in Sweep of OIT

Three SOU softball players hit home runs as the Raiders continued to roll along, sweeping Oregon Tech 8-0 and 10-5 Tuesday in Klamath Falls.

The Raiders have now won 9 of 10 and improved to 11-10 overall, but more importantly, they have improved to 7-1 in Cascade Conference play and remained in first place. Oregon Tech dropped to 13-12 overall and 3-5 in conference play.

Raiders Win Nine at OIT

Led by Antwun Baker‘s double win, the SOU Track and Field Team came away with nine victories at OIT last week. Baker just missed NAIA Provisional times in winning both the 100 (10.86) and the 200 (22.05). Teammate Akeem Jackson finished second in both events, with a time of 11.06 in the 100 and 22.41 in the 200.

Other men’s winners include Jared Pederson in the 110 Hurdles (16.29), Kael Steiner-Bailey in the 800 (2:02.04), Travis Pattan in the Pole Vault (14-06), and Alex Waroff in the Long Jump (20-10.25).

On the women’s side, Kelly Clark won the 3,000 Steeplechase (13:22.69), Jamie Wells the Pole Vault (10-6), and Adriana Ricks the Long Jump (17-01).

Current Events

Arts and Culture

Music

Student Events

Community Events

Credits (top to bottom, left to right)

The City of Guanajuato.

Fall 2008 Preview Day (Marsa Morse).

President’s Campus Address, April 7, 2009 (Marsa Morse).

Alissa Arp (courtesy of Alissa Arp).

Craig Morris (Marsa Morse).

OLLI participants (courtesy of OLLI).

Spring 2009 Powwow (Rory N. Finney).

400 Years of the Telescope image (courtesy of PBS).

Light-painting at the SMA (Rory N. Finney).

Ceramics from Empty Bowls 2008 (Rory N. Finney).

Dori Appel (courtesy of Dori Appel).

Greg Jones at ScienceWorks with students (Rory N. Finney).

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962. Displayed in Museum of Modern Art in New York (courtesy of Wikipedia).

Ed Battistella (Rory N. Finney).

SOAR 2008 (Melissa L. Michaels).

Sebastian Sanzberro and family (Rory N. Finney).

Strohm Fouty slides into home during a recent game against Simpson University in Redding, California (courtesy of SOU Sports Information).

SOU Budget Update

Over the past two years, we have worked hard to achieve SOU’s fiscal stability. We have successfully increased student enrollment and retention as well as our reserves. Winter headcount enrollment reached 5490, a 4.2 percent increase over winter 2008. Our fund balance is almost twice the amount we targeted for this year in our retrenchment plan. We have made outstanding progress.

Now, of course, we face an unprecedented economic crisis throughout Oregon and the nation. SOU has already been asked to return funds allocated for the current biennium, and we may be required to return more before the end of this fiscal year. We undoubtedly will face cuts in the next biennium. I do not know exactly what awaits us; however, we must be prepared to respond strategically.

We need to continue supporting our academic mission and our commitments to student success. We need to continue setting priorities through our planning in academics, enrollment and budget management, fundraising, facilities, and branding. I have asked the vice presidents to review their areas for ways to be more efficient; we need to be prepared to reorganize within and across areas. We will have to do so as appropriate to strengthen our position.

I am also appointing a Financial Strategies Task Force, an ad hoc group that will begin in mid-February and work through June 2009. Composed of members from UPC and the Budget Committee, as well as representatives from students, faculty, and staff, the Task Force will make regular recommendations to the President and the Executive Cabinet during this challenging time.

The group will assist the campus in addressing strategic, big-picture issues. For example: As tuition is the major source of our revenue, how should it be structured to best meet both the financial and enrollment needs of SOU? As compensation is the major cost area of the campus, how can we best address cost savings while minimizing impacts on campus priorities? This group will serve as a think tank to help ensure that a variety of ideas come forward for careful consideration.

Both SOU and higher education have many supporters throughout the state that will work to make our case with the legislature. I remain confident that we will weather this fiscal storm and emerge stronger than ever. However, the coming months will be extraordinarily difficult.

I deeply appreciate the support of this campus and our friends throughout the region. And, as always, I will appreciate your feedback and recommendations as we work through the challenges that lie ahead.

College of Arts and Sciences Presents Darwin Week

To commemorate the 2009 bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species, the College of Arts and Sciences is hosting a weeklong program highlighting Darwin’s contributions. The presentations are free and open to the public. See the calendar below for details.

The Alchemy of Mind

Congratulations to international student Flamur Vehapi. On January 29, he gave a reading from his new book of poetry, The Alchemy of Mind. His work is inspired by Rumi and other poets and philosophers, as well as by his own experiences during the 1998–1999 war in Kosovo. The war forced Vehapi and his family (who are Kosovar Albanians) from their country. The book’s sixty poems are laced with irony and emphasize our common humanity. His message is one of peace and unity. This is his second book. While still in Albania, he published a book of poems in Albanian featuring drawings of his destroyed home and other wartime scenes.

You can view a video clip of Flamur’s reading at the Ashland Daily Tidings website, as well as the accompanying article here.

Oregon Is Indian Country

A special traveling exhibit of Oregon’s Native American heritage is on display from February 5 through March 1 in Hannon Library. A reception featuring keynote speaker Agnes Baker Pilgrim (2002 Distinguished Alumna) was held Friday, February 6, at 3 pm. A multi-year collaboration between the Oregon Historical Society’s Folklife Program and Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, the exhibit coincides with the Oregon 150 events celebrating Oregon’s 2009 Sesquicentennial.

This groundbreaking project brings all nine Oregon tribes together. To educate people on the stories of Oregon’s contemporary tribes, the project presents art forms, historical artifacts, and photographs as well as information on indigenous cultures.

Hannon Library Celebrates Chinese New Year

A special event was held on February 6 at Hannon Library to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox, which began on January 26. Dr. Jeff Barlow presented on the History of the Chinese in Oregon, and Kathy Gong Greene performed her Songs of a Chinese Family. Chinese roots can be traced back to the early 1850s in southern Oregon, when the first immigrants arrived in search of gold. Many activities, including a parade in downtown Jacksonville, the site of the first Oregon gold mines, commemorate Chinese contributions to the Rogue Valley.

The February 6 event, as well as a series of events sponsored by the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association, was also part of the Oregon 150 project celebrating Oregon’s 150th anniversary.

