News on SOU Academic Programs:
Daily Tidings – It’s a Plot: Deer Overrun Ashland: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160525/NEWS/160529896/0/SEARCH
 
News on SOU Environment and Sustainability Initiatives:
4-Traders – SOU Joins New Climate Commitment: https://www.4-traders.com/news/Southern-Oregon-University-SOU-Joins-New-Climate-Commitment–22406356/
The Siskiyou – The Bees Are Here to Stay: https://siskiyou.sou.edu/2016/05/26/the-bees-are-here-to-stay/
 
News on SOU Fine and Performing Arts:
Daily Tidings – SOU’s ‘The Comedy of Errors’ a Spoof of Ashland: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160523/NEWS/160529936/0/SEARCH
 
News on Politics, Policy, and National Trends Impacting SOU and Higher Education:
Oregonian/Oregon Live – Oregon’s Anemic Higher Education Funding (Opinion): https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/05/oregons_anemic_higher_educatio.html#incart_email
CNN – College Enrollment is Dropping. Bad Sign?: https://money.cnn.com/2016/05/20/news/economy/college-enrollment-down/index.html?section=money_pf
NPR – A First: Pell Grants for High School Students Who Take College Courses: https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/05/17/478260017/a-first-pell-grants-for-high-school-students-who-take-college-classes?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20160522&utm_campaign=&utm_term=
 
News on SOU governance and Board of Trustees:
KOBI – First of Three SOU Presidential Candidates Announced: https://kobi5.com/news/first-of-three-sou-presidential-candidates-announced-28112/
Daily Tidings – Our View: Meet SOU Finalist Today: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160525/OPINION/160529903/0/SEARCH
Daily Tidings – SOU Board Narrows Field of Presidential Candidates: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160525/NEWS/160529899/0/SEARCH
KDRV – 3 Finalists Selected for SOU President: https://www.kdrv.com/news/local/SOU_Selects_3_Finalists_for_President.html
Daily Tidings – Michigan Dean Among Finalists for SOU Presidency: https://www.dailytidings.com/news/20160525/michigan-dean-among-finalists-for-sou-presidency
Mail Tribune – President candidate says SOU must be enterprising: https://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160525/NEWS/160529664/0/SEARCH
The Siskiyou – Dr. Michael Tidwell Wants to be SOU’s Next President: https://siskiyou.sou.edu/2016/05/31/dr-michael-tidwell-wants-to-be-sous-next-president/
KAJO – Southern Oregon University President Search Now Down to Three Final Candidates: https://www.kajo.com/news/local/stories.php?subaction=showfull&id=1464331053&ucat=2&
 
Miscellaneous News:
The Siskiyou – Davis Retains Presidency…For Now: https://siskiyou.sou.edu/2016/05/25/davis-retains-presidency-for-now/
Daily Tidings – SOU President Visits University of Guanajuato: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160525/NEWS/160529898/0/SEARCH
Campus Reform – Student’s Campaign Suspended for Criticizing Gender-Neutral Bathrooms: https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7613
The Siskiyou – Davis Secures Presidency Under Probationary Measures: https://siskiyou.sou.edu/2016/05/29/davis-secures-presidency-under-prohibitionary-measures/
KOBI – SOU Student Film Festival: https://kobi5.com/news/sou-student-film-festival-28439/
Daily Tidings – OLLI Seeks New Teachers to Expand Course Offerings: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160526/NEWS/160529853/0/SEARCH
Daily Tidings – SOU Student Films Screen Tuesday in Free Showing at Varsity Theatre: https://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160530/NEWS/160539989/0/SEARCH
The College Fix – Army ROTC Student’s Political Campaign Suspended for ‘Transphobic’ Facebook Comments: https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/27598/

