Cascade Complex demolition underway

Demolition underway at SOU’s Cascade Complex

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Cascade Complex, an obsolete cluster of nine residence halls and a cafeteria that have been largely unused since 2013, is being demolished over the next three months to make room for the anticipated development of a senior living center on the five-acre site at the southwest corner of campus.

Staton Companies, a Eugene-based contractor, was awarded a contract to demolish the Cascade Complex following a competitive bidding process. The demolition portion of the job began last week and is being done for just under $1.7 million. That and all other aspects of the project – including abatement and disposal of asbestos and other hazardous materials, and preparation of the site for future use – are being covered by a $3.5 million allocation from the 2021 Oregon Legislature to responsibly raze the facility.

Cascade Complex demolition underway“The utility tunnels under the slab, and the basement under the old kitchen, will be filled with ground concrete generated on-site,” said Leon Crouch, SOU’s director of Facilities Management & Planning. “None of the demolished concrete will be hauled off-site, rather it will be used to fill utility tunnels and basement spaces to prep the site for future construction.”

The Cascade Complex was built in phases during the early 1960s, and was completed in 1967. Issues with the facility – including defunct HVAC and plumbing, leaky roofs, fire risks and other safety concerns – precluded updating or repurposing the complex as it neared the end of its expected 50-year life span.

The facility’s demolition will eliminate ongoing upkeep costs for the university, and also removes an estimated $12 million in “deferred maintenance” projects that would have been necessary to rehabilitate the complex’s failing infrastructure. Two of the Cascade residence hall wings had been condemned.

SOU and its contractors are taking precautions throughout the project to minimize impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and the university campus, including limiting the hours of the noisiest work and mitigating the production of dust. Care is also being taken to prevent erosion and control storm water drainage.

“Demolition was scheduled for winter months, purposely to allow winter rains to help with dust control,” Crouch said. “On days where there is no rain, the contractors will appropriately wet material as it’s being ground to control dust.”

The current demolition work is expected to be completed by the end of March, when other contractors and SOU staff are scheduled to begin a month-long process of site restoration. The goal will be a stable, drought-tolerant, easily-mowed field that’s ready for development.

SOU leaders have begun exploratory conversations with potential private partners for the creation of a senior living facility to be built at the Cascade Complex location. The senior living center is seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity to forge a unique synergy between its residents, SOU students, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SOU and the university. The facility could be completed as early as fall 2027.

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Solar projects underway at SOU Ashland

Construction underway on SOU’s latest solar projects

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University is making headway in its march toward becoming the first public university in the U.S. to produce all of the daytime electricity used on its campus, with more than $5 million in recent state, federal and student funding and multiple solar projects underway.

SOU completed a rooftop solar  installation on Lithia Motors Pavilion in July, with the project adding a 241 kilowatt solar array to the 63 kilowatt array already located on the athletic pavilion’s roof – making it the largest rooftop solar array in Ashland. SOU’s next project – a solar array and battery storage bank – will begin this month at The Hawk Dining Commons. That project will enable SOU to support community resilience by providing 24/7 power at The Hawk, if needed, in the event of an emergency.

Other upcoming solar projects include installation of four more rooftop arrays on the SOU Art Building, Theatre Building, Marion Ady Building and Central Hall. Also in the works are projects in parking lots adjacent to Lithia Motors Pavilion and the Computer Science Building, in which solar arrays will be installed on raised “canopies” above parking spaces. The second of those projects will include another battery storage bank in the Computer Science Building.

“We are looking ahead to our next phases of funding and excited about this journey for revenue diversification, low-carbon energy production and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Becs Walker, the university’s director of sustainability. “At the same time, we recognize the importance of energy efficiency and are monitoring all buildings to identify potential improvements. A recent renovation project on Britt Hall improved our energy efficiency across campus.”

The recent and upcoming projects have been funded so far by a total of $3 million from the Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, $800,000 through a legislative allocation for Sustainability Funding for Oregon’s Technical and Regional Universities, and $51,000 from the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University’s Green Fund. Another $2 million that was appropriated by Congress as part of a December 2022 spending bill is also earmarked for the current projects.

SOU is continuing to work through details of the federal appropriation’s funding mechanism, and is using the state grants to maintain the pace of its solar build-out.

Construction on the current round of projects began last spring with the installation of inverters and electronics at Lithia Motors Pavilion, and the installation of solar panels in the summer under a contract with Ashland’s True South Solar and its subcontractor, Welburn Electric of Phoenix.

The university anticipates generating 100% of its own electricity by 2035. SOU is focused on being entrepreneurial in its approaches to revenue generation, and on energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its eventual energy independence will save the university at least $750,000 per year in utility costs, and each solar array that comes on-line results in an incremental reduction of the overall energy bill for campus.

SOU has 10 existing solar arrays, plus one at the Higher Education Center in Medford and a pole-mounted array installed in 2022 by a nonprofit on land leased from the university.

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Klamath dam removal workshop at SOU

Klamath dam removal workshop at SOU fosters collaboration

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University recently hosted the Klamath Dam Removal Research Collaboration Workshop, a follow-up seminar for the numerous groups and agencies working together on the world’s largest-ever dam removal and river restoration project.

The November workshop brought together nearly 150 researchers, Tribal leaders and agency representatives to share information about ecological and social changes in the Klamath River basin that have resulted from the removal of its four dams.

Removal of the Iron Gate (45 minutes southeast of Ashland), J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1 and Copco No. 2 dams was completed ahead of schedule on Aug. 28, but work will continue for several years to restore about 2,200 acres of land that had been submerged for decades. The dams were built between 1918 and 1962 to provide electricity, but had severe effects on salmon populations and Tribal communities. The river now flows freely from Lake Ewauna near Klamath Falls to the Pacific Ocean.

Salmon return after dam removalThe three-day event at SOU, held jointly with the Klamath Basin Monitoring Program meeting, was intended to build interdisciplinary connections among those working on the renewal project. The workshop was supported by SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability; Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability; and Native Nations Office.

“Our goal was to foster connections across disciplines and entities, through important keynote talks, focused discussion and field trips to dam removal and restoration sites,” said conference organizer Chhaya Werner, an SOU assistant professor of Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability.

Werner’s lab researches the regeneration of plant communities in the de-watered reservoirs.

She said many who attended the workshop agreed that its “absolute highlight” was a field trip to the dam removal sites and key spawning tributaries, where dozens of fall-run Chinook salmon could be seen returning to their traditional spawning habitat.

Participants at the event included representatives from 11 tribal agencies or entities, including the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, Klamath, Modoc, Karuk, and lower Elwha Klallam Tribes, and the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People and Quartz Valley Indian Reservation; seven federal and state agencies; eight universities; and non-profits including the Klamath Bird Observatory, Scott River Watershed Council, Trout Unlimited and Save California Salmon. Many SOU faculty and more than 30 SOU students were actively involved, along with alumni now working in restoration fields.

“SOU’s involvement in hosting the meeting is a showing of (the university’s) commitment to supporting science and communities of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion,” said Laurel Genzoli, an SOU alumna and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Returning to SOU to connect with researchers working together to support the restoration of the Klamath River reminded me of the impact that is made through connecting academic institutions with local communities and real world experiences.”

A focus of the workshop was to acknowledge Tribal research and activism for their roles in dam removal and restoration. Keynote speaker Leaf Hillman, former director of the Karuk Department of Natural Resources, opened the workshop with stories of how the work of dam removal began more than two decades ago. Invited speakers on an Indigenous sovereignty panel addressed questions on inter-entity collaboration and partnership. Ridges to Riffles founder Amy Bowers Cordalis closed the workshop with a powerful reminder to listen and learn from the river and its fish.

The workshop also highlighted ongoing research into sediment transport, fish habitat restoration and social impacts. Participants shared findings, including preliminary data on water quality and juvenile salmon survival, and discussed future collaboration opportunities.

Removal of the four dams was completed on-budget, with the smallest dam taken down in 2023 and the three others dismantled beginning in January 2024. Ongoing restoration work includes reshaping tributary channels, replanting native vegetation and improving habitat for salmon and other species. Progress will be monitored with sonar imaging, netting, radio telemetry and other means of tracking the fish that return to spawn in the Klamath River.

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TRIO program at SOU Ashland celebrates milestone anniversary

SOU’s TRIO-SSS program marks milestone

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The TRIO-Student Support Services (SSS) program at SOU, which helps non-traditional students succeed and graduate, celebrated its 30th anniversary this fall. The federally supported program marked the landmark with a “birthday party” last month at its office in Room 322 of the Stevenson Union.

The SOU program helps students who are low-income, first-generation and/or have a disability with services that include holistic, personalized academic advising, tutoring, student success plans, career guidance, preparation for graduate programs and cultural enrichment trips, and other fun and educational activities.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Education provides $338,622 per year in funding for SOU’s Success at Southern/TRIO Program, which is limited to 190 students per academic year and has served more than 1,700 since 1994.

Students must apply to participate in the Success at Southern/TRIO-SSS program and those who meet eligibility requirements are invited to interview about their educational goals, career ambitions and academic barriers. Students who are accepted into the program must each attend a mandatory orientation session and an initial personal education plan meeting, then become eligible for all of the Success at Southern/TRIO-SSS services.

TRIO is a federally funded organization that was created following passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It helps disadvantaged students progress through the academic pipeline from middle school through graduate school. There are currently eight sections of TRIO, and the SOU grant is part of the Student Support Services Program.

SOU also participates in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program – a separately funded TRIO program that prepares eligible undergraduate students for eventual doctoral studies.

TRIO programs help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those with disabilities, to negotiate obstacles that may hinder their academic progress. TRIO students are more likely to stay in good academic standing, persist to the next grade level and graduate compared to their peers.

SOU is one of 23 colleges and universities in Oregon that offer TRIO-SSS.

IAS sustainability conference SOU Ashland

Sustainability conference at SOU builds regional collaboration

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The initial conference of Southern Oregon University’s Institute for Applied Sustainability attracted about 85 sustainability professionals from southern Oregon and northern California this month for two days of hands-on learning, actionable insights and connection-building in Ashland and nearby venues.

The invitation-only conference on Oct. 3 and 4 was open to those in agencies and organizations from the Pacific Coast to Klamath Falls, and from Roseburg to Redding, who are spearheading sustainability efforts in their areas. The event was intended to pull together those leaders to create a dynamic network of individuals and inspired organizations to advance sustainability initiatives throughout the region.

“This conference was valuable to those in attendance, and to those who live in southern Oregon and northern California,” said Vincent Smith, executive director of SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability and dean of the School of Science and Business. “A lot of ground-breaking knowledge was shared, and just as important, bonds and connections were created that will benefit us all as we work to promote sustainability efforts and mitigate the effects of a changing climate.”

Programs at the conference were meant to promote regional collaboration and support around existing and future sustainability projects. Participants gained practical knowledge, had opportunities to highlight success stories and promote innovation, and strengthened regionally-focused partnerships.

The first day centered on keynote speeches, workshops and networking opportunities, with topics ranging from funding to using artificial intelligence in climate-action planning, and from the effects of change management on the electrical grid to leveraging diversity to support sustainability. The keynote speaker was Auden Schendler, the senior vice president for sustainability at Aspen One in Colorado, who champions solutions to the climate crisis through activism, movement building and replicable projects. Another 14 presenters served as guest speakers on a variety of topics. Most of the day-one events were held on the SOU campus, other than an evening reception at the Ashland Hills Hotel.

Community outings and connection-building were the second-day focus, with opportunities for outdoor adventures, art and dining. Options included mountain biking with Ashland Mountain Adventures, rafting with Indigo Creek Outfitters, a food and wine tour with Rogue Trotter, and a tour and matinee with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. All of the day-two activities were organized and sponsored by Travel Southern Oregon, a local tourism marketing nonprofit.

The conference was hosted by SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability and a committee that included faculty members Dee Fretwell and Pavlina McGrady, IAS coordinator Kira Welch and student Jenny Chynoweth. Sponsors included Travel Southern Oregon, Motif Event Rentals, Shooting Star Nursery and BBG Creations.

The SOU Institute for Applied Sustainability was created in fall 2022 as part of an historic, $12 million gift to SOU from Lithia Motors and its GreenCars division. The two largest elements of the gift are a $5 million scholarship fund and $4 million that established the IAS – which collaborates with Lithia on projects including the sustainability conference, an academic credential in corporate sustainability and a national sustainability demonstration site.

The institute celebrated the start of its second year in January with the official launch of its IAS Innovation Fund, which provides micro-grants for forward-thinking projects by SOU faculty and staff. Those projects have included sustainable landscape upgrades on campus, regional partnerships, a global exchange program, faculty research and student internships.

Learn more about the Institute for Applied Sustainability and its Innovation Fund.

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SOU Indigenous Peoples Day

Indigenous Peoples Day to be celebrated over two days at SOU

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration will return to campus for a weekend full of activities on Oct. 19 and 20, from Native dancers to guest speakers to lunches of salmon on Saturday and Indian tacos on Sunday.

Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates the historic, cultural and present-day influence of Native Americans. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Honor the past, empower the present, inspire the future.”

SOU has formally observed Indigenous Peoples Day since 2017, after a student and the university’s Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee petitioned for the change a year earlier. The state of Oregon began recognizing the holiday in 2021.

This year’s celebration – the seventh at SOU – will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, with a “grand entry” procession of Native American dancers at the university’s Stevenson Union. A period of “welcoming” will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a $10 salmon bake lunch (cash only) at noon. Guest speakers and open sharing of songs, dances and stories will be from 1 to 4 p.m.

The celebration will continue on Sunday, Oct. 20, with guest speakers and open sharing throughout the day, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Indian tacos and frybread offered by SOU’s Native American Student Union (cash only).

An Indigenous artisans market and a variety of other activities will be held during both days of the celebration.

Dancers are invited to join Saturday’s grand entry procession, and Native American regalia is encouraged. More information about the celebration is available from Kenwani Kravitz, SOU’s Native Nations Liaison, at kravitzk@sou.edu or (541) 552-6937.

Hosts of SOU’s Indigenous Peoples Day celebration include the university, its Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, the Native Raiders office and the Native American Student Union.

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SOU plans forums to kick off facilities master plan

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s 10-year update to its Campus Facilities Master Plan is underway, and the university is seeking input from both campus and the community before the plan goes before the Ashland City Council for final approval next spring. The first two opportunities are introductory gallery and open house master plan forums – on Oct. 3 for students and SOU employees, and on Oct. 10 for members of the Ashland community.

The Campus Facilities Master Plan, when completed by the university and approved by the city council, will serve as a guide to development at SOU from 2025 through 2035. It will replace the current master plan, which was created in 2009 and was intended to steer the evolution of SOU’s campus from 2010 through 2020.

“The master plan is intended to describe how we expect SOU’s physical growth and needs to progress over the next 10 years,” said Joe Mosley, SOU’s director of communications. “It’s more of a long-range satellite image than a detailed roadmap, but it will give our campus community, neighbors and partners in city government a basic picture of how we expect our footprint and facilities to change during the coming decade.”

The first forum, for members of the campus community, will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, in the ASSOU Lounge at SOU’s Stevenson Union building. It will include a summary of work that is underway and planned, and the opportunity for participants to give input about how the university’s buildings and grounds should grow or change.

The second forum, for community members from Ashland and the Rogue Valley, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 10, also in the Stevenson Union’s ASSOU Lounge. It will offer a similar outline of work that is in progress and opportunities to provide feedback.

Those who attend either of the forums will be able to view maps that show all buildings currently on SOU’s 175-acre campus and also facilities that are expected to be added in the coming years. Coming developments that are expected to be on the final version of the updated master plan include projects that are currently in planning – such as a senior living facility that will replace the Cascade housing complex – and other proposals for renovation or new construction.

Projects included in the plan should align with SOU’s mission and meet the needs of students, the southern Oregon region and the state. The master plan will not be a “wish list,” and its proposals will reflect the university’s financial realities

The master plan will not preclude other projects from being pursued over the next 10 years; many recent changes to the SOU campus have occurred that were not included in the 2010 master plan.

Campus and community members will have additional chances to hear about and weigh in on the master plan when it goes to the Ashland Planning Commission for study sessions next spring, and to the City Council in May for final approval. Interested parties will be invited to hear about the plan and to submit comments, questions and concerns.

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Grant awarded for additional SOU solar projects

SOU receives third $1 million state grant for solar arrays

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The solar energy aspirations at Southern Oregon University have received another jolt, with news that the Oregon Department of Energy has approved a third round of state funding for SOU’s push to become the nation’s first public university to generate all of the daytime electricity that it uses. The latest $1 million grant will be used to install a battery storage bank at SOU’s Computer Science Building and a solar array in a nearby parking lot.

The university has now received a $1 million grant in each of the most recent three years from the state Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, along with a $2 million appropriation from Congress in December 2022. Part of the federal appropriation will likely be used to complete funding for the Computer Science Building projects, which will cost a total of $1.3 million.

“We are excited about these opportunities to further diversify SOU’s revenue, and to increase our on campus renewable energy and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Becs Walker, the university’s director of sustainability. “We also recognize the importance of energy efficiency, and are monitoring all buildings to identify potential improvements. A recent renovation project on Britt Hall improved our energy efficiency across campus.”

This year’s funding process for the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program was especially competitive, with the state selecting 34 of 75 applicants to receive a total of almost $18 million in grants. The program is intended to support planning and construction of renewable energy or energy resiliency projects for Tribes, public bodies and consumer-owned utilities.

SOU is currently working on solar projects – funded by the earlier grant, appropriations and $51,000 from the Associated Students of SOU’s Green Fund – at Lithia Motors Pavilion and The Hawk Dining Commons that will increase the university’s photovoltaic output from the current 455 kilowatts (kW) to a total of 848 kilowatts. The first project has added a 241 kW solar array to the 63 kW solar array already on the athletic pavilion’s roof, making it the largest rooftop solar array in Ashland. The second project, at The Hawk Dining Commons, is a solar array and battery storage bank that will enable SOU to support community resilience by providing power at The Hawk, if needed, in the event of an emergency.

SOU’s first solar canopy in a parking lot will be funded with money from the state Department of Energy’s second round of grants and the congressional appropriation. The first parking lot array will add 340 kilowatts of generating capacity, and SOU will be able to produce about 17% of the daytime electricity it uses when all three current projects are completed. That amount will increase when the Computer Science Building projects are also built out.

SOU has nine existing solar arrays, plus one at the Higher Education Center in Medford and a pole-mounted array installed in 2022 by a nonprofit on land leased from the university. SOU has added five arrays over the past four years, with funding from private investors, grants, the student government and university administration.

The university anticipates generating 100% of its own electricity by 2033, and is already planning for its next rounds of solar expansion. SOU is focused on being entrepreneurial in its approaches to revenue generation, and on energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its eventual energy independence will save the university at least $750,000 per year in utility costs, and each solar array that comes on-line results in an incremental reduction of the overall energy bill for campus.

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Donation to Student Food Pantry from Amy's Kitchen

Soup’s on, following donation to Student Food Pantry

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Organic food company Amy’s Kitchen, which operates a manufacturing plant in nearby White City, has made one of the largest-ever donations to Southern Oregon University’s Student Food Pantry – a total of 1,200 cans of vegan soup.

The donated food – 50 cases each of Amy’s Indian Golden Lentil and Alphabet soup – will be added to the food pantry’s inventory throughout the 2024-25 academic year. Each case of the soup contains 12 cans.

“The soup will be fed in (to the pantry’s shelves) gradually, to meet the demand of the students,” said Jason Piazza, benefits navigator for the SOU Dean of Students Office. “We will go through it before the end of the academic year.”

Piazza said discussions with Amy’s Kitchen have included the likelihood of future food donations. The Petaluma, California-based company has donated more than 300,000 pounds of organic food to at least 17 food banks and other organizations – including SOU and two other universities – so far in 2024.

“We’re proud to have partnered with incredible organizations across North America to address food insecurity for communities in need,” the company posted recently on its social media channels, pointing out that September is celebrated as both Organic Month and Hunger Action Month.

Amy’s Kitchen remains a family-owned business, founded in 1987 by Andy and Rachel Berliner and named for their daughter, Amy. The company has processing plants in White City; Santa Rosa, California; and Pocatello, Idaho; making more than 250 organic, vegan or vegetarian products.

The SOU Student Food Pantry provides food and other necessities to students in need. First-time clients must fill out an intake form and provide their student ID numbers, then can stop by the pantry at Room 312 of the Stevenson Union to receive as many as 10 non-perishable food items, occasional perishable food items and unlimited personal hygiene products each week, as long as they are enrolled at SOU. Those with questions can email the food pantry at foodpantry@sou.edu. The pantry is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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Presidents of Oregon's TRUs visit Taiwan

Oregon’s regional universities build strategic international partnership in Taiwan

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(KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan) — The Presidents of Oregon’s public technical and regional universities (TRUs) – Southern Oregon University, Western Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University and Oregon Institute of Technology – signed a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 15 with Wenzao University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The MOU aims to foster teacher-student exchanges, student mobility programs, joint research initiatives and Chinese language programs, all with the goal of cultivating international and cross-disciplinary talent.

The delegation was led by Oregon State Rep. Paul Evans (District 20) and was made up of key leaders from Oregon’s universities, including Rick Bailey, president of Southern Oregon University; Jesse Peters, president of Western Oregon University; Kelly Ryan, president of Eastern Oregon University; and Nagi Naganathan, president of Oregon Institute of Technology; along with Sheila Clough, chair of the SOU Board of Trustees.

The signing ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, Oregon State Rep. Evans and former state Rep. Brian Clem. Others present included director of the Kaohsiung Branch of the American Institute in Taiwan, Neil H. Gibson; Wen Hongguo, leader of the cultural newsgroup of the Kaohsiung Branch of the American Institute in Taiwan; and additional cultural and educational stakeholders.

The partnership marks a new chapter in global academic cooperation, as Wenzao University continues to establish itself as a hub of international education.

“Wenzao’s alliance with a well-known higher education institution in the United States has great symbolic significance,” Wenzao University President Zhuang Huiling said.

Wenzao University was founded in 1966 by a group of nuns from the Saint Ursuline religious order in Rome, and Huiling said the school has always adhered to the spirit of “internationalization.” Wenzao University has more than 320 sister schools around the world, where its students have the opportunity to study abroad. At the same time, Wenzao hosts students from 19 countries to integrate multiple cultures into the campus.

This is an important milestone between Wenzao University and Oregon’s public, technical and regional universities. It not only strengthens each institution’s connection with the world, but also opens up a new era for academic exchanges and development.

The presidents from Oregon’s TRU institutions value the importance of international educational exchanges.

“International educational exchanges are essential for fostering global understanding and collaboration,” the presidents said in a joint statement. “They provide students and faculty invaluable opportunities to learn from diverse perspectives, enriching both their academic and personal growth. We are deeply grateful for the warm hospitality extended during our visit and look forward to nurturing and growing this partnership.”

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