SOU among eight recipients of climate/social justice grants from Second Nature

/in

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University is one of eight North American higher education institutions to be awarded grant funding Tuesday from the Boston-based nonprofit Second Nature for innovative, cross-sector climate projects. A preference was given to those that emphasized justice, equity and engagement with communities of color.

SOU’s Social Justice and Equity Center was awarded a $6,600 grant to establish an “equity and climate resilience” program and hire a student Equity and Climate Resilience Fellow. The student will support collaboration between those working toward racial or social justice and others advocating climate resilience and adaptation.

“Southern Oregon University recognizes the intersection of social equity and climate justice, and is delighted to have received funding from Second Nature to help further our work in this area,” President Linda Schott said. “Sustainability is a critical aspect of our Strategic Plan, our values at SOU and our daily operations. We work across the board to ensure our culture is infused with sustainability.”

SOU is developing a rich history with Second Nature, which was formed in 1993 to mobilize higher education toward the goal of sustainability. The university was among 90 institutions to become “charter signatories” in 2016 to the organization’s Climate Commitment, which requires a set of climate targets and progress reports. A year later, SOU was one of just six U.S. colleges and universities to be recognized with Climate Leadership Awards from Second Nature.

This year’s “Acceleration Fund” awards will pay for projects that focus on long-term, campus-community activities that are likely to continue after the one-year grant term expires. The other seven awards went to the College of Menominee Nation in Wisconsin, Drexel University in Philadelphia, Gonzaga University in Spokane, Milwaukee Area Technical College in Wisconsin, Stetson University in Florida, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Second Nature described a highly competitive process for this year’s grants. All colleges and universities that are Climate Leadership Network signatories or University Climate Change Coalition members were eligible to apply.

“We were positively overwhelmed with the number and diversity of applications we received,” said Tim Carter, president of Second Nature. “While it meant that our review committee had to make some tough decisions, it also affirms the higher education sector’s commitment to advancing climate action and climate justice.”

SOU’s new Equity and Climate Resilience Fellow is expected to be recruited and hired in July and begin work in September.

The student will work with the university’s Equity Coordinator for Sustainability and Basic Needs Resourcing to plan and organize working group meetings, workshops and conferences throughout the academic year. A regional conference in spring 2022 will have a theme of “embedding an equity lens in climate resilience and adaptation.”

-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.

Dr. Vincent Smith to head Division of Business, Communication and the Environment

Smith to head SOU Division of Business, Communication and the Environment

/in , ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Dr. Vincent Smith – chair of Southern Oregon University’s Environmental Science and Policy Program and director of The Farm at SOU – has been named director of the university’s Division of Business, Communication and the Environment.

Smith has served on the SOU faculty since fall 2011 and has made a mark on campus with innovative courses such as “EcoAdventure” excursions to Central and South America, “Social Problems and Policy: Food and Nutrition,” “Food, Power and Agriculture” and “Sustainability and Natural Resources.” His research focuses on the human/environmental systems that shape the world – including various issues surrounding food systems – and he incorporates the academic disciplines of human ecology, environmental sociology, landscape ecology, agroecology and human geography.

“The division of Business, Communication and the Environment encourages collaboration between programs focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and regional solutions,” Smith said. “Our region is our campus. Our students want to make a difference. They are waiting for SOU to empower them to collaborate with regional businesses, state and federal agencies, artists, nonprofits and dedicated citizens.

“While our region, nation, and planet face tremendous challenges, I believe that when our students, faculty, staff and community work together we can and will generate the science, citizenship and civility required to creatively solve even the toughest of challenges.”

Smith succeeds business professor Joan McBee, who has served as division director for Business, Communication and the Environment for the past year, following the retirement of former director and business professor Katie Pittman.

Business, Communication and the Environment is one of SOU’s seven academic divisions and includes the academic programs within the departments of business, communication, and environmental science and policy. Each division is led by a director who provides leadership and guidance for the departments and programs within their divisions, encouraging originality and advancement while aligning their academic programs with the university’s mission, vision and values.

“I am very pleased that Dr. Smith is joining our senior academic leadership team,” said Susan Walsh, SOU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The breadth and depth of his professional portfolio truly compliments the entrepreneurial direction the BCE Division has been forging since its inception in 2014.

“Vince has many exciting ideas about how to take the outstanding work of the BCE faculty, staff and students to the next level, in collaboration with other partners across campus – as well as in the greater community, region and state.”