Gala Choral Concert Celebration

Three of the Rogue Valley’s leading community choruses—Siskiyou Singers, Rogue Valley Chorale, and SOU Repertory Singers—along with the SOU Chamber Choir performed a joint concert at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater to celebrate the birthdays of two of the choral canon’s greatest composers—Joseph Haydn and George Frideric Handel.

The choirs performed works that included Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Judas Maccabeus. The final event of the evening was an ensemble choir of nearly 400 voices (including the audience) performing Handel’s Halleluia Chorus. The concert was a tribute to the choral talent of the Rogue Valley and to partnership among the featured organizations.

I hope you enjoy this audio clip of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” from the February 4 concert:

Distinguished Alumnus of the Year

More than eighty alumni and friends gathered in the Rogue River Room on Saturday, January 31, to celebrate the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Kurt Barthel (Class of 2001). Above is a slideshow of highlights from the event. You can view a high-resolution version at the Alumni website.

Guests were treated to the music of Aaron Blenkush (Class of 2011) and Nick Waroff (Class of 2010). The four-course meal featured local, sustainable products, including EdenVale Wines from the Eden Valley Winery, donated by Anne Root (Class of 1990) and her husband Tim. Anne is president of the SOU Foundation Board.

Kurt began his law enforcement career with the military police when he was a nineteen-year–old in the Air Force. After serving four years of active service and twenty-two years in the Reserves, he eventually retired as a Special Agent with the Office of Special Investigations. Kurt served his country in Vietnam and in the aftermath of 9/11.

In civilian law enforcement, Kurt has worked for twenty-eight years with the Oregon State Police, retiring at the rank of Captain and holding the position of Region Commander.

Kurt’s first class at SOU was in 1973; he completed his degree in 2001. He has served his university as an adjunct professor and advisor to many aspiring law enforcement students. He counts his greatest achievement as his thirty-year marriage to his wife, Barbara, and his three very successful daughters, Stephanie Barthel (Class of 2001), Lyndsay Barthel Huffman, and Sara Barthel Corbett.

Below are some of the special guests in attendance that evening:

Alumni Board

Distinguished Alumni

Women’s Basketball

The 23rd-ranked Southern Oregon University Women’s Basketball Team clinched a first-round home game for the Cascade Conference playoffs with their 70-55 victory over the Warner Pacific Knights Saturday at McNeal Pavilion.

SOU improved to 21-4 overall and 13-3 in Cascade Conference play with the victory. Warner Pacific dropped to 12-13 overall and 8-8 in conference action.

With the win, the Raiders increased their winning streak to 10 games going all the way back to January 6 when they fell to Oregon Tech on the road.

SOU Softball Goes 1-1

The Raiders Softball Team opened up the 2009 season by splitting a pair of games during the first day of the Cal Baptist Lancer Invitational in Riverside, California.

The Raiders fell to Belhaven 3-2 in the opener and then rolled to a 9-1 victory over Indiana Tech in the second game.

Tennis Is 2-0

The Women’s Tennis Team improved to 2-0 on the season with an 8-1 victory over Willamette last Saturday in Salem.

SOU defeated Linfield 6-3 Friday night in McMinnville.

Against the Bearcats, the Raiders swept through the singles competition with Charlotte Duren scoring an impressive 6-0, 6-1 victory over Kristen Dedijer in the No. 2 singles match.

Nine to Play Football at SOU

Six high school seniors and three transfers have signed National Letters of Intent to play football at SOU next fall.

Prep stars Zach Barge (South Medford), Tim Pinkerton (Grants Pass), Justin Avriett (Amador Valley), Brett Trimble (San Ramon Valley), Cole McKenzie (Red Bluff) and Wade Kittle (Red Bluff) all signed. Transfers Chad Draper (Modesto Junior College), Kevin Boden (Santa Ana College), and Ben Running (Eastern Oregon) will also suit up in red and black in 2009.

Please join me in welcoming our new Raiders!

Current Events

Arts and Culture

Theatre

Music

Community Events

Darwin Week

Photo Credits (top to bottom, left to right)

A sunny day at Churchill Hall (Paul Talley).

Charles Darwin (public domain).

Librarians Dale Vidmar and Deb Hollens study the “Oregon Is Indian Country” exhibit; Granny Agnes Baker Pilgrim speaks (Rory N. Finney).

Chinese New Year images (courtesy of Hannon Library).

SOU Chamber Choir performance (courtesy of the Ashland Daily Tidings) and audio clip (courtesy of the Music Department).

Highlights from the Distinguished Alumnus Dinner (photos by Jamie Lusch; slideshow by Melissa L. Michaels). Thanks to Professor of Music Rhett Bender and the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra for providing the music. The composition, Scott Joplin’s “Bethena,” was arranged for the orchestra by Associate Dean Vicki T. Purslow.

Women’s Basketball Team climbing toward victory (courtesy of Athletics).

Ashland Named Top Geotourism Destination

Ashland has long been recognized as a destination for its history, culture, charming downtown, and rich recreational opportunities. Now we have the added distinction of being named one of the world’s Top Ten Places for Geotourism by the National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations. This list puts Ashland in the company of the Norwegian fjords, Scotland’s Isle of Skye, and the Island of Grenada. Coincidentally, the only other city on the list is our very own sister city: Guanajuato, Mexico.

The society’s website defines geotourism as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”

This recognition offers yet another proof of our commitment to sustainability. Not only does it celebrate the natural beauty of our location, but it also points to the educational opportunities available in this exceptional bioregion.

For more on geotourism, visit the National Geographic Society website.

For the original USA Today article, click here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

Monday, January 19, marked Ashland’s twenty-first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. To honor his memory—and those throughout history who have struggled to make our nation a better place—SOU joined the city of Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Ashland City School System for an afternoon of poetry, dancing, singing, and celebration at the Ashland Armory. The theme of the event was Transformational Leadership, which pertained not only to the legacy of Dr. King but to the inauguration of Barack Obama, which took place the following day.

Prior to the event, the students and faculty of Walker Elementary School joined in the annual Walker Elementary Peace Walk, which included a program of heartfelt speeches and singing. You may have seen the elementary schoolchildren traipsing across campus as they participated in this annual tradition.

Following the event, SOU’s Black Student Union led a march from the Armory to the Plaza, where Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech echoed throughout downtown.

Presidential Inauguration

The January 20 inauguration held unparalleled historical significance, with the election of the country’s first African-American president. In recognition of this historic occasion, many classes were cancelled, and big-screen televisions were set up on campus to view the ceremonies.

