New trustees appointed to SOU Ashland board

Six trustees appointed and confirmed to SOU Board

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(Ashland, Ore.) – Two new and four continuing members have been appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Board of Trustees of Southern Oregon University.

The new trustees are former Oregon State Rep. Peter Buckley and Christopher Geryak, an SOU junior and former student body vice president.

“The Board of Trustees is excited to welcome these dedicated individuals to SOU,” said Sheila Clough, the board’s chair. “Peter’s extensive legislative and community leadership, both locally and in the state, paired with Christopher’s proven commitment to students and leadership at SOU, will provide valuable insight as we navigate the future of higher education in our region.

“We appreciate Gov. Kotek’s appointment and the legislature’s confirmation of these leaders,” Clough said. “Their service ensures that SOU remains deeply connected to the needs of our students and the southern Oregon community.”

Returning to serve their second four-year terms as trustees are Debra F.J. Lee, Christina (Medina) Kruger and Elizabeth (Liz) Shelby. Their renewed terms will begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2030. Hala Schepmann, a professor of Chemistry, has been reappointed and confirmed to a two-year term as a faculty trustee, ending June 30, 2028. Trustees are limited to serving two consecutive full terms.

“SOU is vital to the success of our region,” said new trustee Peter Buckley. “I look forward to helping in any way I can to support our students, staff, faculty and fellow board members as we work for a brighter future.”

Student trustee Christopher Geryak echoed the sentiment of service. “I am pleased to join SOU’s Board of Trustees and provide my insight and knowledge to help SOU thrive and succeed,” Geryak said.

The new trustees’ terms will begin February 20. Buckley was appointed to a partial term and then a full term that will end June 30, 2030, and Geryak’s term runs through June 30, 2027.

Trustees are gubernatorial appointees, subject to confirmation by the Oregon Senate. The board consists of as many as 11 at-large trustees serving four-year terms, with additional positions reserved for up to three SOU students – two undergraduates (one voting, one non-voting), a faculty member and a non-faculty staff member, each serving two-year terms. The university president serves in a non-voting, ex officio capacity on the board, bringing total membership to 17.

New trustees

Peter Buckley
Buckley served for 12 years in the Oregon House of Representatives (2005-17), representing south Jackson County. During his tenure, he served for eight years as House Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means, the legislature’s budget-writing committee. After leaving the legislature, Peter was hired to lead Southern Oregon Success, a collaboration of all levels of education, health care, human services, public safety and workforce development in Jackson and Josephine counties, dedicated to working across all sectors to help children, families and communities thrive. Prior to his legislative service, Peter worked for 22 years as a director, actor, writer, producer, administrator and teacher for west coast regional theatres, including six years as the director of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

Christopher Geryak
Geryak is a junior at Southern Oregon University, majoring in business administration with a concentration in management and a minor in education. Following his service as SOU’s student body vice president, Christopher expanded his academic focus to include education, reinforcing his commitment to student advocacy and the importance of higher education across Oregon. During his time at SOU, he has held seven volunteer and employment positions and has been actively involved in numerous student organizations. His experiences in student government, student life and campus services have provided him with a well-rounded understanding of the university and its impact on students.

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The Farm at SOU Ashland

Winter workshops: student-led learning at The Farm

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While crops rest in winter, student farmers at The Farm at SOU are tackling personal research projects that build research and leadership skills. Each student collaborates with farm leadership to develop assessments, manuals and guides on topics ranging from agricultural techniques to harvest protocols to pest management.

Why dedicate an entire term to these projects? What makes them so valuable for student development? Even when winter slows outdoor operations, continual professional development is an important aspect of the undergraduate experience. As a student-led farm, it’s important to research agricultural best practices, synthesize information and share knowledge with one another before planting season begins.

Regularly evaluating and improving organizational processes is a part of every successful organization, especially for building a culture of continuous learning and adaptability in southern Oregon’s changing agricultural landscape. Shifting climate patterns and evolving market demands require farms like SOU’s to stay flexible and innovative in operations. Students take ownership of operations, addressing genuine needs and exploring their career interests.

By spring, students will have tangible portfolios showing what they’ve accomplished: field guides they designed, training videos they produced and schedules they created. More important, they’re gaining transferable skills in research, teaching and problem-solving. Their personal research projects represent professional development through real responsibility. Students leave with more than agricultural knowledge, by gaining confidence in their ability to lead, create and solve complex problems in any field they choose.

Curious about how you can support southern Oregon’ s agricultural legacy through hands-on learning? Consider buying local from the Summer CSA program at The Farm, at SOU. To learn more about the CSA, check out the farm’s website at farm.sou.edu.

