PROJECTED SUCCESS

The SOU-RCC Educational Facility
SOUTHERN OREGONUNIVERSITY ’S long history of collaboration with Rogue Community College has culminated in the recent development of a shared educational facility in downtown Medford. Advanced by Governor Ted Kulongoski during the last legislative session, plans for the new facility have garnered additional support from the local legislative delegation and the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County.

The shared SOU-RCC Educational Facility is being designed to transform both institutions’ programs and services, making it easier for students to access postsecondary education in the Rogue Valley, transfer with ease, and prepare for successful careers. The project also demonstrates the Oregon University System’s (OUS) commitment to improving partnerships between OUS institutions and community colleges.

Housing personnel in one shared facility will allow SOU and RCC to realize more of their desired programs with fewer resources. For SOU, this means having all of its Medford-based programs under one roof, as opposed to multiple locations throughout the city. The institutions will work together to provide a more seamless transfer process for students wishing to work on lower division coursework at RCC and complete upper division coursework at SOU. Increased faculty interactions will enable better coordination between programs at the two institutions.

The facility is intended to enhance integration with the local business community by providing a “one-stop” location for work force training, internships, and research. These elements will contribute to the economic development of the downtown Medford area.

As the population of Jackson and Josephine Counties continues to grow, the region’s postsecondary educational and training needs will require a strengthened partnership between RCC and SOU, who are joining to optimize the state’s resources during a time of reduced state funding and a recovering economy. Such a partnership will be a powerful force in the quality of life and sustainability of education in our region.

Easy

Access

SOU’s Partnerships Bring Four-Year
Degrees Within Reach

by Barbara Scott, Associate Provost
for Extended Programs

APPROXIMATELY HALF of the students who graduate from Southern Oregon University do not start as freshmen, but as transfer students from other institutions. By partnering with community colleges in southern Oregon and northern California, SOU is making a four-year degree easier and less costly to acquire.

Rogue Community College, with its three campuses in Grants Pass, Medford, and White City, is SOU’s closest community college partner and provides the largest number of transfer students. Just south of the Oregon-California border, College of the Siskiyous generates the second-greatest number of transfers. SOU has agreements with College of the Siskiyous, College of the Redwoods, and Shasta College that enable students at these institutions to continue their education in Oregon while paying in-state tuition.

photo of Govenor with RCC and SOU Presindents

SOU President Elisabeth Zinser (right) and RCC President Peter Angstadt (left) with Oregon Govenor Ted Kulongoski.

As part of Governor Kulongoski’s and the legislature’s agenda to support K–16 partnerships in Oregon, the University is strengthening its relationships with Rogue Community College, Southwestern Community College (Coos Bay), Umpqua Community College (Roseburg), and Klamath Community College (Klamath Falls). These efforts have already resulted in: 1) better articulation of courses, making it simpler for those planning to transfer coursework to SOU; 2) a revised general education curriculum that considers the needs of students who complete a portion of these courses elsewhere; and 3) the increased use of technology to offer degree completion programs to place-bound students in the region. Consistent with these efforts, OUS has implemented the Oregon Transfer Module (OTM), which provides a one-year curriculum of general education requirements for students who want to transfer to a two- or four-year school of higher education in Oregon.

Totally Coordinated
Since Jackson County was annexed to the Rogue Community College district in 1996, RCC and SOU have worked in a spirit of cooperation to expand educational programs and services in Jackson and Josephine Counties. Built on the strengths of SOU and RCC, the partnership respects each institution’s mission and aims to avoid duplication of efforts.

Beginning in 1997 and continuing for six years, both institutions were fortunate to receive Regional Access funding from the state legislature, making it possible to jointly launch several initiatives. These resulted in new SOU degree completion programs (business and human service) offered in Medford, opportunities to jointly promote programs to RCC and SOU students, and the expansion of student services in Medford. This collaboration laid the groundwork for newly articulated degree programs, including criminal justice at RCC and criminology and criminal justice at SOU, as well as a oneof-a-kind bachelor’s degree in early childhood development taught jointly by faculty from both institutions (see page 13). Coordinated efforts are also underway to jointly promote options for students to earn college credit while in high school. Partnering with local school districts to better prepare students for postsecondary education, SOU and RCC are fulfilling the governor’s vision for greater K–16 collaboration.

California Connections
This winter, fifteen students in Siskiyou County will complete SOU’s three-year degree completion program in business, which has been made available through a combination of technology and classroom instruction in Yreka, California. This program began as a collaboration between SOU and College of the Siskiyous and was later supported by a generous grant from the McConnell Foundation.

Following the launch of the Business Degree Completion Program in Siskiyou County, conversations began with Shasta College in Redding. That institution had recently received a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), which would support Shasta College in partnering with four-year institutions to provide degrees on their campus.

Degree completion programs in business and criminology and criminal justice were initially identified for the Redding area. Because demand for these programs also existed in southern Oregon, SOU incorporated technology into the design of these programs that would allow them to be offered beyond Siskiyou and Shasta Counties. Financial aid consortial agreements with Rogue Community College and Southwestern Community College allow students to enroll in courses simultaneously at their local college and at SOU, as well as to receive financial aid for their combined course loads. Southern’s community college partners helped recruit students from their communities in southern Oregon and northern California for SOU’s Regional Degree Completion Programs in Business and Criminology and Criminal Justice, which began this fall. Initial interest has been strong, and enrollments in these programs are expected to grow throughout the region. Exploratory conversations are currently underway with Chemeketa Community College, Linn-Benton Community College, and Rogue Community College. These discussions could result in lower division prerequisite courses becoming available online to students who plan to enter SOU’s regional programs. Soon, the University will be implementing a regular visitation program with community colleges in the region, allowing SOU staff to remain informed about the needs of students and to help shape the development of other regional degree completion programs.