Tag Archive for: Board of Trustees

First Citizen Dee Anne Everson of SOU Board of Trustees

SOU Board member Everson named First Citizen

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Dee Anne Everson, an SOU Board of Trustees member and the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County, received the prestigious First Citizen Award at last week’s Excellence in Business Awards ceremony by the Chamber of Medford and Jackson County.

Everson was recognized for her long-standing work in support of local families, nonprofits and community development. Eli Matthews, the Chamber’s CEO and president, described Everson as “a leader amongst leaders” in the local business community.

“Everybody respects her, everybody listens to her,” Matthews said.

The First Citizen Award award honors community members who show exceptional service, leadership and dedication to Jackson County. Last year’s First Citizen was Al Densmore, a former Oregon state legislator, Medford mayor and Medford city councilor. Bill Thorndike and Lyn Hennion, both late members of the SOU Board of Trustees, are among previous winners of the award.

Everson, who has led the United Way of Jackson County since 1997, has announced that she will retire from that role next March. The organization has launched programs including Day of Caring, Women Living Leadership, the Meth Task Force and the suicide prevention effort In This Together under her leadership. She previously spent 13 years in the corporate financial sector, then transitioned to nonprofits as economist and research manager for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Prior honors for Everson including the Chamber’s Nonprofit Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award. She has also been named one of Oregon’s 50 great leaders by Oregon Business Magazine and received the Social Empowerment Award from the Black Alliance for Social Empowerment (BASE).

Everson joined the SOU Board of Trustees in November 2025.

The Chamber’s Excellence in Business Awards ceremony is an annual opportunity to recognize standout businesses and individuals, honoring innovators, community advocates and outstanding leaders. Honorees share the value of social responsibility and a passion for economic growth.

Karen Lopez Villanueva appointed to SOU Ashland board

Graduate student appointed, current members reappointed to SOU Board

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University student Karen Lucia López Villanueva, a Master of Business Administration candidate from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed Thursday by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees. Current board members Brent Barry and Iris Maria Chavez were each appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate to serve second terms on the SOU Board.

López Villanueva will finish the unexpired term of Rose Harwood as the board’s graduate student member. That term expires June 30, 2027, and Villanueva was also appointed to her own two-year term on the board, beginning next July 1.

Barry and Chavez were reappointed to their second four-year terms that will begin next July 1 and run through June 20, 2030. Barry was appointed to his initial term in June 2022, and Chavez was first appointed in September 2022 to complete an unexpired four-year term on the board.

“I am delighted to welcome Karen Lucía López Villanueva – an accomplished graduate student, violinist and financial professional – to the board, as Brent Barry and Iris Maria Chavez continue their invaluable leadership on the SOU board,” Chair Sheila Clough said. “I am deeply grateful for their service and shared commitment to bringing lasting vitality to SOU’s future and to ensure that our students thrive.”

López Villanueva is pursuing dual MBA concentrations in business analytics and accounting at SOU. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public accounting from SOU’s sister university, the Universidad de Guanajuato, and has professional experience in public and corporate accounting, and in fiscal compliance.

She is also an accomplished violinist who earned a second-place medal at the 16th Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in 2024, performing with Siskiyou Violins at Vienna, Austria’s renowned Musikverein concert hall.

López Villanueva is an active member of her communities in both Ashland and Guanajuato. She served previously in Guanajuato as secretary of the board for the student branch of the Mexican Institute of Public Accountants, representing the nine-state, central-western region of Mexico. She currently serves as a board member for the Ashland Amigo Club, supporting initiatives that strengthen cultural connections and community engagement in southern Oregon. She is also a graduate assistant to the dean of SOU’s College of Natural and Social Sciences, where she supports the administration and leads critical research on sustainable investment strategies that help to inform institutional endowment practices.

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New trustees appointed to SOU Ashland board

Six trustees appointed and confirmed to SOU Board

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(Ashland, Ore.) – Two new and four continuing members have been appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the Board of Trustees of Southern Oregon University.

The new trustees are former Oregon State Rep. Peter Buckley and Christopher Geryak, an SOU junior and former student body vice president.