Story by Sundar Archana, graduate assistant and education coordinator at The Farm at SOU

SOU Ashland limits spending

SOU enacts spending restrictions amid cash-flow concerns

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey enacted immediate spending restrictions today and asked all faculty and staff members to focus on savings, following an often difficult discussion with the SOU Board of Trustees on Monday about a cash-flow shortage that is expected to exist until downsizing measures adopted as part of last summer’s Resiliency Plan take full effect in about two years.

President Bailey and other SOU leaders are exploring all options to keep the university in a healthy fiscal position beyond the summer of 2026, and into 2027, when Resiliency Plan measures and a potential statewide reevaluation of higher education funding may provide relief. The president is in Salem today to meet with lawmakers ahead of this month’s short session of the Oregon Legislature, signaling to state leaders that in addition to everything the university is engaged in to play its role, state support will likely be required in the latter part of the 2025-2027 biennium.

“Even as we move through the SOU Resiliency Plan, and fight together to lean into our future, cash flow challenges will put us in a precarious position later this fiscal year and into next year,” President Bailey said in a message to employees. “We ask you to help us in the short term to be ever more vigilant regarding expenses.”

Immediate spending restrictions at the university include:

  • A hiring freeze, with approval by the supervising vice president required for any exceptions;
  • Travel restrictions, with approval of exceptions required by each employee’s supervising vice president;
  • Cuts to expenditures for services and supplies, with a supervisor’s pre-approval needed for any spending over $1,000;
  • Reductions in continuing education and professional development allowances, where possible.

The gap in cash flow became apparent in the university’s latest financial modeling and was discussed in a series of leader meetings over the past several days, culminating in President Bailey bringing the issue to the Board of Trustees yesterday. SOU is the first of Oregon’s seven public universities to be faced with a cash-flow shortfall, but all are on a similar trajectory due to persistent underfunding from the state. A recent analysis from the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission said that the cash balances for all seven universities will be in the red by 2030.

Oregon currently spends $8,600 per student to support public higher education at the state’s universities and community colleges. That ranks 37th in the nation and is $3,000 per student below the national average. Oregon’s per-student support for just its universities ranks 46th in the nation.

President Bailey also pointed out that SOU is already “far, far more efficient” than the national average for public universities, regarding student-to-staff and student-to-faculty ratios, following its SOU Forward and Resiliency Plan cost-cutting and restructuring initiatives of 2023 and 2025. All of Oregon’s public universities have undertaken some reorganizational or austerity measures in recent years.

“Oregon’s universities have done so much that we are strained to the breaking point,” President Bailey said.  But he also shared with the campus community that they will continue to fight for the university that we all love and deserve.

The president will be available to answer questions during a news conference at 2:15 p.m. today on Zoom.

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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.

Lyn Hennion, former member of SOU Ashland Board of Trustees

Lyn Hennion, SOU friend and former trustee, passes away

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Lyn Hennion, member of the SOU Board of Trustees from its inception in 2015 until 2022 and a longtime advocate for early childhood education, passed away last weekend. She and her husband, Alex Bellen, lived near the historic town of Buncom in the Applegate Valley.

“Lyn was among the very closest friends of our university, always putting the interests of our students first as she generously shared her broad business and life experience with all of us,” SOU President Rick Bailey and Board of Trustees Chair Sheila Clough said in a joint message to campus. “She understood both the importance and financial underpinnings of our institution, always willing to offer a steady hand as she led with kindness.”

Hennion was a retired financial advisor who spent nearly 25 years with Umpqua Investments – formerly Strand Atkinson Williams & York – in Medford. She previously served as vice president and senior regional manager for the Franklin Templeton mutual funds in Oregon, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

She was a graduate of Stanford University, and also completed the Securities Industry Institute at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Her record of community service and commitment to the causes most dear to her were acknowledged through numerous awards. She was honored with the “First Citizen” award from the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County in 2015. The Oregon Center for Creative Learning (OCCL) established the Lyn Hennion Early Learning Scholarship Fund in 2025, as a tribute to one of southern Oregon’s greatest champions for children and early childhood education. She was also recognized as a top financial advisor by both “Worth” and “Registered Representative” magazines.

Hennion served on the boards of the Craterian Performances Company, the Robert J. and Leona DeArmond Public Foundation and the Buncom Historical Society. She is a former director of the Oregon Community Foundation and its Southern Oregon Leadership Council, and also has served on the boards of organizations including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pacific Retirement Services, the Children’s Institute, the Rogue Valley Airport Advisory Committee, Oregon’s 529 College Savings Network and former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s “Ten Year Plan for Oregon.” She regularly volunteered during tax season as a tax preparer and counselor for the AARP Foundation’s free TaxAide program.

