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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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.

Faculty union and SOU Ashland extend contract

SOU and faculty union agree to extend contract

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University and its faculty union have signed an agreement that will postpone bargaining on a new contract for 18 months, allowing the university to better navigate fiscal uncertainties at the state and federal levels.

The current collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Professors of Southern Oregon University (APSOU) was set to expire in August. Instead, faculty members will receive 2 percent cost-of-living adjustments for each of the next two fiscal years, and the contract will be extended to January 2027.

“This university owes a huge debt of gratitude to the members of the SOU faculty union,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “We would not be in this position without their initiative. This agreement is without question a testament to their love and commitment to our students, our university and our community.”

Members of APSOU voted overwhelmingly to approve the plan. The university and APSOU leaders agree that the focus now must be on students’ academic experiences.

“APSOU is committed to student success and to working collaboratively with the administration to find solutions that prioritize stability and allow faculty to focus on the high quality teaching, scholarship and service that contribute so much to SOU’s reputation as an educational destination,” said Melissa Anderson, the APSOU president and an associate professor in the library.

The 18-month postponement to negotiations on a new contract will allow the university to navigate ongoing federal policy and funding uncertainties, and budget challenges currently being addressed by the Oregon Legislature.

SOU and the faculty union most recently negotiated a contract in the spring of 2022 – a four-year agreement that provided for modest annual salary adjustments, along with health insurance coverage and guidelines on working conditions.

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Elementary students from Kids Unlimited Academy visit SOU Ashland.

New SOU pathway program reaches into elementary schools

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(Ashland, Ore.) — A Southern Oregon University Spanish instructor’s personal initiative has brought to campus more than 120 elementary school students from underserved backgrounds over the past month, offering the children an up-close look at college life and the opportunity to see themselves as future students in a post-secondary setting.

The “Vision to the Future” initiative – introduced this spring by Lady Vanderlip, a senior instructor of Spanish at SOU – offers campus tours and activities to primarily Latino/a/x students from various Rogue Valley elementary schools. The program is intended to inspire and motivate the students by showing them that higher education can be a realistic goal for them.

“This program has been my little ‘dream passion’ that started when my children were attending primary school and I would invite their classes to visit my classroom,” Vanderlip said. “It was and is so important to me for them to see a person that looks and sounds like them being in a position of influence – in this case, as an educator influencing the future leaders of this nation.”

The Vision to the Future initiative differs from SOU’s existing pathway programs, in that it reaches students in primary grades to plant a seed of curiosity. For example, the Pirates to Raiders program – SOU’s first pathway program for Hispanic students – focuses instead on introducing middle and high school students from the Phoenix-Talent School District to the realities of a college experience.

SOU’s more established pathway programs create partnerships between students, their families, their school districts and SOU to ensure that the students remain on track for high school graduation and college. The students take appropriate college preparatory courses, attend program-related events and sign contracts, promising to stay on track to graduate on time.

The goals of the Vision to the Future program are more fundamental.

“Many students from an underprivileged background may not have the opportunity to envision themselves attending university due to various barriers, including lack of exposure and resources,” said Vincent Smith, Ph.D., Dean of the SOU School of Science & Business. “This program seeks to bridge that gap by providing a first-hand glimpse into the world of academia, encouraging students to dream big and realize their potential.”

Primary school students for the Vision to the Future tours are drawn from local schools with high populations of Latino/a/x students, including Phoenix-Talent, Medford and eventually, the Eagle Point and White City school districts. Tours in late April and early May were held for students from Phoenix Elementary School, Talent Elementary School, Medford’s Wilson Elementary School and the Kids Unlimited Academy, a Medford charter school.

Vanderlip also gives students from her SOU Spanish classes the opportunity to participate in the tours, practicing their Spanish skills and gaining insights into their university. Student Monica Kyle, who is seeking bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts and Spanish, said she took part in two of the recent tours.

“In doing so, I had the chance to practice my Spanish skills, earn volunteer hours and learn more about the SOU campus,” Kyle said. “However, the experience also left me asking some very important questions, like how can the SOU community be even more welcoming and inclusive to young students, specifically those learning English as a second language?”

