October 9, 2014
(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Early Childhood Development program has been ranked No. 3 in the nation for affordability among online bachelor’s degree programs in Education, according to Nonprofit Colleges Online, which released its Students Before Profits Award Oct. 7.
According to a press release from Nonprofit Colleges Online, the Students Before Profits Award was created “to highlight nonprofit colleges and universities that offer quality online programs of study at an affordable price.”
“Online bachelor’s programs in education are relatively rare, and for-profit schools tend to dominate in terms of marketing,” said Brett Gershon, lead editor for the ranking. “We hope this award will draw attention to some of the lesser known, but high-quality and affordable nonprofit options available to prospective education students.”
SOU’s Early Childhood Development program is designed to be a degree completion program, meaning most students complete their general education and approved prerequisite courses at their local community college or online, then transfer to SOU to complete the degree online.
“This flexible schedule is in direct response to the need for this degree by professionals already working in the field of early childhood education,” according to Dr. Steven Thorpe, Interim Dean of SOU’s Division of Education, Health, and Leadership (DEHL). “We are extremely pleased with this ranking and proud of the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff working in the program.”
SOU is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Early Childhood Development program is nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
More information on the Early Childhood Development program is available online at www.sou.edu/education.

October 8, 2014
(Ashland, Ore.) — Dr. Mark Tveskov, professor of anthropology and director of the Laboratory of Anthropology at Southern Oregon University, has been appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation.
The committee, which is comprised of members with backgrounds in anthropology, history, architecture, archaeology and other related disciplines, is tasked with reviewing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.
“Collaboration and stewardship with our communities on issues of historic preservation are foundational concepts we hope to teach in our classes,” Dr. Tveskov said, “so I am greatly honored to have this opportunity to serve on this committee.”
Dr. Tveskov has been a faculty member at SOU since 1998. He is a member of the Society of American Archaeology, the Society for Historical Archaeology, and the Association of Oregon Archaeologists.
“We have wonderful faculty at Southern Oregon University, and we’re very pleased that Dr. Tveskov will be able to share his expertise in a manner that benefits the entire state,” said Dr. Roy Saigo, SOU President.
The advisory committee next meets Oct. 9-10 in Newport.

Aug. 27, 2014
For Immediate Release
For More Information Contact:
Roxane Beigel-Coryell, Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator, Southern Oregon University; Tel: 541-552-8139, beigelcod@sou.edu
Sharon Basel, Sustainability Communications Manager, General Motors; Tel: 313-378-6647; Sharon.basel@gm.com
Campus Engages Students on Clean Energy Efforts
Southern Oregon University is participating in Chevrolet’s carbon-reduction initiative. It is selling carbon credits for the new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified Raider Village residence halls to Chevrolet for one year. This unique program enables the university to receive funding for reducing the campus’ carbon footprint through green building practices.
“Chevy’s efforts offer an exceptional opportunity to recognize top-performing, LEED-certified projects, while encouraging them to continue to operate in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help mitigate global climate change,” said Chris Pyke, Ph.D., vice president of research for the U.S. Green Building Council.
SOU has long been a leader in campus sustainability, adopting a Climate Action Plan in 2010. The plan outlines the university’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint 10 percent by 2020 and 100 percent by 2050. One of its strategies to reach carbon neutral is investing in green buildings, such as the LEED Gold-Certified Raider Village. The Village is the newest development in sustainable campus living and a unique experience that has no equal in the Oregon University System. The buildings feature daylit common spaces, variable refrigerant flow technology, and 153 kilowatts of solar photovoltaics.
In 2010, Chevrolet was also working to set carbon goals of its own beyond its efficient vehicles and responsible manufacturing efforts, striving to reduce up to 8 million tons of carbon dioxide in certified carbon projects across the country. To achieve this commitment, the company rolled out its voluntary carbon-reduction initiative. Most recently, it helped develop the methodology funding the energy efficiency work of universities like SOU.
Chevrolet is purchasing carbon from campus greenhouse gas reductions and retiring them, meaning the company will never use them to offset emissions related to its own operations or products.
Chevrolet and SOU first connected on this project during a conference last year, when student Shaun Franks introduced the opportunity to university staff. During the program’s validation process, SOU discovered that the LEED buildings were not performing to their full potential. This is a common problem for LEED projects, as the green building practices only focus on design and construction, and one of the reasons LEED increasingly emphasizes the need to link project goals with operational performance measures.
Once aware of the opportunity for improvement, SOU engaged the student residents to help reduce energy use to achieve the buildings’ optimal performance.
“Discovering that the buildings weren’t performing to the design standards was just the push we needed to ramp up our student engagement efforts in the residence halls,” reflects Roxane Beigel-Coryell, sustainability and recycling coordinator, SOU. “It also underlines the importance of monitoring all campus buildings to ensure they are operating as efficiently as possible.”
This fall, student leaders will run an energy conservation campaign in the new halls to educate and engage student residents in the university’s conservation efforts.
“We know there are ways to fuel the clean-energy movement beyond our electric vehicles and use of renewables at our manufacturing facilities,” said David Tulauskas, director of sustainability at General Motors. “The leaders in the higher education community, like Southern Oregon University, are doing big things to leave a smaller footprint, and engaging their students along the way. This effort supports their ingenuity and continued investment in energy efficiency.”
SOU plans to use revenue from the carbon transaction to fund additional energy conservation projects on campus, such as lighting retrofits, equipment upgrades, or to expand existing solar arrays.
“SOU will further its clean energy leadership through this partnership with Chevrolet,” said Dr. Roy Saigo, President of Southern Oregon University. “The funds gained will be reinvested in carbon-reduction projects on campus that will brighten the future of our students and benefit our community.”
About Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100 percent of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:
Chelsea Rose, Archaeologist, Southern Oregon University; 541-261-3087; rosec@sou.edu
or, Kelsey Wallace, OPB; 503-445-1893; kwallace@opb.org