(Ashland, Ore.) — After a nationwide search, three finalists have been selected in the search for a new president of Southern Oregon University. The finalists were recommended to the SOU board of trustees by the Presidential Search Committee, which was comprised of key members of both internal and external constituent groups, including, but not limited to, the board of trustees; SOU faculty, staff, alumni, and students; an Oregon public university president; and members of the Rogue Valley community.
Each of the three finalists will visit Southern Oregon in coming days to meet with various SOU constituent groups as well as hold town hall-style forums that will be open to the public.
The first of the finalists to arrive on campus will be Dr. Michael Tidwell, who is scheduled to visit the SOU campuses on May 25 and 26. Tidwell currently serves as dean of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti. He holds a doctorate in organizational studies from Washington State University, a master’s degree in communication, also from WSU, and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Ball State University.
Prior to his role as dean of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan, Tidwell held various positions in higher education teaching and administration, including dean of the College of Business at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, assistant dean for the School of Business at Clayton State University, and numerous faculty appointments.
The public will have an opportunity to meet and ask questions of Tidwell during an open forum on May 25 at 3:30 p.m. The forum will take place in Room 151 inside the Science Building on SOU’s main campus in Ashland.
“We are hoping that not only our campus community, but the entire Rogue Valley will want to be involved in this process and meet these candidates,” said Bill Thorndike, chair of the SOU board of trustees. “We will be soliciting feedback from all who attend, and that input is very important in our decision making process.”
The other finalists will be announced in advance of their visit early in June. More information on the search and the candidate is available at presidentialsearch.sou.edu.
-SOU-
About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University, along with 90 other colleges and universities across the United States, committed to carbon neutrality and resilience by becoming a Charter Signatory to the Climate Commitment. The Climate Commitment, a signature program of Boston-based nonprofit Second Nature, will require SOU to set climate targets, report on progress publicly, and collaborate with the surrounding community, all while integrating sustainability across the curriculum. To become a Charter Signatory of the Climate Commitment, schools had to sign between October 5, 2015 and Earth Day, 2016.
“Being charter signatories to this commitment further illustrates how seriously SOU takes its commitment to the climate and environment,” said SOU President Roy Saigo. “We are honored to join 90 other colleges and universities in making this commitment.”
The Climate Commitment is one of three commitments from Second Nature. These are known jointly as the Climate Leadership Commitments, and include a Carbon Commitment (focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions), a Resilience Commitment (focused on climate adaptation and building community capacity), and a Climate Commitment that integrates both.
The Carbon Commitment, formerly known as the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (or ACUPCC) has a track record of 10 years of success, boasts nearly 600 signatories, and has been used as a model for higher education climate action internationally. The Climate Commitment seeks to expand on that success and integrate resilience into the framework. In the U.S., these signatory institutions become part of the Climate Leadership Network, which comprises more than 650 colleges and universities in every state and the District of Columbia.
The Climate Leadership Commitments have created tremendous impact: A recent study from the University of New Hampshire and facilities solutions company, Sightlines, found that campuses that have signed the Carbon Commitment have 47 percent lower carbon emissions from purchased energy than non-signatories that are doing sustainability work on campus.
Second Nature launched the Climate Commitment on October 5, 2015, along with the Resilience Commitment and the Carbon Commitment.
For a full list of the Climate Commitment Charter Signatories, see: secondnature.org/charter-signatories/
-SOU-
About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.
About Second Nature
Second Nature works to proactively build a sustainable and positive global future through initiating bold commitments, scaling successful actions, and accelerating innovative solutions among leadership networks in higher education. The Climate Leadership Commitments are a signature program of Second Nature and include a Carbon Commitment (focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions), a Resilience Commitment (focused on climate adaptation and building community capacity), and a Climate Commitment that integrates both. The Climate Leadership Network comprises more than 650 colleges and universities in every state and the District of Columbia who have committed to take action on climate and prepare students through research and education to solve the challenges of the 21st century. Learn more at: secondnature.org.

(Ashland, Ore.) —Southern Oregon University is planning once again to showcase student and faculty research and performance art projects during its 9^th annual Southern Oregon Arts and Research (SOAR) event, taking place May 16-20 throughout SOU’s main campus in Ashland.
A weeklong event with a program of ongoing concurrent sessions, SOAR brings together an array of disciplines, projects, and displays, with the students and faculty responsible for the work available to discuss and explain it. SOAR participants represent all areas of study at SOU, as well as the many student- and community-oriented programs organized by the University.
“This event is a wonderful experience,” said Kelsie Lawson, undergraduate alum and current MBA student at SOU. “SOAR is an opportunity to view and appreciate the collaborative works of the campus community.”
Among the demonstrations, presentations, performances, and panels to be offered during SOAR week will be “Digital Storytelling: Legends and Narratives at Play,” which will explain how a digital storytelling program at a middle school transformed the students’ learning and simultaneously transformed the SOU pre-service teachers’ understanding of teaching.
“Cascade by Colin Malloy” is a sonic exploration of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The soundscape is constructed from field recordings made at the monument and the sheet music is inspired by the landscapes surrounding it.
Other highly anticipated presentation are “Beyond the Battered Women’s Movement: Advocating for LGBTQ Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence,” and “It’s Not Sexy or Romantic: The Cultural Normalization of Stalking.” The former will focus on the unique struggles faced by LGBTQ survivors of domestic and sexual violence while the latter informs of how media normalizes stalking behavior, sending dangerous messages that perpetuate violence against women and people of all genders.
“There will also be academic presentations on topics including local organic farming, a historical analysis of the use of Indian scouts, enlistment of Native Americans by the US military, SOU becoming the first designated Bee Campus USA in the nation, and much, much more,” according to Lawson. “There truly is something for everybody during SOAR, and far too much going on to name everything.”
Admission to all SOAR events is free and open to the public, and free parking will be available campus-wide during SOAR week. For more information, and a complete schedule of events, please visit www.sou.edu/soar.
-SOU-
About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.