Tag Archive for: Board of Trustees

Bill Thorndike passes away unexpectedly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bill Thorndike passes away unexpectedly

SOU loses friend and mentor with passing of Bill Thorndike

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Bill Thorndike – a member of the SOU Board of Trustees since its inception in 2015 and the board’s first chair – passed away unexpectedly while vacationing with his wife Angela last weekend at their family cottage on Whidbey Island, Washington.

“Bill was to SOU what each of us cherishes in our closest of friends – he was supportive to a fault, generous with his time and ready to lend a hand however it may be needed,” SOU President Rick Bailey and Sheila Clough, chair of the SOU Board of Trustees, said in a joint message to campus. “Above all, he understood us and helped keep us on track, always with a smile and an easy laugh.

“Our university benefited in countless ways from a decades-long relationship with Bill.”

He served as a member and president in the early 1990s on the SOU Foundation Board of Trustees, and as a member and president of the Jefferson Public Radio Listeners Guild. Before becoming the inaugural chair of SOU’s governing board, he served on the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. He was honored in 1996 with the President’s Medal, SOU’s highest tribute to community members who are distinguished by their actions and contributions. The Thorndike Art Gallery at SOU is indicative of the indelible mark he left on the university.

Bill was a 1972 graduate of Medford Senior High School and graduated in 1976 from Lewis & Clark College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After college, he began working at his family’s business, Medford Fabrication, a custom steel fabrication company that has been in operation for almost 80 years. He joined the family business in 1976, was elected president in 1987, and then chair in 2004. The MedFab team supplies multinational corporations across the globe.

It was his deep, multi-generational connections to the Rogue Valley – skiing at Mt. Ashland, hiking from his family’s cabin at Union Creek – that drove Bill’s unmatched  sense of volunteerism. His life was a tapestry woven with threads of business success, leadership and an unwavering dedication to community and service – he received at least a dozen prestigious awards for his professional accomplishments and community service. He was well known in southern Oregon and the Rogue Valley as a servant leader, serving on almost 60 boards and committees – many concurrently, and often as president or chair.

He was a strong advocate for education beyond SOU, serving with organizations including the SMART Oregon Children’s Foundation and the Jackson County SMART Advisory Committee. His civic engagement included service with the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County, where he held various leadership positions, the Jackson County Budget Committee, the Jackson County Community Service Consortium (JCCSC) and Rogue Valley Manor Community Services. His dedication to the region’s well-being was recognized with awards including “Person of the Decade” in 2000 from JCCSC, the “First Citizen Award” in 2007 from the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County and “the Imagine Award” in 2015 from Resolve (formerly Mediation Works).

Bill served the broader state through his appointments to governmental boards and committees including two Oregon governors’ Regional Solutions committees, the Senate Commission on Educational Excellence, the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, Port of Portland and Oregon Department of Transportation committees. He also chaired the Crater Lake National Park Trust, the Oregon Business Council, and the Oregon Community Foundation. His statewide impact has been acknowledged with awards such as Willamette University’s Glenn L. Jackson Leadership Award recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity and civic responsibility to the state and its people, and the Tom McCall Leadership Award from SOLV/ Bank of America for helping to preserve livability in Oregon.

His influence reached beyond Oregon’s borders, as well. His expertise in finance and economics led to his service, including as chairman, with the U.S. Central Bank’s Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (Portland Branch). He served on the boards of the Northwest Area Foundation, Philanthropy Northwest and Northwest Business Committee for the Arts. Bill was named “Exporter of the Year” in 1990 by the U.S. Small Business Administration (Oregon) to recognize his experience in international trade.

“We are certain that Bill will be missed within each of those organizations, just as he will be at SOU,” Chair Clough and President Bailey said in their joint message. “It is his friendship and genuine, caring nature that will leave the deepest void.

“So we ask you, as members of our loving and compassionate campus community, to hold Bill and his family in your thoughts. Please do your best to keep his spirit alive through your own kindness with each other, with our university, and with our community.”

