Southern Oregon University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Southern Oregon University | |
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| Established: | |
| Type: | Public |
| President: | Mary Cullinan |
| Students: | 5,500 |
| Location: | Ashland, OR, USA |
| Campus: | College town |
| Colors: | Red and Black |
| Nickname: | Raiders |
| Mascot: | Red Tailed Hawk |
| Athletics: | NAIA |
| Affiliations: | Cascade Collegiate Conference |
| Website: | www.sou.edu |
Southern Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Ashland, Oregon. Founded in 1926, it was formerly known as Southern Oregon College (SOC) and Southern Oregon State College (SOSC). The university is known for its criminology, natural sciences, Shakespearean Studies and theatre arts programs. It is also the headquarters for Jefferson Public Radio and public access station Rogue Valley Television. SOU is also a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.
Bachelors and master's programs are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, and School of Education.
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[edit] History
SOU began as Ashland Academy in 1869 in Ashland by the Methodists.[1] In 1872 the school was renamed to Ashland College, and then renamed as Ashland College and Normal School in 1879. Three years later in 1882, the state of Oregon proclaimed the school as an official state normal school. However, the state did not provide any funding for the school at this time, and in 1890 the school closed before re-opening in 1895.[1] In 1892, the school selected a new site in the city with financial assistance from Methodists in Portland and construction began on what was then named the Ashland Collegiate Institute.[1] The school then re-opened in 1895 as the Southern Oregon State Normal School with state funding beginning in 1899.
In 1904, the school became a full state school, but funding was then eliminated in 1909 leading to the shut down of the campus.[1] In 1926, the state re-established a school in Ashland at a new location donated by the city.[1] The school was then re-named in 1939 as the Southern Oregon College of Education.[1]
[edit] Degrees offered
Southern offers over 35 majors and 100 programs. Individual Departments offer practicum credit, research, and internships.
[edit] Graduate programs
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[edit] Bachelor's degrees
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[edit] Associates degrees
[edit] Certificates
[edit] School of Business
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[edit] School of Social Sciences
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[edit] Minors
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[edit] Activities on campus
There are many clubs, groups, and larger organizations working under the advice and guidance of the Student Activities and Leadership Office. These groups include clubs for the majors that SOU offers, hobbies, sports, music, as well as continued support for multiculturalism focused by the Multicultural Coalition. Additionally, there is a Newman Center for Roman Catholic students, the LDS Student Association, and several Protestant organizations, such as the Campus Crusade for Christ to the Bible Club.
Student activities and support are also supplemented by a number of resource centers on campus. The Women's Resource Center, Ecology Center of the Siskiyous, and the Queer Resource Center all provide services, resources, and events to their respective communities. The University is also represented on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Student Association.
[edit] Athletics
The school's sports teams are called the Raiders (its mascot is the Red Tailed Hawk). They participate in the NAIA and in the Cascade Conference; for football, SOU is an NAIA independent, in Wrestling SOU competes in the NAIA west Regional, they have won the National Wrestling Championship four times in 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2001. The wrestling team has 171 All-Americans, more than twice of all other sports combined.
[edit] Culture and recreation
Ashland is home to the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival with an annual repertoire of 11 Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean plays that run from February through October, and to the Ashland Independent Film Festival. In nearby historic Jacksonville, the Britt Festival provides classical and popular music concerts. Ashland is also known for a monthly art gallery walk known as "First Friday" and is also home to the Schneider Museum of Art.
SOU students are involved in community arts as well. The SOU Public Domain Players co-produces the annual 10-Minute Plays Festival each July. They work together with ArtWork Enterprises, a group devoted to supporting the development of new play for national stages.
Outside magazine rated SOU 20th on a list of U.S. universities, based on recreational opportunities.[2] Mount Ashland offers winter sports from snowboarding to downhill and cross country skiing. Crater Lake is 90 miles away. Mount Shasta, a 14,162 ft composite volcano of the Cascade Range, is approximately 90 miles away. The Rogue, Klamath and Illinois Rivers offer fishing, white water rafting and kayaking. Klamath Lake, about 160 miles away, offers some of the best birding in the continental United States.
[edit] Residence life
There are several Residence Halls on campus, as well as family housing complexes.
- The Cascade Complex is built around the Cascade Food Court. It consists of: Baker Hall, which houses only students 21 years or older (it is a 14 hour quiet hall); Cedar Hall; Diamond and Emerald Halls, which are drug and alcohol free; Forest Hall, which has a community kitchen; Glacier Hall; Hawthorne Hall, which is a multi-cultural hall; and Ivy Hall, a 24 hour quiet hall. All the halls in the Cascade Complex are smoke free.
- The Greensprings Complex consists of four halls, designated as A, B, C, D. Only students 20 years of age and younger are allowed to stay in the Greensprings Complex.
- The oldest residence hall on campus, Susanne Homes (affectionately called Suzy by those who live there) was built in the 1940s.
- The newest residence hall on campus is the Madrone Apartment complex. The rooms are set up in quad style apartments. Each "quad" consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms (one shower and either one bathtub or one ADA compliant shower), and one kitchen/living room area. The Madrone Apartments opened in September of 2005.
- The Old Mill Village is a complex of apartments specifically for students attending SOU who have families. The university also has houses available to qualified students.
[edit] Notable people
In 1983, future Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Todd Field attends SOU on a music scholarship.
SOU Professor Emeritus Lawson Inada was named Oregon Poet Laureate in 2006, a position that had been vacant since poet William Stafford vacated the post in the early 1990s.
SOU Music Department alumnus Brent Watkins has won a number of national and international piano competitions and prizes.
Actor Joel Moore graduated from SOU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2001.
SOU's Shea Washington was named NAIA Basketball Player of the Year in 2006.
[edit] Past presidents
- Elisabeth Zinser (2000-2006)
- Stephen Reno (1994-2000)
[edit] External links
- Southern Oregon University is at coordinates Coordinates:
[edit] References
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Oregon State University • University of Oregon • Portland State University • Oregon Institute of Technology • Western Oregon University |