About 400 students and faculty gathered in the Rogue River Room to witness the day’s momentous events and share a free breakfast. John Darling of the Medford Mail Tribune was on hand to witness the enthusiasm. You can read his article, which includes poignant quotes from members of the SOU community, here.

Black Student Union Brings Black Violin to Ashland

These historic events are exciting segues into Black History Month, celebrated in February. SOU’s Black Student Union is bringing the nationally acclaimed Black Violin to the Ashland Armory on February 28. Doors will open at 8 pm, and the show starts at 9 pm. Tickets go on sale at Raider Aid later this week.

Local hiphop band One Movement will open for Black Violins, and there may be some surprise performances, as well. Call BSU representative Nicole Jolly at 415-847-2789 for more information.

Chamber Music Concerts Events

From January 12 to 16, Chamber Music Concerts (CMC) hosted a series of performances and educational events featuring the acclaimed Quartetto Gelato. The events, held at schools throughout the region, included a lecture for SOU business students titled “The Business of Music.” The series concluded with a January 16 concert in our Music Recital Hall.

Quartetto Gelato has established itself as a force on the emerging “new classical” scene, winning NPR’s coveted title of Performance Today’s Debut Artist of the Year in 1996.

Chamber Music Concerts celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary this year. Two concerts are planned for February. The Debussy Quartet with Katherine Chi on piano will perform on Friday, February 6, at 8 pm and Saturday, February 7, at 3 pm. The Debussy Quartet was chosen as the Best Chamber Music Ensemble 1996 Victoires de la Musique.

The Leipzig String Quartet will perform on Friday, February 27, at 8 pm and Saturday, February 28, at 3 pm. Founded in 1988, the Leipzig String Quartet is now widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting string quartets on the international chamber music scene.

Click here for more information and to order tickets.

Theatre Arts Winter Season

SOU’s Department of Theatre Arts kicks off its winter season on February 13 with

Dick Whittington and His Amazing Cat (pictured above) by Pat Hume. A charming musical, this year’s children’s theatre offering is filled with outrageous characters and is suitable for children eight years and older. Dick teams up with an extraordinary cat when he travels to seek his fortune in London. Michael J. Hume of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival directs.

Nilo Cruz’s Anna in the Tropics starts its run on Thursday, February 19. As workers toiled in Florida’s cigar-making factories in the early twentieth century, lectors would educate and entertain them by reading books aloud. When a new lector reads Anna Karenina to the workers, he unleashes desires and jealousies within a family bound by tradition. Cruz received a Pulitzer Prize for this play in 2003. Theatre arts alumna Stephany Smith-Pearson directs.

Eight students have significant roles in design and technical direction for these productions. The student designers for Dick Whittington and His Amazing Cat are Dorian Robison (scenic), Bradly Sosinski (costumes), Kristin Lake (lighting), and Robert Erickson (sound). Pictured above are Kristin (left) and Robert with Chair of Theatre Arts Chris Sackett (middle). Dorian Robison is also the technical director (shown at left with Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Sean O’Skea).

Design for Anna in the Tropics will be handled by students Amanda Patt (scenic), Savel Sabol (costumes), and Bridget Carlson (lighting). Above are Amanda with Sean O’Skea (left), Savel with Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Deborah Rosenberg (middle), and Bridget (right) with Kristin and Chris Sackett.

Christopher Cook is the technical director (shown above with Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Ezra Severin).

For more information about the productions and performance dates, visit the Theatre Arts website.

Taking the Sea

Emeritus Professor of Business Dennis Powers has published yet another book, Taking the Sea. He headlined a book signing on Friday, January 23, at the Medford Barnes & Noble. Congratulations to Dennis on his latest publishing success.

Dennis will also participate in Hannon Library’s Siskiyou Series on Thursday, February 12, at 4 pm. Topics include the old-time wreckers (or ship salvagers), as well as tales of the seas, ghost ships, and adventures.

Biointensive Farming Author Visits SOU

On January 22, John Jeavons—author of the bestselling How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine—presented a lecture on biointensive farming in Stevenson Union. He was also a guest on Jefferson Public Radio’s Jefferson Exchange.

Internationally renowned for his teachings on sustainable, small-scale farming methods, Jeavons is the recipient of the Boise Peace Quilt Award, the Steward of Sustainable Agriculture Award, and the Giraffe Award for Public Service.

SOU Women Race to Sixth Straight Win

A big second half run helped the SOU Women’s Basketball Team score their sixth-straight victory, 89-76 over Evergreen State Saturday night at McNeal Pavilion.

The Raiders are now 17-4 overall and 9-3 in Cascade Conference play. Evergreen State dropped to 9-10 overall and 4-8 in conference action.

Whitney Scott led the Raiders with 21 points and seven assists. Rhiannon Dickison finished with 20 points and Jacki Speer finished with her 13th double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

SOU Basketball Players Read to YMCA Preschoolers

Members of the women’s and men’s basketball teams spent three Thursdays in January reading to YMCA preschoolers.

The basketball players went in for an hour every Thursday and then had the preschoolers as their guest at last Friday’s home basketball games.

This is a wonderful example of our students contributing back to the community. Way to go, Raiders!

SOU Wrestlers Set School Mark for Wins

The fifth-ranked SOU Wrestling Team went 3-0 at the recent Cal Baptist Duals, winning their program-best 16th dual meet of the season.

The Raiders (16-1) defeated Embry-Riddle (28-11), Grand Canyon (34-3) and 11th-ranked Cal Baptist (29-12).

The previous high for wins was in 1987–88 when the Raiders won 15 duals and went a perfect 15-0.

In the finale against Cal Baptist, the hosts won two of the first three matches before the Raiders came firing back. The scales were tipped when John Bates scored a major decision victory to give SOU the momentum and Mitchell Lofstedt scored a tech fall at 125.

The rout of Grand Canyon, the Lopes won the opening match at 174 and then watched as the Raiders rolled to victories in the final nine matches, including a major decision by Justin Mills at 157.

Against Embry-Riddle, the two teams split the first four matches before SOU ran off four straight to take control. Bates (Hwt.) and Barry Johnson (141) scored major decision victories, while Tommie Hooper won by tech fall at 157.

Current Events

Arts and Culture

Music

Community Events

Photo Credits (top to bottom, left to right)

Beautiful Ashland (Sean Bagshaw).

Martin Luther King Jr. Day events (photo courtesy of the Ashland Daily Tidings).

Barack Obama during his visit to Medford in 2008 (Associate Professor of Communication Dennis Dunleavy).

The members of Black Violin (courtesy of Black Violin).

