Senior living proposals sought by SOU Ashland

SOU seeks development proposals for senior living

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has begun the process of identifying a private-sector partner for the construction and operation of a senior living center on a 4.3-acre parcel where a defunct dormitory complex is currently being demolished.

A “request for qualifications” – an invitation for developers and operators of retirement facilities to submit proposals – was issued last week, with all bids due by April 18 and finalist interviews scheduled for the last week of May. The project is expected to be completed as soon as fall of 2027.

“This is an exciting moment for our university,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “As we endeavor to reimagine the fiscal model of the institution, entrepreneurial ventures like this one will help us transition from being solely dependent on state dollars and tuition for our revenue sources.

“In addition to the fiscal benefits, this project will also present a world of opportunities in lifelong learning, intergenerational connectivity and much more,” he said. “The possibilities are endless. I also want to say a very special thank you to our team members who worked tirelessly over the last several months – years really – to get to this point. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”

The request for qualifications process is intended to identify an experienced operator of retirement communities with whom the university will negotiate specifics for a public-private partnership to build and run the proposed SOU facility. The document issued last week describes “a program and facility designed to accommodate a growing contingent of previously underserved nontraditional students: retirees.”

The senior living center at the site of the Cascade Complex is seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity to forge a unique synergy between the facility’s residents, traditional SOU students, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SOU and the university. The project is intended to generate long-term revenue for SOU while supporting the university’s commitment to lifelong learning.

Senior communities are a rare but growing feature on university campuses across the U.S., and the SOU facility would be the first in Oregon – capitalizing on southern Oregon’s reputation as a retirement mecca with a blend of educational, cultural and recreational opportunities.

SOU believes that retirement today looks very different than it did just decades ago,” the request for qualifications said. “As people transition from full-time careers, today’s active and engaged retirees are looking for dynamic places to live, learn and play.”

Residents in the proposed SOU center could either audit or take regular SOU courses for credit, attend concerts, athletic events and lectures, and participate in a full range of offerings through OLLI at SOU – one of the largest of 125 OLLI chapters on college and university campuses across the U.S. The SOU program has close to 1,700 members and provides a diverse mix of academic courses, activities and excursions intended for those who are 50 and older.

The university also was accepted for membership a year and a half ago in the Age-Friendly University Global network — a collection of more than 100 universities across five continents that have committed to age diversity and intergenerational interactions on their campuses.

SOU’s plans include opportunities for traditional students to benefit from the academic and real-world experiences of retirement community residents, some of whom are expected to serve as mentors.

“This project has the potential to create a whole new demographic of SOU students and community members, organically develop new educational initiatives, and diversify and stabilize university revenue,” the request for qualifications said.

Proposals from would-be developers of the project are limited to 50 pages and must be “comprised of recyclable and, ideally, recycled materials.” Those responding must outline their companies’ expertise in senior living, and describe how their philosophies may align with SOU’s mission and project objectives.

The university will choose the proposal that is “the most advantageous to SOU,” then will enter into negotiations for a legally binding partnership. If those negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the university will shift to the runner-up in the request for qualifications process.

The university is not expected to take an ownership interest or operational role in the project, but will provide agreed-upon services and amenities for the facility and its residents.

-SOU-

SOU president receives contract extension

SOU president receives contract extension

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey has been awarded a new, three-year contract – three years after taking the helm at SOU, steering the university through an organizational realignment and charting an entrepreneurial course forward.

The SOU Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Friday to approve the new contract, which essentially extends President Bailey’s original contract that would have expired at the end of June. The new pact incorporates the final six months of the first contract and pushes the expiration date to June 30, 2028.

“My fellow trustees and I recognize that the university is in good hands, and that there are many reasons for optimism under Dr. Bailey’s leadership,” said Sheila Clough, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We are very pleased to acknowledge his innovative guidance and to provide this measure of stability to Dr. Bailey and to SOU.”

The president’s base compensation is unchanged under the new contract. According to Chair Clough, the board and the campus were unified in their desire to retain Dr. Bailey, and therefore, the new contract also includes a deferred compensation component as a retention incentive. President Bailey continues to receive a package of health insurance and retirement benefits similar to those of other SOU employees. The president also receives a vehicle stipend and university-supplied housing.

