Sustainability Director Becs Walker among solar panels at SOU

SOU maintains “Gold” in prestigious sustainability rating

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s rating for campus-wide sustainability achievements remains at the “Gold” level and is the highest of five participating colleges and universities in Oregon, as measured by an evaluation system developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

SOU improved its score from three years ago in the AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) that is used to grade colleges and universities worldwide. The system grades participating institutions in 45 subcategories, and SOU scored particularly well for its sustainability-based course offerings, graduate programs, outreach and communication efforts, student success, civic engagement, and institutional climate and governance.

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Southern Oregon University has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Gold Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”

SOU first achieved the system’s silver level in 2017, and that rating was reaffirmed in 2019, before the university reached AASHE’s Gold level in 2022. The latest Gold rating will be in effect for three years.

Participants in AASHE’s can be recognized simply for reporting their sustainability achievements, or for rating at the organization’s bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels. STARS is used by more than 1,200 participating institutions in 52 countries, rating their sustainability efforts in five categories: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.

“SOU’s Gold STARS rating is a powerful testament to the leadership, dedication, and innovation demonstrated across our entire campus community,” said Becs Walker, SOU’s Director of Sustainability. “It’s exciting to see us not only maintain this high standard but also make meaningful improvements in key areas.

“Sustainability is deeply woven into both our daily operations and long-term strategic vision. We’re proud to continue challenging ourselves to find better, smarter and more impactful ways of doing things at SOU.”

SOU’s latest Gold rating takes into account the university’s ongoing efforts to achieve a variety of sustainability goals. STARS assesses environmental factors, along with social and economic considerations. SOU has demonstrated progress in many areas related to sustainability in achieving the gold rating, including governance of sustainability, health and wellbeing, protecting the environment, equity, social justice and community engagement.

The new STARS rating from AASHE is the latest of many sustainability efforts by the university in recent years. SOU was the nation’s first certified Bee Campus USA and has maintained that certification, has been named a Tree Campus USA for eight consecutive years.

The university has been awarded $5.8 million in state and federal funding over the past three years to support energy generation and resilience, including six new rooftop solar arrays, one parking lot canopy array and two battery storage systems. SOU currently has solar arrays on nine Ashland rooftops and one on its Medford campus, for total generating capacity of 842kW – 11.6% of the electricity it uses.

SOU purchases the rest of its electricity through the city of Ashland – a mix that includes as much as 77% renewable energy.

The university has also launched its Institute for Applied Sustainability since the 2022 AASHE rating. The institute – part of an historic philanthropic gift from Lithia Motors and its GreenCars division – identifies and implements initiatives that move the university toward sustainability, collaborating with Lithia to develop projects and programs such as a national sustainability conference and an academic credential in corporate sustainability.

AASHE is a nonprofit organization that helps colleges and universities work together to create and lead the way to a sustainable future. Its STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance.

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Surprise speaker Tina Kotek at SOU Ashland commencement

Commencement surprise: Gov. Kotek addresses SOU graduates

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek surprised graduates and audience members by visiting Ashland to deliver the commencement address for Southern Oregon University’s class of 2025 on Saturday. The event – SOU’s 99th Commencement – marked the first time the governor has spoken at a graduation ceremony since taking office.

“I know that young Americans feel conflicted about their world, about themselves, about the future,” Governor Kotek told the SOU graduates. “But don’t give up on the big picture. Don’t give up on what the world can be.

“So, as you start a new chapter in your life, believe in yourself. Believe in others. And believe in something bigger than yourself. You’ll like where it takes you.”

SOU President Rick Bailey expressed his thanks to the governor and to the day’s honorees – the graduates.

“Today our governor gave us all a beautiful and gracious gift by taking the time to help us celebrate our graduates,” Bailey said. “All of us were honored to host Governor Kotek, who exemplifies the transformative power of higher education and serves as a powerful role model for our university and our graduates.

“She is an inspiring leader, and her comments today truly moved and motivated those in SOU’s Class of 2025 as they transition into meaningful careers as future leaders of our region and our state.”

The 880 graduates in SOU’s class of 2025 – and the capacity crowd at SOU’s Raider Stadium – cheered and applauded throughout speeches from Gov. Kotek, President Bailey, student Parker Boom and others in the 2 ½-hour ceremony. Blue skies and moderate temperatures helped to create a picture-perfect backdrop as a total of 1,056 degrees were conferred – 659 undergrad degrees, 221 graduate degrees and 176 certificates.

