Blair Moody Appointed New SOU Foundation Board President

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Moody continues his 24-year involvement with SOU as new Board president
(Ashland, Ore) The Southern Oregon University Foundation has appointed Blair Moody of Medford, Ore. as the new Foundation Board President after two years as the board’s vice president. A Certified Forester and Fellow in the Society of American Foresters, Moody is employed with the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
“I have the fortune to work with a great cross section of community volunteers who care about students, education and their community,” Moody said. “As trustees of the board, we value our university and the students who attend SOU. Serving these future leaders serves our community.”
Moody’s officers are Dan Thorndike of Medford, Ore. as vice president, Geoffrey Cutler of Medford, Ore. as treasurer and Sue Kupillas of Medford, Ore. as secretary. Read more

President Mary Cullinan to Receive Prestigious Leadership Award

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The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education praises Cullinan for leading SOU through four years of painful yet inspirational transformation
(Ashland, Ore.) – The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VIII has named SOU President Mary Cullinan the recipient of its 2011 Leadership Award. President Cullinan will receive the award at the District VIII conference in Vancouver, BC, February 25. District VIII is the largest of CASE’s eight North American districts geographically, encompassing the western Canadian provinces and territories in addition to Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana in the Pacific Northwest. Read more

National Survey Tracks Five Straight Years of Academic Progress at SOU

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National Survey of Student Engagement shows SOU students are more academically engaged than students at other campuses
(Ashland, Ore.) – If you’re a first year student at Southern Oregon University, it’s likely that, compared to students at other four-year colleges and universities, you write more, work more with other students on projects, and make more class presentations. You’re also more likely to read more books on your own for academic enrichment/enjoyment, attend more artistic events, vote in local and national elections and discuss assignments with professors than students at comparable four-year colleges and universities.
Those are just some of the highlights from the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). SOU is one of 564 colleges and universities that participated in the survey in 2010. More than 35 percent of last year’s SOU first year students and seniors completed the NSSE questionnaire.
NSSE measures five key areas of student engagement; level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment. Scores are then compared with similar institutions as well as with all campuses that participated. SOU first-year students perform as well or better than peer institutions in all five of the benchmark areas. SOU seniors performed as well or better in three of the benchmark areas. Read more