“The Board of Trustees is excited to welcome these dedicated individuals to SOU,” said Sheila Clough, the board’s chair. “Peter’s extensive legislative and community leadership, both locally and in the state, paired with Christopher’s proven commitment to students and leadership at SOU, will provide valuable insight as we navigate the future of higher education in our region.

“We appreciate Gov. Kotek’s appointment and the legislature’s confirmation of these leaders,” Clough said. “Their service ensures that SOU remains deeply connected to the needs of our students and the southern Oregon community.”

Returning to serve their second four-year terms as trustees are Debra F.J. Lee, Christina (Medina) Kruger and Elizabeth (Liz) Shelby. Their renewed terms will begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2030. Hala Schepmann, a professor of Chemistry, has been reappointed and confirmed to a two-year term as a faculty trustee, ending June 30, 2028. Trustees are limited to serving two consecutive full terms.

“SOU is vital to the success of our region,” said new trustee Peter Buckley. “I look forward to helping in any way I can to support our students, staff, faculty and fellow board members as we work for a brighter future.”

Student trustee Christopher Geryak echoed the sentiment of service. “I am pleased to join SOU’s Board of Trustees and provide my insight and knowledge to help SOU thrive and succeed,” Geryak said.

The new trustees’ terms will begin February 20. Buckley was appointed to a partial term and then a full term that will end June 30, 2030, and Geryak’s term runs through June 30, 2027.

Trustees are gubernatorial appointees, subject to confirmation by the Oregon Senate. The board consists of as many as 11 at-large trustees serving four-year terms, with additional positions reserved for up to three SOU students – two undergraduates (one voting, one non-voting), a faculty member and a non-faculty staff member, each serving two-year terms. The university president serves in a non-voting, ex officio capacity on the board, bringing total membership to 17.

New trustees

Peter Buckley
Buckley served for 12 years in the Oregon House of Representatives (2005-17), representing south Jackson County. During his tenure, he served for eight years as House Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means, the legislature’s budget-writing committee. After leaving the legislature, Peter was hired to lead Southern Oregon Success, a collaboration of all levels of education, health care, human services, public safety and workforce development in Jackson and Josephine counties, dedicated to working across all sectors to help children, families and communities thrive. Prior to his legislative service, Peter worked for 22 years as a director, actor, writer, producer, administrator and teacher for west coast regional theatres, including six years as the director of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

Christopher Geryak
Geryak is a junior at Southern Oregon University, majoring in business administration with a concentration in management and a minor in education. Following his service as SOU’s student body vice president, Christopher expanded his academic focus to include education, reinforcing his commitment to student advocacy and the importance of higher education across Oregon. During his time at SOU, he has held seven volunteer and employment positions and has been actively involved in numerous student organizations. His experiences in student government, student life and campus services have provided him with a well-rounded understanding of the university and its impact on students.

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Lyn Hennion, former member of SOU Ashland Board of Trustees

Lyn Hennion, SOU friend and former trustee, passes away

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Lyn Hennion, member of the SOU Board of Trustees from its inception in 2015 until 2022 and a longtime advocate for early childhood education, passed away last weekend. She and her husband, Alex Bellen, lived near the historic town of Buncom in the Applegate Valley.

“Lyn was among the very closest friends of our university, always putting the interests of our students first as she generously shared her broad business and life experience with all of us,” SOU President Rick Bailey and Board of Trustees Chair Sheila Clough said in a joint message to campus. “She understood both the importance and financial underpinnings of our institution, always willing to offer a steady hand as she led with kindness.”

Hennion was a retired financial advisor who spent nearly 25 years with Umpqua Investments – formerly Strand Atkinson Williams & York – in Medford. She previously served as vice president and senior regional manager for the Franklin Templeton mutual funds in Oregon, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

She was a graduate of Stanford University, and also completed the Securities Industry Institute at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Her record of community service and commitment to the causes most dear to her were acknowledged through numerous awards. She was honored with the “First Citizen” award from the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County in 2015. The Oregon Center for Creative Learning (OCCL) established the Lyn Hennion Early Learning Scholarship Fund in 2025, as a tribute to one of southern Oregon’s greatest champions for children and early childhood education. She was also recognized as a top financial advisor by both “Worth” and “Registered Representative” magazines.