The new contract requires the board chair to meet again with President Bailey no later than Dec. 31, 2027, “to discuss the board chair’s intent regarding their recommendation concerning Dr. Bailey’s future reappointment as president.”

“I am humbled and grateful to the Board of Trustees and the campus community for their trust and confidence,” President Bailey said. “The position of president at SOU was the only role I was interested in filling when I accepted this job three years ago, and that remains the case today. We have made measurable progress, thanks to a supportive Board and constructive partnerships throughout the university community and beyond. But there is much that remains to be done, and I look forward every day to the work that we do together.”

SOU was at a financial crossroads when President Bailey was hired, with structural flaws in its fiscal model that were the result of a longstanding reliance on a combination of state appropriations and tuition revenue to pay for most operations.

After Bailey led a collaborative, campus-wide realignment process, the Board of Trustees adopted the four-plank SOU Forward strategy a little over a year later. That plan implemented policies of cost management, expanded support for grant applications, leveraging of an ongoing surge of philanthropic support and diversification of revenue through entrepreneurial opportunities including solar power production and creation of a senior living center.

-SOU-

Cascade Complex demolition underway

Demolition underway at SOU’s Cascade Complex

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Cascade Complex, an obsolete cluster of nine residence halls and a cafeteria that have been largely unused since 2013, is being demolished over the next three months to make room for the anticipated development of a senior living center on the five-acre site at the southwest corner of campus.

Staton Companies, a Eugene-based contractor, was awarded a contract to demolish the Cascade Complex following a competitive bidding process. The demolition portion of the job began last week and is being done for just under $1.7 million. That and all other aspects of the project – including abatement and disposal of asbestos and other hazardous materials, and preparation of the site for future use – are being covered by a $3.5 million allocation from the 2021 Oregon Legislature to responsibly raze the facility.

Cascade Complex demolition underway“The utility tunnels under the slab, and the basement under the old kitchen, will be filled with ground concrete generated on-site,” said Leon Crouch, SOU’s director of Facilities Management & Planning. “None of the demolished concrete will be hauled off-site, rather it will be used to fill utility tunnels and basement spaces to prep the site for future construction.”

The Cascade Complex was built in phases during the early 1960s, and was completed in 1967. Issues with the facility – including defunct HVAC and plumbing, leaky roofs, fire risks and other safety concerns – precluded updating or repurposing the complex as it neared the end of its expected 50-year life span.

The facility’s demolition will eliminate ongoing upkeep costs for the university, and also removes an estimated $12 million in “deferred maintenance” projects that would have been necessary to rehabilitate the complex’s failing infrastructure. Two of the Cascade residence hall wings had been condemned.

SOU and its contractors are taking precautions throughout the project to minimize impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and the university campus, including limiting the hours of the noisiest work and mitigating the production of dust. Care is also being taken to prevent erosion and control storm water drainage.

“Demolition was scheduled for winter months, purposely to allow winter rains to help with dust control,” Crouch said. “On days where there is no rain, the contractors will appropriately wet material as it’s being ground to control dust.”

The current demolition work is expected to be completed by the end of March, when other contractors and SOU staff are scheduled to begin a month-long process of site restoration. The goal will be a stable, drought-tolerant, easily-mowed field that’s ready for development.

SOU leaders have begun exploratory conversations with potential private partners for the creation of a senior living facility to be built at the Cascade Complex location. The senior living center is seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity to forge a unique synergy between its residents, SOU students, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SOU and the university. The facility could be completed as early as fall 2027.

-SOU-

Solar projects underway at SOU Ashland

Construction underway on SOU’s latest solar projects

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University is making headway in its march toward becoming the first public university in the U.S. to produce all of the daytime electricity used on its campus, with more than $5 million in recent state, federal and student funding and multiple solar projects underway.