The members of Quartetto Gelato (courtesy of Quartetto Gelato).

Dick Whittington and His Amazing Cat (courtesy of the Theatre Arts Department).

Photos of theatre arts students and faculty (Rory N. Finney).

Dennis Powers (Rory N. Finney).

Biointensive farming event (Rory N. Finney).

Women’s Basketball Team (courtesy of Athletics).

Winter Welcome

I hope all of you enjoyed a restorative and inspiring winter break. Welcome back!

2009 Miss Rogue Valley

Congratulations to freshman Kirsten Campbell, who was crowned Miss Rogue Valley during the January 3 pageant held at the Crater Performing Arts Center in Central Point. Kirsten won both the interview and talent portions of the competition, taking home more than $800 in scholarship money and prizes. A criminology and history double major, Kirsten also performs in the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra and the Standard Issue Saxophone Quartet. Kirsten won the talent portion of the event playing the saxophone.

Congratulations also to SOU student Caitlin Schulzke, who won the People’s Choice Award and was awarded a $378 scholarship.

You can read more about the event here.

International Year of Astronomy Events

The Schneider Museum of Art
and Science Works have teamed up to present several events as part of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, sponsored by the United Nations and the International Astronomical Union.

The first event, held at Science Works on December 2, featured a lecture by Carla Bitter, NASA project manager for the Mars Mission.

Coming up is a special exhibit of art-meets-science at the Schneider Museum, titled Arps Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which runs from January 15 to March 29. Inspired by Jeff Kanipe and Dennis Webb’s book Arp Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, the exhibit features full-color images of some of the most unusual galaxies captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Complementing the photographs is a collection of astronomical-themed works from fifteen American artists.

The opening reception will be held at the SMA on January 15 from 5 to 7 pm. The event is free and open to all.

Stay tuned for news on more events from this exciting collaboration.

Guanajuato Sister Cities Festival

One of the highlights of fall term for me was going to Guanajuato to work on planning for our upcoming fortieth anniversary with the Universidad de Guanajuato (UG) and the city of Guanajuato. The trip coincided with a festival celebrating Sister Cities of Guanajuato. Along with enjoying very productive meetings with university representatives, Dean Josie Wilson and I were delighted to participate in formal ceremonies honoring Guanajuato’s sister cities from around the world.

Mark your calendars for April 16, when SOU will be hosting the academic colloquium to celebrate forty years of this remarkable partnership. The Global Conference focusing on doing business with Mexico will follow on April 17.

JPR Wine Tasting

In recognition of our long-term partnership with Jefferson Public Radio, SOU staff and employees were offered fifty discounted tickets to the twenty-eighth annual JPR Wine Tasting event at the Ashland Springs Hotel on December 4. Sponsored by the Ashland Food Co-op, this year’s event showcased twenty-nine Oregon wineries pouring their finest vintage wines, as well as several local restaurants serving up delicious hors d’oeuvres and sweets. Music groups Back Porch Swing and the Ed Dunsavage Trio provided lively entertainment for a crowd of 400. More than $14,000 was raised to help JPR continue its outstanding service to our community. We appreciate the opportunity to share in this festive and worthwhile event.

24/7 Quiet Week at the Library

For the first time, Hannon Library was open twenty-four hours a day for students during Quiet Week in December. Dozens of students turned out for hard-core studying and a bit of late-night revelry. It was a nice way to end the term before preparing for the new year.

American Band College Candidate Featured on CNN

One of our second-year American Band College (ABC) master’s candidates has been featured in a three-minute story on CNN! Congratulations to Zachary Cogdill from Georgia. Here’s a link to the video if you want to view the full story.

We also just received news that Zachary’s story has been picked up by the New York Times. The Blue Eagles, the South Cobb High School marching band Zachary leads, has been selected to perform in the inaugural parade of Barack Obama! Way to go, Zachary!

New Worlds of Sight, Sound, and Movement

Sonoluminescence, a group of five artists, including Director of Composition Studies Todd Barton and Chair of Music Terry Longshore, presented three evenings of improvisational sound, movement, and light at the Black Swan Theatre in Ashland. If you missed the opportunity to experience this unique sensory experience, check out their website.

Music Faculty News

Director of Composition Studies Todd Barton has received the ASCAPLUS Award in the Concert Music Division from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Recognized for the work he has done with SOU and OSF, Todd received this prestigious award for the tenth year in a row. More information is available here.

Associate Professor of Music at SOU and Rogue Opera’s Board President Fredna Grimland gave a talk before the Metropolitan Opera HD live broadcast of Puccini’s La Rondine at Tinseltown in Medford on Saturday, January 10.

After twenty-two years as Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor, Art Shaw is leaving at the end of the 2008–2009 season. During his tenure, Art helped the one-time community-based orchestra become a professional symphony recognized in 2007 with a $10,000 NEA grant. Art has performed major choral works with regional groups, including the Rogue Valley Chorale, Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, and Southern Oregon University choirs. Art will relocate to Washington, where he has been teaching at Western Washington University. There’s a Medford Mail Tribune article on Art if you’d like to read more.

Norma Curtis Scholarship

Philip Curtis of Ashland has generously donated $180,000 to SOU for a memorial scholarship in the name of his wife, Norma S. Curtis (pictured above), and his mother, Ethel M. Curtis. Norma was a long time American Association of University Women (AAUW) member and mentor of female college students, devoting twenty years to students at SOU. Norma’s passion was helping young women attain their education and career goals. She organized College Connections, a program that matched AAUW members with female students coping with difficult circumstances. The scholarship fund will award full tuition, fees, and a $1,000 book allowance to female graduate students in the sciences. This is an incredible gift to SOU.

Raiders Claim National Dual Meet Championship

The second-ranked SOU Wrestling Team has been named this year’s National Dual Meet Champions!

The Raiders need six tiebreakers to defeat top-ranked Lindenwood 17-16 in the finals of the NWCA National Dual Meet Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa. SOU defeated McKendree 33-13 in the semifinals.

In the finals, the two teams were tied at 16-16 after the heavyweight match. The tie was not broken until the sixth tiebreaker, when the Raiders had more near falls in the dual to come away with the 17-16 victory.

Raiders Overcome Frigid Shooting Night

The 20th-ranked SOU Women’s Basketball Team overcame a cold shooting night to down Northwest Christian 62-58 in Eugene.

Southern Oregon improved to 12-4 overall and 4-3 in Cascade Conference action. Northwest Christian dropped to 6-11 overall and 1-7 in conference play.

