Board postpones vote on final plan to cut millions from budget until sometime during its public retreat scheduled for Sept. 18-19
Ashland.news staff report
A virtual meeting of the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2 has been cancelled and postponed until the upcoming in-person board retreat.
The meeting previously planned for 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 was set to include a trustee vote on a final plan surrounding the outcome of cuts to the current $66 million budget. Trustees heard from SOU President Rick Bailey last week about the need to cut $10 million, with $5 million proposed from this year’s budget alone, in order to move through the structural deficit.
SOU declared financial exigency this summer as the university prepares to eliminate 28 faculty, 25 unclassified and 14 unclassified employees. These include 11 vacant positions, according to a previous Ashland.news story.
The board will meet in person on the third floor of the Hannon Library on Thursday, Sept. 18, and Friday, Sept. 19, for their board retreat. An agenda with the exact time and date the vote will take place is anticipated to be posted prior to the meeting, which is open to the public.
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.
Related stories:
(Part two) SOU Faculty Union: ‘It is going to take some time for trust to be rebuilt’ (Aug. 30, 2025)
(Part one): SOU budget cuts: ‘There’s no part of the institution that hasn’t been touched by this’ (Aug. 28, 2025)
SOU President: ‘Today we are declaring exigency,’ ‘building’ to a $60 million university, 15% off current budget (Aug. 2, 2025)
SOU trustees praise Bailey’s leadership during turbulent times at SOU, cut his pay $53K at his request (July 30, 2025)
SOU braces for $6 million in cuts: special trustee meeting Wednesday, ‘campus conversation’ Friday (July 28, 2025)
SOU President: ‘We can’t continue to cut our way to some type of success’ (June 24, 2025)
SOU President Bailey says ‘stark’ financial woes facing Oregon universities in 2025-26 constitute a ‘crisis’ (June 8, 2025)
Oregon’s economic outlook clouded by tariffs and federal spending cuts – OPB (May 15, 2025)
Federal issue, local impact: Stalled student loan application decisions ding SOU enrollment (Sept. 8, 2024)
‘This is a bittersweet day’: Trustees approve ‘SOU Forward’ plan for realignment – Ashland News (April 21, 2023)
SOU realignment plan up for adoption by Board of Trustees on Friday afternoon (April 20, 2023)
