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By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune September 29. 2014 7:00PM SOU's first governing board appointed A dozen local leaders who will shape the future of Southern Oregon University have been appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber and approved by the state Senate as the college's first board of trustees. The institutional board will assume the governing responsibilities currently held by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education on July 1. The state board will sunset June 30. “It’ll be different having people who are familiar with Southern Oregon and the students and the faculty be involved in the decision-making process,” said Liz Shelby, SOU’s director of government relations. Ten members — William Thorndike of Medford, Filiberto Bencomo of Medford, Judy Shih of Ashland, Adam Washington of Portland, Willie “Frank” Faust of Medford, Teresa Sayre of Medford, Steven Vincent of Medford, Carolyn Hennion of Medford, Paul Nicholson of Ashland, and April Sevcik of Jacksonville — were appointed to four-year terms, ending June 30, 2018. Two members — Dennis Slattery of Ashland and Joanna Steinman of Phoenix — were appointed to two-year terms, ending June 30, 2016. The appointments were made earlier this month. “SOU is at an amazing crossroads right now with the new interim president and the first-ever governing board,” Hennion said. “It’ll be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity to set in place some policies that, I hope, will make a difference.” Sayre, an SOU graduate and superintendent of the Phoenix-Talent School District, said her grandmother, dad and brother attended SOU and many of the teachers and administrators in her district received their certificates from the school. “It’s an exciting thing for SOU to have its own board in charge of the institution,” she said. A 13th member, Lithia Motors Chairman Sid DeBoer, also was appointed and confirmed by the Senate but has since resigned “due to personal reasons,” Shelby said. DeBoer’s replacement, as well as an SOU student nominee, will be appointed and confirmed to the board later this year, while SOU’s interim President Roy Saigo will hold the 15th seat as an ex-officio and nonvoting member. “We are hoping that by the end of the year, we will have everyone on board and will begin training programs that will include a comprehensive overview of public meeting laws and the public ethics responsibilities associated with their appointments,” Shelby said. “We want to give them as much of a sense of how we go about our business and what is their governing role, and how we will go about the business of making students successful and Southern Oregon University sustainable,” Shelby added. Although they cannot begin making governing decisions until July 1, the board will begin meeting immediately to discuss how it will be organized and what the processes and bylaws will be, Shelby said. Kitzhaber’s office worked closely with Saigo, SOU’s foundation and community partners to identify candidates suitable for this leadership role, said Rachel Wray, the governor’s press secretary. “The governor was looking for people who not only bring education expertise and a passion for SOU, but who also have an eye for how Southern fits into the broader higher education system in Oregon,” Wray said. The nominees were required to fill out an application and submit it to the governor’s office, said Hennion, senior vice-president of Umpqua Investments, Inc. The nominees appointed by the governor attended a Senate Rules Committee hearing on Sept. 15 to express their interest in the position. And on Sept. 17, the Senate voted on the board nominations for SOU, Western Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University and Oregon Institute of Technology, Hennion said. The new members were all asked to sign an oath of office and have it notarized within seven days of the Senate’s decision. The University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Portland State University voted last year to establish institutional boards, which took effect July 1 of this year. SOU, WOU, EOU and OIT put forth proposals earlier in March to move out from under the governance of the state board. In April, the state board voted to endorse the formation of a self-governing board at SOU with the conditions that the school focus on stabilizing its budget through retrenchment before moving forward with independent governance. Reach reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20140929/NEWS/140929642 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->