Emily Brookins led the Raiders with 14 points off the bench. Whitney Scott was the only other Raider in double-digits with 12 points. SOU junior Jacki Speer finished with 12 rebounds and just one point to have her streak of seven double-doubles snapped.

SOU shot just 33 percent from the field on 21 of 54 shooting, and both teams finished with 28 turnovers.

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Photo Credits (top to bottom, left to right)

Plunkett Center in the snow (Associate Professor of Communication Dennis Dunleavy).

Kirsten Campbell, Miss Rogue Valley (Rory N. Finney).

Selections from the SMA astronomy exhibit (provided by Michael Crane).

A visit to Guanajuato (Assistant Professor of Business Dennis Slattery).

JPR Wine Tasting (provided by JPR).

Quiet Week at Hannon Library (provided by Mary Jane Cedar Face).

Zach Cogdill’s band (David Walter Banks for the New York Times).

Sonoluminescence (courtesy of their website).

Director of Composition Studies Todd Barton (Marsa Morse).

Associate Professor of Music Fredna Grimland (Rory N. Finney).

Rogue Valley Symphony Conductor Art Shaw (courtesy of www.zoominfo.com).

Norma Curtis (courtesy of Philip Curtis).

Wrestling and Women’s Basketball (Kayla Young).

Student Engagement Survey

This month, we received the results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). As many as 32 percent of freshmen and 35 percent of seniors participated in this important survey. I’m happy to announce that, here at SOU, we met or exceeded our peer institutions in virtually all areas measured by NSSE.

Please extend thanks to students who participated in this survey. Students’ honesty and willingness to participate help us learn more about what we’re doing well and how we can continue to improve on SOU’s tradition of academic quality, student-faculty interaction, and collaborative learning.

Recently, the Medford Mail Tribune ran an editorial praising SOU’s high NSSE marks, as well as our increasing enrollment. You can read this article here.

Mini-Grants

I announced in November the creation of the President’s Mini-Grant Program for Faculty-Student Collaboration. The money awarded from these $500 to $1,500 mini-grants can be used toward academic conference travel, equipment purchases, matching grants, and faculty-student grantwriting projects.

I am delighted to be able to put $15,000 per year toward supporting the unique learning experience that occurs when our outstanding faculty and students partner on research and creative projects.

Charitable Fund Drive

This is the time to give back to our community. The Charitable Fund Drive consolidates charitable donations from state employees throughout Oregon, offering us a great deal of control on where and how our donations are spent.

So far, SOU faculty and staff have donated $11,000 to the 2008 State Employee Charitable Fund Drive. I hope you will join me in contributing to one of the more than 800 agencies providing resources and services here in Oregon.

Jefferson Grapevine

Two of Oregon’s top early-stage equity investment fund managers, Bob Ward and David Chen, shared their insights on angel networks during a recent Jefferson Grapevine event at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center.

The Jefferson Grapevine is a bimonthly gathering of business entrepreneurs, investors, bankers, and others interested in promoting new business developments in southern Oregon.

Made in LA

On Saturday, November 22, we were honored to host filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar for the screening of Made in LA, their 2008 Emmy award-winning documentary. The film focuses on undocumented immigrant workers laboring in Los Angeles sweatshops. After the screening, Carracedo and Bahar discussed their NW Sweatfree campaign, which they hope will help end the unfair hours and poor working conditions in the Northwest.

Approximately 120 students, staff, and community members attended the screening. Special thanks go to Dr. Barbara Scott Winkler, Women’s Studies Coordinator, for organizing this event and for posing thoughtful questions during the post-screening Q&A session.

French Club Dinner

Bon appetit! On November 20, our French Club hosted Le Diner Français, a wonderful annual event. Faculty, students, and community members were invited to dine on gourmet French foods, including onion soup with beef stock; toasted bread and Swiss cheese; spring quiche with sun-dried tomatoes, leeks, and zucchini; and chocolate mousse.

Marianne Golding, Michelle Guerrie, and all of the students in the French Club did a great job of bringing French culture to our southern Oregon palates. Merci!

German Club Activities

The SOU German Club has been incredibly active this term. In honor of St. Martin’s Day, club members drove to Portland on November 14 to help the German-American Society with their annual celebration of sharing. Our students helped create lanterns for the St. Martin’s Day Parade. After the parade, they prepared a simple meal of Kartoffelsuppe und Brötchen (potato soup and rolls), which was shared with the children and parents. The event drew about 200 German speakers from the Portland area.

The following Friday, the German Club shared their new knowledge of St. Martin’s Day with three third-grade classes. As many as 90 Lone Pine Elementary School children visited our campus, where they made lanterns, learned a traditional German Saint Martin’s song, and paraded across campus to show their lanterns to our community.

Upcoming events include making gingerbread houses with the SOU Art Club and creating German crafts with the John Muir School. Thanks to German Instructor Christiane Pyle for helping to organize these events. For more information, contact Maya Nerenberg.

NASU Annual Welcome Back Tribal Gathering

On Saturday, November 22, the Native American Student Union (NASU) hosted the fall Welcome Back Tribal Gathering at Ashland Middle School. Festivities included traditional song and dance by the Chemawa Indian Schools Apache Crown Dancers, Aztec Dancers, a Klamath River brush dance demonstration, and SOU’s Ho’opaa Hawai’i Club with a Hula dance showcase.

Uniting the World

The International Student Association (ISA) presented its second annual Uniting the World event at Hannon Library on Friday, November 19. This symposium featured presentations by international students, who shared their distinct cultures and experiences. Represented countries include China, Korea, Mexico, Kosova, India, Zambia, England, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Poland, France, Japan, Vietnam, and the USA. Each seminar was dedicated to a specific country and topic, which ranged from Japanese paper crane-folding to French cinema.

Festival of Lights Parade

On November 28, for the sixth year in a row, the School of Education’s special education program participated in the Ashland Festival of Lights Parade.

Every year, the group creates a thematic float based on children’s literature, distributing books to children and parents along the parade route. This year’s float theme was the “Polar Express,” and more than 1,600 books were distributed. Over the years, the group has distributed between 15,000 and 20,000 books, most of them donated or gathered by students.

Dulcet Performs at Hannon Library

In case you missed Tuesday’s beautiful performance by Dulcet, SOU’s student-run, co-ed a cappella singing group, at Hannon Library, I am including a slideshow featuring their performance of “Take on Me”:

If you would like to view a high-resolution version of this slideshow or if you have trouble viewing the movie above, visit the Music Department website.