Hennion served on the boards of the Craterian Performances Company, the Robert J. and Leona DeArmond Public Foundation and the Buncom Historical Society. She is a former director of the Oregon Community Foundation and its Southern Oregon Leadership Council, and also has served on the boards of organizations including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pacific Retirement Services, the Children’s Institute, the Rogue Valley Airport Advisory Committee, Oregon’s 529 College Savings Network and former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s “Ten Year Plan for Oregon.” She regularly volunteered during tax season as a tax preparer and counselor for the AARP Foundation’s free TaxAide program.

“We know that Lyn will be missed within each of those organizations, just as she is at SOU,” Bailey and Clough said in their message to campus. “The deepest void will be that left by the loss of her genuine compassion and consideration for all who came into her orbit.”

Dee Anne Everson appointed to Board of Trustees at SOU Ashland

United Way CEO appointed to SOU Board of Trustees

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Dee Anne Everson, the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County, has been appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek and confirmed today by the Oregon Senate to serve on the university’s Board of Trustees. She will begin her service to the board on November 20.

Everson will complete the unexpired term of Bill Thorndike, who passed away unexpectedly in February. That term will expire next June 30, and Everson will then begin her own full, four-year term on the board.

“It is an honor to join Southern Oregon University’s Board of Trustees, and especially humbling to be following in the footsteps of Bill Thorndike,” Everson said. “I believe that my experiences will be of value to the board, and I look forward to helping guide the university through an important period in its long and rich history.”

Everson has served as the CEO and executive director of United Way of Jackson County since 1996. Under her leadership, the local United Way has launched programs including Day of Caring, WILL (Women Living Leadership), the Meth Task Force, CAN (Child Abuse Network) and Tomorrow Needs You – a southern Oregon suicide prevention and mental wellness campaign. She previously spent 13 years in the corporate financial sector, then transitioned to nonprofits as economist and research manager for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Recognitions since she joined United Way of Jackson County include being named one of Oregon’s 50 great leaders by Oregon Business Magazine, the Social Empowerment Award from the Black Alliance for Social Empowerment (BASE), and the Nonprofit Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award from the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

Everson – who received the Executive Nonprofit Leaders Certificate from Stanford University – is a member of the International Women’s Forum and serves on the boards of the Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, NewSpirit Village and the United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. She also serves on several committees, including the Jackson County Threat Assessment Committee, Wellness Court Advisory Committee and BHEACON Leadership Team. She is a convener for the Governor’s Regional Solutions Committee for Southern Oregon.

Everson has won two EMMY Awards for public service programming and regularly lectures on leadership and the nonprofit sector.

“On behalf of my colleagues on the SOU Board of Trustees, I am very happy to welcome Dee Anne to the board and to the SOU community,” said Sheila Clough, the board chair. “Her expertise and public service portfolio speak volumes – her leadership and wealth of experiences will undoubtedly serve the university well.”

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Sheila Clough and husband Chris at Ashland Chamber of Commerce awards dinner

SOU board chair receives highest Chamber honor

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SOU Board of Trustees Chair Sheila Clough was honored for her volunteerism and community service in a surprise presentation of the Honorary Life Member Award at last week’s 115th annual dinner of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce. The award is the highest honor that the Ashland Chamber bestows on individuals.

“Through her vision, her dedication and her unwavering commitment, Sheila has helped shape numerous important programs within the Chamber,” said Sandra Slattery, the organization’s executive director, as she presented the award. “Her legacy is one of leadership, collaboration and inspiration. She is a force.

“Since first moving to Ashland to serve as CEO of Asante Ashland Community Hospital, Sheila Clough, current CEO of Mercy Flights, has been a cornerstone of the Chamber,” Slattery said. “She has dedicated countless hours to strengthening our community and our economy, serving six years on the Chamber board in multiple leadership roles.”

In addition to executive-level positions throughout her career, Clough has taken on a variety of roles for civic and professional organizations including the Ashland Chamber, Rotary, the Oregon State Ambulance Association and the SOU Board of Trustees. She was appointed by the governor in 2017 to the SOU Board, and was unanimously elected by fellow board members in June 2024 to serve as chair.

The Ashland Chamber’s Honorary Life Member Award is intended as a tribute to recipients whose dedication, leadership and vision have left a lasting mark on the Chamber and the Ashland community. It honors past achievements and an ongoing commitment to service.