SOU president receives contract extension

SOU president receives contract extension

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey has been awarded a new, three-year contract – three years after taking the helm at SOU, steering the university through an organizational realignment and charting an entrepreneurial course forward.

The SOU Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Friday to approve the new contract, which essentially extends President Bailey’s original contract that would have expired at the end of June. The new pact incorporates the final six months of the first contract and pushes the expiration date to June 30, 2028.

“My fellow trustees and I recognize that the university is in good hands, and that there are many reasons for optimism under Dr. Bailey’s leadership,” said Sheila Clough, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We are very pleased to acknowledge his innovative guidance and to provide this measure of stability to Dr. Bailey and to SOU.”

The president’s base compensation is unchanged under the new contract. According to Chair Clough, the board and the campus were unified in their desire to retain Dr. Bailey, and therefore, the new contract also includes a deferred compensation component as a retention incentive. President Bailey continues to receive a package of health insurance and retirement benefits similar to those of other SOU employees. The president also receives a vehicle stipend and university-supplied housing.

The new contract requires the board chair to meet again with President Bailey no later than Dec. 31, 2027, “to discuss the board chair’s intent regarding their recommendation concerning Dr. Bailey’s future reappointment as president.”

“I am humbled and grateful to the Board of Trustees and the campus community for their trust and confidence,” President Bailey said. “The position of president at SOU was the only role I was interested in filling when I accepted this job three years ago, and that remains the case today. We have made measurable progress, thanks to a supportive Board and constructive partnerships throughout the university community and beyond. But there is much that remains to be done, and I look forward every day to the work that we do together.”

SOU was at a financial crossroads when President Bailey was hired, with structural flaws in its fiscal model that were the result of a longstanding reliance on a combination of state appropriations and tuition revenue to pay for most operations.

After Bailey led a collaborative, campus-wide realignment process, the Board of Trustees adopted the four-plank SOU Forward strategy a little over a year later. That plan implemented policies of cost management, expanded support for grant applications, leveraging of an ongoing surge of philanthropic support and diversification of revenue through entrepreneurial opportunities including solar power production and creation of a senior living center.

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four appointed to SOU board

Four appointed to SOU Board of Trustees

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(Ashland, Ore.) — A local entrepreneur and double-alumna, a chemistry professor and campus leader, a graduate student in the School of Education and an undergraduate Honors College student have been appointed by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees.

Sachta Bakshi Card will complete the unexpired, at-large term of Jonathon Bullock, who resigned from the board last year; her term will end in June 2027. Hala Schepmann, Ph.D., will serve a two-year term as the SOU board’s faculty representative; Julissa Taitano will serve a two-year term as the board’s graduate program representative; and Garima Sharma will serve a two-year term as the board’s undergraduate representative. Card, Schepmann and Taitano are full voting members of the board, while Sharma’s undergrad position is non-voting in its first year and then shifts to a voting position in its second year.

“This is an outstanding group to help steer the course of the university we all love,” said SOU Board Chair Daniel Santos. “These new board members bring rich and varied experiences to the table, and each has deep connections to SOU. Our governing body, university, community and state will benefit from their service.”

Sachta Bakshi Card, who was born and raised in India before moving to the U.S. at age 17 to attend SOU, is an entrepreneur and investor who owns restaurants and advises other small businesses in southern Oregon. She is an honors graduate of SOU, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics, a certificate in Applied Finance and Economics, and a master’s in management degree. She also has an MBA from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in International Business from University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Card is a member of the boards of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Options for Helping, Resources and Assistance (OHRA). She received the prestigious American Association of University Women’s award for the Outstanding Woman Student in Economics while a student at SOU.

