Marketing and Communications
Press Releases: February 2008
Southern Oregon University Names New Provost (2/27/08)
“Southern Oregon University is delighted to announce that Dr. Gary Kiger has accepted our offer to serve as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs,” says President Mary Cullinan.
Dr. Kiger comes from Utah State University, where he has served as Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences since 2003. Prior to his serving as dean, Dr. Kiger chaired the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology at Utah State.
“It is an honor and privilege for me to be appointed as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Southern Oregon University,” Dr. Kiger says. “The university has an exceptionally talented faculty, committed staff, and bright students. The commitment to the liberal arts, to scholarship, and to teaching was evident in my interactions with faculty, staff, and students. I look forward to working with colleagues and especially with President Cullinan to move the initiatives of the university forward, achieve the goals we have set for ourselves, and make a difference at SOU.”
Dr. Kiger brings strong administrative and fundraising experience, as well as a commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and community service. Dr. Kiger starts his new position on July 1.
As Dean at Utah State, Dr. Kiger was responsible for more than 200 full-time faculty in thirteen departments and a $20 million budget. He had administrative authority for Caine School of the Arts, Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, the Museum of Anthropology, Utah Public Radio (a National Public Radio affiliate), Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, Religious Studies, Liberal Arts, Women and Gender Studies, and Asian Studies (among other interdisciplinary programs).
His honors and awards include:
- President's Diversity Award, Utah State University, 1996.
- Honors Professor, Utah State University, 1991–1992.
- Researcher of the Year, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (USU), 1989.
- Teacher of the Year, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (USU), 1987.
- Phi Beta Kappa, 1975.
Southern Oregon University Professor Wins Award (2/27/08)
Southern Oregon University (SOU) Women’s Studies Director and Associate Professor Barbara Scott Winkler has won the Ashland Soroptimists’ club award for “Making a Difference in the Lives of Women.”
Winkler has been active in the women’s equality movement since 1970 when she participated in the Women’s March for Equality in New York City. Now more than thirty years later, she is still entrenched in women’s studies and gender equality through both education and activism.
“Much of my teaching and mentorship has focused on issues pertaining to women and girls, as well as looking at how gender roles, race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation play in all our lives,” says Winkler.
By teaching the women’s studies capstone class since 2000, Winkler mentors students who actively contribute to socially responsive programs in Ashland and throughout the region, such as Dunn House shelter; Educational Solutions in Klamath Falls, Oregon; La Clinica del Valle; SAVS (Sexual Assault Victim Services); Victim/Witness Services Court Advocacy in Medford, Oregon; and Women’s Crisis Support Team in Grants Pass, Oregon. This list is only a sample of the many organizations impacted by Winkler and her students.
Winkler was the co-editor of Teaching Introduction to Women's Studies: Expectations and Strategies (Greenwood Publishing, 1999). She has been an active presence at SOU, serving as the faculty advisor for both the Women’s Studies Student Club and the LGBTASU (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Union), which in now known as the Gender and Sexuality Union. In addition to her university contributions, Winkler has been involved in the National Women’s Studies Association, serving as the northwest regional representative.
Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. An awards ceremony and reception will be held on March 6, 2008, at the Wild River Brewing Company to honor the local Soroptimist award winners in the region.
Benefit for Colestin Valley Rural Fire District (2/25/08)
Cult filmmaker Alex Cox will present his new film "Searchers 2.0" at a benefit showing for the Colestin Valley Rural Fire District at 7. p.m., Wednesday evening, March 5, 2008, in the Meese Auditorium in the Art Building at Southern Oregon University.
In “Searchers 2.0,” two former child stars, now in middle-age, seek revenge on a sadistic screenwriter whom they discover is screening his latest film in the fabled Monument Valley. As described by L.A.Weekly, “‘Searchers 2.0’ has the loose knit consistency of a tumbleweed in a dust storm, as a couple of washed-up, B-movie bit players take to the highways in pursuit of the fearsome writer screenwriter who literally whipped them into shape . . . on the set of a forgotten Western movie."
The film is the most recent work of Alex Cox, an English filmmaker who wrote and directed “Repo Man” and co-wrote and directed “Sid & Nancy.” In the words of L.A. Weekly, Cox has brought his “impish mixture of reverence and nose-thumbing to John Ford’s epochal Monument Valley landscapes.”
Cox is joined at SOU by his wife and collaborator, Tod Davies, who is a screenwriter and producer. Davies' screenplay credits include Cox’s film “Three Businessmen.” Davies also founded an educational/media studio for young people, based in Liverpool.
Cox and Davies live in the Colestin Valley along the California-Oregon border.
The benefit begins with a wine-and-cheese reception 6 p.m. in the Meese Auditorium, Art Building, Southern Oregon University. All proceeds from the evening are going to the Colestin Rural Fire District.
Tickets for the event are $10, available at Atomica, 116 Lithia Way, in Ashland, Oregon or via email at tod@exterminatingangel.com.
Officials Meet to Improve Pedestrian Safety (2/21/08)
Southern Oregon University officials met with local media Thursday to improve pedestrian safety after first-term transfer student Gladys Jimenez, 22, died Wednesday night after being struck by a car on Siskiyou Boulevard last week. Jimenez was a criminal justice major sophomore from Santa Rosa Junior College.
“We are a family here, so a tragedy like this affects us all,” says President Mary Cullinan.
Cullinan and Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration Craig Morris conveyed their concerns for Gladys and her family. They also discussed the need for improvements along Siskiyou Boulevard.
“We are entering conversations with the City of Ashland about immediate and long-term solutions to improve safety on Siskiyou Boulevard,” Morris says. "We have purchased safety flags for pedestrians to carry across the street as an immediate safety improvement."
Southern Oregon University Scores High, Earning a Place on the President’s 2007 Honor Roll (2/20/08)
The Corporation for National and Community Service named Southern Oregon University (SOU) to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. SOU is one of 500 colleges and universities nationwide recognized for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth.
SOU earned its place on the honor roll through incorporating service learning into its academic experience. Volunteerism at SOU starts during the University’s three-day, new-student orientation that includes a Civic Engagement Day. Last fall, the program placed 500 entering freshmen at thirty different sites throughout the community.
Students are encouraged to continue their civic participation in such programs as the Americorps*VISTA Alternative Spring Break Program. Set over spring break, VISTA students will travel to New Orleans to help repair and rebuild houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
“SOU students have a real volunteer ethic,” says Deborah Myers, Southern Oregon University student activities and leadership director.
Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition that a school can achieve for its commitment to civic engagement. Honorees are chosen based on the scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the number of service-learning courses that the school offers.
“Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce,” U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, congratulating the winners. “We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country.”
Southern Oregon University’s MBA Program Invites Those Interested to Apply for the 2008/2009 Academic Year (2/20/08)
The Southern Oregon University Saturday MBA Program is now accepting applications for the 2008/2009 academic year.
The graduate program was specifically designed for working professionals who wish to pursue a master in business administration degree. The broad-based curriculum allows participants to pursue an area of interest through its electives while earning their degree.
The program is a seven-term, twenty-one-month program that features a highly interactive and practical approach to learning. The ability to interact closely with faculty, fellow participants and executives provides tremendous networking opportunities. Course design highlights dynamic interaction in face-to-face sessions, as well as high-quality online instruction.
Classes will be held on Saturdays at the brand new Medford Higher Education Center in downtown Medford.
"What I appreciate the most about the Saturday MBA program at SOU is how directly applicable the coursework is to my everyday professional life,” says Chris Fiuren, OHSU School of Nursing department administrator and MBA student. “The concepts being taught are timely and relevant for today's business professionals."
The deadline to apply for admission to the program is March 1. For more information on the program and application guidelines, visit www.sou.edu/business/mba or contact Joan McBee at 541-552-8151 (Medford office) or 541-552-6493 (Ashland office).
Southern Oregon University Lock-in Event Provides Students with Hands-on Law Enforcement Experience (2/20/08)
The Southern Oregon University’s Criminology Club will hold its eighth annual Lock-In event on February 22. The event starts at 10 a.m. and will be held on SOU’s Ashland campus. The event, which offers participants the opportunity to work with law enforcement personnel in training scenarios, is open to all SOU students and costs $10 per person. The deadline for enrollment was February 15, 2008. This year more than 120 students from SOU, RCC, and the Criminology Club’s adopted high school, Armadillo Technical Academy, are participating.
The Lock-In event incorporates various regional and statewide criminal justice agencies, including the Ashland Police Department, Jackson County Community Justice, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Phoenix Police Department, Medford Police Department, and the Oregon State Police. The Portland Police Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigations are serving as consultants for the event.
Lock-In starts with an optional Oregon Physical Agility Test sponsored by the Medford Police Department. The ORPAT is a simulated chase, fight, and apprehension scenario, as well as fitness test, which is mandatory for all Oregon police academy recruits.
Participants choose between eleven role-playing, interactive training exercises to fill four rotational sessions. Activities include “Crime Scene Investigations” sponsored by the Central Point Police Department, in which participants learn the complex process of evaluating a crime scene while securing, packaging, and processing evidence. Furthermore, “K9 Drug Enforcement” sponsored by the Oregon State Police’s Drug Enforcement Agency, introduces students to drug recognition and the techniques involved in using K9 drug dogs during an investigation.
“The Lock-In event is great experience for anyone going into law enforcement,” says Zoila Castanenda, a criminology and psychology double major, who participated in last year’s event. “You don’t really feel the pressure of someone coming at you from a textbook. Lock-In gives you that hands-on experience.”
Message from President Cullinan (2/15/08)
We at Southern Oregon University express our concern and sympathy for the students, faculty, staff, families, and campus community at Northern Illinois University after the tragic shootings on Thursday afternoon. Our hearts are with those affected by this terrible event.
Incidents like this not only cause us to grieve over tragic events but also raise concerns about the safety of our own campus. SOU faculty, students, and staff may feel the need to communicate with others about this tragedy. The university is organizing counseling services for students, faculty, and staff who may need support in upcoming weeks.
Please be assured, also, that we at SOU make every effort to ensure our campus is safe. We continually examine our campus safety measures. Campus security and the Ashland Police and Fire Departments work together regularly on our emergency response action plans. We actually carried out a mock crisis scenario on February 13.
Although no public place can be completely safe, Southern Oregon University has programs in place to help prevent such events. Our new Student Support Network provides counseling and intervention. Our professors are trained on safety in the classroom.
We will continue to monitor the information from NIU, so we can use it to review our own tactical and readiness plans. We strive to ensure preparedness for any incident that may put our campus at risk.
Please know that we will continue to work hard to make this campus a safe yet open place for teaching and learning. And we send our deepest sympathy to the campus community at NIU.
International Poetry Night Celebrates UN Year of Languages (2/13/08)
The European Union declared a Year of Languages in 2001. The United States followed suit, declaring 2005 the Year of Languages in the United States. Now, the United Nations has declared 2008 as the International Year of Languages.
To celebrate the UN Year of Languages, the SOU Department of Language, Literature, and Philosophy and the SOU Arts and Humanities Council will sponsor the Fourth Annual International Poetry Night at 7:00 p.m. on February 21, 2008. The evening will feature poetry readings in various languages, accompanied by English translations of the poems. This year’s event focuses on the theme of “Poetry of Social Consciousness” and will include poems from various regions of the world. The event will be held in the Meese Auditorium of the Center for the Visual Arts on the SOU campus and is free and open to the public.
In its proclamation, the United Nations General Assembly stated that “multilingualism promotes unity in diversity and international understanding.” The UN resolution supports multilingualism as a means of protecting and promoting cultural diversity throughout the world and stresses that cultural diversity is closely linked to linguistic diversity.
It is estimated that more than 7000 languages exist in the world. Many of these languages are at risk of extinction because they are not represented in government, education, or the media. The UN resolution recognizes that languages form an important part of a person’s identity.
The SOU International Poetry Night corresponds to the kickoff date for the UN International Year of Languages. UNESCO will initiate the UN International Year of Languages activities on February 21, which is International Mother Language Day.
For more information, please contact the Department of Language, Literature, and Philosophy at 541 552-6435.
SOU College of Arts and Sciences Free Friday Seminars (2/13/08)
The following presentations, held in the Science Building Auditorium (SCI 118) at Southern Oregon University are open to the public and free of charge. Each seminar begins at 3:00 p.m. every Friday during winter term and will last approximately two hours.
- February 15: V.G. Tikekar, retired professor and chairman of the Department of Mathematics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and senior associate of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
Patterns and Surprises in the Study of Mathematics
Mathematics is sometimes considered as the study of patterns. In this talk we shall present some interesting patterns which lead us to conjectures and at times present surprises. This talk will illustrate with examples how patterns, conjectures, and surprises spread over the domain of mathematics. Tikekar's fields of interest are mathematical programming, numerical mathematics, theoretical computer science, probability, and statistics. - February 22: Charles Welden, Departments of Environmental Studies and Biology
Why ID Should be Taught in Science Class
The theory of evolution has been attacked in various ways ever since Darwin and Wallace proposed it. The latest attack is called the Intelligent Design Theory (ID). Proponents of ID claim that it is a scientific alternative to the standard theory of evolution and should be taught in science classes as such. I will examine this claim by analyzing some of the arguments made in support of ID. I will show that ID is neither scientific, nor testable, nor new, nor even logically coherent. However, I will argue that ID should be taught as a tool for stimulating critical thinking and to make students and the public aware of the faults in ID. - February 29: Stewart Janes, Department of Biology
Bird Conservation in the Chatham Islands
If you have a good map, you may find the Chatham Islands 500 miles to the west of the New Zealand mainland. A few hundred people and their sheep share this archipelago with a unique set of bird species. Twenty-one have become extinct since the islands were colonized around 1350 A.D. Seven more are struggling to survive the loss of forest habitat and host of introduced mammals. Biologists are working hard, and succeeding, to bring these back. The most famous, the black robin, was brought back from a single fertile female and three males. - March 7: Mark Krause, Department of Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging
The human brain undergoes remarkable changes over the course of a lifespan. As we age, changes in the brain are often accompanied by problems with memory and mental functioning. Regions that are involved in the consolidation of memories and in controlling mental resources are particularly vulnerable. Why does this occur? One answer involves changes in steroid hormones. Declining levels of estrogen and testosterone may contribute to age-related changes in mental functioning. In this seminar I will present behavioral and functional neuroimaging data on healthy and androgen-deprived elderly to help answer long-standing questions about why the brain and cognitive abilities decline with age. - March 14: Steven Jessup, Department of Biology
Proteus: A Nineteenth-Century Vision, a Film by David Lebrun
The historical moment that gave shape to modern evolutionary thinking through the life and works of Ernst Haeckel was vexed and blessed by a collision of worldviews: art, science, and mysticism. Haeckel’s genius was manifest in his lifelong struggle to accommodate and integrate the perspectives of each.
This award-winning film was featured at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the centerpiece of an overarching theme: art and inspiration in the sciences. Empiricism and the instrumental rationality of the natural sciences is juxtaposed with nineteenth-century mythopoetic rationality in an alchemy of ideas that demonstrates the compelling similarities and common ground in the strivings of scientists, artists, and mystics.
