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Hopkins-Powell gets SOU post By SARA MURPHY ASHLAND � The State Board of Higher Education on Friday voted unanimously to recommend Sara Hopkins-Powell as interim president of Southern Oregon University. "I�m delighted," said Chancellor Joe Cox. "She�s a wonderful person and I�m sure Southern will be well served." Hopkins-Powell is provost and vice president for academic affairs at SOU. She is expected to be formally appointed interim president in June. Cox said a national search soon will be initiated to permanently replace SOU President Stephen Reno, who has accepted a position as chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire beginning Aug. 1. "If I have to lose Steve Reno, and I knew I would have to eventually," Cox said, "I am absolutely confident that Sara Hopkins-Powell can step in without losing a step." Cox said he plans to announce members of a search committee within 10 days. The committee, which is to be made up of SOU faculty, staff and students, will establish goals for the next university president as well as qualification criteria. The search likely will begin in the fall and take most of the academic year, Cox said. In the interim, he said, Hopkins-Powell will have all the rights and responsibilities associated with being a university president. "I have been an acting president before, an interim president," Cox said. "My view of this is that Ms. Powell will be the president of Southern Oregon University during the interim." As provost and vice president for academic affairs, Hopkins-Powell is second in charge, dean of the faculty and overseer of all academic and support programs. She was hired by Reno in 1993 as assistant to the provost when he held that post. She was subsequently promoted to associate provost and accepted her current position in 1996. She holds a doctorate in higher education and public policy from the University of California-Berkeley. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA