Peter Angstadt to serve as interim VPFA

Interim VPFA: Peter Angstadt to fill the key role

/in

Peter Angstadt, Ph.D.,  has agreed to serve as Southern Oregon University’s interim Vice President for Finance and Administration (VPFA), beginning June 3. Angstadt, who retired in 2016 after serving 12 years as president of Rogue Community College, is currently an adjunct professor in SOU’s MBA Program.

“I am confident that Peter will hit the ground running to support our students, faculty and staff, and help us better connect to our community,” SOU President Rick Bailey said.

SOU recently conducted a nationwide search for the VPFA position, but was unable to identify a candidate who was a mutual fit. The university will reopen its search for a permanent VPFA later this year, and Angstadt is expected to serve in the interim role until the permanent vice president is hired and begins work.

Neil Woolf, SOU’s executive vice president, is currently filling SOU’s VPFA role on a temporary basis. Woolf has been hired to serve as president of New Mexico Highlands University beginning this summer.

Finance and Administration oversees a broad range of campus operations and works closely with the university president on policy and operational issues. The Finance and Administration Office oversees eight SOU departments: Business Services, Budget & Planning, Contracts and Risk Management, Human Resources, Facilities Management & Planning, Campus Public Safety, Information Technology, Sustainability and University Housing. Those departments are collectively known as the Business Affairs Council, which manages all non-academic business operations for the university.

Angstadt is chair of the Asante Board of Directors and has served on many other local, community boards. He worked closely with SOU leadership while president of RCC and has also served as president of Colorado Northwestern Community College, the chief financial officer and Dean of College Services at Oregon’s Clackamas Community College and for two terms (1990-98) as the full-time mayor of Pocatello, Idaho.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Colorado State University and two master’s degrees: an M.Ed. in higher education administration from CSU and an MBA from Idaho State University. He earned his doctorate in educational policy and management from the University of Oregon.

Job fairs this week

Job and internship fairs this week

/in

Two events offered this week by the SOU Office of Career Connections are intended to help students and alumni discover job opportunities in general, and to highlight the need for teachers and education professionals in particular.

SOU’s all-industries Job, Career and Internship Fair – which is held each spring – will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, in the Stevenson Union’s Rogue River Room and ASSOU Lounge. It will be followed on Friday, April 12, by the Education Industry Job Fair, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Rogue River Room.

Both events are free and open to all students and alumni.

Wednesday’s Job, Career and Internship Fair will feature representatives from about 75 local and statewide employers. Those who are interested in attending can register and learn more online.

The fair enables attendees to connect with companies and organizations from a variety of industries, and to help students develop professionally and build their resumes. Employers will be filling full-time positions as well as part-time jobs and internships.

Employers expected at the Job, Career and Internship Fair include:

ACA Group, ACCESS, Adapt Integrated Health Care, AllCare Health, Ashland Family YMCA, Ashland Partners & Company LLP, Atrio Health Plans Inc., Avamere Health Services, Bicoastal Media, Boise Cascade Company, Bureau of Land Management, City of Ashland Police, City of Ashland Fire & Rescue, City of Medford Community Works, Edustaff, Enterprise Mobility, ESS, Evergreen Federal Bank, Express Employment Professionals – Medford, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grange Co-op, Harry & David, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Jackson County Library Services, Jackson County Community Justice, Jackson County Health & Human Service, Jackson County Roads & Parks, Jackson County Sheriff, Jasper Mountain, Kairos, KDRV-TV, Kelley Create, Klick Solar, KMVU TV Fox 26, La Clinica, Lithia & Driveway, Medford Water Commission, Mercy Flights, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Ontrack Rogue Valley, Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Department of Revenue, Oregon State University, Pacific Domes, Pacific Oasis Inc., Partnerships In Community Living, Inc. (PCL), Peace Corps, Personnel Source, Inc., Pfeiffer Vacuum, Purelight Power, Rogue Action Center, Rogue Community College, Rogue Community Health, Rogue Credit Union, Rogue School of Phlebotomy, Rogue Valley Manor-PRS, Rogue Valley SHRM, Rogue Waste, Inc., SEC Compliance Solutions LLC, Shasta County, SMART Reading, Southern Oregon Goodwill Industries, Southern Oregon Head Start, Southern Oregon PBS, Southern Oregon University Campus Employment, State of Oregon-Department of Human Services, The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon, The Crest, U.S. Department of State, United Community Action Network, Valley Immediate Care LLC, WaFd Bank, WorkSource Oregon-Business Services.

