Southern Oregon University unveiled a plan to eliminate three undergraduate programs—human service, music industry and production, and financial mathematics—and cut the equivalent of roughly 66 full-time jobs, tied to a one-time $15 million Oregon Legislature infusion. The plan also calls for changes to academic operations and administrative structure to generate about $12 million in annual savings. The governing board is expected to vote on the proposal, while employees voiced concerns that cuts could weaken teaching and campus capacity—particularly as the university faces diminishing public funding and demographic pressures alongside the rapid rise of AI. The institution also frames the financial crisis as an “identity crisis,” emphasizing a need to become “undeniably distinctive” and pivot programs more quickly in the 2027–29 budget horizon.