Boom, a creative writing graduate and poet, drew sustained applause as her speech came near its conclusion.

“As we celebrate today, I urge all of us to embrace our active role in the meaning-making of the world,” she said. “To be conscious of its direction. To witness and notice the shape of the earth, the quality of light. To hurl ourselves against billionaires, monarchs, oligarchs and regimes. To place ourselves between the sword and the neck. To insist on all our lives.

“That work, too, is worthy of celebration.”

Governor Kotek and President Bailey presented diploma covers, shook hands and posed for photos with each new graduate as their names were called and they walked individually across the stage. SOU Provost and Executive Vice President Casey Shillam, Ph.D., presided over the event.

Gov. Kotek graduated high school near York, Pennsylvania and attended Georgetown University before earning a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Oregon. She received her master’s degree in international studies and comparative religion at the University of Washington before returning to Oregon, where she served as a public policy advocate for the Oregon Food Bank before beginning her political career in 2006.

She was elected to eight two-year terms in the Oregon House of Representatives – and served 10 years as House Speaker – before her election as governor in 2022..

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Outstanding Graduate Student award recipient Matthew Havniear, SOU Ashland

SOU’s Havniear receives Outstanding Graduate Student award

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(Ashland, Ore.) — U.S. Marine Corps veteran, nonprofit leader and graduating MBA student Matthew Havniear will be celebrated as the 2025 recipient of the University of Guanajuato Outstanding Graduate Student Award during the Southern Oregon University commencement ceremony on June 14.

The prestigious annual award honors a graduate student who exemplifies academic excellence and meaningful service to both their university and broader community. It celebrates the long-standing academic partnership between Southern Oregon University and the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico, grounded in shared commitments to cross-cultural understanding, leadership and public impact.

Havniear – a full-time graduate student from Talent with a 4.0 GPA – was nominated by SOU’s MBA Program for his noteworthy contributions inside and outside the classroom. He currently serves as Interim Executive Director of both the Jackson County Community Long-Term Recovery Group and the Rogue Valley Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) – two key regional organizations that support disaster recovery, housing and emergency preparedness across southern Oregon.

Havniear has played a central role in advancing wildfire resilience, affordable housing initiatives and inclusive recovery strategies for vulnerable populations through his leadership. He has also co-authored federal grant proposals in collaboration with SOU and other regional leaders, securing vital resources for underserved communities.

He founded Team Overland in 2015 – a volunteer-run nonprofit that provides free therapeutic outdoor adventures for veterans and their families. Since its inception, the organization has positively impacted more than 1,000 participants throughout the region.

“This award is significant to me – not just as a student, but as a father, a veteran and a community member,” Havniear said. “My time at SOU has helped me build stronger systems of support for those most impacted by crisis. I’m proud to be part of a university that values service, cultural inclusion and resilience.”

Havniear completed his degree through SOU’s Online MBA Program, launched in 2017 to meet the needs of working professionals throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The program now serves approximately 150 students nationwide, offering flexible, accelerated terms that allow students to finish their degrees in as few as 16 months.

For those who prefer a traditional classroom experience, SOU also offers its MBA in a face-to-face format on the Ashland campus, maintaining the same academic rigor and applied learning as the online program while fostering in-person engagement.

The University of Guanajuato Outstanding Graduate Student Award stands as a testament to the power of international academic partnerships and the role of transformational leadership in advancing the public good – values that are central to both SOU and the Universidad de Guanajuato.

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SOU Ashland Spring Wellness Event

Highlights from SOU’s Spring Wellness Event

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The Spring Wellness Event that was held recently at SOU transformed the lawn in front of Britt Hall into a hub of creativity, movement and community connection, with more than 30 students, staff and faculty taking time to prioritize their well-being during the busy end of spring term.

SOU Ashland Wellness EventAttendees at the event – hosted by the Southern Oregon Behavioral Health Initiative – enjoyed a range of relaxing and restorative activities, including painting, essential oil blending and other hands-on crafts that invited creativity and mindfulness. The stretching section offered a calm space to breathe and gently move, while the sunny afternoon provided the perfect setting to reconnect with others in a low-pressure, welcoming environment.