“We know that Lyn will be missed within each of those organizations, just as she is at SOU,” Bailey and Clough said in their message to campus. “The deepest void will be that left by the loss of her genuine compassion and consideration for all who came into her orbit.”

Older adult living project paused at SOU Ashland

Plans paused for older adult living community at SOU

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s project to create an older adult living community on its Ashland campus has been paused after one of the two companies being considered as partners with the university withdrew its response to SOU’s request for proposal. SOU will take time to consider what potential partnerships may look like before possibly issuing a new request for additional proposals from private developers.

University President Rick Bailey said the delay will allow more time to evaluate the long-term effects of a facility that will be a part of SOU and the Ashland community for generations.

“We have learned a lot in the last several months about both the challenges and opportunities of this project,” President Bailey said. “We acknowledge that this would likely be a 100-year project, and want to make sure we explore all our possibilities to optimize the benefits to our students, the university and our region.”

Medford-based Pacific Retirement Services, which was in discussions and performing initial due diligence with SOU regarding the project, notified the university this month that a decision has been made to focus capital and resources elsewhere. PRS emphasized that it intends to maintain its close relationships with SOU, including education of health care staff and an on-site Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program at its Rogue Valley Manor in Medford.

President Bailey said the campus community remains excited about the potential for a public-private partnership to develop the 4.3-acre site previously occupied by the Cascade Complex of residence halls. He said that placing the preliminary discussions on hold will enable the university to explore additional development options for the property.

Developers from around the country were invited last January to submit project proposals for an older adult living community – an entrepreneurial opportunity to forge a synergy between the facility’s residents, traditional SOU students, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SOU and the university. The project’s goal is to generate long-term revenue for SOU while supporting the university’s commitment to lifelong learning.

Older adult communities are a rare but growing feature on university campuses across the U.S., and an 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.

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Dee Anne Everson appointed to Board of Trustees at SOU Ashland

United Way CEO appointed to SOU Board of Trustees

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Dee Anne Everson, the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County, has been appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees. She will begin her service to the board on November 20.

Everson will complete the unexpired term of Bill Thorndike, who passed away unexpectedly in February. That term will expire next June 30, and Everson will then begin her own full, four-year term on the board.

“It is an honor to join Southern Oregon University’s Board of Trustees, and especially humbling to be following in the footsteps of Bill Thorndike,” Everson said. “I believe that my experiences will be of value to the board, and I look forward to helping guide the university through an important period in its long and rich history.”

Everson has served as the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County since 1996. Under her leadership, the local United Way has launched programs including Day of Caring, WILL (Women Living Leadership), the Meth Task Force, CAN (Child Abuse Network) and Tomorrow Needs You – a southern Oregon suicide prevention and mental wellness campaign. She previously spent 13 years in the corporate financial sector, then transitioned to nonprofits as economist and research manager for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Recognitions since she joined United Way of Jackson County include being named one of Oregon’s 50 great leaders by Oregon Business Magazine, the Social Empowerment Award from the Black Alliance for Social Empowerment (BASE), and the Nonprofit Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award from the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

Everson – who received the Executive Nonprofit Leaders Certificate from Stanford University – is a member of the International Women’s Forum and serves on the boards of the Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, NewSpirit Village and the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. She also serves on several committees, including the Jackson County Threat Assessment Committee, Wellness Court Advisory Committee and BHEACON Leadership Team. She is a convener for the Governor’s Regional Solutions Committee for Southern Oregon.

Everson has won two EMMY Awards for public service programming and regularly lectures on leadership and the nonprofit sector.

“On behalf of my colleagues on the SOU Board of Trustees, I am very happy to welcome Dee Anne to the board and to the SOU community,” said Sheila Clough, the board chair. “Her expertise and public service portfolio speak volumes – her leadership and wealth of experiences will undoubtedly serve the university well.”

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SOU’s Small Business Development Center to close

SOU’s Small Business Development Center to close

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Small Business Development Center, which has served Rogue Valley businesses for 41 years, will close to the public at the end of December after the university and state of Oregon were unable to reach agreement on a plan to maintain U.S. Small Business Administration funding for the center.