Smith was hired as an assistant professor in 2011 and was promoted to associate professor five years ago. He has a varied background of applying academics and research to the real world, including a nine-month project in which he managed a family farm in Missouri as a direct-market mixed vegetable operation, two years as an instructor at The Science Factory children’s museum in Eugene and a year of teaching at an outdoor school on California’s Catalina Island.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Truman State University in Missouri, his master’s degree in environmental science from Oregon State University and his doctorate in environmental science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As an undergraduate, Smith participated in the Semester at Sea program through the University of Pittsburgh, visiting Japan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil and Cuba.

Smith enjoys working with students from various sociological and environmental backgrounds, and finding research opportunities for those whose academic interests are similar to his own. He has advised students on undergraduate capstone projects ranging from permaculture to body modification.

-SOU-

New micro-credentials allow students to set course in many directions

SOU adds array of “micro-credentials” to enhance learning and career preparation

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has joined an academic movement that is transforming higher education, adding a total of 17 “micro-credentials” that are designed to recognize individual skillsets or competencies of both degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students. The certifications provide opportunities for existing students and for mid-career learners seeking to expand their options.

SOU’s micro-credentials range from Cinema Production Technology to Foundations of Professional Writing to Values-based Leadership. Most of the new micro-credentials require about 12 credit hours of coursework – which can stand alone or count toward students’ degree requirements. Some include community workshops, service learning or other opportunities to apply skills and knowledge.

“Micro-credentials provide our students another very useful tool to demonstrate their academic and occupational abilities,” said Susan Walsh, SOU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Employers are increasingly looking for particular skills, along with broad knowledge and the ability to innovate. These micro-credentials certify students’ mastery of very distinct areas of study, and can be equally valuable to undergraduates wanting to strengthen their degree programs and to adult learners looking to boost their careers.”

Micro-credentials, whose acceptance has grown quickly over the past several years among U.S. colleges and universities, allow students to craft what have been called “t-shaped” educational experiences – the broad, horizontal base of their academic majors combined with deep, vertical concentrations in one or more specialized areas of study. They are typically brief, accessible programs that are considered “stackable” as learners achieve sets of discrete, demonstrable areas of expertise based on their career needs, professional goals or personal interests.

SOU, like most institutions offering micro-credentials, awards digital badges to those who complete the mini-certifications. Digital badges can be shared through social media, email signatures or electronic resumes.

The micro-credential programs currently offered by SOU – with more expected to be added – are Cinema Production Technology; Community Planning; Digital Security; EDI: Gender, Indigeneity, & Sexuality; Environmental Research & Data Analysis; Foundations of Professional Writing; Foundations of School Mental and Behavioral Health; Foundations of Sustainability and Tourism; Geographic Information Systems (GIS; Network Technology; Project Management; Set Skills for Cinema Production; Social Media Strategy; Story Development for Screenwriting; Sustainable Food Systems; Team Leadership and Collaboration; and Values-Based Leadership.

-SOU-

Spelling competition returns

SOU Youth Programs brings spelling competition back to region

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon’s elementary, middle and high school students know how to spell “normal,” and it begins with the resumption of extracurricular routines. Southern Oregon University’s Pre-College Youth Programs gave the region’s students an opportunity to restart one tradition when it coordinated the recent Regional Spelling Contest for 2021, following a two-year interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many schools in the area were unable to hold their individual spelling competitions in 2020, and the State Spelling Contest – organized by Oregon Spellers (www.OregonSpellers.org) and usually held in Salem each year – was canceled for both 2020 and 2021.

SOU Youth Programs was determined to offer a regional competition in 2021 for students in Jackson and Josephine counties, and was able to do so with backing from the Lithia4Kids Foundation. SOU worked with coordinators from schools and school districts throughout southern Oregon to establish virtual competition rules that would challenge students to bring their best to the spelling contest.

The regional finals, held on May 15, yielded winners for Jackson and Josephine counties in each of three categories: for students in grades 1 through 5, 6 through 8 and 9 through 12. The first- and second-place winners in this year’s spelling competition are:

Jackson County

Division 1
First Place: Ryleigh Ho, grade 5, Hoover Elementary, Medford School District
Second Place: Nolan Linthorst, grade 5, Mae Richardson, Central Point School District

Division 2
First Place: Blake Greenwell, grade 6, Logos Public Charter School, Medford School District
Second Place: Lia Hall, grade 8, The Valley School, Medford School District

Division 3
First Place: April Hanson, grade 11, Logos Public Charter School, Medford School District

April was declared the winner of Division 3 in Jackson County, after competing and taking first place at Logos Public Charter School, which was the only school in Jackson County to submit a winners list to participate at the Division 3 level.

Josephine County

The Three Rivers School District swept the Josephine County competition because it was the only district in the county to submit winners lists for any division.

