Volume II: Issue 14
COPLAC
SOU was delighted to host the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) annual meeting on June 20–22. COPLAC includes approximately twenty-five public institutions in the United States and Canada that provide access to an outstanding liberal arts education for high-ability students from all backgrounds. COPLAC presidents, provosts, CFOs, students, and sustainability experts gathered this year to discuss sustainability on our campuses. The topic was a perfect fit for SOU and for southern Oregon.
The program highlighted the best practices of five campuses: University of Minnesota-Morris; Keene State; The Evergreen State College; Eastern Connecticut; and Southern Oregon University. Campus involvement in sustainability efforts, including extensive student engagement, demonstrated how effectively COPLAC campuses are approaching this issue.
In addition to the campus presentations, conference panels focused on topics such as "Food Services and its Role in Sustainability on Campus," "Engaging Students in Sustainability," and "Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum.”
In a session on "Building Green," Gregg Sanders from SERA, the architectural firm for our Higher Education Center building in Medford, presented on ways we have worked toward a high LEED rating for that building.
I presented on a panel with Evergreen President Les Purce and Minnesota-Morris President Jackie Johnson on "Becoming a Statewide Force in Sustainability.” Jonathan Eldridge presented on a panel titled "Making Sustainability Councils Work for the Campus." And Jonathan and I presented on SOU’s best practices, discussing the achievements of our Sustainability Council and the many ways in which our students and faculty support sustainability through research and teaching.
American Band College
More than 200 high school music teachers are attending this year’s SOU American Band College (ABC) program. The teachers participating in this program earn their master’s degrees in music over three summers.
We are all so pleased that nationally renowned bandleaders Gladys and Al Wright (pictured above, right) have joined the program as lecturers this year. Al enjoyed a distinguished career as conductor, composer, and educator, serving as president of the American Bandmasters Association, conductor of many nationally televised sports half-time shows, and author of more than 150 articles. Gladys has received numerous honors, including being the first woman to be inducted into the National Band Conductors Hall of Fame for Distinguished Conductors.
I hope you were able to attend the ABC twentieth annual concert and fireworks display at the Ashland High School stadium on July 4. The concert is always a great way to celebrate Independence Day.
Ashland Center for Theatre Studies
Once again, SOU is offering the Ashland Center for Theatre Studies (ACTS) master of theatre studies in production and design. This intensive program is specifically designed for working high school and community college theatre teachers. Similar to the ABC program, ACTS allows participants to earn a master's degree by attending sessions over three summers. Courses include Choreography for Musical Theatre and Theatrical Combat Certification.
Dankook Signing
On July 27, Dr. Hosung Chang, President of Dankook University in South Korea, made his first visit to SOU. He and other dignitaries from Dankook joined us for a luncheon in the Stevenson Union Dankook Room, where we signed an extended student exchange agreement.
Our relationship with SOU's sister school in South Korea was initiated in 1970. The new agreement deepens SOU's partnership with Dankook by expanding the student exchange agreement. SOU will host one yearlong Dankook student, in addition to approximately twenty Dankook students for three- to four-week sessions of intensive English classes and cultural activities, per year. In return, three SOU students will visit Dankook for short summer sessions focusing on Korean language and culture.
I want to thank President Hosung Chang, Office of the President Director Yonghyun Ahn, and Office of International Affairs Director Ihnseok Song for visiting our campus. And I want to thank Sarah Stevens from our Office of International Programs for organizing the signing event.