You may also enjoy this audio clip of “Love Will Save the Day”:

Dulcet was founded in fall 2005 by freshmen Russell Kamp and Jesse Theissen. They started out with just nine singers, most of whom were brand new to a cappella music. Since then, the group has gone through a tremendous amount of growth and change, transforming into the officially recognized music ensemble it is today. The group is currently led by juniors Ella Greene and Ezra Butt, with the support of Associate Professor of Music Fredna Grimland.

Southern Oregon University Symphonic Band

I hope you were able to catch the SOU Symphonic Band’s fall concert last night, December 4, at 8 pm in the Music Recital Hall. The performance featured pieces from four female composers whose music spans the last hundred years. Works included African-American composer Florence Price’s Three Negro Dances, Shelly Hanson’s Puerto Rican-style Seis Manuel, Russian composer Elena Roussanova Lucas’s Serenade for Winds, and Nancy Galbraith’s With Brightness Round About It, inspired by text from the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel.

Charity Soccer Game

A brave crowd of nearly seventy-five people gathered in the cold on November 22 to see a soccer showdown between international students and Ashlanders. Master in management student Amit Rama organized the game. He wants to raise funds for creating a youth soccer team near his hometown in Livingstone, Zambia. Bringing regional youths together, he wants to help educate them on AIDS/HIV prevention. This fundraising soccer game was an excellent way to begin raising awareness for World AIDS Day, which took place on December 1.

Volleyball

Junior setter Lindsey Stone (above) has been named the Cascade Conference Player of the Year for the second straight year! Stone was one of three Raiders honored with postseason awards. Sophomore Maggie Rivers was named the Libero of the Year. Lindsey Stone and senior Mia Wortel were both First Team All-CCC selections.

Cross-Country

Seniors Anthony Monteleone (left) and Cameron Kreuz (right) both claimed All-American honors at the NAIA National Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the Men’s Cross-Country team finished fourth. The team wrapped up the program’s best ever national finish with 197 points. SOU entered the National Championships ranked fourth in the nation, the highest ranking ever by an SOU cross-country team. Monteleone finished sixteenth with a time of 25:04, and Kreuz finished twenty-first with 25:08.

Soccer

Four members of the Women’s Soccer Team have been named to the Cascade Conference All-Conference team. Sophomore Auika Muragin (above), freshman Katie Griffith, sophomore Chelsie O’Neill, and freshman Stacy Hamer all earned All-Conference accolades. The team finished the season 7-3 in Cascade Conference play and advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time in program history.

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Photo Captions (top to bottom, left to right):

Assistant Professor of Physics Ellen Siem advising a student; Multicultural Resource Center Coordinator Marvin Woodard working with students in the MRC (photos by Rory N. Finney).

Associate Professor of Music Fredna Grimland practices with students; Associate Professor of Anthropology/Environmental Studies Mark Tveskov examines an artifact with students (photos by Rory N. Finney).

Bob Ward and David Chen; Jefferson Grapevine mingling (photos by Rory N. Finney).

Made in LA poster still (courtesy of the Made in LA website).

Students preparing the French Club Dinner (photos by Rory N. Finney).

Elementary school children making St. Martin’s Day decorations with the German Club (photos by Melissa L. Michaels).

NASU Welcome Back Fall Tribal Gathering (photos by Marsa Morse).

Presenters at the ISA Uniting the World Conference (left photo by JR Melton, courtesy of The Siskiyou; right photo by Marsa Morse).

Festival of Lights float (photos courtesy of Professor of Education Gregg Gassmann).

Dulcet performs at Hannon Library (photos, slideshow, and audio recording by Melissa L. Michaels).

SOU Symphonic Band (photo courtesy of Associate Professor of Music Cynthia Hutton).

Amit Rama kicks a soccer ball (photo by Rory N. Finney).

Lindsey Stone on the volleyball court (photo by Rory N. Finney).

Anthony Monteleone and Cameron Kreuz (photos courtesy of SOU Sports Information).

Auika Muragin on the soccer field (photos courtesy of SOU Sports Information).

Enrollment Is Up!

I’m delighted to announce that we have exceeded our fall enrollment goal! On Thursday, November 13, the Oregon University System announced an official number of 5,082 students—a 5.1 percent increase over last fall’s enrollment of 4,836.

The growth occurred in both resident and nonresident categories and was boosted by strong retention of earlier entering classes. This is an exceptional achievement in light of the budget cuts and reorganization we have gone through over the past two years.

I especially want to highlight SOU’s increase of students of color, including a 14.2 percent increase in Hispanic enrollment over last year. We’ve also seen growth in our graduate programs and in classes at the new Higher Education Center in Medford.

The new academic year is off to a great start! Many thanks to everyone who contributes every day to student retention and achievement. We’re building a great foundation for long-term success.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Most of you have already heard that SOU student Brianne Sherman struck it rich on the November 12 episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Brianne walked off the set with $250,000, making her the biggest winner this season. A junior majoring in French and international studies, Brianne auditioned for the game show last June and made it into the contestant pool. She says her education here at SOU, especially her French studies, helped give her an edge. Brianne plans to use the money to help finance a three-month internship at the University of Poitiers in France next spring.

Research Oregon Online

SOU was recently highlighted in Research Oregon, a journal that focuses on Oregon’s universities. Research Oregon highlighted the immersion program of our geology and hydrology field course, a 33-day program in the mountains and valleys of southern Oregon. For the full article, please visit the Research Oregon website.

Native American Student Union Drum Circle

November is Native American Heritage month. Many of you heard the sound of drumbeats coming from the Stevenson Union courtyard on Wednesday, November 12. In case you missed this powerful performance by our student and faculty drum circle, I include some audio excerpts:

SOU Middle School Honor Band Festival

More than 100 students from eighteen local middle schools came to campus on Saturday, November 8, for the annual SOU Middle School Honor Band Festival. The bands practiced under renowned composer and clinician Robert Sheldon. On Saturday afternoon, the group performed a selection of Sheldon’s compositions for a concert in the Music Recital Hall.

I want to thank all who attended this public event, especially those who made the trip from Klamath Falls, Grants Pass, Medford, Talent, Shady Cove, Central Point, and Eagle Point. I’d also like to thank Associate Professor of Music/Band Conductor Cindy Hutton (shown above conducting the Middle School Honor Band) for arranging this event, now in its fourteenth consecutive year.

Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra

The Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra gave a beautiful performance in the SOU Music Recital Hall on November 14. Saxophone Colors showcased a wide variety of musical talent, with Professor of Music Rhett Bender as the featured soloist. Associate Dean Vicki Purslow and SOU alum Erin Luce were guest conductors on Egmont Overture by Beethoven, Mars by Holst, and Bethena by Joplin, as well as original works from Arthur Frackenpohl and Walter Hartley.

If you couldn’t make it to the event, you can view some of their performances online.

An Enemy of the People and Ring Round the Moon

The Department of Theatre Arts is currently performing two new plays: An Enemy of the People and Ring Round the Moon.

SOU Professor Dennis Smith directs An Enemy of the People, the nineteenth-century classic by Henrik Ibsen about a man brave enough to stand up for his own morality.

David Kelly of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival directs Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, a comedy of manners that exposes the vanity of the French aristocracy.

Both plays are running during the week with matinees on the weekend. For more information, visit the ticket office or the Theatre Arts website.

Art Affair

Great food, fine wine, outstanding music, and inspiring art greeted all those who attended the Schneider Museum of Art‘s sixth annual fundraiser, the Art Affair, on Saturday, November 8. Thanks to the many sponsors and donors who made this yearly event possible. Please know that your generous donations keep the arts alive in our community.

At the event, the Thorndike Family and Gerhard Heiter received the Schneider Award for Extraordinary Contributions to the Museum and the Arts Community of Southern Oregon. Throughout the years, members of the Thorndike family have served on numerous museum and campus committees. Gerhard Heiter has also been a strong supporter of SOU, and his contributions helped lead to an expansion of both the Schneider Museum and Hannon Library. Mr. Heiter also provided a generous donation to SOU scholarships that benefit fine and performing arts students.

SOU Men Claim Cross Country Conference Title

Congratulations to the Southern Oregon men’s cross country team, which just claimed the Cascade Conference team title at the league championship meet in Seattle, Washington.

The fifth-ranked Raiders are still undefeated against NAIA competition as they finished ahead of Concordia 38-64. The College of Idaho finished third with 81 points. In the women’s race, the College of Idaho defeated Concordia 48-83. The SOU women,

ranked last in the conference coming into the race, finished ninth with 221 points.

The victory for the SOU men advances them to the November 22 NAIA National Championships. The conference crown is the third for the SOU men. The Raiders also won the championship in 2004 and 2005.

In the men’s race, all seven of SOU’s runners finished in the top 21, and two finished in the top four.

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Celebration of Life: Karl Ayers

Nearly 150 family and friends gathered in the Stevenson Union last Tuesday, October 27, to celebrate the life of Karl Blake Ayers. During his time on the SOU campus, Karl was actively involved in student government and the campus community. He had a passion for the sciences, especially math, and Karl shared that passion by tutoring many students and grading papers for math and chemistry professors.

Last year, Karl moved to Central Valley to pursue his dreams of skydiving and becoming a videographer. He spent the past year working as an aerial photographer filming skydives at Parachute Center in Lodi, California.

He is the son of Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Lee Ayers. We extend our deepest sympathy to Lee and the rest of her family during this time of grief.

Anyone wishing to make a donation in Karl’s name may do so at the Sparrows Club, a group Karl worked with that assists children in medical crisis through community service and fundraising projects.

SOU’s EPA Standing

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named SOU to the Top 20 list of Green Colleges and Universities at the recent National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference. This is great news for us.

The EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a collaboration between the EPA and Fortune 500 companies, regional and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities to buy renewable power.

By purchasing more than 26 million kilowatts in renewable energy certificates, SOU has been admitted into the Green Power Leadership Club—designed specifically for organizations that meet ten times the minimum requirements. Thanks to support from the campus and community, SOU met the minimum requirements by a staggering fifty times!

Election News Coverage

I am very proud of all our students who played such a crucial role in registering voters for this historic presidential election. Congratulations to the Student Vote Coalition and ASSOU for registering more than 1,300 students over the past month alone.

Our faculty and students have also joined forces to bring us up-to-the-minute election news. Howard Schreiber‘s Video Production class, Terrie Claflin‘s reporting class, and Dennis Dunleavy’s photojournalism and University Seminar classes have created a blog to provide election night coverage. You can visit their blog here.

The Medford Mail Tribune recently featured an article on our politically engaged students.

Master Academic Plan

Provost James Klein seeks input from faculty, staff, and students on the Master Academic Plan. With implementation scheduled for spring 2008, the plan will feature goals to improve student and faculty support, enhance our national profile, and increase enrollment and academic planning for graduates and undergraduates.

The current draft is posted on the Provost’s website, and subsequent drafts will be added as amendments are made. Comments or questions are welcome. You may send any suggestions for additions and changes to the first draft by Friday, November 7.

Soccer

The Women’s Soccer team scored the first playoff win in program history with a 1-0 victory over Northwest Saturday night at Lake Washington High School. The Raiders travel to the College of Idaho on Wednesday for the Cascade Conference semifinals. SOU’s Chelsey O’Neil scored at the 35-minute mark on a beautiful pass from Kelly Cates to give SOU the only score of the match. The Raiders’ victory was highlighted by three key late saves by freshman keeper Jessica Kuehlwien.

Volleyball

Our volleyball team scored a key five-set victory over Oregon Tech last week, taking the upperhand in the battle for second place in the Cascade Conference standings. The Raiders are now one match back of the College of Idaho with one week of regular season action remaining. Last Friday was senior night for SOU’s lone senior Mia Wortel. The All-American ranks among SOU’s career leaders in kills, blocks and attack percentage.

Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees

Congratulations to Vern Dulany, Tommie Smith, Jill Carrier, Kerm Bennett, and Melissa Bogh for being inducted into the SOU Athletics Hall of Fame during this year’s Homecoming! We are proud of their achievements and grateful for their continued involvement with the University.

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Celebration of Life

The Music Recital Hall was filled last Tuesday, October 14, with several hundred students, faculty, and staff who came to honor the lives of four firefighters killed in the tragic firefighting accident on August 5 in northern California. The Celebration of Life event remembered students Scott Charlson and Edrik Gomez; former student Steven “Caleb” Renno; and David Steele, son of Susanne Steele, a current student and employee of Southern Oregon University. My thanks to Laura O’Bryon and others who organized this lovely event.

High School Honor Choir Workshop

Each year, the High School Honor Choir Workshop kicks off fall term with a delightful selection of choral pieces. More than 100 students from a dozen area high schools came to campus for the weekend, ready to sing and learn habits of responsible musicianship and leadership in choral art.