SOU has historically augmented the federal funding, but the university’s plan to rebuild itself as a smaller, more resilient institution reduces its ability to help pay for all services. The university submitted a joint proposal with Rogue Community College to combine SOU’s Medford-based Small Business Development Center with RCC’s Josephine County-serving SBDC, but the state office that coordinates Oregon’s 18 SBDCs rejected that plan.

“We definitely knew that the budget environment would mean less capability to subsidize the SBDC’s operations, but we did in earnest work with the state to find a creative solution to continuing services,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “We went back-and-forth with the state in our effort to create a single center for Jackson and Josephine counties – despite our budget issues – but ultimately were unable to move our proposal forward.”

More than 11,000 entrepreneurs and small business operators have tapped the services offered by SOU’s SBDC, which is located in the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center in Medford. The center works closely with SOU’s School of Business to teach and advise students and collaborate with faculty. It offers help to anyone who operates or is planning to open a business and also runs a Market Research Institute that can offer in-depth, applied market research to SBDC clients.

“The Rogue Valley owes a sincere debt of gratitude to all the amazing staff at the SOU SBDC and Market Research Institute for their service to our community and our region,” President Bailey said. “They have been role models of dedicated, heart-centered service.”

Small Business Development Centers are operated by each of Oregon’s 17 community colleges. SOU’s SBDC in Medford is the only one managed by a university, after Eastern Oregon University closed its SBDC office a year ago. Oregon’s SBDC offices are part of a national network and provide advising, training, online courses and resources for businesses throughout the state.

SBDC offices in Oregon are associated with both the U.S. Small Business Administration and Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency.

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Three new members appointed to SOU Ashland Board of Trustees

Three new members appointed to SOU board

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(Ashland, Ore.) — A local credit union president and CEO with extensive public service experience, a Southern Oregon University alumna and administrator, and a student in the SOU Master’s in Business Administration program have been appointed by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees.

Matthew Stephenson will be one of 11 at-large members on the board, and his term will end in June 2027. Ashley King, a nonfaculty staff member of the board, was appointed to serve an unexpired 2-year term that ends in June 2026, plus a full two-year term that ends in June 2028. Rose Harwood, the board’s graduate program representative, will serve a partial two-year term that expires in June 2027. All are full voting members of the board.

“I am very pleased to welcome this group of devoted public servants to our organization,” said SOU Board Chair Sheila Clough. “These new board members have common ground in their love for the university and their appreciation of the value that SOU brings to our region and the state. Their individual strengths and experiences will enrich our board and the university.”

Matt Stephenson is the president and CEO of Rogue Credit Union, where he began in 2004 as manager of the Information Services Department. He served in a progression of leadership roles before reaching his current position in 2022. Before joining RCU, he worked at Clark County Credit Union in Las Vegas. Stephenson has served in a variety of community service roles, including as a member of the Central Point City Council, the Jackson County Budget Committee, the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County Board of Directors, the Medford School District’s Facilities Optimization Committee, Rogue Community College Budget Committee and the board of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Incorporated (SOREDI). He earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems management and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He graduated with highest honors from Western CUNA Management School and received the prestigious Charlie Clark Memorial Award. He also holds the Certified Chief Executive designation from the Credit Union Executives Society CEO Institute.

Ashley King is the compliance coordinator for SOU, developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure university compliance with various state and federal laws. She has expertise in public procurement, contract administration and policy development, and supports university compliance for contracting and risk management. She has worked at SOU for more than 10 years, with previous roles including service center manager and senior purchasing and contracting specialist. King served as the inaugural chair of the SOU Staff Assembly, which represents the interests of the university’s non-faculty employees, and has also been a member of the SOU Budget Committee, SOU Planning Committee and SOU Policy Council. Her professional honors include the 2023 SOU Outstanding Staff Award and the 2021 SOU Service Excellence Award. King earned her bachelor’s degree in communication at SOU, graduating summa cum laude, and had dual minors in psychology and women’s studies. She was named the top graduating senior in human communication at SOU and the top graduating senior in women’s studies, awarded by the SOU chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Rose Harwood is currently completing master of business administration degree with a focus on arts management at SOU, and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting from the University of Southern California. They are a freelance writer and actor who has appeared on television and in films, and have been heard on national commercials. Harwood has produced, managed financials and run logistics for several independent films, and is the founding executive director of Unseen Films Oregon – a nonprofit that provides opportunities and mentorship for diverse populations working in the various aspects of media production. Harwood also works as a freelance grant writer and project manager for the Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau, and coaches at CrossFit Iron Haven in Ashland.