Hala Schepmann joined the SOU faculty in 2001 and recently served as chair of Chemistry and Physics, navigating the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and leading the creation of an endowed summer research program for students and faculty.  She has also served in SOU leadership roles including president of the faculty association and co-founder and leader of a university alliance that supports underrepresented faculty groups. Schepmann co-leads the National Science Foundation ASCEND project that focuses on supporting the advancement of women STEM faculty nationwide.  Her most recent effort – a project of NSF GRANTED (Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity) – seeks to transform research enterprises at primarily undergraduate, emerging research institutions. Schepmann specializes in organic chemistry and spectroscopy and her research interests include drug discovery and development of inclusive teaching strategies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Texas, Austin, her master’s degree in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of California, Berkely, and her doctorate in bioorganic chemistry from Rice University.

Julissa Taitano is a graduate student in the SOU School of Education’s Master of Science in Education program, with a concentration in higher education leadership. She has served as a student leader in many positions, including as a member of the SOU women’s wrestling team, and as a student representative and former student body vice president in the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University. She currently serves as chair of the Student Fee Budget Committee, which works to determine students’ “incidental fees” and other charges that can affect the university for many years. Taitano, as an aspiring educator, recognizes a systemic need for higher education institutions to embrace the urgency of being a catalyst for change. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education, with a minor in philosophy at SOU.

Garima Sharma is a junior in the SOU Honors College, with double majors in healthcare administration and pre-nursing, and minors in ethics and health promotion. She currently serves as chief justice for the ASSOU, where she looks at governing documents and helps establish rules for the student government to follow. Sharma has embraced leadership roles across campus, including service as president of the Black Student Union and work in the Social Justice & Equity Center. She has also been a resident assistant in University Housing for the past two years.

SOU was granted authority by the state to form its own independent Board of Trustees beginning July 1, 2015, following the legislature’s dissolution of the Oregon University System and State Board of Higher Education. SOU’s board is responsible for governance and oversight of the university.

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Jason Mendoza appointed to SOU Board of Trustees

Current chair and university employee appointed to new terms on SOU board

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has appointed Jason Mendoza, an area coordinator for Southern Oregon University’s Housing Department, to serve on SOU’s Board of Trustees, and reappointed current board chair Daniel Santos to his second full, four-year term. Both were confirmed on Friday by the Oregon Senate and their service to the board begins immediately.

Mendoza will serve a two-year term as the new non-faculty staff member of SOU’s governing board. He is an SOU alumnus, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice seven years ago, and he held criminal justice positions in Jackson and Klamath counties before taking his current position with SOU’s University Housing.

“SOU holds a very special place in my heart, as it is where I met my wife and we started our family prior to graduating,” Mendoza said. “This opportunity brings me full-circle at SOU, where as a student worker in University Housing, my wife and I received the support we needed to graduate. I will be pleased to join the board in advocating for and supporting first-generation students like myself.”

Santos is also an alumnus, receiving his bachelor’s degree in criminology at SOU in 1975, before earning his law degree at Willamette University College of Law. He has remained involved in education throughout his career, serving as a founding member of Scholarships for Oregon Latinos, and in guiding roles with Willamette University’s Willamette Academy for students from underserved communities and the Leadership Council for Oregon Mentors. He has served on the SOU Board of Trustees since 2016 and currently is the board’s chairperson.

“I am excited to continue my service to SOU, and I am looking forward to working with Jason and all of our fellow board members,” Santos said. “Our role is to keep the institution on a solid, sustainable path and ensure access to future generations of students. SOU is headed in the right direction, both academically and fiscally, thanks to the innovative, responsible guidance of our board and university leaders.”

Santos is a retired associate dean for the Willamette University College of Law, where he oversaw student affairs and administration. He has served in various capacities for Oregon governors Neil Goldschmidt, Barbara Roberts, John Kitzhaber, Ted Kulongoski, Kate Brown and Tina Kotek. His roles included service as Roberts’ legal counsel and Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision chair, and as a senior policy advisor for Kulongoski.

He currently serves on the boards of directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Mid-Valley Literacy Council, among others.