Friday’s Education Industry Job Fair will provide an opportunity for students in SOU’s Education Department and others to meet with representatives of school districts from throughout southern Oregon. The districts are seeking to fill elementary, middle and high school teaching positions, along with initial administration licensure and support staff positions.

Those who are interested in attending can register or find more information online.

SOU’s Career Connections office helps students identify and achieve career goals that will lead them to lives of purpose. The office collaborates with employers, graduate and professional schools, faculty and staff, student organizations, parents and alumni to serve students and graduates. Visit the Career Connections office at SU 310 or email for more information at careerconnections@sou.edu.

La Clinica to operate SOU Student Health & Wellness Center

La Clinica partners with SOU to operate student health center

/in ,

Medford-based community health center group La Clinica has partnered with Southern Oregon University to operate the on-campus Student Health & Wellness Center starting in September.

The collaboration is aimed at ensuring SOU can continue to provide students with affordable and high quality medical, behavioral health and reproductive health services. La Clinica accepts most insurance, including Oregon Health Plan, and does not turn away patients for inability to pay.

“La Clinica is an outstanding, community-minded organization, and SOU is proud to be partnering with them to ensure our students continue to get high-quality care while keeping their costs affordable,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “We are indebted to everyone at La Clinica for embracing this partnership with compassion, kindness, and a focus on selfless student service.”

La Clinica CEO Brenda Johnson said that providing services at SOU will come naturally for the healthcare organization.

“We’re grateful and excited to be able to step into this role as a partner and support SOU’s vision in providing accessible and affordable health care for their students,” said Johnson. “SOU is an excellent educational home, and La Clinica has a lot of experience running school-based health centers. It’s an ideal collaboration.”

La Clinica operates 29 health centers in Jackson County, including 19 at area schools. It has deep experience in providing the services offered at the student health center. The organization serves about 30,000 patients annually.

La Clinica will begin operations at SOU as students return to campus in September for fall term, and will continue to offer students access to low-cost medical, mental health, and contraceptive care, as they’ve had available previously. The Student Health & Wellness Center is at the eastern edge of the SOU campus at 560 Indiana St.

La Clinica provides a host of other services to everyone involved in its care as well, including help signing up for the Oregon Health Plan or understanding other potential community resources; special prescription drug pricing; drop-in care on Saturdays at the Acute Care Clinic; dental care; education and training services through The Learning Well (https://thelearningwell.org); and grief education and support services through WinterSpring.

About La Clinica
La Clinica offers wellness-focused medical, dental, mental health, and substance use disorder care at 29 sites: 19 school-based centers, the Acute Care Clinic, the Women’s Health Center, East Medford Dental Clinic, a learning center, and six other community health centers. Although its mission focuses on providing access to low-income people, La Clinica is open to everyone. La Clinica was founded in 1989 to serve the primary and preventive care needs of migrant and seasonal farm workers in Jackson County.  In 2001, in response to an increasing need for affordable primary health, La Clinica expanded its scope to serve every member of the community. All services are offered regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, and on a sliding-scale basis for the uninsured and low income. Visit https://laclinicahealth.org.

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.

SOU's Brain Bowl tournament

SOU offers “Brain Bowl” for local students

/in

More than 20 teams and a combined 100-plus students participated last month in the 47th annual Southern Oregon Brain Bowl, a quizbowl tournament organized by the Pre-College Youth Program at Southern Oregon University for middle and high schools in the region.

