President Bailey’s Video Message for June 2025

We’re in the run-up to our “favorite day of the year,” and President Rick Bailey has a new video message – from Raider Stadium, the venue for SOU’s June 14 Commencement – to help keep our campus and community informed. As for that favorite day, President Bailey says “we all witness the transformative power of education” during our annual graduation ceremonies. He also congratulates the SOU women’s softball team for winning its fourth NAIA national championship in six years – and doing to in historic fashion, by losing the first game of the tournament and then rallying to take seven in a row to win the title. “You have made us all incredibly proud,” he says. The president also lays out his plans for the summer, including choosing a partner to build and operate the “older adult living project” on the former Cascade Complex site, working on the university’s “SOU Thrive” strategic plan and supporting efforts to ensure SOU’s long term fiscal sustainability. He points out that Oregon has slipped to 46th nationally in state support for public universities, and says “we’ve got to do everything we can to make sure our state understands” the universal benefits of higher ed.