SOU plans to become financially independent

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ASHLAND — Southern Oregon University President Mary Cullinan on Tuesday called on faculty and staff to help wean the university "off the grid" to become self-sustaining.

"Face it "¦ the state of Oregon is not committed to providing fundamental support to public institutions of higher education," Cullinan said during a speech to several hundred of her staff.

With a new provost and vice president for development on board and the addition of a director of distance learning, SOU will devote the coming year to refining a Master Academic Plan, Cullinan said. The plan aims to incorporate Internet learning, hybrid classes (that include e-mailed assignments and secure online discussions) and short certification classes for working professionals.

Cullinan said she fears not one state in the nation is committed to higher education.

"It's a sad situation for our country," she said. "I think it's a very shortsighted approach to our being globally competitive as a nation. But it's a reality. We've lamented it long enough. We need to focus our planning on the reality."

Cullinan outlined a three-pronged approach toward financial independence:

uRaise more money and build an endowment fund, providing financial support for students under the leadership of Sylvia Kelley, the new vice president for development.

• Revise tuition and financial aid to attract better students who will stay longer (SOU loses 33 percent of its freshmen after their first year, while the norm is 25 percent).
• Focus on recruiting and retaining students from the declining population of 18-year-olds.

"We can't stay on the treadmill, running faster, getting thinner but not going anywhere," said Cullinan.

Faculty and staff said morale is up and there's a sense of vision and hope on campus compared to the crisis amid cutbacks of $4 million two years ago.

"There was very low morale two years ago, with us laying off colleagues and cutting programs, but now we're moving in a positive direction "¦ the light is coming in at the end of the tunnel," said Faculty Senate President Dan Rubenson, a department chairman. "People are more optimistic and there's a fair bit of confidence in Mary Cullinan."

Terry Dehay, an English teacher and faculty senator, said she gives Cullinan "a lot of credit for looking at what's going on and making plans. For the majority, it's really a positive turn. Everyone feels that sense of possibility with being realistic about rebuilding and reinvesting in SOU."

Connie Anderson of the SOU Library said, "The big thing is having a management team. We've had instability fatigue and we no longer have it."

A survey of faculty members at a breakfast Tuesday found the overwhelming majority feeling optimistic about SOU's course and only a few responding that they were pessimistic, said Provost Jim Klein.

Director of Distance Learning Jennifer McVay-Dyche said the traditional population of students 18 to 21 years old is no longer SOU's main target. Half the university's students are adults, allowing the school to expand in new directions.

"The hybrid model has become the best of both worlds," said McVay-Dyche, noting that classes with a big online component also allow a university to have less real estate and buildings for "seat time," as well as being able to bring in a larger number of enrolled students.

John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.

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