The first-round winners are St. Mary’s, Ashland, Logos Charter and Henley high schools in the junior varsity category, and Cascade Christian, Ashland, Phoenix and Mazama high schools in the varsity competition. The four finalists in both the varsity and junior varsity categories will complete for the Brain Bowl Division Championships, with the competition filmed on Saturday, April 13, and aired on Southern Oregon Public Television (PBS) at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 14.

Winners in the middle school category were St. Mary’s in Division A, McLoughlin in Division B and Scenic in Division C.

A special “Team Challenge” competition was also held during this year’s first-round high school tournament, with each team given five minutes to work together to answer a question or solve a problem. Each team was given the same challenge, and the special team event didn’t affect scoring for the overall tournament. The Team Challenge awards went to Grants Pass and Phoenix high schools in the varsity category, and to St. Mary’s and Henley high schools in the junior varsity category.

The SOU Pre-College Youth Programs staff congratulated all of the participating Brain Bowl students for their sportsmanship and competence, and thanked coaches for supporting their teams. The Jackson, Josephine and Klamath County school districts all helped to sponsor the tournament.

The director and question creator for this year’s Brain Bowl was James Johnson, who oversees the Academic Support Center at Ashland Middle School and coaches the school’s Brain Bowl team. The headquarters team included scorekeepers Diane Novak and Debbi Larsen, part of a team of more than 30 community members who served as timekeepers, scorekeepers and moderators.

The Southern Oregon Brain Bowl, based on game show Jeopardy, began in 1977 as a local academic competition between southern Oregon middle schools and high schools.

SOU receives Tree Campus designation

SOU earns 10th Tree Campus designation

/in , ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has been honored by the national Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA for the 10th consecutive year, in recognition of SOU’s commitment to the effective management of its urban forest.

Tree Campus Higher Education, a program that began in 2008, recognizes U.S. colleges and universities, and their leaders, for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. SOU, which first earned the distinction in 2014, is one of 411 higher education institutions nationwide to receive the most recent recognition.

“We are delighted to be awarded Tree Campus certification for another year at Southern Oregon University,” said Becs Walker, SOU’s director of sustainability. “This is very much a collaborative effort of faculty, students, staff and the community. Our trees are also facing increased stress from drought and disease, and our landscape department is working hard to minimize this impact.”

SOU earned the Tree Campus designation by fulfilling the program’s five standards for effective campus forest management: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project..

Trees on campus and in urban spaces can lower energy costs by providing shade cover, cleaner air and water, and green spaces for students and faculty. Trees can also improve students’ mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses and create shaded areas for studying and gathering.

“Trees not only play a vital role in the environment but also in our daily lives,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Having trees on college and university campuses is a great way to show a commitment to students and faculty’s overall wellbeing.”

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member, nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission of inspiring people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. The foundation, launched in 1972, has helped to plant nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries.

-SOU-

Central Hall project funded in legislature short session

SOU receives support from legislature

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Statewide headlines about this year’s “short” session of the Oregon State Legislature, which adjourned last week, generally characterized it as an opportunity for lawmakers to bolster the governor’s fight against homelessness and to address issues with an earlier ballot measure that decriminalized drug possession. But a close look through a regional lens suggests that Southern Oregon University was among the session’s winners.

SOU was awarded funding for two of its top three priorities for the session – expansion of its graduate-level behavioral health counseling programs and completion of its Central Hall renovation project.

“We feel that the 2024 legislative session was pivotal for SOU, and for the southern Oregon region,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “Lawmakers have been vocal in recognizing that our university is taking the necessary steps to build financial sustainability, and legislative actions this year are rewarding our innovative approaches.

“We work closely with our local legislative delegation, and their influence with colleagues from throughout the state is reaping benefits for our campus and our communities. We are grateful to all of our state leaders for putting their trust and confidence in us, and for demonstrating that trust with their continuing support.”

Behavioral health funding
Legislators allocated $4 million for the state’s technical and regional universities, plus Portland State University, to expand the capacity of programs that train behavioral mental health counselors. SOU will receive $666,667 of that amount, which will be used to build a master’s degree in social work program, in collaboration with PSU, and to expand existing counseling programs.

