University assessment supports and gives meaning to SOU's mission as follows:

Mission Statement

Southern Oregon University is a regionally-engaged learning community committed to being the educational provider of choice for learners throughout their lives.

  • We inspire curiosity and creativity, compel critical thinking, foster discovery, and cultivate bold ideas and actions.
  • We achieve student success, professional preparation, and civic engagement through service excellence, evolving technologies, and innovative curriculum.
  • We foster access, equity, inclusion and diversity in thought and practice.
  • We prepare our learners to be responsible, engaged citizens in our democracy.
  • We promote economic vitality, sustainability, cultural enrichment, and social well-being in our region, the state, the nation, and the world.

Mission Fulfillment

Southern Oregon University has developed Strategic Directions and Goals that align with its mission. Academic programs set their intended learning outcomes, objectives, and indicators and map those to the University’s strategic directions and goals. Through mapping in Nuventive’s Improvement Platform, program faculty, staff, administrators, and the Board of Trustees can see the alignment of efforts and progress toward the university’s goals and strategic directions. As an Oregon public university, SOU contributes data to the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission, which results in snapshots and comparison reports with regional peer institutions. SOU participates in the National Survey of Student Engagement, which includes comparison groups of national peer institutions.

SOU’s Strategic Directions and Goals guide assessment of academic, student support, and administrative programs. 

Assessment of institutional effectiveness and mission fulfillment is coordinated by the Director of University Assessment.


Eileen McFall, Ph.D
Director of University Assessment
1250 Siskiyou Blvd
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 552-7077