ASHLAND, Ore. – Amid a budgeting crisis, the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees voted on implementing a “fiscal realignment plan.”
The realignment plan has been in the works for months. Several town halls and tweaks later, the board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a final version of the plan during a Friday meeting.
The measures will reduce the SOU workforce by the equivalent of about 82 jobs, or 13% of the university’s workforce.
Many of them are positions that will not be filled, but about 24 people will be laid off.
The university hopes to erase a projected $14 million deficit by 2026 once the plan is in place.
SOU said included in the plan is adding a senior living complex, installing solar panels on campus to run fully on its own daytime electricity, and a proposed university business district. to potentially ease the housing shortage in the city.
SOU projects the new plan could reduce expenses by $3.6 million this year alone.
To view Friday’s meeting materials, which include details about the plan, visit https://bit.ly/3N4Mfzm
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