SOU faculty differ on president's strategic realignment plan

Nov. 7—Divergent views among Southern Oregon University faculty members over President Rick Bailey's strategic realignment plan are becoming more apparent this week as the new leader began a series of town hall meetings on the matter.

Bailey said in September that the Ashland institution could no longer rely on tuition and state funds to keep going. He has recommended possible cuts to programs, along with new ventures to make money for the university, such as adding a senior living facility and more solar panels.

While those bigger projects could be years away, Bailey also is inviting the campus community to give feedback on existing programs, and the town halls are part of that initiative.

Economics professor Ric Holt and music professor Vicki Purslow were among the faculty members who spoke out during the first meeting, offering differing opinions on Bailey's plan. They each spoke with the Mail Tribune afterward.

"We're not here to generate energy or entertain retirees. We're here to have a vibrant student body and provide them with educational opportunities," said Holt, who has worked at SOU for 25 years and is set to retire in June.

Purslow, who has been at the university since 2001, praised the plan.

"I think that he (Bailey) has proposed some bold ideas," she said.

This includes Bailey's proposal to power the entire SOU campus with solar arrays.

"I'm excited about that because sustainability has been a core value of the university for years," Purslow said. "To me, that's living our brand."

She also is fond of the senior living facility concept, which would include seniors being able to enroll in SOU classes.

"I would think we would have engagement between our students and seniors living in that housing," Purslow said. "Some of the best classes I've ever taught have seniors in them. It's been nothing but the richest of experiences."

Asked if she had any criticisms of the plan, Purslow said no, adding she has been involved in the university's budgeting process in her previous roles and understands what Bailey is trying to do.

"I would be one of the first people to say so if I thought there was a red flag," Purslow said, referring to the strategic realignment plan.

She added she is in the process of submitting questions and feedback to university officials on both money-making and -saving measures.

"So far, I feel like it's a very open process," Purslow said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how all of it comes together."

Holt shared Purslow's appreciation for how Bailey is conducting himself in carrying out the plan, even if he has some disagreements.

"I think he shows a lot of potential. He shows a lot of energy. He's innovative and has a lot of charm, too," Holt said. "I've given him my views. I have a feeling he will listen to them a little bit — I don't know. I did it (at the town hall) to expand the conversation a little bit. We'll wait and see."

Holt's main gripe is SOU's structural deficit, which university officials confirmed runs between $4.5 million and $5 million.

"His overall general plan of having the university generate its own electricity, going after grants and philanthropic gifts and diversifying revenue streams are all good ideas — but those are ideas down the road," Holt said. "They will have little impact in dealing with our immediate needs to deal with our deficit."

Holt said he approached Bailey's predecessor, Linda Schott, about the deficit, but was not convinced she took it seriously and left Bailey saddled with it.

Joe Mosley, SOU director of community and media relations, told the Mail Tribune that Schott's approach to tackling the deficit was through balancing the budget, but school officials "hadn't yet identified recurring cuts to the cost-base to remedy (the deficit)" before she retired in early 2022.

With Schott's decisions being what Holt describes as "old water under a crumbling SOU bridge," he suggested to Bailey a plan to reduce the deficit in several ways: reduce the number of administrators, consolidate academic divisions and increase enrollment and retention. If those things don't reduce SOU's deficit, only then would Holt recommend reducing faculty and staff. Holt believes all of those ideas could save SOU $4 million and wipe away the current deficit.

"I'm challenging him (Bailey) to be fair, be equitable," Holt said. "Make cuts in administration, do restructuring and raise $1 million in revenue. Those are reasonable goals, and they will modify the suffering and pain the faculty and staff have to go through. We need to keep morale up."

When Bailey responded to Holt's comments at the recent town hall, he shared his belief that faculty and staff members may feel anxiety — even fear — from the time programmatic changes are announced to the time they are implemented in a few years.

"Let's do this the best we can, be respectful of each other," Bailey said. "But also, let's be open that people are going to be sharing their souls here, and we need to be respectful of that."

When the Mail Tribune asked Holt to respond to the president's remarks, he called it "refreshing" for Bailey to take his criticism in stride.

"I hit — and a lot of people criticized me for that," Holt said. "(Bailey) wants a civil and open dialogue. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop hitting him and the administration on these issues. I'm going to continue to push. My goal is to make SOU as strong as we can and not repeat past mistakes."

Purslow urged faculty members to be cordial as they gave feedback on the plan.

"We're in a budgetary situation that needs our best thinking," she said, "and when someone engages in finger-pointing, it doesn't help you do the work you need to do."

As far as Holt is concerned, the strategic realignment plan is also "the beginning of the conversation" by university administrators such as Bailey.

"The question is: Is he willing to leave the conversation on?" Holt said.

The other town halls are scheduled from 9-11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2; 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Jan. 12; and 9-11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. All meetings will take place in the Rogue River Room on campus and livestream at the link sou.edu/video.

Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or kopsahl@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.