Professor of Music Paul French, Assistant Professor of Music Fredna Grimland, and Adjunct Instructor Kirby Shaw selected pieces that offered a broad range of musical styles. The weekend culminated with a Sunday afternoon concert featuring the prepared choral pieces. This year’s concert also featured the SOU Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Paul French, who is preparing the choir for a European tour over Spring Break.

Greg Jones Travels to Brazil and New York

The Brazilian government agency Embrapa (the equivalent of our USDA) recently invited Professor of Environmental Studies Greg Jones to Brazil, where he gave a series of talks and interacted with wine industry leaders, academics, and government research groups. In addition, he gave a keynote talk to approximately 500 people at the XII Congresso Brasileiro de Viticultura e Enologia.

While in Brazil, Greg visited the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, where he worked with a graduate student on her research project and helped the Center for Ecological Studies and Spatial Information with developing a state analysis of climate potential for wine production. Greg then traveled to Campinas to give a talk on climate change research.

At the end of October, Greg will travel to New York to speak at the American Museum of Natural History in Central Park for a sold-out exhibition titled “Wine and Climate Change.” .

Bill Gholson Contributes to the Field of Rhetoric

Professor of English and Writing Bill Gholson has been accepted into the Rhetoric Society of America’s summer institute workshop, “Rhetoric and Civil Discourse,” to be held at Penn State next summer. In addition, his essay “Teaching an Online Course: Compassionate Reasoning for a Civil Society” has been accepted for publication in a book based on presentations at last summer’s international conference celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Chaim Perelman and Lucie Albrecht-Tyteca’s The New Rhetoric.

Homecoming 5k Run

Forty-two people participated in running, jogging, walking, and strolling during the first President’s Homecoming 5K Run on Saturday, October 18. It was a gorgeous fall morning and a great opportunity to get outside and celebrate fall term. Everyone I spoke with wanted this to be an annual event—so I hope to see even more folks out there next year. Proceeds from the event help support student scholarships.

I appreciate all the work that Doreen O’Skea and her folks put into making the run such a success. Even our wrestling team showed up early in the morning to handle the heavy lifting tasks. Thanks, everyone!

Football

Saturday’s Homecoming game was tense to the end. Finally, with 1:23 to play, senior kicker Corey O’Neill’s field goal gave SOU our 16-14 victory over Azusa Pacific.

The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Raiders and improved them to 2-5 on the season. Azusa fell to 1-6 overall. “That was a big victory for us,” SOU Head Coach Steve Helminiak said. “Our guys have been battling all season long and that was evident today. Even when we got down we kept fighting and it paid off at the end.”

Playing one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, SOU opened up 2008 with a victory at 21st-ranked Montana State and then dropped games against NCAA Division II Humboldt State, NCAA Division I Sacramento State, NCAA Division III Willamette, NCAA Division III Linfield, and NCAA Division II Western Oregon. In all except the Western Oregon game, the Raiders were leading at some point and in position to win the game.

Our last home game of the season starts at 1 pm on October 25 when we host Mary Hardin Baylor.

Cross-Country

Under new Head Coach Brent Ericksen, the SOU Cross Country team has started off with one of the best opening months in the program’s history. The SOU men went from unranked in the preseason NAIA Top 25 poll to No. 8 in the latest poll. The Raiders defeated third-ranked Simon Fraser in the opening race in Washington and finished as the top NAIA team in the second race.

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Welcome to Fall

Fall is such a great time of year. It’s wonderful to see the campus bustling while the trees are turning and the air is crisp. This is an especially exciting year for us as we focus on reinvestment, renewal, and revitalization at Southern Oregon University.

As part of the New Student Orientation, more than 800 incoming students participated in our third annual Civic Engagement Day. This day of learning gave students the opportunity to choose an interest area ranging from education, children, and social service to animals, social justice, and the environment. More than thirty community agencies hosted the groups.

I spent a little time on that beautiful Saturday pulling ivy with the group led by Associate Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures Marianne Golding. That group was working outdoors and indoors on a number of projects at Peace House. If you go by Peace House, you can see we made significant inroads on the ivy!

I hope you were able to participate in some of the opening fall events. The Salmon Bake and the reception and barbecue for students and families were all highly successful. Orientation activities ended on Sunday night with another barbecue, as well as games, including mechanical bull-riding and a giant boxing ring.

Music Student Wins Awards

Congratulations to Joseph Yungen, SOU music major and Chamber Music Scholar. Joseph won two awards after being selected for the finals at the Seattle International Piano Competition and Festival in Seattle, Washington. He received the Audience Favorite and the Best Performance of a Work by K. Szymanowski. A piano performance major pursuing a career as a concert pianist, Joseph has been studying under internationally renowned pianist and Professor of Music Alexander Tutunov.

Athletic Successes

Four of our 2007–08 student athletic teams—Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Basketball, and Men’s and Women’s Track & Field—received NAIA scholar team awards with team GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Excellent!

SOU’s Volleyball team ended September in first place in the Cascade Conference with a 7-1 mark and a six-match winning streak. Junior Lindsey Stone was named Cascade Conference Setter of the Week three times; senior middle blocker Mia Wortel was named Player of the Week; and sophomore Maggie Rivers earned conference Libero of the Week.

The Women’s Soccer team finished September as winners of three of their last four matches. The three-match winning streak was the longest since 2006. One of the highlights of this season has been freshman goalkeeper Jessica Kuehlwien. During the last four matches, Kuehlwien allowed just three goals and turned away thirty-two shots.

Remembering Captain Bruno de Solenni

It is with deep sorrow that I inform you of the death of SOU alumnus and Oregon National Guard member Captain Bruno de Solenni. Capt. Solenni was killed in Afghanistan on September 20, 2008, during his third and final tour of the Middle East. He graduated from SOU with a bachelor’s degree in history. Capt. Solenni was a member of the SOU family who made a difference in his community and his country.

The family is requesting that donations be made to the Bruno de Solenni Memorial Fund for the assistance of other military families. Donations can be sent via PayPal or by mail to Bruno de Solenni Memorial Fund, PO Box 876, Crescent City, CA 95531.

Alum Appointed Director of Oregon Selective Service

Congratulations to alumnus and retired Army Col. Michael F. Valdez, the first Hispanic to serve as director of the Oregon Selective Service System. Col. Valdez graduated from SOU in 1975 and served in the military for nearly thirty-five years. Valdez was sworn into his new position on August 11 by William Chatfield, director of the U.S. Selective Service System in Washington, D.C.

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