SOU Office of the President

Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for October 2026

wulfl — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:22:14 +0000

Oct 13, 2026 - The October video message from SOU President Rick Bailey comes straight from the heart of campus – the walkway between Taylor Hall and the Stevenson Union. The first of two topics this month is all about taking part in democracy, regardless of your political affiliation or beliefs. President Bailey recently co-moderated the southern Oregon gubernatorial debate, and he urges all viewers to take civic responsibility and civic engagement seriously. “We really think it’s important to be participants in our democracy, and that’s the message to all of you,” he says. The 2026 midterm general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the registration deadline in Oregon is Oct. 13. And while the “Support SOU” yard signs popping up all over the Rogue Valley are vital, the president says there are messages of a more political nature that are also important to consider and understand. “It’s a time for you to make your voice heard, so we ask you to be a participant in our democracy,” he says. The second topic from President Bailey’s October video is SOU’s fast-approaching homecoming weekend, Oct. 21 through Oct. 24, and the weekend’s importance to the university’s 40,000 alumni. The president connects with alumni at Raider Rendezvous events at various cities in Oregon and around the country each year, and many SOU graduates return to campus each year for homecoming. “It’s a reminder of all the great work they’re doing, all around the world,” he says. “And it’s also a reminder of why we’re here.”

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for September 2026

wulfl — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 16:53:51 +0000

Sep 28, 2026 - SOU President Rick Bailey offers his September video message from the lawn between McLoughlin and Shasta halls – SOU’s primary student housing facilities and a center of activity as fall term ramps up. He says there “is a real energy on our campus right now,” recognizing the difficult decisions that have been made in recent months while acknowledging excitement about the opportunities made possible by the university’s Vitality Plan. “This is not a stabilization plan; it’s a transformation plan,” he says. The operational and academic transformations laid out in SOU’s Vitality Plan were recently featured in a cover story in the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the university’s plans have received unanimous support from legislative committees that have reviewed them – “Republicans and Democrats, senators and representatives.” President Bailey points out that even as the Vitality Plan is implemented and opportunities open up across campus, the university will need a “robust pipeline of students coming in.” He asks supporters and community members to encourage families that are university-shopping to explore the advantages available at SOU, and to get involved in campus events – whether athletics, the arts, lectures or learning opportunities. “The more you do that with us, the more you show your commitment to us as a university,” he says.

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for August 2026

freemanlena — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:41:02 +0000

Aug 3, 2026 - President Bailey heads back to the Digital Media Center for his August video message, which focuses mostly on the Vitality Plan for SOU’s transformation to a “Living Laboratory” operating system that unifies academic offerings, streamlines pathways and prioritizes essential human capacities. The president acknowledges all those who offered their thoughts and suggestions to the planning process and gives a quick progress report on how the plan will be implemented over the next several months. “It’s all about how do we serve students, how do we serve them better and how do we preserve this university,” he says. President Bailey also discusses a recent economic impact study that shows SOU generates a total of $730 million annually for Oregon’s economy – 24 times more than the $30 million provided by the state for the university’s operation. “That alone should tell you the importance of our university,” he says. “The more students we serve and more students who make it to graduation stage, that’s not just good for those students, it’s good for the community.”

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for June 2026

wulfl — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:18:57 +0000

June 8, 2026 - President Bailey visits Laurel Field at Raider Stadium for this month’s video message, focusing on the upcoming SOU Commencement. “It’s always our best day of the year, where we celebrate our graduates with their families and the community,” President Bailey says. “We get to see students achieve their educational dreams.” He acknowledges that this year’s graduation ceremony comes at an unsettled time. “There are a lot of questions about the future of higher education – not just at SOU, but across the state and around the country,” he says. But he emphasizes that �鶹��ýŮ�� stable, operational and will continue serving students and the southern Oregon region for many years. The university’s current transformation requires reducing SOU’s $100 million annual budget by about a fifth, but President Bailey is leading an effort to gain positive results from that painful process. “You are going to start to see some plans for how we are going to do that, and likely become a role model – really for the rest of the state, and probably for the rest of the country – in terms of regional public universities,” he says. “There is a path for SOU, and one worth fighting for.” He tells viewers that there are “so many ways” supporters can help the university, from student recruitment and retention to advocacy and philanthropy.

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for May 2026

wulfl — Fri, 15 May 2026 18:45:02 +0000

May 15, 2026 - President Bailey focuses on one topic in this month’s video message, and it’s an important one: how SOU has started from the recommendations of the Deloitte consulting firm and is now crafting a plan for the university’s transformation that leans more into institutional values and community connections. There is no disputing that the final plan – which will be presented to the SOU Board of Trustees June 18 – must pare about $20 million from a budget of roughly $100 million. The process is one that focuses on potential tradeoffs and alternatives to some of the Deloitte recommendations “to make it fit SOU,” the president says. The university is seeking input and ideas from both campus and the community, but the timeframe for making modifications to the plan is narrow. “We have our role to play in this,” President Bailey says. “We really have a couple weeks to put a plan together, and a year to implement it.” And he emphasizes that the goal is a final product – and a transformed version of SOU – that can serve as a model for other colleges and universities in Oregon and around the country that are feeling similar financial headwinds. “We can’t just become a smaller version of ourselves,” he says.