Mendoza is a member of the city of Ashland’s Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee, which assesses and makes recommendations to the City Council on housing and human service needs. He is an advisor for both the SOU Ho`opa`a Hawai`i Club and Samoan Club, and is passionate about helping underrepresented populations – especially the Polynesian community.

He has worked with the SOU Admissions Department in the recruiting and retention of Pacific Islander students, including traveling to American Samoa, and has helped Phoenix High School students learn about Samoan culture during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Mendoza also helped to organize the United Pacific Islanders of Southern Oregon (UPSIO) Pacific Islander Summer Celebration in August – an event that was hosted by the Samoa Pacific Islander Coalition (SPDC).

SOU was granted authority by the state to form its own independent Board of Trustees beginning July 1, 2015, following the legislature’s dissolution of the Oregon University System and State Board of Higher Education. SOU’s board is responsible for governance and oversight of the university.

Eleven at-large trustees serve four-year terms, and one voting position each is reserved for an SOU undergraduate student, an SOU graduate student, a faculty and a non-faculty staff member – each of whom serve two-year terms. One non-voting undergraduate student member also serves on the board for a two-year term.

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Trustees appointed to SOU board

Ten SOU trustees appointed and confirmed

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Three new and seven continuing members have been appointed by Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Board of Trustees of Southern Oregon University.

The new trustees are Brent Barry, superintendent of the Phoenix-Talent School District; SOU faculty member Andrew Gay; and SOU alumna Christina Medina, regional business manager for Pacific Power, a division of PacifiCorp.

“The Board of Trustees is truly excited to welcome aboard these exceptionally qualified individuals,” said Daniel P. Santos, the board’s chair. “Each will add a unique perspective and expertise to the university’s governing board. I appreciate Gov. Brown’s appointment and legislators’ confirmation of these community leaders, whose service will enable the university to continue to meet the needs of our students and the challenges of higher education.”

Returning to serve additional terms as trustees are Lyn Hennion and Bill Thorndike, who have served on the board since its inception; Sheila Clough, who was appointed to fill a vacancy and then completed a full, four-year term; Jonathon Bullock, Shaun Franks and Barry Thalden, who have completed their initial terms on the board; and Debra Fee Jing Lee, who was appointed last year to fill a board vacancy.

The terms of all of the new and reappointed trustees begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2026, except for that of faculty member Gay, whose term, by law, is two years.

Outgoing SOU faculty member Deborah Rosenberg and non-faculty staff member janelle wilson, as well as community members Paul Nicholson and Steve Vincent, are completing their service June 30 as members of the SOU Board of Trustees.

“I sincerely thank these trustees who have given SOU two full terms of service and are now retiring from our board,” Santos said. “We are a stronger SOU today because of their service, dedication, guidance and expertise.”

Continuing trustees are Santos, an SOU alumnus from Salem, and SOU student member Mimi Pieper. Non-faculty staff member Katherine Cable, a registration systems analyst at SOU, was appointed in February to the board’s SOU staff position and will begin her term July 1. One vacant seat on the SOU board will be filled at a later date.

“Each of our trustees – new, continuing or retiring – demonstrate their outstanding commitment to SOU,” President Rick Bailey said. “These trustees all have essential roles in helping us to steer this beautiful ship. Under their watch, our university embraces opportunities, negotiates challenges and commits each day to excellent service to our students and community. We all look forward to moving the university forward under their leadership.”

SOU was granted authority by the state to form its own independent Board of Trustees beginning July 1, 2015, following the legislature’s dissolution of the Oregon University System and State Board of Higher Education. SOU’s board is responsible for governance and oversight of the university.

Trustees are gubernatorial appointees, subject to confirmation by the Oregon Senate. As many as 11 at-large trustees serve four-year terms and one position each is reserved for an SOU student, a faculty member and a non-faculty staff member, each of whom serve two-year terms. The university president serves in a non-voting, ex officio capacity on the board, bringing total membership to 15.