The bill was introduced by State Sen. Jeff Golden of Ashland, who initially proposed a total of $6 million to expand the state’s behavioral health treatment capacity before the amount was reduced to $4 million. The funding is intended to expand offerings in the healthcare field and help Oregon address a critical statewide shortage of behavioral health practitioners.

SOU was separately awarded a $1.8 million grant earlier this year from the Oregon Health Authority to be used in part to expand the capacity of SOU’s existing master’s degree program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling to 60 students, from the current maximum of 48. SOU’s grant is part of the OHA’s Behavioral Health Workforce Initiative to improve care across the state, particularly for under-represented communities. SOU’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is expected to add a tenure-track faculty position this winter to support the program’s increased capacity next fall.

Central Hall renovation
SOU will receive $6 million to complete an ongoing upgrade to Central Hall – the only capital project that was funded for Oregon’s seven public universities, out of the total of $63 million in bond funding that lawmakers set aside for projects proposed by government entities throughout the state.

The funding allocated by this year’s legislature will pay for Phase 4 of the Central Hall project – interior design and finish work for the second floor, landscape renovations, a solar installation on the building roof, charging stations adjacent to the building in Lot 27 and potentially an additional solar installation in the parking lot. The design work for Phase 4 will kick off this summer or fall, and will likely include classrooms, a computer lab, study areas and other student-centered spaces.

The Central Hall project was originally allocated $6 million in the 2017 legislative session, and SOU has used additional funding from its capital improvement budget to maintain momentum on the project’s first three phases. The work began in 2022 and has included interior demolition; a seismic, mechanical, electrical, HVAC and life-safety upgrade; and design and renovation of basement and first-floor spaces.

The entire Central Hall project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

-SOU-

SOU at Special Olympics polar plunge

SOU Raiders make a big splash for Special Olympics

/in

The SOU Raiders were freezin’ for a reason last weekend in support of the 16th annual Southern Oregon Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Oregon, held March 2 at the Rogue Valley Country Club. The SOU Raider team consisted of 16 SOU students, one faculty member and three staff members who donned their red and black attire and took the plunge into the outdoor, unheated pool.

The Raiders were supported by donations from President Rick Bailey, SOU faculty, staff and friends of the university, who raised more than $2,000 for the cause. Participants showed up despite four inches of snow on the ground and near-freezing temperatures to get cold for the cause.

Participants were: Christina Martin, SOU board coordinator/legal assistant; Sam Hayes-Hicks, faculty, Creative Arts; Russell Copley, director of the Oregon Fringe Festival; Reed Bentley, SOU alum and director of the Maraval Road Steel Drum Band; and SOU students Shannon Jackson, Jared Rountree, Ryan McGinley, Clarisa Spevack, Camper Pillifant, Gianna McCardell, Jirapreeya Buranathamawat, Alexandra Carwithen, Cedar Berndt and Isaac Glace. All braved the close-to-freezing water with Kim Andresen, team captain, and Southern Oregon Plunge event manager.

Besides those plunging, members of SOU’s Maraval Road Steel Drum Band provided bright and tropical tunes that livened up the early morning event, where participants registered and walked around visiting community organization tables. In addition, Rocky Raider was on hand to high-five and greet participants right alongside event sponsor Rogue Credit Union’s “Wally the Wolf” and the Special Olympics Polar Bear “Polly.”

As hundreds of people took the plunge, the SOU Raider Drumline featured percussion students from the SOU music department, who drum rolled people into the chilly water as the cold, but engaged audience counted down.

“I’m so grateful to the SOU Raider Family that has supported this event for the past 7 years,” said Kim Andresen, event manager. “The cold is temporary, but the impact on the athletes lasts all year. Raising community awareness, support and money for athletes with disabilities across the state is a real game-changer.”

The fundraiser had record-breaking attendance with over 500 people and more than 300 participants who braved the cold water.  In addition, a total of more than $82,000 was raised, surpassing 2023’s high of $63,000. Proceeds from the event support local athletes from Klamath, Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties, and provides uniforms, sports equipment, regional and national competition travel opportunities, wellness and nutrition programs, and connection with the community for athletes with disabilities.