Division 1
First Place: Lior Shapira, grade 5, Williams Elementary, Three Rivers School District

Division 2
First Place: Cozmo Castaldi Neubauer, grade 8, Lorna Byrne Middle School, Three Rivers School District

Division 3
First Place: Rory Forsythe-Elder, grade 10, Illinois Valley High School, Three Rivers School District

-SOU-

Bill McMillan

Celebration of life: Bill McMillan

/in

A celebration of the life of William (Bill) McMillan – a 30-year employee of SOU’s Facilities, Management and Planning Department – will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 19, in Area B at Emigrant Lake.

Bill, a highly-regarded custodian whose most recent areas of responsibility were in the Computer Services and Susanne Holmes buildings, died suddenly while on his way to work in the early morning hours of May 24. He was 69.

He worked in nearly every building on campus during his time at SOU and had a positive effect on numerous people over the years. His experience and can-do attitude earned him the respect of staff, faculty and students throughout the university. His co-workers describe him as dedicated and hard-working – and in fact, he also held jobs at Omar’s Restaurant and Martino’s in Ashland.

Bill was well-known throughout Ashland for his smile, joyful greetings and positive energy. He was passionate about old TV shows and classic rock music, and proud of his family.

He is survived by his long-time spouse, Judith McMillan; his four children, Dan McMillan, Angelina Tejada-Ingram, Jimmy McMillan and Charlie McMillan; and his four grandchildren, Gwenivere McMillan, Opal Tejada-Ingram, Ira Tejada-Ingram and Meredith McMillan.

Bill will be laid to rest at Mountain View Cemetery in Ashland, across the street the home where he raised his family. He will be buried beside his brother, Glenn McMillan, who preceded him in death.

Those who wish to send flowers or a memorial gift to Bill’s family may do so through the Sympathy Store at Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home, which is handling arrangements.

SOU commencement speaker Erim Gomez

SOU alumnus and former McNair Scholar to headline 2021 Commencement

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Erim Gómez was a McNair Scholar and first-generation college graduate at SOU, a co-director of what is now the SOU Environmental Resource Center and an active member of the SOU Alumni Association Board of Directors. On June 12, the newly minted Ph.D. and assistant professor at the University of Montana will also serve as SOU’s commencement speaker.

Graduates and others participating in SOU’s live-streamed commencement ceremony will hear about Gómez’s compelling personal story, his heartfelt mission to encourage under-represented and other students to pursue and achieve their higher education dreams, and his passion for environmentalism and the sciences.

Erim GomezGómez is proud of his family’s farm-working and immigrant roots, and that both he and his brother Edrik – who died in a 2008 helicopter crash while serving as a wildland firefighter – were part of the prestigious McNair Scholarship program at SOU. Gómez received his doctorate in environmental and natural resources science from Washington State University last fall. He was hired at the University of Montana in August 2020 as an assistant professor in the school’s highly regarded Wildlife Biology Department.

“I challenge you to not fear failure and to take risks,” Gómez is expected to tell SOU’s new graduates on Saturday. “I learn a lot more from my failures than my successes. If you don’t occasionally fail, you need to set larger and higher goals. 

“Your SOU degree will and has already opened doors for you,” he will suggest. “Make sure that you keep the doors open for those who come after you.”

Gómez will anchor the list of speakers at this year’s SOU commencement, a hybrid day of activities that will include an in-person, live-streamed opportunity to walk across the stage at Raider Stadium, a wide-ranging online ceremony and a variety of events in which individual programs will recognize the accomplishments of their graduates.

The in-person photo opportunity at Raider Stadium – at which no guests will be allowed – will begin at 9 a.m. The virtual ceremony – live-streamed on the SOU Commencement webpage and the university’s social media platforms – will start at 2 p.m.

This will be SOU’s second consecutive year of virtual commencement ceremonies, a result of the global pandemic. The online events will include a life-streamed ceremony with Gomez and other speakers, Zoom parties and private, dedicated social media engagement. A number of the university’s academic programs and divisions also have created virtual or hybrid events that celebrate their graduates’ accomplishments.

About 1,100 degrees are expected to be conferred.

Gómez received his bachelor’s degree in biology from SOU in 2007, then went on to earn his master’s degree and doctorate in natural resources sciences from Washington State. He won national recognition in 2011, when he was awarded the Bullitt Foundation’s Environmental Fellowship – which offers $100,000 over two years of graduate study for students focusing on environmental issues in Washington, Oregon or British Columbia. Gomez used the fellowship to study Palouse Prairie amphibians in eastern Washington.

-SOU-

SOU expands online master’s degree programs in education

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has expanded its selection of online advanced degrees in education by adding seven new concentrations or certificates to the three master of science in education options that were launched two years ago.

The education programs, designed primarily for working adult learners, provide pathways for career advancement and leadership roles in schools, corporations and nonprofit agencies.

The new, 100 percent online options for master of science in  education degrees are for a certificate in Reading Endorsement and for concentrations in Adult Education for English as a second language students, Leadership in Higher Education, Public Health Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Reading and Literacy, and Reading and Literacy Endorsement.

The three online master’s degree concentrations that launched in June 2019 are in Leadership in Early Childhood Education, Adult Education, and Curriculum and Instruction in STEM Education. They currently serve 88 students.

“These new online programs demonstrate SOU’s commitment to accessibility,” SOU President Linda Schott said. “We want to provide meaningful academic opportunities to all who may need them, including adult learners seeking advanced degrees or certification to help them move forward in their careers.

“SOU is a valuable resource for its students at all stages of their lives and careers.”

The master’s in education program consists of courses taught by SOU faculty members that total 45 credit hours, regardless of the concentration chosen. The program can be completed in as few as 16 months, for tuition totaling $16,600.

SOU also offers an online master of business administration program with options for five concentrations that began in January 2018 and now serves about 200 students.

SOU provides faculty and academic programing for its online programs, and aligns its coursework with current trends in schools and the workplace by maintaining close connections with regional employers.

The new programs at SOU offer five start dates per year. Candidates with bachelor’s degrees in any discipline will be considered for admission; no teaching license or GRE score is required.

The master’s in education curriculum features real-world applications designed to enhance leadership skills on the job and in the broader community.

SOU offers a total of more than 90 bachelor’s degree, graduate and certificate programs in its seven academic divisions.

-SOU-

Trustees appointed to SOU board

Williams and Raco named 2021 Outstanding Staff

/in

President Linda Schott announced today that the winners of SOU’s 2021 Outstanding Staff Awards are Robin Williams, student success coordinator in the Division of Business, Communication, and the Environment; and David Raco, operating systems/network analyst 2 (systems administrator) in Information Technology.

Robin Williams David Raco

Recipients of the top award for our university’s classified and unclassified staff each receive a $750 honorarium and glass trophy. The winners’ names are also added to a perpetual plaque in the first-floor hallway of Churchill Hall.

“I thank the members of our campus selection committee for carrying out the unenviable task of paring down this year’s list of deserving nominees to just two recipients – and I commend their choices,” President Schott said in her announcement. “It is an honor just to be nominated for this award, and I would like to recognize each of the other 18 employees whose names were submitted by their peers:”

  • Max Brooks, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs – Office of Career Connections – career prep coordinator
  • Anita Caster, Academic Affairs – Education, Health and Leadership – Education – graduate administrative services coordinator
  • Anna D’Amato, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs – Student Health and Wellness Center – director
  • Edward Derr, Academic Affairs – Humanities and Culture – student success coordinator
  • Miaya Dombroski, Academic Affairs – Education, Health and Leadership – Education – placement coordinator
  • Helen Eckard, Academic Affairs – Oregon Center for the Arts – Theatre Arts – administrative program assistant
  • Cindy Garboden, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs – Student Health and Wellness Center – registered nurse 2
  • Brady Hogan, Finance and Administration – Information Technology – information technology consultant 3 (computing coordinator)
  • Kristy Johnson, Athletics – head athletic trainer
  • Terry Knowles, Academic Affairs – Social Sciences – office specialist 2 (division assistant)
  • Stephen Lanning, Finance and Administration – Information Technology – operating systems/network analyst 2 (systems administrator)
  • Josh Lovern, Finance and Administration – Budget and Planning – director
  • Lizzie Parkhurst, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs – Disability Resources – information technology consultant 2 (alternative format media and assistive technology specialist)
  • Josh Rolphing, Athletics – head volleyball coach/assistant athletic director for compliance
  • KC Sam, Academic Affairs – Education, Health, and Leadership – distance learning transfer specialist
  • Jill Smedstad, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs – Student Life – equity coordinator for sustainability and basic needs resourcing
  • Ulrich Somerauer, Finance and Administration – Information Technology – operating systems/network analyst 2 (lab and student computing coordinator)
  • Miranda Stiles, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs – Admissions – senior admissions counselor

Williams and Raco will be featured on the employee recognition webpage as this year’s winners of the Outstanding Staff Awards, and also will be honored during SOU’s end-of-year Virtual Recognition Ceremony. That event will be held remotely and via livestream (sou.edu/video) from 12:30 to about 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9.

Visit the Human Resources Employee Recognition – Outstanding Staff Award website for more information about the award program or to see past years’ award recipients and nominees.