Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Catalog

Other Academic Support Programs


 

Career Connections

Stevenson Union 310
541-552-8820
careerconnections@sou.edu

https://careers.sou.edu/

New description (please replace old): The Office of Career Connections provides resources and develops capacity of students to achieve their individual career goals in order to create lives of purpose. We support professional preparation through individual advising, group workshops, and partnerships with academic departments to bring career-connected learning into the classroom. Towards the University’s mission to promote economic vitality, we work closely with industry and government partners to connect students to career pathways and employers through Career Fairs, direct outreach, and hiring platforms. Through facilitating career exploration, networking, internships, campus employment, and civic engagement, we help students apply their learning outside the classroom and prepare themselves for success in life after graduation.  

Information Technology

Computing Services Center

541-552-6900

helpdesk@sou.edu

http://support.sou.edu/

In support of the academic mission of the University, the Information Technology (IT) Department provides technology and information resources for the entire campus community. Assistance and training is provided to students, faculty, and staff in the use of administrative systems, computer hardware, software, technology-equipped classrooms, and telecommunications.

Students have access to the campus network, a wide array of facilities, and both online and in-person services. Internet access is available throughout both campuses of the University, including our residence halls and family housing, via wired and wireless networks. Most classrooms on campus are technology-equipped. Students are provided with an email account and network storage for their files.  Registered students automatically receive accounts to access all online services, including the SOU network, email, learning management system, and other web services. Use of computing facilities and services is free to enrolled students.

Students may access email, network files, courseware, and administrative systems from anywhere they have an Internet connection. A wide variety of services is available for students to conduct business with the University online. These services include bill paying, registering for courses, running a degree evaluation report, purchasing parking permits, accessing grade information, ordering transcripts, and more.

There are approximately forty computer classrooms and labs across both university campuses for both general and curriculum specific use, including specialized software needed for hands-on experience. A virtual lab is available both off-campus and on-campus from any supported device. Open lab computing is available in the Computing Services Center and the Hannon Library. Printing stations are available throughout campus. Students pay a fee for printing. The IT Help Desk is available in-person, over the phone, and online to assist and advise students on a wide range of technology and computing issues.

 

International Programs

^Top

Stevenson Union 322

541-552-6336

intprogs@sou.edu

inside.sou.edu/international

The Office of International Programs (OIP) provides support to the Southern Oregon University campus community by offering the following services and programs:

  • Study Away Programs, International Internships and Advising
  • International Student Recruitment and Admissions
  • International Student & Scholar Services and Advising
  • Passport Acceptance Facility (PAF)

Study Away Programs, International Internships and Advising

Many students consider the time they spend studying or working abroad to be one of their richest college experiences. Opportunities range from short summer sessions to year-long programs in 60 countries. Study away and internship programs are easily arranged and enable students to live overseas while earning college credit at SOU. Financial aid applies to most programs.

The Study Away Advisor and a knowledgeable team of Study Away Peer Counselors educate SOU students about the wonderful and diverse opportunities to study, and intern, abroad. Program durations range from three weeks, a quarter/semester, a year or longer. The advisor provides information about selecting a program that best suits a student’s goals and guides the student through the application process.  The Study Away Advisor is part of the International Programs professional staff and assists with issues that may arise pre-departure or on-site. Please visit our website or stop by the office for more information about the services and programs we offer.

International Student Recruitment and Admissions

The entire Office of International Programs staff is involved in recruiting new international students to Southern Oregon University. Recruiting practices include attending recruitment fairs and visiting high schools in the U.S. and abroad, hosting counselors and educational agents at SOU, participating in interactive webinars, and maintaining social media campaigns.
 
The International Admissions Officers process all in-coming applications for international students. Credential evaluations are done in-house to insure a quick response time for applicants to our undergraduate and graduate programs. Admission decisions are completed within one week of receipt of all required documents.
 
Pre-arrival information is provided to all admitted international students. The OIP matches newly admitted students with continuing SOU international students from their country to provide a foundation of support through email and social media before the new students leave their country. Orientation sessions, as well as on-going information meetings, are conducted every term to assist new international students with academic and cultural adjustments.