New trustees

Brent Barry
Barry has served five years as superintendent of the Phoenix-Talent School District, and a total of 18 years in various roles with the district. He was named the Oregon Superintendent of the Year for 2022 by the Oregon Association of School Executives (OASE) and the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA). Barry was vice principal and athletic director at Phoenix High School, then principal at the district’s Orchard Hill Elementary and finally assistant superintendent for academics and student programs before being promoted to superintendent in 2017. He has also taught health and math in Prineville, Oregon City and Medford. He was born and raised in the Rogue Valley, attending Medford schools and then earning his bachelor’s degree at Linfield College and his Master of Education degree at SOU.  He currently serves on the boards of the Rogue Valley Family YMCA and Rogue Power Pack, and  is a member of the Bear Creek Valley Rotary Club.

Andrew Gay
Gay is an associate professor and chair of Communication, Media & Cinema at SOU, teaching digital cinema courses in storytelling, screenwriting, directing, producing, production management, film festival programming, career design and development, and short film production. He earned the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2021. Gay is an active scholar and media artist, with a variety of recent academic and creative works to his credit. He is the former board president of Film Southern Oregon, sits on the board of the Oregon Media Production Association, is a programmer for the Ashland Independent Film Festival and serves on the Teaching Committee for EDIT Media (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Teaching Media). He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy/religion from Flagler College, and both a bachelor of fine arts degree in film production and a master of fine arts degree in film and digital media from the University of Central Florida.

Christina Medina
Medina is the regional business manager for Pacific Power, a division of PacifiCorp for Jackson County and northern California’s Del Norte County, and is responsible for managing the accounts of significant customers and performing governmental affairs, economic development and community and stakeholder relations functions. She has served 20 years in the electric utility industry and is bilingual in Spanish. Medina earned her bachelor’s degree at SOU in innovation and leadership, with a minor in psychology. Her volunteer roles include service on the board of directors for Asante Hospital System, as an Oregon American Leadership Forum fellow, president of Remake Talent, co-convener of R3V Reimagine Rebuild Rogue Valley, co-chair of the Medford Vision Task Force, community advisory council member for Rogue Retreat and executive board member for the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

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Former state Supreme Court judge Virginia Linder and SOU employee Katherine Cable appointed as SOU trustees

SOU employee and retired state Supreme Court justice appointed to university board

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice Virginia Linder and Katherine Cable, a registration systems analyst at Southern Oregon University, have been appointed by Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees. Both will begin their service to the board in July.

Linder will serve a four-year term and will succeed Megan Lightman, who left the board in June 2021. Cable will succeed janelle wilson, who has served as the SOU non-faculty staff member on the 15-member board since 2018. She will serve a two-year term.

“As a graduate of SOU, I have a deep fondness for the university and for southern Oregon,” said Linder, who earned her bachelor’s degree in political science at SOU in 1975.

“SOU is a vital asset to this region of our state,” she said. “I am honored by this appointment and look forward to engaging and contributing to the board’s work in meeting the needs of SOU’s students and the surrounding community.”

Cable has a bachelor’s degree in emerging media and digital arts from SOU and is working on a second bachelor’s degree in English.

“As a lifelong student, I’ve attended classes on many campuses in three states, and SOU is by far my favorite of them all,” Cable said. “I’m proud to call myself an alumna and staff member of this university, and I look forward to serving and doing my part to make SOU the best we can be.”

Linder received her law degree from the Willamette University School of Law in 1980, then practiced in various capacities with the Oregon Department of Justice until 1997, when she was appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals. She served there until 2006, when she was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court, where she served through December 2015. She also served as an adjunct professor of law at Willamette Law from 1997 through 2006.

Linder, who lives in Salem, said she is proud of her work as a lawyer and judge that has helped to break barriers for women, the LGBTQ community and others who have been traditionally excluded or marginalized.