Photo by Tami Lee

SOU government relations director Marc Overbeck

Career policy advocate takes on government relations position with SOU

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Marc Overbeck, who has served for the past 12 years in a variety of legislative and policy roles for the Oregon Health Authority, has been selected to become Southern Oregon University’s director of government relations. He will begin his duties at SOU on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

Overbeck has served in a variety of policy-related roles over the past 30 years, including positions with the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Governor’s Child Care Commission, the Oregon Governor’s Office and as a legislative aide. In his current role as the federally-designated director for Oregon’s Primary Care Office, Overbeck has provided insight and direction to state and federal policymakers and helped guide distribution of millions of dollars in government funding.

“I’m thrilled and honored to join the team at Southern Oregon University,” Overbeck said. “As a third-generation Oregonian with ties to the southern Oregon area, it’s really special to me to give back. I’m excited to bring my decades of governmental, political and policy experience to an institution I truly believe in.”

Overbeck said he was particularly drawn to SOU by the university’s emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit and innovation as it looks beyond higher education’s traditional, two-pronged financial reliance on state appropriations and tuition revenue. SOU has addressed the issue of cost management, is expanding its efforts to secure funding from external granting agencies and organizations, and is leveraging an ongoing surge in philanthropic support. The university is also a pioneer in revenue-generating projects that include solar power generation, construction of a senior living facility and creation of a university business district.

“I’m very inspired by President (Rick) Bailey’s vision of a university of the future,” Overbeck said. “At a time of social division, the opportunity to create and foster a place where all students, faculty and community members can belong is special.

“Something wonderful is happening at Southern Oregon University under President Bailey’s leadership, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

SOU’s government relations director is the university’s primary liaison with state and federal lawmakers, and advocates for the university on matters involving higher education policy and funding.

Overbeck received his bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Willamette University, and was named a Hansard Scholar at the University of London. He also received a Hammer Award from then-Vice President Al Gore – a recognition of work that results in a government that works better and costs less.

-SOU-

four appointed to SOU board

Four appointed to SOU Board of Trustees

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — A local entrepreneur and double-alumna, a chemistry professor and campus leader, a graduate student in the School of Education and an undergraduate Honors College student 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.

Sachta Bakshi Card will complete the unexpired, at-large term of Jonathon Bullock, who resigned from the board last year; her term will end in June 2027. Hala Schepmann, Ph.D., will serve a two-year term as the SOU board’s faculty representative; Julissa Taitano will serve a two-year term as the board’s graduate program representative; and Garima Sharma will serve a two-year term as the board’s undergraduate representative. Card, Schepmann and Taitano are full voting members of the board, while Sharma’s undergrad position is non-voting in its first year and then shifts to a voting position in its second year.

“This is an outstanding group to help steer the course of the university we all love,” said SOU Board Chair Daniel Santos. “These new board members bring rich and varied experiences to the table, and each has deep connections to SOU. Our governing body, university, community and state will benefit from their service.”

Sachta Bakshi Card, who was born and raised in India before moving to the U.S. at age 17 to attend SOU, is an entrepreneur and investor who owns restaurants and advises other small businesses in southern Oregon. She is an honors graduate of SOU, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics, a certificate in Applied Finance and Economics, and a master’s in management degree. She also has an MBA from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in International Business from University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Card is a member of the boards of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Options for Helping, Resources and Assistance (OHRA). She received the prestigious American Association of University Women’s award for the Outstanding Woman Student in Economics while a student at SOU.

Hala Schepmann joined the SOU faculty in 2001 and recently served as chair of Chemistry and Physics, navigating the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and leading the creation of an endowed summer research program for students and faculty.  She has also served in SOU leadership roles including president of the faculty association and co-founder and leader of a university alliance that supports underrepresented faculty groups. Schepmann co-leads the National Science Foundation ASCEND project that focuses on supporting the advancement of women STEM faculty nationwide.  Her most recent effort – a project of NSF GRANTED (Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity) – seeks to transform research enterprises at primarily undergraduate, emerging research institutions. Schepmann specializes in organic chemistry and spectroscopy and her research interests include drug discovery and development of inclusive teaching strategies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Texas, Austin, her master’s degree in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of California, Berkely, and her doctorate in bioorganic chemistry from Rice University.

