OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff at Southern Oregon University, we invite you to learn more about us, and to join our amazing team.
Meet SOU President Richard J. Bailey, Jr., Ph.D.
SOU President Richard J. Bailey, Jr.
President Richard J. Bailey, Jr., joined SOU in January 2022, after overseeing the resurgence of Northern New Mexico College during five-plus years as president. He previously completed a 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a full colonel and command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours.
Dr. Bailey earned accolades on and off campus while at Northern New Mexico College, increasing enrollment by more than 20 percent, cutting student loan defaults by more than 50 percent and more than doubling the college’s graduation rate – all without an increase in tuition rates. He also brokered an NNMC partnership for the construction of a 1.5 megawatt solar array to lower utility costs for at least 30 years. He led the creation of the Northern New Mexico College Eagle Corporation – the college’s first such venture – allowing the institution to partner with business entities for the purpose of diversifying the college’s revenue streams.
Prior to his hiring as president at NNMC, Dr. Bailey was the first-ever dean of students at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Bailey was also the associate professor of strategy and security studies.
He also served as a military liaison and defense trade analyst at the U.S. State Department after earning his doctorate from Georgetown University in 2006. He then served as NATO’s chief air operations officer at Joint Force Command Brunssum in The Netherlands, overseeing air operations for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Bailey received his Air Force commission in 1992, served flying tours in the C-9A, C-141B, and UV-18B aircraft and has been an aircraft commander, instructor pilot and flight examiner.
Dr. Bailey earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy, his master’s degree in international affairs from Washington University in St. Louis and his doctorate in government from Georgetown University.
His unflinching focus is on student success and the innovative operational approaches that make higher education attainable to learners of all backgrounds and ages. His master’s thesis was on the struggle for women’s rights in Latin America and his doctoral dissertation examined changes in U.S. military policy brought about by integration in the armed services.
In his first few years at Southern Oregon University, Dr. Bailey led a collaborative and inclusive campus-wide initiative, SOU Forward, which tackled the institution’s $13 million budget shortfall and planted the seeds for a more entrepreneurial approach to a thriving and more resilient fiscal future. The institution also established groundbreaking data-sharing partnerships with ten public school districts in the state, contributing to the highest first-year enrollment gains in over five years. He also instituted SOU’s first ever ‘Super Cabinet’ entity, which incorporates sharing governance leaders and union partners in a monthly strategic issues forum, the first of its kind in the state.
Dr. Bailey and his wife, Diana, love enjoying travel, music and adventure together.
Contact the Office of the President
SOU Office of the President
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
Office: 541.552.6111
Fax: 541.552.6337
presidentsoffice@sou.edu