June 16, 2014

The second season of Time Team America, the OPB national series that combines archaeological discovery with good storytelling, will premiere exclusively on OPB stations this month—eight weeks ahead of its PBS air date. Produced entirely in Oregon and shot throughout the U.S., each of the four new episodes explores a different region and time in American history through the eyes, ears and expertise of a team of adventurous archaeologists. Time Team America debuts Monday, June 16, at 10 p.m. on OPB.

Working against a ticking clock, scientists Joe Watkins, Allan Maca, Meg Watters, Jeff Brown and Southern Oregon University’s Chelsea Rose join forces with host Justine Shapiro to uncover historical secrets buried beneath the soil. Combining technologically advanced tools and old-fashioned elbow grease, every one-hour episode takes viewers on a journey into the earth and back in time.

“We’re thrilled to be back for a second season of this terrific series,” says OPB’s vice president of TV production David Davis. “There’s nothing else quite like it on TV. Viewers will feel they are right in the trenches with working archeologists as they uncover the artifacts of our past.”

Here’s what’s in store for the team in season two:

–      Tucked between upscale homes in suburban Maryland just outside Washington, D.C., are the remains of an 1830’s plantation—once home to Josiah Henson, the enslaved man who inspired the title character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. What remains here of his life and legacy?

–      In western Oklahoma, the bones of massive 10,000-year-old bison mingle with the remnants of early human-made weapons. What strategies did hunters use against these mammoth beasts before the advent of bows and arrows? What can these bison bones teach us about our ancient past?

–      Camp Lawton, near Millen, Georgia, housed 10,000 Union prisoners at the end of the Civil War. The remains of the camp have long been lost to history. Can Time Team America find the original site of the camp? What artifacts are buried beneath the ground and what do they tell us of the hellish experiences of the prisoners once held captive here?

–      The site of what is believed to have been a 1,200-year-old village is located near Mesa Verde, Colorado, where ancient peoples built one of the first permanent settlements in North America. What did this settlement look like and how did life here shape human history?

To join the conversation, “like” Time Team America on Facebook:facebook.com/timeteamamerica. View behind-the-scenes footage, interactive content and past episodes online at pbs.org/time-team.

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About Time Team America

Time Team America is a co-production of Oregon Public Broadcasting and Videotext Communications, Ltd. and is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The co-executive producer for OPB is David Davis and the co-executive producer for Videotext is Tim Taylor.

