Training exercises will be held at Cascade complex

SOU’s Cascade complex to host variety of first responder training exercises

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(Ashland, Ore.) — First responders are likely to become  a common sight at Southern Oregon University’s defunct Cascade student housing complex for the remainder of this summer, as the university has offered the site for a variety of training exercises before demolition of the sprawling facility ramps up in the fall.

Agencies including Ashland Fire & Rescue, Ashland Police Department, Medford Police Department, Medford Fire Department and SWAT teams from Medford, Jackson County and Oregon State Police are coordinating with SOU Campus Public Safety & Parking to conduct drills at the site through Aug. 31. The groups are planning to practice their procedures for building searches, tactical search and rescue, door and window breaching, ladder operations and more.

“This collaboration helps foster our relationships with our first responders and provide them with the opportunity to gather data and experience on the tactics and tools they use to keep our community safe,” said Robert Gibson, director of SOU’s Campus Public Safety & Parking.

SOU programs and offices that are located near the Cascade Complex – a five-acre parcel at the southeast corner of campus – have been advised to expect a frequent presence of first responders in the area, now through the end of August. Each agency will post “Training In Progress” signs outside the complex to advise neighbors and passersby that they are present for training, rather than a live event.

The Cascade complex, which was completed in 1967, has been largely vacant for the past decade, when the costs associated with extending its useful life became prohibitive. The facility – eight residence halls situated around a central cafeteria – has numerous roof leaks, defunct HVAC and steam systems, and degraded plumbing. At least two of its wings have been condemned.

The 2021 Oregon State Legislature allocated $3.5 million for SOU to raze the Cascade Complex, which will eliminate a $12 million deferred maintenance backlog on the facility – the amount it would cost to correct its current physical deficits. Some interior destruction is underway this summer and fall, and general demolition is expected to begin in early 2025. The project will include concrete crushing to fill and level the basement and old tunnels that were used for the structure’s mechanical systems.

The site is expected to be ready for redevelopment by the middle of 2025. President Rick Bailey and other SOU leaders have begun exploratory conversations with potential private partners for the development of a senior living facility to be built at the Cascade complex location. The senior living center is seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity the create 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.

This summer’s pre-demolition access to the Cascade complex will give first responder agencies an opportunity to train in situations and surroundings that are not typically available to them.

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SOU Digital Cinema makes best film school list

SOU Digital Cinema named as a top film school

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(Ashland, Ore.) — It’s official: Southern Oregon University’s Digital Cinema program makes SOU one of the best film schools in North America. The current edition of MovieMaker magazine, which bills itself as the world’s most widely read independent film magazine, includes SOU among its picks for the “30 Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada.”

“When we launched the Digital Cinema program in fall 2019, one of our big aspirations was to become a nationally-ranked film school,” said Andrew Gay, a professor of Digital Cinema and director of SOU’s School of Arts & Communication. “This is a huge achievement, especially for a program of this size, based outside of a major production center.”

The MovieMaker article – which lists the 30 top film schools alphabetically rather than in a ranked order – points out that SOU’s Digital Cinema program gives students opportunities to hear from accomplished speakers from the film industry and to network with professionals at organizations including Film Southern Oregon and the Ashland Independent Film Festival.

“The curriculum merges theory with practice, emphasizing hands-on learning through the moviemaking process, leading to a professional portfolio upon graduation, all supported by the Digital Media Center, an 8,500-square-foot teaching and production facility, as well as an equipment office loaded with state-of-the-art gear,” the magazine story says.

SOU is the only Oregon school to make the MovieMaker list, and one of just two from the Pacific Northwest – the other is the Vancouver Film School, in British Columbia. SOU and the University of Colorado at Denver are the only two four-year programs on the list that participate in the Western University Exchange – an initiative that makes tuition discounts available to students from 16 Western states and territories. The MovieMaker listing for SOU also includes a photo of students on location during a production for the program’s annual “Crew Experience” project – one of just nine photos from the listed schools.

“I’m excited to finally see the recognition of one of Oregon’s best kept (and now known) secrets: SOU’s film and media programs,” said Tim Williams, the executive director of Oregon Film. “I have been lucky enough to watch the amazing growth of this program in such a beautiful part of our state, and then work with the talent that has graduated from it and into our industry. We are grateful and lucky to have SOU in every way.”

SOU’s Digital Cinema program offers three bachelor’s degree options – including Oregon’s only bachelor of fine arts degree in film production – and nine stand-alone certificates that prepare graduates for careers in film and entertainment. Program highlights include its Credit for Prior Learning option, which offers many incoming students academic credit for the knowledge and skills they have gained through previous life experiences, and its groundbreaking, 12-credit annual immersion project called “The Crew Experience.” Student filmmakers in the Crew Experience spend an entire term learning on location and collaborating under the supervision of experienced professionals on the set of a significant film project.

Students can also pursue a dual-degree pathway beginning this fall – a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Film Business, and a bachelor of fine arts degree in Digital Cinema Production Arts with a concentration in Producing & Production Management.

The Digital Cinema program is rooted in the film school tradition, but is highly experiential and embraces entrepreneurship and innovation as it prepares students for dynamic careers in an expanding world of video arts and entertainment.

SOU is a member of the Green Film School Alliance – a collaboration of leading film schools that have committed to industry-level sustainable production practices in their programs.

MovieMaker magazine – which is geared toward the art and business of filmmaking – has named Ashland a “best place to live and work as a MovieMaker” since 2014, citing picturesque filming locations such as Lithia Park and Mt. Ashland, and an influx of moviemakers and actors to the area.

“Southern Oregon is home to a film community rich in expertise and love – it’s a haven for artists who don’t want the Hollywood life – and SOU exemplifies its commitment to real filmmaking,” said Tim Molloy, editor of MovieMaker magazine.

He called the area “a cinematographer’s dream,” with easy access to “some of the most lushly beautiful locations on the planet.”

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SOU sociology and anthropology group at Maxville

SOU receives grant for archaeological project at African-American logging town of Maxville

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(Ashland, Ore.) — A recent $20,000 grant from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office will enable staff and students from the Southern Oregon University Sociology and Anthropology Program to conduct archaeological investigations at the northeast Oregon town of Maxville – a logging town that was home in the early 20th century to both African American and white loggers.

SOU will collaborate on the project with the Maxville Heritage and Interpretive Center of Wallowa County – a museum established and run by descendants of Maxville’s inhabitants, and dedicated to the history of African American, Indigenous and immigrant loggers in the Pacific Northwest.

The Maxville townsite was acquired by the museum in 2022 to be developed as an interpretive, educational and communal space. SOU anthropology professor Mark Axel Tveskov was the lead author on a nomination that led the National Park Service to place Maxville on the National Register of Historic Places.

Those efforts led the Maxville project to earn a 2024 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award from the State of Oregon.

The grant will allow students from the SOU Sociology and Anthropology program to gain professional experience in archaeological survey, excavation and analysis through field work that will take place this September, and through laboratory work that will occur over the coming academic school year.

“This project will allow our students to engage in practical work on one of the most significant heritage projects currently underway in the Pacific Northwest,” Tveskov said.

Oregon’s State Historic Preservation Office offers matching grants for rehabilitation work that supports the preservation of locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places, or for work that helps to identify, preserve or interpret archaeological sites.

SOU students will work with Maxville Heritage personnel on geophysical survey and traditional archaeological excavation that will identify significant features of the Maxville townsite and gather a representative sample of artifacts to better understand the lived experiences of Maxville’s inhabitants.

“Uncovering our hidden history has been a through-line within our mission and vision,” said Gwendolyn Trice, executive director of the Maxville Heritage and Interpretive Center. “Research, oral histories, journals and archives are some of the ways in which we uncover and discover our history.

“Archeology takes this uncovering to the next level, using scientific methods above and below ground to reveal our past in a way that established collection of information, textiles and artifacts cannot achieve,” Trice said.

Other partners in the Maxville project include the Anthropology/Sociology Program at Eastern Oregon University and the Anthropology, Art History and Environmental Studies programs at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

Maxville, about 13 miles north of the town of Wallowa, was once home to about 400 residents and was the county’s largest railroad logging town from the mid-1920s to mid-1930s. Loggers and their families came to Maxville in the 1920s from the South and the Midwest in search of work, and the Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company – which owned the town – hired Black loggers despite Oregon’s exclusion laws of that period.

Maxville’s African American families lived in segregated housing, attended segregated schools and played on a segregated baseball team, but Black loggers worked side-by-side with their white counterparts.

Maxville’s eventual decline was due to economic conditions, including the Great Depression and a consequent downturn in the lumber market.

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Digital Media Center lighting upgraded

SOU Digital Media Center moves to energy-efficient studio lighting

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Digital Media Center has addressed sustainability and improved educational resources for students in a recent, transformative upgrade to its studio lighting. The studio is now operating with state-of-the-art LED film and TV lighting fixtures, dramatically reducing energy consumption while enhancing the quality of its productions.

“This project has been a dream for some time, but until now has been cost-prohibitive,” said Brandon Givens, director of the DMC. “Thanks to a consortium of campus partners – as well as abnormally generous pricing from the manufacturer, ARRI Lighting – we were able to complete this incredible upgrade all at once.”

Better for users, better for the environment.
The new lighting system uses cutting-edge LED technology, reducing energy use by approximately 75% and aligning with SOU’s commitment to green energy. The lights are expected to run directly from the campus solar grid in the future, as SOU continues to add arrays of solar panels and expands its generating capacity to become the first public university to produce enough electricity to meet all of its daytime energy needs. The LEDs also produce far less heat than the lights they replaced, conserving energy by reducing the need for air conditioning.

The DMC project was funded largely by the Associated Students of SOU’s “Green Tag Fee” – an assessment of $14 per student each term that was approved in a student vote several years ago to promote sustainability projects. SOU Sustainability Director Becs Walker said the Green Tag Fee is “designed to empower student-led sustainability projects that not only benefit our campus but also set a precedent for environmental stewardship in higher education.” The DMC and SOU’s Sustainability Office and Institute for Applied Sustainability each contributed additional funding for the project.

“The new lighting capabilities in the studio allow students to experience a form of artistic expression they may not have otherwise cultivated,” said student Riley Carter, who is majoring in Sustainability with a minor in Digital Cinema.

“This program preaches collaboration on all fronts and I have gained experience and knowledge from every person I have had the opportunity to work with,” said Carter, who spearheaded the application for Green Tag funding.

Benefiting a variety of current and future users
The high-quality ARRI lighting fixtures, known for their durability and professional-grade performance, are expected serve the SOU community for decades. The improved studio environment benefits SOU student filmmakers and a variety of other campus programs, including digital and performing arts, The Fringe Festival, Rogue Valley Television, Community & Government Access, and Southern Oregon PBS.

The old lighting equipment was donated to local middle and high schools, aiding their lighting setups and promoting sustainability by avoiding unnecessary disposal.

An intersection of sustainability initiatives
The DMC’s lighting upgrade is an example of SOU’s efforts to make sustainability a team sport by encouraging collaboration and interconnected projects. The university is striving for a comprehensive model of sustainability that improves educational and community resources, prioritizes re-use of materials by way of local donations and opens potential revenue streams to expand access and opportunity for students.

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Marcus Allen, one of the Accelerated MBA program's first three graduates

First cohort to graduate in SOU’s accelerated MBA program

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(Ashland, Ore.) – The Southern Oregon University School of Business will celebrate the first three graduates from its 3|4 + 1 Pathway to MBA Program – also known as the Accelerated Pathway to MBA – at SOU’s June 15 commencement ceremony.

“This is an opportunity for high-achieving students to fast-track their academic experiences and get a head start on their careers,” said SOU business professor Rene Ordonez, Ph.D., coordinator of the university’s graduate programs in business. “Participants will graduate and enter the workforce as holders of full MBAs.”

The three inaugural graduates in the accelerated MBA program are Cassie Preskenis, Marcus Allen and Tess Homier. Both Preskenis and Allen will also receive their bachelor’s degrees this month in SOU’s Innovation and Leadership program, and Homier will earn her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting.

Each of the three have excelled in their undergraduate studies and also taken on the challenge of graduate-level coursework.

“When my new job required a degree, the 3+1 program was the perfect fit,” Allen said. “The class schedule fit my work requirements, and the ability to complete my master’s simultaneously was a huge benefit. I met an amazing group of students from all walks of life, and the education has set me up for success in the next phase of my career.”

The initiative allows undergraduate students pursuing degrees in four specific academic areas – Business, Innovation and Leadership, Music and Theater – to earn their bachelor’s and MBA degrees concurrently in as little as four years, saving both time and money. It is an example of SOU’s commitment to providing innovative and accessible education.

“We are all incredibly proud of this ground-breaking new concept, and take our hats off to our first cohort of graduates,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “Our gratitude goes out to our superstar faculty in the School of Business for creating this exciting pathway, and to the graduates who are starting an exciting tradition here at SOU.”

The Accelerated Pathway to MBA Program, launched in fall 2022, was developed by Ordonez and professor Joan McBee of the SOU School of Business. Their vision was to address growing concerns over rising tuition costs and the barriers faced by students seeking advanced degrees.

The program allows senior undergraduate students from the four select academic programs to take graduate-level courses that count toward both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements, effectively reducing both the time and cost needed to obtain two degrees.

Under the “3+1” option, students participating in SOU’s existing three-year undergraduate programs – the Accelerated Baccalaureate (AccBacc) or the Jackson/Josephine Pledge (JackJo) – can complete the MBA by extending to a fourth year. The “4+1” provides an option for students in the traditional four-year undergraduate programs, who maintain at least a 3.0 GPA by the start of their senior year, to complete the MBA degree in a fifth year.

“Upon entering the Innovation and Leadership (INL) program at SOU, I harbored doubts about my academic prowess, having been away from college for two decades,” Preskenis said. “Yet, I found a comfortable niche within the non-traditional INL program, surrounded by peers who – like me –brought diverse professional experiences to the table.

“When the chance to pursue my master’s degree alongside my bachelor’s emerged, I couldn’t resist. The journey has proven immensely fulfilling and remarkably enjoyable, culminating in the completion of both degrees at SOU.”

The accelerated MBA program has gained traction since its inception two years ago among students eager to fast-track their education and reduce expenses.

Preskenis, Allen and Homier will join 79 regular MBA graduates at SOU’s annual pre-commencement “MBA Hooding Ceremony” at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 14, at the Music Recital Hall. Media and community members are welcome to attend the hooding ceremony – a special recognition for graduate students who have completed their degree requirements.

Those seeking more information on SOU’s Accelerated MBA program may contact Ordonez at ordonez@sou.edu or (541) 552-6720, or MBA coordinator Douglas Daley, Jr., at daleyd@sou.edu or (541) 552-8113.

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SOU's inaugural Business Venture Tournament this week

Inaugural SOU Business Venture Tournament: innovative ideas across disciplines

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University (SOU) will host its inaugural Business Venture Tournament this week. The groundbreaking competition – designed to nurture entrepreneurial ideas from students across all academic disciplines – is intended to transform innovative ideas into successful business ventures, with generous support from SOU alumni Jim Teece and Dena Matthews.

The tournament’s final competition and gala event will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, in Room 217 of Britt Hall on the SOU campus. Seventeen students from various academic disciplines have submitted their venture ideas, and seven finalists will present their projects in Thursday’s final round.

The tournament’s primary goal is to help students understand that regardless of their major, any idea with an organizational structure inherently involves crucial business elements. That knowledge is essential for students pursuing any passion – from an Environmental Science major aiming to rescue endangered species to a Theatre major planning to open a children’s space for learning drama and dance.

By participating in the tournament, students gain hands-on experience in idea proof-of-concept, market research, venture promotion and presentation skills, preparing them for the real world.

The competition offers significant prizes: $3,000 for first place, $700 for second place, $250 for third place and $500 for the best sustainability features. Students who vote for a pitch and attend the gala will also be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift certificate at Southern Oregon Wilderness Adventures.

Teece and Matthews provided the initial funding for the Business Venture Tournament, envisioning a competition that would be inclusive of students from all academic backgrounds. That vision was brought to life by Vincent Smith, Ph.D., director of the School of Science and Business, and Douglas Daley, coordinator for SOU’s MBA program. Daley developed and executed the competition’s structure with support from Smith and graduate intern Jenny Chynoweth.

Thursday’s final round event will feature sponsors and table hosts, including the Ashland Food Co-Op, Southern Oregon Wilderness Adventures, Talent MakerCity, the SOU Small Business Development Center, SCORE Jackson County, Seed Collective, Rogue To-Go, Crater Works & Direct Involvement Recreation Teaching (DIRT), the SOU Institute of Applied Sustainability and Rogue Valley Women in Business.

For more information, visit venture.sou.edu.

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first-generation student goes beyond expectations

Soon-to-be graduate goes beyond first-generation expectations

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(Ashland, Ore.) — To describe Nansi Cortes simply as a first-generation college student and soon-to-be Southern Oregon University graduate would ignore both her personal history and her family’s unwavering support.

Nansi’s immigrant parents, whom she said had “lower than a grade school education,” were nonetheless aware of education’s potential impact on their children. So they were all in when Nansi was in eighth grade at Medford’s McLoughlin Middle School and became eligible for the SOU/McLoughlin Bulldogs-to-Raiders partnership, a pathway program designed for first-generation Hispanic students to learn about higher education and receive extra help with coursework.

A Spanish translation of this story can be found here.

Nansi, a senior in the SOU Honors College, will receive her bachelor’s degree at the commencement ceremony in June. She has served as a student mentor, a teaching assistant and a lead student assistant in the university’s Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. And she already has been accepted into the SOU master’s degree program in Clinical in Mental Health Counseling.

“Mental health has been seen as a controversial topic for the Spanish-speaking communities,” Nansi said. “I will help educate the importance of mental health, become a bilingual counselor for young adults in Rogue Valley and advocate the benefits of therapy within the Spanish-speaking community.

“As I have been a resource for students at Southern Oregon University, I will continue to be a resource for Spanish-speaking communities.”

Her path to achievement has been neither straightforward nor easy. Her grade point average before transferring to McLoughlin Middle School was 1.9, which she quickly raised to a 3.8.

“About two months in at a new school, I passed classes with A’s, received higher test scores and eventually was asked to enroll in honors courses,” Nansi said. “With the support system I received from the new school, I began to believe in my potential to succeed and desire to plan my educational future.”

Which is where Bulldogs-to-Raiders came in. As part of the program, Nansi participated in SOU’s Academia Latina Leadership, Cesar Chavez Conference, Dia Familiar Latino and other Latinx-oriented youth programs. Those in the program visited various colleges and universities, where they received advice from students on the application process.

“As a first-generation student, I could experience the (SOU) campus by joining workshops and events, while the program taught my parents how to support me,” Nansi said. “Before joining this program, I did not think I was qualified to apply to colleges, pass courses or find the funds to attend. Bulldogs-to-Raiders gave me the opportunity for an education.”

As fate would have it, the COVID-19 pandemic was at full stride when Nansi graduated high school and enrolled at SOU in 2020. She was accustomed to learning through face-to-face classroom interactions, and was concerned about the shift to online coursework – but also felt that her scholarships would be impacted if she took a term off, so met with her guidance counselor.

“She encouraged me to attend the professor’s office hours when I was confused, join a study group for each course for support and seek the tutoring center at the Hannon Library,” Nansi said. “I completed my first year with immense help, and motivation to continue.

She learned about the SOU Honors College while attending the Cesar Chavez Conference with her Bulldogs-to-Raiders cohort, worked hard to be accepted into the program and became an Honors College student as a freshman. She has taken on the role of an academic leader among her peers, and counts that as one of her greatest achievements.

“I have tutored students outside of class to explain the material step-by-step, helped them find sources for their papers and helped the professors with grading,” Nansi said. “This has been an accomplishment because I did not have someone at home to help me with assignments. I wanted to be an additional resource for students.

“These achievements have prepared me for my future by leading me to my goal of becoming a bilingual counselor.”

She also serves as a role model to her siblings, helping them with their educational decisions, and has found her way to a rewarding, meaningful future in counseling.

“My parents will endlessly express their gratitude toward programs that help students achieve academically,” Nansi said. “They are proud to see how far their daughter has gotten in life. The sacrifices they made so I could receive a proper education will never go unseen.”

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Rogue Valley Television now available on largest streaming platforms

Rogue Valley Television now available to cable-cutters and others

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Rogue Valley Television, the community- and government-access station operated by Southern Oregon University’s Digital Media Center, is now available as an app or channel on the five largest streaming platforms: Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The change makes RVTV – which is also available over-the-air and on local cable – available anywhere, without an antenna or cable subscription.

RVTV offers four cable channels across Jackson and Josephine counties: RVTV Prime, RVTV Civic, RVTV Voices and RVTV Grants Pass. The stations serves as the government television service provider for Jackson County and the cities of Ashland, Grants Pass and Medford, carrying all public hearings live and on replay. Public meetings from the Ashland School District and Rogue Valley Transportation District are also available.

On its Voices channel, the station also carries community-access programming on well-being and lifestyle, news and politics, education, nature and ecology, entertainment and music, and more.

RVTV has been has been available through cable providers in the Rogue Valley for almost 35 years, and began streaming live channels from its website in the mid- to late-2000s. RVTV is considered a Public, Education and Government (P.E.G.) access television network.

The station began working with the Telvue Corporation in 2011 to migrate to an all-digital playback server, operating four cable channels with simultaneous live streaming. RVTV and Telvue began work last fall to develop mobile and OTT (over-the-top) streaming video channels across the five largest streaming platforms, to broaden the reach of both its live channels and on-demand video content from its government partners. OTT refers to technology that streams content by way of internet-connected devises.

RVTV continues to seek the most effective means of providing civic information and community media to southern Oregon residents, with support from Southern Oregon University, Jackson County and the cities of Ashland, Grants Pass and Medford.

Chloe Fiveash awarded Goldwater Scholarship

SOU student receives prestigious scholarship

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Chloe Fiveash, a Southern Oregon University junior majoring in biochemistry, is one of 438 recipients nationwide of the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship – a prestigious U.S. award that recognizes the research work of undergraduates in math, science and engineering. Fiveash, a first-generation college student who experienced homelessness while in high school, is SOU’s first Goldwater Scholar since 2021 and second since 2007.

Goldwater Scholars each receive as much as $7,500 annually for tuition, fees and room-and-board, along with national recognition for their undergraduate research. Fiveash is also a McNair Scholar at SOU and receives federal Pell and Supplemental Education Opportunity grants, the Oregon Opportunity Grant and at least five other scholarships.

She completed a 2022 independent internship by researching the ability of the insecticide fipronil to be absorbed by field mustard, to determine if the plant can effectively reduce concentrations and toxic effects of fipronil. She is currently researching the ability of the mold Aspergillus niger to limit the toxicity of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that is common in many foods.

“I feel incredibly honored to be recognized for my dedication to my research and education,” Fiveash said. “This opportunity will allow me to focus on the more impactful aspects of my current education such as my classes and research projects, and it will also open many doors for future financial endeavors to support my desire to go to graduate school.”

Fiveash has served as a volunteer caregiver at Mountain View Adult Foster Home, worked with SOU’s OSPIRG group to help with voter registration and volunteered to clean up the Antioch Cemetery. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, has made the Provost’s List of full-time students earning at least a 3.5 grade point average several times and is on track to graduate cum laude in June 2025

She is one of just four Oregon university students to be selected as Goldwater Scholars this year. A total of 1,353 science, engineering and mathematics students were nominated by 446 academic institutions to compete for the 2024 Goldwater Scholarships. The 438 scholarships awarded for 2024 brings the total number since 1989 to 10,720. Almost all of this year’s awardees – including Fiveash – intend to pursue doctorate degrees, with 57 of them planning research careers in mathematics and computer science, 237 in the sciences, 80 in medicine and 64 in engineering and materials research.

“I am so grateful for Chloe,” said Vincent Smith, director of SOU’s School of Science & Business. “Her hard work, determination and perseverance are inspirational.

“We face so many challenges as a planet,” Smith said. “I strongly believe that education still remains the greatest path toward equality, sustainability and vitality. SOU is appreciative of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for their commitment to recognizing remarkable human potential.”

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is a federally endowed agency that was created in 1986. Its scholarship program “was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics,” according to its website. “The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.”

The application process for the Goldwater Scholarships prompts students to demonstrate their commitment to research and tighten their focus on career goals – skills they will need when applying to graduate schools and for subsequent research scholarships. SOU undergraduates interested in learning more about the Goldwater Scholarship, eligibility criteria and how to apply may contact Melissa LaBonty, assistant professor of biology and the Goldwater Scholarship campus representative, at labontym@sou.edu.

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La Clinica to operate SOU Student Health & Wellness Center

La Clinica partners with SOU to operate student health center

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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.