SOU showcases living laboratory at resilience summit

Southern Oregon University joined resilience leaders, practitioners and community partners from across Oregon for the three-day Oregon Resilience Summit in Sunriver, featuring presentations and discussions on building stronger, more resilient communities.

A talk by SOU’s Bret Anderson, Jamie Trammell and Becs Walker – “The University as a Living Laboratory for Resilience” – made the case for regional public universities like SOU to serve as anchor institutions for community resilience. Their presentation was framed around three interconnected strengths:

1. Campus energy infrastructure that supports resilience both on campus and in the wider community.
2. Deep relationships with community partners, co-creating solutions to real-world challenges.
3. A curriculum built around mentorship and experiential learning, opening new career pathways for students.

The presentation highlighted work supported by a $2 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant, including initiatives to advance energy resilience at SOU and across the region, and the Community Resilience and Leadership (CRL) Student Fellows Program.

Also representing for SOU were Kira Welch, Fawn Carnady and Community Resilience and Leadership student fellows Abby Lubin and Daphne Hawkins.

“I thought the real value of our time at the conference was the networking,” said Anderson, an Economics professor at SOU and the faculty and academic director for the university’s Institute for Applied Sustainability.

“The students met dozens of potential employers,” he said. “The Institute for Applied Sustainability team also had several conversations with future partners that we wouldn’t otherwise have had. I came away with a notebook full of ideas for the coming year.”

Throughout the three days, the summit featured inspiring examples of community resilience in action. SOU brought a distinctive higher education perspective that generated considerable interest and enthusiasm, particularly around workforce development and the role universities can play in strengthening communities.

SOU’s approach demonstrates how universities can contribute to resilience not only through research and education, but also through their physical infrastructure, community partnerships and opportunities for students to learn by doing.

“One of my biggest takeaways from the summit was that resilience in Oregon is being built from the ground up,” said Walker, SOU’s sustainability director. “Communities are finding their own solutions, building strong partnerships and drawing on their unique strengths.

“It really reinforced for me the important role Southern Oregon University can play, not just as a place of learning, but as a community partner and resource, connecting students, people and infrastructure to help build a more resilient region.”

The summit reinforced the exciting opportunity for SOU to serve as a regional hub for energy resilience, workforce development and community collaboration.

SOU’s contingent at the summit expressed their appreciation for support and investment in SOU’s energy resilience initiatives from the Oregon Department of Energy, the offices of U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, the U.S. Department of Energy and Lithia Motors and Driveway. That ongoing support is helping turn SOU’s ambitious ideas into real-world projects, creating opportunities for students, strengthening regional partnerships and building a more resilient future for southern Oregon.