University’s amended provisional plan includes potentially cutting 67 positions
Ashland.news staff report
The day before Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees are set to hold an in-person board retreat, trustees will hold a special virtual meeting from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, to vote on proposed cuts to the university budget, also known as “Toward a (More) Resilient SOU: A Plan to Reimagine the University.”
The most recent total of potential cuts would involve a reduction of at least $10 million from university spending plans, including $5 million from this year’s $66 million budget, to address a structural deficit. The university’s amended provisional plan includes cutting 67 positions, among them 28 faculty, 25 unclassified, and 14 classified personnel.
SOU President Rick Bailey will also provide a budget update.
There will be no additional meetings held that day, but Trustees will hold an in-person board retreat from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, on campus.
To watch the meeting on Thursday, go online to sou.zoom.us/j/89593590378.
Materials for the meeting are available at governance.sou.edu.
There is no public comment currently listed on the agenda, but those wishing to make a comment can also contact the Office of the Board of Trustees by phone at 541-552-8055 and are encouraged to provide their name, email address, phone number, relationship to SOU, and the subject of their public comments when signing up.
Comments can also be made by email at trustees@sou.edu, or by delivery or mail to: SOU Board of Trustees, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Churchill Hall 107, Ashland OR 97520.
If special ADA accommodations for the meetings are required, contact Holly Frazier at 541-552-8055 at least 48 hours in advance.
The meeting was initially planned for early September, but was postponed.
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.
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