President Bailey’s Video Update for March 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.