Julissa Taitano is a graduate student in the SOU School of Education’s Master of Science in Education program, with a concentration in higher education leadership. She has served as a student leader in many positions, including as a member of the SOU women’s wrestling team, and as a student representative and former student body vice president in the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University. She currently serves as chair of the Student Fee Budget Committee, which works to determine students’ “incidental fees” and other charges that can affect the university for many years. Taitano, as an aspiring educator, recognizes a systemic need for higher education institutions to embrace the urgency of being a catalyst for change. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education, with a minor in philosophy at SOU.

Garima Sharma is a junior in the SOU Honors College, with double majors in healthcare administration and pre-nursing, and minors in ethics and health promotion. She currently serves as chief justice for the ASSOU, where she looks at governing documents and helps establish rules for the student government to follow. Sharma has embraced leadership roles across campus, including service as president of the Black Student Union and work in the Social Justice & Equity Center. She has also been a resident assistant in University Housing for the past two years.

SOU was granted authority by the state to form its own independent Board of Trustees beginning July 1, 2015, following the legislature’s dissolution of the Oregon University System and State Board of Higher Education. SOU’s board is responsible for governance and oversight of the university.

-SOU-

SOU completes first phase of core information system upgrade

SOU successfully shifts to innovative core information system

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has successfully completed the first phase of its transition to a cutting-edge core information system – a process that most of Oregon’s colleges and universities, and many other government entities, are expected to duplicate in the coming years.

SOU is switching its primary operational software from a platform that was developed more than 30 years ago – and is still in use by most higher education institutions across the country – to the modern platform Workday. The move is expected to eventually save the university more than $750,000 in recurring, annual costs and improve the user experiences of both students and employees.

The first phase of the transition, which has been in the works for two years, has focused on employee-based elements of the platform: finance, payroll and human resources. Those elements of Workday “went live” at SOU on a limited basis in mid-December, and the transition was completed in January – including processing of the month’s payroll.

“This is a monumentally complex shift, and some entities that have gone before us have reported a pretty chaotic process,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “We have had employees from various departments across our campus who have worked as a team on this project since mid-2022. Their selfless efforts have been focused and deliberate, and the results so far are outstanding – they are continuing to correct a handful of minor glitches, but there have been no breakdowns or reports of deep-seated issues.

“A change to operational software may not seem especially thrilling or energizing, but this is truly a transformational move for SOU. This is a key moment in the repositioning of this university, from a culture of scarcity to one of opportunity.  We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone on our SOU team who bent over backward to make this possible for all of us.”

SOU’s team for its Core Information System Replacement (CISR) project has worked on the transition with the company Alchemy, a vendor that specializes in helping colleges and universities implement various functions of the Workday system.

The transition from an outdated core information system to Workday will enable employees to juggle fewer systems and see modernized and automated workflows, improved analytics and better security. It includes a shift for all employees – including faculty and student employees – to electronic time entry, leave requests and reimbursement procedures, and many other processes are being modernized and streamlined.

The next phase of  Workday implementation – the student module – will begin this spring and is expected to last another two and a half years. The new platform will affect how students view and register for courses, and will provide tools for them to create academic plans, manage financial aid and complete other functions throughout their academic careers. Most functions will be accessible on Workday’s mobile app.

Workday also will become the primary application through which the registrar will schedule and manage courses, and where faculty members and advisers will view and edit students’ transcripts and course progress.

SOU leaders intend to eventually leverage the university’s experience in implementing Workday to serve as a model – and potentially as a mentor – for other universities that shift to the platform. Several other institutions in Oregon and elsewhere have indicated they plan eventual transitions to Workday – Portland Community College and Oregon State University have already signed contracts – and are closely monitoring SOU’s progress.

-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.