The wellness lawn also welcomed some delightful surprise guests – including a juggler and several playful therapy dogs that brought joy and laughter to all ages. A slack line was set up for those looking to test their balance (or just have a good laugh), and many attendees stayed well beyond the planned time to soak up the good vibes.

Organizers thank everyone who participated in the event, which was more than just a break from finals stress; it was a reminder of the importance of community, creativity and caring for ourselves and one another.

The successful wellness event follows a “Culture of Care” discussion a few months ago in the Hannon Library’s Meese Room, which was also well-attended – with about 40 students, faculty and staff taking part. Both events are part of the university’s Southern Oregon Behavioral Health Initiative, which was funded last spring with a legislative allocation intended to address a statewide shortage of behavioral health providers and programs.

Topics at the February session included the need for more conversations and curriculum integration to support gender-affirming care; strategies including youth-friendly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, a speakers bureau and “party mentors” to help prevent addiction and overdose; supporting undocumented people by addressing their fears and offering tangible help; embracing neurodiversity with access to affordable diagnoses, stronger accommodations and faculty awareness; and using storytelling to address climate anxiety.

The Behavioral Health Initiative advances behavioral health education, workforce development and community collaboration. SOBHI is taking the lead in creating the Rogue Valley Behavioral Health Employment and Career Opportunity Network, offering professional development programs in behavioral health, expanding on-campus behavioral health opportunities and support, and maintaining the “Culture of Care” dialogue.

Behavioral health addresses the connection between behaviors and well-being, and how support through prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery may impact overall health. It encompasses mental health, lifestyle and health behaviors, substance use, and crisis and coping strategies.

Mindfulness and compassion book co-authored by Paul Condon of SOU Ashland

SOU faculty member co-authors book on mindfulness and compassion

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Paul Condon, an associate professor of psychology at Southern Oregon University, is co-author of a new book that blends psychological science and contemplative theories to inform mindfulness and compassion practices for the general public. “How Compassion Works: A Step-by-step guide to cultivating well-being, love and wisdom,” was written jointly with Boston College professor John Makransky and will be released June 24.

The book, published by Shambhala Publications and distributed by Penguin Random House, offers a guide to embody the qualities of love, compassion and wisdom from within, using an evidence-based meditation method called Sustainable Compassion Training (SCT). The compassion training style is adapted from Tibetan Buddhism traditions, attachment theory and cognitive science.

“Organized into three categories – receptive mode, deepening mode, and inclusive mode – these practices help us cultivate unconditional care and discernment from within,” the publisher’s description of the book says. “With a flexible framework that allows practitioners to integrate their own religious or spiritual beliefs, this book offers practices suitable for people of all faiths and those seeking a purely secular path.”

The book uses a progressive series of meditations that readers can use to gradually build capacity for mindfulness and compassion.

Makransky and Condon, who are both practitioners of Tibetan Buddhist meditation, worked together to develop SCT as a means of teaching modern Buddhists, those of other faiths and people in caring professions to train compassion and wisdom.

“Befriending one’s mind through formal meditation practice can be thought of as a radical act of love, sanity, wisdom, and healing,” Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), said in a review of the new book.

“’How Compassion Works’ is a high-resolution guide to both the instrumental and non-instrumental dimensions of meditation practice based predominantly on Tibetan teachings yet explicitly inviting a broader inclusivity,” said Kabat-Zinn, the author of “Wherever You Go, There You Are” and “Coming to Our Senses.”

Makransky, Ph.D., is a professor of Buddhism and comparative theology at Boston College. He has served as senior academic advisor for the Buddhist Studies Center at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal, president of the Society of Buddhist-Christian studies and “contemplative fellow” of the Mind and Life Institute in Virginia. He was ordained 25 years ago as a Tibetan Buddhist lama.

Condon, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at SOU and a research fellow at the Mind & Life Institute. He has been a visiting lecturer at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, and a guest teacher at Kagyu Sukha Choling in Ashland. His work has appeared in several leading psychology journals, Buddhist magazines and other publications.

“How Compassion Works” will be available in paperback or as an ebook for $24.95, online through Penguin Random House or through retailers including Target, Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s and Hudson Booksellers.

Bloomsbury Books in Ashland will host a book event from 7 to 8 p.m. on July 21, with Condon in conversation with Cody Christopherson, Ph.D., who is a professor of clinical mental health counseling at SOU.

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