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for March 2026

wulfl — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:53:58 +0000

March 24, 2026 - Just one topic for this month’s video message from President Bailey, and it’s something you’ve likely heard about in recent weeks – and over the past few years. It’s the imbalance upon which SOU’s financial structure is built – along with those of most public regional universities in Oregon and around the country. The SOU Forward plan of 2023 and the Resiliency Plan of 2025 both were developed to address that imbalance, and the president emphasizes that SOU would not be operating as it is today if those efforts had not taken place. But the underlying issues persist, and are at the root of a cash-flow gap that was fully realized earlier this year. President Bailey thanks the governor, legislative leaders and others for acting quickly in this year’s legislative session to approve a special allocation for SOU that will enable the university to operate through June 2027. That measure also requires SOU to work with a consultant to develop a long-term financial and operational plan that will serve as the university’s roadmap to stability in the 2027-29 biennium and beyond. Work on the plan – which is due by the end of April – is well underway, and president Bailey asks all interested stakeholders to offer their thoughts and ideas as the plan takes shape.

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for January 2026

wulfl — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:17:15 +0000

January 20, 2026 - Enrollment and retention – that’s the mantra at SOU, and those are the topics of this month’s video message from �鶹��ýŮ�� President Rick Bailey. The state of Oregon provides about $30 million per year in funding for SOU, and the university generates about $282 million annually in economic activity – $9 for every dollar invested by the state. The university keeps that engine humming – and maintains or increases the state’s investment – by increasing the number of students it serves, and by giving those students reasons to remain at SOU through graduation. President Bailey introduces the “SOU Raider Influencer Card,” which has a QR code on the back that allows the holder of the card to waive the fee to apply at SOU. “It’s all about customer service,” he says. Then there’s the “Lollypop Moment” – lollypops with QR codes that enable students to give feedback via a Google Document for great interactions with faculty or staff members. “Project Architect” is the ongoing initiative that aims to bump up both enrollment and retention at SOU, through the mindful and daily efforts of all campus community members.

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Listen Up: Raider Up with President Rick, Episode 17

mosleyj — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 19:45:12 +0000

December 29, 2025 - �鶹��ýŮ�� President Rick Bailey tackles new topics each month in this podcast hosted by Marketing & Communications student employee Jesse Reyna, a veteran with broad work experience who is studying history at SOU. President Rick and Jesse get to know each other in his month's episode, discussing their respective military careers and backgrounds, before exploring the SOU Resiliency Plan. Rick explains why the plan became necessary, what it will achieve and the great care that was taken to ensure that most students will be largely unaffected by changes.

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Watch: President Bailey’s Video Update for December 2025

wulfl — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:08:10 +0000

December 11, 2025 - Progress and momentum are the two themes for this month’s video message from �鶹��ýŮ�� President Rick Bailey. He points out that �鶹��ýŮ�� one of just three public universities in Oregon to have a gain in overall student headcount this fall, and that lines up with a new initiative that the university will soon launch. “Project Architect” will have two primary goals: to increase enrollment among first-year students, and to increase overall retention of students – to “hold onto them and make sure they get all the support they need to get to the graduation stage,” President Bailey says. “We have to be the architects of the university we want to be.” This month’s message also touches upon SOU’s value to its region and state. A study from a few years ago found that the university generates $282 million per year in economic activity – almost nine times the $32 million SOU receives from the state’s Public University Support Fund. The governor has recently announced that she wants to elevate Oregon to be one of the nation’s top 10 business-friendly states, and President Bailey notes that the current top 10 states on that list contribute about $5,000 per year more per student in their public universities than Oregon. “Universities are the engines to make that (business-friendly ranking) happen,” he says.

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President Bailey’s Video Update for November 2025

wulfl — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:23:19 +0000

November 3, 2025 - �鶹��ýŮ�� President Rick Bailey talks about Veterans Day, this year’s Campus Theme lectures and the university’s vision in November’s video for students, employees and community members. He urges support for SOU’s Veterans Resource Center – especially with Veterans Day coming on Nov. 11. “Military families have a home here at SOU,” the president says. He explains SOU’s Campus Theme – a year-long series of lectures that will focus this year on the pursuit of happiness. “I think everyone who’s watching this knows we could use a little more happiness in our lives,” he says. He then address the vision for SOU’s future, acknowledging that the university is best known recently for its efforts to become more resilient. He adds that the campus must also be recognized for the love and respect that is shown to all, and the fact that every student and employee can find acceptance and cohorts of others with similar interests.

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