SOU completed a rooftop solar  installation on Lithia Motors Pavilion in July, with the project adding a 241 kilowatt solar array to the 63 kilowatt array already located on the athletic pavilion’s roof – making it the largest rooftop solar array in Ashland. SOU’s next project – a solar array and battery storage bank – will begin this month at The Hawk Dining Commons. That project will enable SOU to support community resilience by providing 24/7 power at The Hawk, if needed, in the event of an emergency.

Other upcoming solar projects include installation of four more rooftop arrays on the SOU Art Building, Theatre Building, Marion Ady Building and Central Hall. Also in the works are projects in parking lots adjacent to Lithia Motors Pavilion and the Computer Science Building, in which solar arrays will be installed on raised “canopies” above parking spaces. The second of those projects will include another battery storage bank in the Computer Science Building.

“We are looking ahead to our next phases of funding and excited about this journey for revenue diversification, low-carbon energy production and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Becs Walker, the university’s director of sustainability. “At the same time, we recognize the importance of energy efficiency and are monitoring all buildings to identify potential improvements. A recent renovation project on Britt Hall improved our energy efficiency across campus.”

The recent and upcoming projects have been funded so far by a total of $3 million from the Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, $800,000 through a legislative allocation for Sustainability Funding for Oregon’s Technical and Regional Universities, and $51,000 from the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University’s Green Fund. Another $2 million that was appropriated by Congress as part of a December 2022 spending bill is also earmarked for the current projects.

SOU is continuing to work through details of the federal appropriation’s funding mechanism, and is using the state grants to maintain the pace of its solar build-out.

Construction on the current round of projects began last spring with the installation of inverters and electronics at Lithia Motors Pavilion, and the installation of solar panels in the summer under a contract with Ashland’s True South Solar and its subcontractor, Welburn Electric of Phoenix.

The university anticipates generating 100% of its own electricity by 2035. SOU is focused on being entrepreneurial in its approaches to revenue generation, and on energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its eventual energy independence will save the university at least $750,000 per year in utility costs, and each solar array that comes on-line results in an incremental reduction of the overall energy bill for campus.

SOU has 10 existing solar arrays, plus one at the Higher Education Center in Medford and a pole-mounted array installed in 2022 by a nonprofit on land leased from the university.

-SOU-

At wildlife crossing site, SOU students Shawn Johnson, Emily Heller

Funding in place for wildlife crossing with key SOU role

(Ashland, Ore.) — A total of $37 million in federal and state funding has been secured to build a wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 south of Ashland, in a project that Southern Oregon University faculty and students have supported by monitoring wildlife patterns in the area.

Oregon recently was awarded a federal grant of $33.2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the project – the first wildlife overcrossing in Oregon or anywhere on I-5, from Mexico to Canada. The Oregon Department of Transportation will match the federal funding with $3.8 million, for a total project cost of $37 million.

The overpass – whose construction is expected to begin in early 2028 – will span the freeway’s northbound and southbound lanes 1.7 miles north of the Oregon-California state line to help reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions. Its site is within the Mariposa Preserve of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

Coyote at wildlife crossing site south of SOU AshlandSOU associate professor Karen Mager and her students have used camera traps to study wildlife use of I-5 for the past three years to better understand regional needs for wildlife crossings. Their data was a key component of the feasibility study that identified Mariposa Preserve as the priority site for an overpass. They provided species use data for the state and federal funding applications. and their monitoring efforts are expected to continue during and after construction of the crossing.

“My SOU students have captured over 12,000 unique observations of the wildlife inhabiting this highway corridor,” said Mager, who serves in SOU’s Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability and Biology departments, and is a fellow in the university’s Institute for Applied Sustainability.

“Our research confirms the extraordinary animal biodiversity at the site where this wildlife crossing will be built,” she said.

Thirteen SOU undergraduate research assistants and four undergraduate capstone projects have contributed much of the data for the project.

Karen Mager, who is leading SOU's efforts at the wildlife crossing

Karen Mager, who is leading SOU’s efforts at the wildlife crossing

“Students do fieldwork and then go through the images to identify species,” Mager said. “Incredibly, it took over 1 million photos and videos – mostly triggered by wind – to capture 12,000 animal images. SOU assistant professor of Computer Science, Bernie Boscoe, and her students worked with us to use AI to detect animals in all those images.”