About OPB  


OPB is the largest cultural and education institution in the region, delivering excellence in public broadcasting to 1.5 million people each week through television, radio and the Internet. Widely recognized as a national leader in the public broadcasting arena, OPB is a major contributor to the program schedule that serves the entire country. OPB is one of the most-used and most-supported public broadcasting services in the country and is generously supported by members across Oregon and southern Washington. For more information, visit opb.org.

About Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

April 22, 2014

For more information contact:
D. Roxane Beigel-Coryell, Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator
beigelcod@sou.edu
541-552-8139

SOU is one of the 332 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review

The education services company known for its test prep programs and college rankings, ratings, and guidebooks profiles SOU in the fifth annual edition of its free downloadable book, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green Colleges.”

The Princeton Review chose the schools for this guide based on a survey it conducted in 2013 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges to measure the schools’ commitment to the environment and to sustainability.  The institutional survey included questions on the schools’ course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.

Published a few days before the April 22 celebration of Earth Day, the 216-page guide is the only free comprehensive resource of its kind: it can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.

The Princeton Review created its “Guide to 332 Green Colleges” in partnership with the Center for Green Schools (www.usgbc.org) at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The 322 school profiles in the guide feature essential information for applicants – facts and stats on school demographics, admission, financial aid – plus write-ups on the schools’ sustainability initiatives.  A “Green Facts” sidebar reports on a wide range of topics from the school’s use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs.

In the guide’s profile on Southern Oregon University, The Princeton Review highlights the school’s  leadership in renewable energy, green building, academic programs, student engagement, and innovation in becoming the first university to offset 100% of its water use.

”SOU is honored to be featured in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges,” said Roxane Beigel-Coryell, SOU Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator. “Being green is an important part of our culture at SOU, both for students and the administration.”

Said Rob Franek, Senior VP/Publisher, The Princeton Review, “We are pleased to recommend SOU to the many students seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally-responsible choices and practices.”

Franek noted his Company’s recent survey findings indicating significant interest among college applicants in attending “green” colleges. “Among 10,116 college applicants who participated in our 2014 ‘College Hopes & Worries Survey,’ 61% said having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school,” he said.

Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, commented “In collaborating with The Princeton Review on this annual guide, we have seen that sustainability on campuses continues to be an important deciding factor for today’s four-year college bound students.  We are excited to once again provide prospective students and their parents with a resource to help them navigate this often daunting decision-making process.”

How Schools Were Chosen for the Book

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey the Company conducted in 2013. The survey asked administrators at hundreds of colleges across the U.S. and Canada about their institution’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Using survey data that covered more than 25 fields, The Princeton Review tallied its “Green Ratings” (scores from 60 to 99) for 832 schools and reported them in the school profiles on the Company’s website and in its college guides in summer 2013. The 332 schools in this guide received scores of 83 or above in that assessment. (Note: The Princeton Review does not rank the schools 1 to 332, nor does it report their Green Rating scores in this book.) Information about the Company’s Green Rating and its “Green Honor Roll” list of 22 schools that received the highest possible score, 99, is at www.princetonreview.com/green.aspx

About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading test preparation and college admission services company. Every year it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation, tutoring, and admissions services, its online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House LLC. The Company delivers its services via a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A. and Canada, and through its international franchises in 14 other countries. The Company also partners directly with school districts and non-governmental organizations to provide students with college readiness services including college selection, test preparation, financial aid advice, and admissions support. The Princeton Review is headquartered in Natick, MA, and is privately held.  For more information, visit www.princetonreview.com and www.facebook.com/ThePrincetonReview.  Follow the Company’s Twitter feed @ThePrincetonRev

About the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council

The Center for Green Schools at USGBC is making sure every student has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. From kindergarten to college and beyond, the Center works directly with staff, teachers, faculty, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable places to live and learn, work and play. For more information, visit centerforgreenschools.org or find us on Twitter and Facebook.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org, explore the Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG) and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For more:

The Princeton Review: Jeanne Krier, 212-539-1350, pressoffice@review.com, or Kristen O’Toole, 888-347-7737 ext. 1405, kotoole@review.com
U.S. Green Building Council: Jacob Kriss, 202-595-3992, jkriss@usgbc.org

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