SOU President Rick Bailey’s October 2024 Update

President Rick Bailey is joined by a “guest star” for this month’s video update: Rogue Community College President Randy Weber. The two presidents combine forces to emphasize what they describe as “the beauty that can come from community colleges and universities that are working together.” President Weber says that too often, “territorialism” replaces collaboration between community colleges and universities, and students lose. But he and President Bailey, who began their jobs within about six months of each other, are proponents of what they call “a co-advising model,” in which students are connected to both institutions. “In almost every case, there are classes you are taking at RCC that are building toward a potential bachelor’s degree at SOU, if that’s what you want,” President Bailey says. And President Weber adds, “That kind of a relationship between our institutions means students can get to and through their degree faster, which ultimately leads to entering the workforce sooner and in many cases decreasing the debt students are taking on to reach their educational goal.” Both presidents urge viewers to pay attention to an RCC bond measure on the November ballot, which would help pay for workforce training programs.