The crossing will benefit the many SOU students who will continue to gain hands-on research experience by studying its impacts, Mager said. The monitoring efforts will help to document the crossing’s effects on animals and motorists.

About 6,000 vehicle-wildlife collisions are reported each year throughout Oregon, according to state agencies. The average cost of damages in a deer collision is $9,000, and it’s $24,000 for each collision with an elk, according to ODOT. Data from six wildlife underpasses in Oregon – five under Highway 97 and one under Highway 20 – show that their construction led to an 86% decrease in wildlife-vehicle collisions in those areas.

The site of the I-5 overpass is considered to be the highest-priority location along I-5, due to its biodiversity and sensitive wildlife populations, and its promise for improving animal movement through one of the only mountain corridors that connects the coast ranges to the interior Cascades.  The Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument is home to rare mammals such as the Pacific fisher, along with deer, bear, elk, cougars and other large-bodied animals – all of which have been observed by Mager at the site of the future overpass. Many rare and unique butterflies and other species are also found in the area.

ODOT is working on the project in collaboration with the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition. A vision for the wildlife crossing grew out of a February 2021 meeting of representatives from 17 organizations and agencies that are part of the coalition.

“This is the Christmas present that wildlife in southern Oregon were hoping for,” said Jack Williams, an emeritus senior scientist for Trout Unlimited and co-coordinator of the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition.

“The Mariposa Wildlife Overcrossing is exactly what wildlife need – it helps to heal and restore critical east-west habitat connections that were lost when Interstate 5 was built more than 50 years ago,” Williams said.

The state and federal funding will pay for directional fencing to funnel wildlife to the overpass and associated habitat improvements, along with construction costs of the overpass itself. Some lane closures are expected along I-5 during the construction.

“While I-5 is a vital transportation corridor for our region and state, it divides the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, obligating wildlife to make death-defying treks across high-speed traffic,” said Oregon State Rep. Pam Marsh, whose district in the House of Representatives covers southern Jackson County. “This location will reconnect habitat and support biodiversity, while reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions. I can hardly wait for the time that bears, mountain lions and deer are safely traversing well above the freeway.”

The federal portion of the construction funding is through the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highways Administration Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, which in turn is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Oregon’s U.S. senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, pushed for that piece of the funding, along with an earlier $400,000 appropriation that helped pay for the design and engineering phases of the project.

-SOU-

Klamath dam removal workshop at SOU

Klamath dam removal workshop at SOU fosters collaboration

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University recently hosted the Klamath Dam Removal Research Collaboration Workshop, a follow-up seminar for the numerous groups and agencies working together on the world’s largest-ever dam removal and river restoration project.

The November workshop brought together nearly 150 researchers, Tribal leaders and agency representatives to share information about ecological and social changes in the Klamath River basin that have resulted from the removal of its four dams.

Removal of the Iron Gate (45 minutes southeast of Ashland), J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1 and Copco No. 2 dams was completed ahead of schedule on Aug. 28, but work will continue for several years to restore about 2,200 acres of land that had been submerged for decades. The dams were built between 1918 and 1962 to provide electricity, but had severe effects on salmon populations and Tribal communities. The river now flows freely from Lake Ewauna near Klamath Falls to the Pacific Ocean.

Salmon return after dam removalThe three-day event at SOU, held jointly with the Klamath Basin Monitoring Program meeting, was intended to build interdisciplinary connections among those working on the renewal project. The workshop was supported by SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability; Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability; and Native Nations Office.

“Our goal was to foster connections across disciplines and entities, through important keynote talks, focused discussion and field trips to dam removal and restoration sites,” said conference organizer Chhaya Werner, an SOU assistant professor of Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability.

Werner’s lab researches the regeneration of plant communities in the de-watered reservoirs.

She said many who attended the workshop agreed that its “absolute highlight” was a field trip to the dam removal sites and key spawning tributaries, where dozens of fall-run Chinook salmon could be seen returning to their traditional spawning habitat.

Participants at the event included representatives from 11 tribal agencies or entities, including the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, Klamath, Modoc, Karuk, and lower Elwha Klallam Tribes, and the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People and Quartz Valley Indian Reservation; seven federal and state agencies; eight universities; and non-profits including the Klamath Bird Observatory, Scott River Watershed Council, Trout Unlimited and Save California Salmon. Many SOU faculty and more than 30 SOU students were actively involved, along with alumni now working in restoration fields.

“SOU’s involvement in hosting the meeting is a showing of (the university’s) commitment to supporting science and communities of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion,” said Laurel Genzoli, an SOU alumna and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Returning to SOU to connect with researchers working together to support the restoration of the Klamath River reminded me of the impact that is made through connecting academic institutions with local communities and real world experiences.”

A focus of the workshop was to acknowledge Tribal research and activism for their roles in dam removal and restoration. Keynote speaker Leaf Hillman, former director of the Karuk Department of Natural Resources, opened the workshop with stories of how the work of dam removal began more than two decades ago. Invited speakers on an Indigenous sovereignty panel addressed questions on inter-entity collaboration and partnership. Ridges to Riffles founder Amy Bowers Cordalis closed the workshop with a powerful reminder to listen and learn from the river and its fish.

The workshop also highlighted ongoing research into sediment transport, fish habitat restoration and social impacts. Participants shared findings, including preliminary data on water quality and juvenile salmon survival, and discussed future collaboration opportunities.

Removal of the four dams was completed on-budget, with the smallest dam taken down in 2023 and the three others dismantled beginning in January 2024. Ongoing restoration work includes reshaping tributary channels, replanting native vegetation and improving habitat for salmon and other species. Progress will be monitored with sonar imaging, netting, radio telemetry and other means of tracking the fish that return to spawn in the Klamath River.

-SOU-

Scavenger Hunt contestants at SOU Ashland

SOU Scavenger Hunt teaches academic skills to pre-college youth

Middle and high school students from across the southern Oregon region recently competed in the annual Scavenger Hunt event held by SOU’s Office of Youth Programs. Scavenger Hunt is a three-day academic “hunt,” in which students search for answers to clues provided by the hunt’s director, Jim Impara. Answers to the dozens of questions provided are found through research on the internet or in local community settings.

The following week, the students gather for a one-day adjudication portion on the SOU campus. Students defend their answers during the adjudication, and argue against their competitors’ findings in front of a moderator and adjudication judges. To earn points from their competitors, students must show proof of their evidence through detailed research and proper citations. Students can rebut the findings of opponents in other schools by respectfully articulating why they should earn more points based on their own evidence.

Students participating in the Scavenger Hunt can also improve their positions by using “bring ins” – materials that they bring to the adjudication to present to judges. For example, a recent “bring in” list encouraged students to “Find a dinosaur or extinct creature that lived in this area and make a recreation of it using crafts, food or costumes.” The students were also asked to present information to the judges about the creatures they chose.

The Scavenger Hunt event, held each year in November and December,  benefits students by teaching them to access and critically analyze sources of information, support teamwork in an academic arena, and engage in civil discourse and respectful argumentation skills. The hunt provides a safe place to learn and develop important educational skills that can be used later in life.

A middle school participant wrote that “coming to SOU to defend our answers” was the best part of the program. Another 6th-grader from Hanby Middle School in Gold Hill wrote that they “love the way that Scavenger Hunt not only challenges our thinking skills, but brings students closer together”.

Results
The middle and high school teams with the most points at the end of the competition are declared the winners and awarded a traveling trophy. The program has grown significantly since its inception 42 years ago, with a total of 23 middle and high schools competing this year. Logos Charter School of Medford earned first place for the high school and middle school Division A portions, while Medford’s Oakdale won the middle school Division B competition.

Academic Competitions
Middle and high school students have the opportunity to take part in a number of academic competitions presented by SOU Youth Programs throughout the year. In addition to the Scavenger Hunt, the program offers the Best of the Best Art Show, Brain Bowl and the Southern Oregon Mathletes League (offered through the SOU Mathematics Department).

To learn more about SOU’s Youth Programs competitions, visit youth.sou.edu/academics.