International Student & Scholar Services and Advising

The International Student Advisor, the International Student Services Coordinator, and the International Programs Coordinator assist students to successfully transition to SOU, Ashland, and the U.S. The OIP advisors and coordinators are the primary contacts for students seeking help understanding admission requirements, visa regulations, financial issues, on-campus housing, and other important topics. The international student services team partners with students to organize social events and other activities throughout the year. International students are encouraged to remain in close contact with the OIP support staff during their enrollment at the University.

Passport Acceptance Facility (PAF)

As an official Passport Acceptance Facility (PAF) of the U.S. Department of State, the Office of International Programs accepts applications for new U.S. passports, providing a convenient service to students, parents, faculty, and alumni of the university as well as to the local community. As an additional service, applicants also have the option to have their photos taken in the OIP.

 

Learning Commons

Hannon Library, 1st floor

The Learning Commons is open to all students attending Southern Oregon University. The mission of the SOU Learning Commons is to help underprepared students prepare, prepared students advance, and advanced students excel. The principal services offered in the Learning  Commons include tutoring in math and writing (other subject areas will be added soon), a variety of classes designed to help students improve their learning and study skills, and workshops aimed at providing information and support around a variety of topics, including FAFSA preparation, career preparation, capstone and internship information, and much more.

 

Hannon Library and Learning Commons

Library Hours: 541-552-6856
Reference Services: 541-552-6442
Loan Services and Information: 541-552-6860
http://hanlib.sou.edu/

Hannon Library provides resources central to students’ instructional, research, recreational, and general information needs while attending SOU. In 2005, the University completed an extensive expansion and renovation of Hannon Library that nearly doubled the size of the building to 123,000 square feet.  The project upgraded the library’s technological infrastructure and created a beautiful facility that is now the centerpiece of the campus.

Hannon Library’s Learning Commons, with a focus on student success and supporting student learning, provides students with a single point to receive math and science tutoring, get help with writing papers, explore career opportunities, use computers, find information resources, and receive research assistance. Highly-trained student workers in the Math and Science Lab and Writing Center provide one-on-one tutoring. The office of Career Connections provides resources to assist students from all academic programs and class years identify and achieve their individual career goals.

The Learning Commons also provides access to a wide array of desktop computing software and electronic information, with expert staff to assist patrons with using these technologies for research, writing, and presentation. This area also provides laptops and iPads for check-out.

A well-trained and enthusiastic staff of librarians and paraprofessionals assist students with reference needs, finding electronic and web information resources, interlibrary borrowing, and materials checkout. Librarians aid students in developing their research and information evaluation skills, providing specialized instruction on library research in a wide range of classes. Subject specialist librarians also offer in-depth research assistance in specific disciplines.

Hannon Library holds approximately 340,000 printed volumes in the general collection, with over 25,000 electronic and print journal, serial, and newspaper subscriptions. The large federal and state government collections total 300,000 items. Some 620,000 microforms provide additional materials, ranging from popular magazines to historical materials of scholarly interest. Through Hannon Library’s online catalog, students can search for items in SOU collections. Students can also search for and request items from Summit, a catalog of more than 30 million items held by a network of 39 academic libraries in the Northwest.

An extensive array of electronic information resources – including full-text databases, e-books, e-journals, and indexes – can be accessed from on- and off-campus. Other electronic and multimedia resources include films, library web pages, and music CDs. Special collections include the 8,000-volume Margery Bailey Collection of Shakespeare and English Renaissance materials, an extensive Native American studies collection, a collection on wine and wine-making, a local history collection covering the six counties of southern Oregon, and children’s literature and art print collections.

The Southern Oregon Digital Archives (SODA) contains sixteen collections of texts, photographs, documents, and maps that have been scanned in-house and are freely available on the web. These collections focus on Southern Oregon history, arts, culture, and environment. Some collections were created with regional partners including Southern Oregon University departments, the Southern Oregon Historical Society, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Additionally, yearbooks, catalogs, commencement programs, and other materials from the University Archives can be viewed online.

The library also houses permanent art and cultural exhibits. The Lily Hearn History of Writing and Printing collection showcases methods of writing, dating from 2034 B.C.E. to 1791 C.E.  The Jack Schuman Collection of Musical Instruments exhibits many musical instruments from around the world. Betty LaDuke’s Children of the World Collection features over 100 paintings and photographs. Meera Censor’s Peacemakers of the World Sculpture Collection highlights both well-known and obscure figures in history. In addition to these larger exhibits, there are numerous individual pieces of art on display throughout the building. The library also houses a gallery for temporary exhibits.