The Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees voted on Thursday to cut $10 million over four years, affecting 70 faculty and staff positions, as part of a plan to address the university’s budget crisis.
University leaders said the cuts will help stabilize SOU’s finances amid rising costs, declining enrollment and inadequate state support. But some critics said the plan could accelerate the university’s decline and drive more people away.
The staffing changes include retirements, job eliminations and funding changes. The plan also eliminates 10 majors, including mathematics and chemistry, as well as 12 minors.
After receiving more than 1,000 emails and other community feedback, the plan went through various iterations before being finalized.
Trustee Barry Thalden was one of two no votes at Thursday's board meeting.
"I joined this board seven years ago because I thought SOU could be a great university, but unfortunately, that’s not what’s been happening," he said. "We have been cutting our way to being a worse university."
SOU already cut the equivalent of 82 full-time positions two years ago.
Thalden said the cuts are too deep and don’t align with the university's goals.
Some trustees and students expressed concern that the cuts, on top of already declining enrollment and retention, could drive more faculty and students to leave.
"How are we not going to close down if you don’t have any students left?" asked Trustee Michelle Fuentes, a student. "Because all these cuts, you’re going to have a lot of students leaving, including myself."
University leaders said that despite the changes, they’ll help affected students reach graduation.
The university’s fiscal crisis is due to multiple factors, including federal funding uncertainty, rising costs and what President Rick Bailey calls inadequate state support.
Trustee Hala Schepmann also voted against the plan, saying she believes it will harm students, regional businesses, the state and higher education as a whole.
"I believe we are near to cresting the hill, and cutting so deeply feels premature, dangerous and even reckless. Of all the options available to us, it feels like the nuclear option was chosen, which does not seem like a good economic move to me," she said. "Do we need to make immediate cuts? Yes, but taking away key foundational components of our institution will make it harder for us to make progress and become a more resilient SOU."
Bailey said this is the biggest challenge the university has faced since 1926, when it reopened after closing due to a lack of funding.
"Even in the middle of the challenges that we face, even in this 99-year unprecedented landscape, there are things that we can do to be the architects of our future, I’m convinced of it," he said. "But it does mean living within our means in the present, and that is the sober reality of where we’re at."
About $5 million in cuts will take effect this fiscal year.
Bailey also highlighted recent successes, including a quadrupling of solar production on campus over the past few years and a quintupling of philanthropic fundraising compared to a decade ago.
Board Chair Sheila Clough acknowledged that no one was happy about having to make such a difficult decision, but she retained some optimism.
"With adversity comes the opportunity to build strength together, and I know that we're going to build that strength and fight for something we believe is worthy of fighting for, and that is the future of this university," she said.
The Board of Trustees will also meet Friday for its annual retreat.
JPR is licensed to Southern Oregon University, but our newsroom operates independently. Guided by our journalistic standards and ethics, we cover the university like any other organization in the region. No university official reviewed or edited this story before it was published.