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"Raising Aniya" by SOU Ashland's Chris Lucas

SOU professor presents “Raising Aniya” West Coast premiere at AIFF

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SOU assistant professor of Digital Cinema Christopher Lucas will present the West Coast premiere of his feature documentary “Raising Aniya” at this year’s Ashland Independent Film Festival.

“Raising Aniya” presents the story of Aniya Wingate, a young dance artist in Houston, Texas, who embarks on a journey to heal her spirit and find her voice after being displaced by a hurricane. With guidance from her mentor, Aniya investigates impacted communities on the Gulf Coast and develops a dance performance inspired by her experiences and the complex legacies of environmental injustice. Family, religion, sexuality and mental health collide as she strives to transform dark histories into beautiful expression and movement.

“Raising Aniya is a celebration of creativity and personal expression in the face of climate chaos,” Lucas said. “We wanted to celebrate resilience, especially among young people, but also acknowledge the strength of community and the importance of family in hard times.”

Lucas produced the 89-minute film, in addition to other production roles, with his longtime collaborator, director John Fiege, a professor at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Together, the two have produced films that premiered at SXSW, Hot Docs, Big Sky Documentary Festival and around the world. “Raising Aniya” had its world premiere on March 29 at the DC Environmental Film Festival.

The film was supported in part by funding Lucas received as a fellow of SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability, along with funding from individuals and organizations such as The Redford Center, Austin Film Society, Walter Long, David Shapiro, Crosscurrents Foundation, Justin Wilkenfeld and the University at Buffalo, SUNY.

“Raising Aniya” will screen each day of the Ashland Independent Film Festival, which runs from April 24 to 27. Lucas and Aniya Wingate will be present for a filmmaker talkback after the April 25 screening. Schedule and tickets are available at the festival website, ashlandfilm.org.

For more information on the film: https://www.fiegefilms.com/raising-aniya

Brain Bowl participants during recent tournament at SOU Ashland

SOU offers 48th “Brain Bowl” for local students

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Middle and high school students from throughout the Rogue Valley came together recently to participate in the 48th annual Southern Oregon Brain Bowl, a quizbowl tournament organized by the Youth Programs Office at Southern Oregon University.

The annual Brain Bowl tournament is a fast-paced quiz competition in which teams from local schools compete to answer questions for points in categories including science, math and history. The round-robin format guarantees that all participating schools have the opportunity to face each other.

Middle School
Throughout January and February, 15 middle schools took part in the Brain Bowl tournament. The seven weeks of matches were held at rotating schools. Talent (4-1), Eagle Point (6-0) and North (4-1) middle schools earned championship titles in their respective divisions.

High School
Taking place on the SOU campus, 11 high schools and more than 100 students competed in this year’s tournament on Saturday, March 15. One participant from South Medford shared that the Brain Bowl tournament has made an impact by “helping build leadership skills and self-confidence.”

This year, the Team Challenge competition allowed teams five minutes to answer a question or solve a problem collaboratively. Scores from this challenge were recorded separately and did not impact overall standings or advancement to the finals. Team Challenge awards were presented to Chesterton Academy, Phoenix High School and Logos Charter School.

In April, the students from the highest-scoring high schools will compete for championship titles in their respective divisions.

Televised finale
The championship round will be aired on Southern Oregon Public Broadcasting Service (SOPBS) on Sunday, April 20, starting at 4 p.m., with the Junior Varsity division. The 90-minute segment will be rerun on Friday, April 25.

In the Varsity Division A round, Cascade Christian (5-0) will face Ashland (3-2), while Chesterton Academy (3-0) and Rogue River (2-1) will battle for the title in Division B. The Junior Varsity Division competition will feature Logos Charter (5-0) and St. Mary’s School (4-1).

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.

More information about SOU Youth Programs competitions and academic offerings is available online.

Bill Thorndike passes away unexpectedly

SOU to host official memorial service for William Thorndike, Jr.

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University will host a public gathering and celebration of the life of William Downie (Bill) Thorndike, Jr. – a prominent statewide civic servant, the university’s first board chair and recipient of SOU’s highest honor – on Sunday, April 27.

Those who attend the event, at 1:30 p.m. in the SOU Music Recital Hall, are encouraged to wear something identifying their affiliation with Thorndike – whether a hat, uniform, sweatshirt or organizational nametag.

“We are honored to host Bill’s memorial service. His service to our university, and to organizations and groups throughout Oregon and beyond, was absolutely unmatched,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “We will join his family in paying tribute to him and to the wide variety of causes that were so meaningful to him.”

Thorndike passed away at age 71 while vacationing with his wife, Angela, at the family’s cottage on Whidbey Island, Washington, on Feb. 15. He was a third-generation native of the Rogue Valley, graduating from Medford Senior High School in 1972.

He attended Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C., then graduated from Portland’s Lewis and Clark College in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then began his lifelong employment with the Thorndike family’s business, now known as Medford Fabrication. He was the company’s president and board chairman at the time of his death.

Thorndike’s public service included terms as president or chair of Asante health system, Pacific Retirement Service, SAIF Corporation, Oregon Business Council, Oregon Cultural Advocacy Coalition and Crater Lake National Park Trust. His particular interest in education led to his service as a member of the SOU Board of Trustees since its inception in 2015 and the board’s first chair, president of the SOU Foundation Board and member of the State Board of Higher Education, the Oregon Independent College Foundation, the Oregon Senate Committee on Educational Excellence and the Rogue Valley Workforce Development Council.

His influence also reached beyond Oregon’s borders. His expertise in finance and economics led to his service, including as chairman, with the U.S. Central Bank’s Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (Portland Branch).

He was particularly proud of being a fellow of the American Leadership Forum, and his many honors and awards included the SOU President’s Medal, the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County First Citizen Award, the Jackson County Community Service Coalition Person of the Decade, Willamette University’s Glenn L. Jackson Leadership Award and SOLV’s Tom McCall Leadership Award.

Thorndike is survived by his wife, Angela; brothers Dan and his wife Joan, and David and his wife Sally; and by five nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Oregon Community Foundation for the William and Angela Thorndike, Jr., Arts, Educational and Cultural Interest Fund (oregoncf.org/thorndike-fund).

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SOU shows up at sustainability conference

SOU participants make a splash at regional sustainability conference

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University students, staff and faculty made their presence felt at last week’s Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) in Portland, where SOU participants shared the university’s stories of success in sustainability with peer institutions.

The conference was hosted this year by Portland Community College and was attended by representatives from colleges and universities throughout the Northwest. SOU and its Institute for Applied Sustainability served as one of three “leading host sponsors” for the three-day event, March 5 through 7.

SOU Sustainability Director Becs Walker presented on two of the university’s major successes in the past year: its groundbreaking work on solar installations and commitment to produce 100% of its daytime electricity by 2035; and its development of The Institute for Applied Sustainability, which has brought together sustainability professionals from academic affairs, student life and campus operations to establish sustainability as a pillar of excellence at SOU.

“Southern Oregon University has led efforts to institutionalize sustainability in higher education for more than two decades,” said Vincent Smith, Ph.D., dean of the School of Science and Business. “The invitation to share our successes this year with an audience of more than 300 WOHESC attendees speaks to our continued leadership in this important field.”

Walker said in her presentation that SOU is set apart by its unique partnerships across various areas of campus. Last week’s conference was attended by a diverse group who were drawn together through the SOU Sustainability Council.

“Our success stems from a solutions-focused collaboration driven by student passion,” Walker said.

The Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference is registered as a Certified B Corporation – a for-profit company that meets established standards for social and environmental performance and accountability, and whose operations benefit all stakeholders. WOHESC is described on its website as “a platform for inspiring change, facilitating action, and promoting collaboration related to sustainability and social justice within the region’s higher education institutions.”

The conference featured a lineup of main stage keynote speakers – PCC President Adrien L. Bennings, author Sarah Jaquette Ray, Portland State University faculty member Judy Bluehorse Skelton and Samoan climate activist Brianna Fruean – along with six plenary speakers and more than 90 session speakers. This year’s conference theme, “Cultivating Sustainable Communities, was an exploration of the intentional care required to build inclusive and resilient communities.

SOU Honors College student Sierra Garrett attended this year’s WOHESC – including a workshop on sustainability student engagement – as a representative of the Associated Students of SOU and Director of Student Engagement for the Institute for Applied Sustainability.

“I love learning from other colleges about how they are engaging students in sustainability, but it is so rewarding to be able to share our work at SOU with others,” she said. “Students I meet from other schools are always amazed by what we are doing at SOU.”

This year’s attendance and sponsorship of WOHESC is an important part of SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability’s strategic plan, which emphasizes establishing sustainability education, research and operations as a pillar of excellence for SOU, as a means to recruit students and external funding. IAS staff and faculty fellows have already raised over $12 million to support SOU since the institute’s inception three years ago.

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new Inside SOU website

Look and feel of Inside SOU website to change

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SOU students and employees will have a new user experience as they access features on the Inside SOU website beginning next week, when the university migrates from one platform to another. The new Inside SOU will have a more compact and easier-to-navigate layout, but will still offer secure access to most of the web-based information available on the website’s previous version.

Inside SOU – the internal website for members of the campus community – will migrate from the Joomla content management system to WordPress at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 9. The previous version of the website will no longer be available.

The new website will still offer links to features and apps protected by Okta, SOU’s multi-factor authentication provider, including email, calendar, Google Drive, moodle, Workday and box. It will also provide access to SOU News; quicklinks to sites including the SOU academic calendar and course catalog; student resources such as registration tools, Degree Works and EAB Navigate; current highlights from the SOU Events Calendar; and more.

The most noticeable feature that will be missing from the new Inside SOU is the current online directory for faculty, staff and students – which is difficult to maintain and has long been out of date. But employees, including student employees, will still be able to securely look up contact information for other faculty or staff members by using tools available on either Zoom or Workday.

Once logged into Workday, for instance, employees’ contact information and job titles can be found by simply typing their first or last names into the search box at the top of the page. Employees who have been assigned Zoom phones, based on their roles and business needs, can call each other in that app.

The new Inside SOU page also offers a campus directory link with basic contact information for SOU departments. And faculty or staff using Workday can type in a department name in the search field and all employees in that department will be shown.

More than 40 “online services,” listed with links on the right-hand side of the current version of Inside SOU, will available on the new website via the Okta dashboard. Apps for some of those services may need to be loaded from the “Add Apps” icon on the Okta dashboard. Users can continue to log into Okta from Inside SOU following the transition, or can log in directly at https://okta.sou.edu 

The new platform for Inside SOU is intended to make navigation easier and more efficient, with better performance, reliability and security. Those who have difficulty accessing Inside SOU following Sunday’s migration should clear their browser’s cache; if that doesn’t resolve the issue, the Information Technology Department’s Help Desk can be reached at helpdesk@sou.edu.

Behavioral Health Initiative dialogue session

SOU embraces Behavioral Health Initiative

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University took a step toward “Creating a Culture of Care” through a well-attended dialogue session with that title earlier this month. The wide-ranging discussion – with more to come – is one of the projects currently included in the university’s Southern Oregon Behavioral Health Initiative, funded last spring with a legislative allocation intended to address a statewide shortage of behavioral health providers and programs.

“During the dialogue, we dove deep into behavioral/mental health and well-being, and what that looks like on campus,” said Robin Sansing, SOU’s Behavioral Health Initiative director. “We had great group discussions focusing on critical behavioral health issues including topics like supporting gender-affirming care and appreciating neurodiversity. Across all groups, there was a strong call for more accessible resources, inclusive conversations and community-driven solutions.”

About 40 students, faculty and staff attended the Feb. 10 “Culture of Care” discussion in Hannon Library’s Meese Room, and the next such session is being planned for Tuesday, April 15.

Topics at this month’s 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 on-campus dialogue series is one of the first projects of the new Southern Oregon Behavioral Health Initiative, an SOU program that 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.

The SOBHI mission is to create partnerships that impact behavioral health, mental wellness and early childhood development at SOU and around the Rogue Valley through education, action and scholarship.

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.

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