Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926 and has been known by a total of 10 names – becoming SOU in 1997. Its Ashland campus – just 14 miles from Oregon’s border with California – encompasses 175 acres. Five of SOU’s newest facilities have achieved LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. SOU is headquarters for Jefferson Public Radio and public access station Rogue Valley Community Television. The university has been governed since 2015 by the SOU Board of Trustees.

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Southern Oregon University is organized into seven academic divisions: the Oregon Center for the Arts at SOU; Business, Communication and the Environment; Education, Health and Leadership; Humanities and Culture; Social Sciences; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; and Undergraduate Studies. About 90 bachelor’s degree, graduate and certificate programs are offered. Most of SOU’s academic programs are on the 10-week quarter system. The university’s Oregon Center for the Arts enjoys a collaborative relationship with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, located in downtown Ashland.

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Southern Oregon University is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.