Press Releases

Southern Oregon firefighters at LA wildfires

SOU student applies classroom experience to work on LA wildfires

(Ashland, Ore.) — Bryan Cohee was juggling his usual responsibilities back in January – as a husband, father, battalion chief with Jackson County Fire District 3 and undergraduate student in Southern Oregon University’s Innovation and Leadership Program. A phone call resulted in yet another role, and both opportunities and challenges for Cohee: it was an […]

Bill Thorndike passes away unexpectedly

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

(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 […]

SOU shows up at sustainability conference

SOU participants make a splash at regional sustainability conference

(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 […]

Gender-based violence survivors have new resource at SOU

SOU enters partnership to support survivors of gender-based violence

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has a new resource to support students and employees who have experienced gender-based violence such as stalking, sexual assault and dating or domestic violence. Community Works, a Medford nonprofit, is offering free on-campus sessions two days per week with a specially trained confidential advocate. SOU and Community Works recently […]

Behavioral Health Initiative dialogue session

SOU embraces Behavioral Health Initiative

(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 […]

Senior living proposals sought by SOU Ashland

SOU seeks development proposals for senior living

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has begun the process of identifying a private-sector partner for the construction and operation of a senior living center on a 4.3-acre parcel where a defunct dormitory complex is currently being demolished. A “request for qualifications” – an invitation for developers and operators of retirement facilities to submit proposals […]

Solar projects underway at SOU Ashland

Construction underway on SOU’s latest solar projects

(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 […]

At wildlife crossing site, SOU students Shawn Johnson, Emily Heller

Funding in place for wildlife crossing with key SOU role

(Ashland, Ore.) — A total of $37 million in federal and state funding has been secured to build a wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 south of Ashland, in a project that Southern Oregon University faculty and students have supported by monitoring wildlife patterns in the area. Oregon recently was awarded a federal grant of $33.2 […]

Klamath dam removal workshop at SOU

Klamath dam removal workshop at SOU fosters collaboration

(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 […]

SOU computer scientist Bernadette Boscoe receives Sloan grant

SOU computer scientist receives Sloan grant for “tacit knowledge” research

(Ashland, Ore.) — Bernadette Boscoe, an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Southern Oregon University, recognizes a shared need in fields as dissimilar as astronomy, environmental science and violin acoustics, and a new grant will pay for research that may benefit those and other academic disciplines. Boscoe has received a $250,000 grant from […]