Clough and her husband Chris attended last week’s Chamber dinner to represent SOU among the Ashland business community and support other friends and awardees, unaware that she would be receiving an award. She received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd more than 230 business owners, government and non-profit leaders, donors and others as the award was announced.

“I volunteer lot, and I do it because I love the communities that I live in and I work in and I play in,” Clough said in accepting the award. “But I only get to do that because I work with organizations who support me through that.

“I tell the story often that when we were looking for a new opportunity to move our family, we had this opportunity with the (Ashland Community) hospital,” she said. “And the first thing I did was I looked at the Chamber website, and you had me at ‘hello.’ It was literally the Chamber who brought us into this community, and it was the Chamber who embraced us, welcomed our family, welcomed me as a new executive into a community that was miles and miles away from our family and our friends.”

Clough held various management and leadership positions in health care organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin before moving with her family in 2013 to lead Asante Ashland Community Hospital. She was president and chief operating officer for Howard Young Health Care in Woodruff, Wisconsin before accepting the position in Ashland.

Clough earned a Master of Business Administration degree for healthcare executives from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from the University of Minnesota.

SOU Trustee Barry Thalden and his wife Kathryn received the Ashland Chamber’s Citizen of the Year award in 2024 – a similar honor that recognizes a person’s impact on the Ashland community.

Three new members appointed to SOU Ashland Board of Trustees

Three new members appointed to SOU board

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(Ashland, Ore.) — A local credit union president and CEO with extensive public service experience, a Southern Oregon University alumna and administrator, and a student in the SOU Master’s in Business Administration program 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.

Matthew Stephenson will be one of 11 at-large members on the board, and his term will end in June 2027. Ashley King, a nonfaculty staff member of the board, was appointed to serve an unexpired 2-year term that ends in June 2026, plus a full two-year term that ends in June 2028. Rose Harwood, the board’s graduate program representative, will serve a partial two-year term that expires in June 2027. All are full voting members of the board.

“I am very pleased to welcome this group of devoted public servants to our organization,” said SOU Board Chair Sheila Clough. “These new board members have common ground in their love for the university and their appreciation of the value that SOU brings to our region and the state. Their individual strengths and experiences will enrich our board and the university.”

Matt Stephenson is the president and CEO of Rogue Credit Union, where he began in 2004 as manager of the Information Services Department. He served in a progression of leadership roles before reaching his current position in 2022. Before joining RCU, he worked at Clark County Credit Union in Las Vegas. Stephenson has served in a variety of community service roles, including as a member of the Central Point City Council, the Jackson County Budget Committee, the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County Board of Directors, the Medford School District’s Facilities Optimization Committee, Rogue Community College Budget Committee and the board of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Incorporated (SOREDI). He earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems management and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He graduated with highest honors from Western CUNA Management School and received the prestigious Charlie Clark Memorial Award. He also holds the Certified Chief Executive designation from the Credit Union Executives Society CEO Institute.

Ashley King is the compliance coordinator for SOU, developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure university compliance with various state and federal laws. She has expertise in public procurement, contract administration and policy development, and supports university compliance for contracting and risk management. She has worked at SOU for more than 10 years, with previous roles including service center manager and senior purchasing and contracting specialist. King served as the inaugural chair of the SOU Staff Assembly, which represents the interests of the university’s non-faculty employees, and has also been a member of the SOU Budget Committee, SOU Planning Committee and SOU Policy Council. Her professional honors include the 2023 SOU Outstanding Staff Award and the 2021 SOU Service Excellence Award. King earned her bachelor’s degree in communication at SOU, graduating summa cum laude, and had dual minors in psychology and women’s studies. She was named the top graduating senior in human communication at SOU and the top graduating senior in women’s studies, awarded by the SOU chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Rose Harwood is currently completing master of business administration degree with a focus on arts management at SOU, and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting from the University of Southern California. They are a freelance writer and actor who has appeared on television and in films, and have been heard on national commercials. Harwood has produced, managed financials and run logistics for several independent films, and is the founding executive director of Unseen Films Oregon – a nonprofit that provides opportunities and mentorship for diverse populations working in the various aspects of media production. Harwood also works as a freelance grant writer and project manager for the Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau, and coaches at CrossFit Iron Haven in Ashland.

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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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