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SOU's Noah Horstman on Golf Digest list

SOU’s Horstman makes Golf Digest list

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Noah Horstman, head coach for the SOU men’s and women’s golf teams, has been included in Golf Digest’s listing of “Best Teachers in Every State for 2026-27,” as voted by golf-instructing peers.

Horstman, who operates the Golf Garage in Phoenix in addition to his SOU coaching duties, is one of eight instructors included in Golf Digest’s list for Oregon. He was picked in 2022 to build the SOU men’s and women’s teams as the programs’ first head coach.

He graduated from South Medford High School and Pacific University – where he was an All-Northwest Conference golfer – and has earned a variety of awards for golf instruction. He is a recipient of the Pacific Northwest PGA Youth Player Development Award, and has been named a Top 50 US Kids Coach and a Top 50 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional by the Golf Range Association of America.

Horstman was head coach for the men’s and women’s programs at Willamette University from 2009-13, taking them from last place in their conference to top-25 teams at the NCAA Division III level.

He then served as the director of instruction and player development at Beechmont Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio, for six years – four times being listed as Golf Digest’s Best Teacher in the State and twice being named Northern Ohio Section PGA Teacher of the Year. He returned in 2019 to the Rogue Valley, where he chose Phoenix as the location for his Golf Garage – a membership instruction and fitness facility. It offers 24-hour key-card access, fitness coaching, Pilates, Oregon’s largest indoor putting green and golfing resources such as swing coaches and mental training programs.

Horstman is one of just two golf instructors from outside of the Portland area who were named to this year’s “Best Teachers” list for Oregon by Golf Digest.

SOU embraces energy resilience with new solar projects

SOU expands solar and energy resilience footprint

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has embraced its role as an energy resilience leader in the region – supporting both the SOU community and the surrounding community – by completing two new solar arrays and installing its first battery system for energy storage. The moves edge SOU closer to its goal of generating 100% of the daytime electricity needed on campus.

The two most recent arrays – at Lithia Motors Pavilion and The Hawk Dining Commons – added a total of 402 kW (241.2 Lithia and 160.9 Hawk) of capacity and include SOU’s first battery-based storage system, providing both renewable generation and resilience benefits.

Battery storage for energy resilience at SOU AshlandThe projects were installed by Ashland-based contractor True South Solar as part of SOU’s first round of funding from the Oregon Department of Energy Community Renewable Energy Program. Additional support for the Hawk projects came from SOU’s Student Green Fund and a state sustainability allocation for its four technical and regional universities.

“It was great to work with local solar installer True South Solar on such significant project for SOU – the largest solar array in City of Ashland (on Lithia Motors Pavilion) as well as SOU’s first battery energy storage system,” said Becs Walker, SOU’s Director of Sustainability. “True South competitively bid for the contract and have installed a number of arrays on campus.”

Walker said the most recent projects “focus on strengthening emergency response infrastructure,” as SOU works with the city of Ashland, the Ashland School District and Jackson County to plan for potential disasters or crisis events.

“We are positioning SOU as a leader in energy and community resilience,” she said.

Walker, True South Solar representatives, facility management employees and economics faculty member Bret Anderson – who also serves as research director for SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability – conducted a recent test of the new solar and energy-storage facilities at The Hawk Dining Commons. External power to the building was shut down, and the dining hall’s basic components – lighting, one cooler and one cooking area – instantly powered back up by drawing from the solar array. The energy storage batteries will power the same essential components through the nighttime hours.

SOU now has 10 solar arrays on its campus, totaling 804.21 kW of capacity, in addition to one array on the Higher Education Center in Medford and six pole-mounted STrackers located on land leased to a nonprofit. Three of the on-campus arrays support net-zero buildings, underscoring SOU’s commitment to deep decarbonization and long-term energy savings.

SOU has been awarded $5.8 million in state and federal funding in recent years to support energy generation and energy resilience on campus – three $1 million grants from the state’s Community Renewable Energy Program, a $2 million congressional appropriation and $800,000 through an allocation from the Oregon Legislature for Sustainability Funding at Oregon’s Technical and Regional Universities.

Part of the $2 million federal appropriation will be used this year launch a new Community Resilience and Leadership (CRL) Student Fellows Program – the flagship curricular initiative of SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability (IAS). The fellowship program is being developed in partnership with academic programs and departments across campus to link the university’s solar infrastructure with its academic offerings around sustainability. It will prepare emerging leaders from all majors to strengthen communities and respond to the challenges of wildfire, extreme heat, smoke and other climate-related disruptions.

The year-long student fellowships will combine coursework, field experience and career pathways, and will offer mentorship, professional skill development, experience working on regional challenges and stipends to support students’ participation.

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