Oregon’s Senate passed a measure requiring the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to review the state’s seven universities and 17 community colleges and recommend structural changes to put them on firmer financial footing. Proposals may include mergers, program consolidation, and criteria to cut duplicative offerings; the commission must deliver final recommendations by April 2027. Separate but related, lawmakers are weighing a $15 million emergency infusion for cash‑strapped Southern Oregon University to avert a looming liquidity crisis. The moves reflect mounting state‑level pressure to rethink higher‑education footprints, and faculty groups warn the proposals could undermine shared governance and academic autonomy if implemented without broad campus buy‑in.