Cable came to SOU as an academic records coordinator in 2016 and is now the registration systems analyst supporting the registrar’s office with information technology and systems. Prior to her time at SOU, she worked as a lifeguard, fugitive investigator, Arabic linguist, U.S. Marine, emergency medical technician and network services engineer, among many other roles.

“The SOU Board of Trustees is pleased to welcome these trustees to the board in July,” said Daniel Santos, the board chair. “Their diverse expertise and insight will help advance the mission of SOU and the work of the board. We also thank Trustees Lightman and wilson for their tremendous contributions to the SOU Board.

“We are doubly lucky that Virginia and Katherine both have been appointed,” Santos said. “As alumni who both have remained engaged in this institution, I know their care for SOU will only strengthen our future work together.”

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Debra Lee will serve on SOU Board of Trustees

Legal aid lawyer and honors student join SOU Board of Trustees

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Medford legal aid attorney Debra Lee and Mimi Pieper, an SOU sophomore Honors College student, have been appointed by Gov. Kate Brown and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees.

Lee succeeds Les AuCoin, who served on the board from its formation in 2015 until his resignation in January. She will serve a four-year term. Pieper succeeds Dylann Loverro, who has served as the student member on the 15-member board since November 2019 and will graduate in June.

“SOU is a tremendous asset for our region and a vital part of the southern Oregon community,” Lee said. “I am honored to join my esteemed colleagues on the governing board and hope to contribute to the university’s bright future.”

“I am excited to be a part of my university’s Board of Trustees,” Pieper said. “I look forward to supporting the mission, vision and values that will increase student success at SOU.”

Pieper, who is working toward a 2024 bachelor’s degree business administration with minors in ethics and rhetoric, carries a 4.0 grade point average and is an active participant in the Honors College Democracy Project. She is a marketing intern for Prelio Technology.

Lee was born in Toisan, China, and immigrated with her family to Rhode Island in 1956. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and her law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. She served as a legal aid attorney in Tennessee, Arkansas and Jackson County before becoming executive director of Medford’s Center for Nonprofit Legal Services in 1989.

Lee has been involved in the Medford Rogue Rotary Club, SOU Foundation, Medford Housing Advisory Commission, Jackson County Continuum of Care Board, Oregon Community Foundation and the American Leadership Forum of Oregon.

“We are pleased to welcome Debra and Mimi to SOU’s Board of Trustees,” said Paul Nicholson, the board’s chair. “They are both extraordinarily bright, talented and  accomplished, each in her own way. Their voices will be welcomed additions to the board.

“The board also thanks Les AuCoin and Dylann Loverro for their dedicated service to the board. We wish each of them all the best in their future endeavors.”

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Danny Santos' career of service

Danny Santos: In the name of service

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Danny Santos, who earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology at SOU in 1975, always had a passion for service. But he credits SOU – Southern Oregon College at that time – with providing him the tools and opportunities to chart and navigate a career path that focused on helping others.

“Southern Oregon College was a wonderful place to grow up and mature,” Santos said. “It gave me so many academic and employment opportunities.”

Santos is currently serving his second four-year term on the SOU Board of Trustees.

He was raised in California’s Imperial Valley, where his father was his hometown’s first Latino police officer, and his parents instilled in him the value of hard work and education.

“We would spend our summer vacations working in the fields. We would work the Imperial Valley and move north to the San Joaquin as it got hotter, but we would always get back home in time for school,” he said. “Education was the priority.”

Santos said he chose SOC because he had a friend who was attending, and the school was so welcoming. While surprised by the lack of diversity at the college, he was also heartened by the support he received from instructors and administrators.

“Going to SOC was one of the best decisions of my life,” he said. “The instructors were supportive and encouraged me to try so many new things. It is really nice to have someone say, ‘You can do more.’”

Encouraging others and championing the underserved is something Santos has modeled throughout his career. After graduating, he became interested in education and working with migrant students. He returned to SOU to pursue a teaching certificate and eventually helped launch a migrant education program in southern Oregon. Later, while working in Salem as director of the Oregon Migrant Education Service Center, Santos served as a citizen lobbyist, meeting lawyers and government employees. That work inspired him to study law.

Always advocating for diversity and inclusion, he focused his legal career on social justice and public interest issues. He was eventually appointed associate dean for student affairs at his law school alma mater, Willamette University College of Law, and retired from that position in 2019.

Santos has compiled a long and accomplished resume with a very consistent theme: service to the state of Oregon and to the people with the most need. He was a senior policy advisor for Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, and also worked in the administrations of Governors John Kitzhaber, Barbara Roberts and Neil Goldschmidt, clocking more than 24 years of distinguished public service along the way.

The recipient of numerous awards for his work and generosity, Santos is a founding member of Scholarships for Oregon Latinos. He has supervised the Oregon Migrant Education Service Center and directed the Jackson County Migrant Education Program. He also currently serves on the SOU Board of Trustees and on the boards of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Mid-Valley Literacy Council.

Santos urges prospective college students to get involved in activities both in and out of school, and to find opportunities to be of service. “Young people have so much potential to bring a new vision to things,” he said. “I tell students, don’t just do well, do good.”

While at SOC, Santos took his instructors’ advice to get involved in a variety of activities and he dove into all that southern Oregon had to offer, joining community organizations, taking classes outside his major and working as a residence assistant (RA) and head resident (HR) in housing. “Being an RA and HR taught me a lot,” he said. “I learned how to deal with difficulties, and I learned how to listen.”

Santos said he still marvels at how every step in his career can be traced to the support and connections he had at SOU.

“So much education is outside of the classroom, the people you meet and the community you live in,” he said. “I still think of that. You never know where an experience will take you.”

Shared and updated from the spring 2019 issue of The Raider, SOU’s alumni magazine

tuition rates approved

SOU board approves lowest tuition increase in recent history

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees agreed today with a recommendation from the university’s Tuition Advisory Council and President Linda Schott for tuition rates in the 2021-22 academic year to increase by the lowest margin in recent memory. Tuition for resident undergraduate students will increase by just $5 per credit hour.

Undergraduates from Oregon will pay $201 per credit hour, up from $196 this year – an increase of 2.55 percent. Residents of 16 Western states and territories that are part of the Western University Exchange will pay $301.50, up from $294; and other non-resident undergraduates will pay $597, up from $580. Tuition rates for graduate students from Oregon will increase to $505 per credit hour, up from $491; non-resident graduate students will pay $610, up from $593.

“Determining the cost of tuition and fees is a key responsibility that every SOU trustee takes very seriously,” said Paul Nicholson, chair of the SOU Board of Trustees. “Thanks to the great, collaborative work of our Tuition Advisory Council, the board readily approved a recommendation from the council and the president that seeks to balance the cost of a high-quality education with access and affordability for our valued students.”

The rates approved unanimously by the Board of Trustees are based on a recommendation from SOU’s Tuition Advisory Council, which met numerous times and is made up of students, faculty and administrators. President Schott agreed with the council’s recommendations and forwarded them to the trustees for approval.

SOU remains committed to keeping higher education within the reach of all students and prospective students, and will offset the tuition increase with additional institutional aid for those who are least able to afford the additional cost. The university has also addressed student expenses for textbooks, and the room-and-board costs of those who live in residence halls.

“We are absolutely committed to making an education at SOU as affordable as possible, while preparing our graduates for the regional job market and giving them tools to achieve fulfilling lives of purpose,” President Schott said. “These tuition rates will keep our university among the most affordable in Oregon.”

State legislators are not expected to make final decisions on the state budget until early July, but universities must prepare their budgets during the spring. SOU will continue to make its case for additional state funding, but must use current information to plan for the coming academic year.

The state paid for two-thirds of its universities’ operating budgets 30 years ago and tuition covered the remaining third. The ratio is now exactly opposite.

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