Southern Oregon University released a required restructuring plan that would cut about 66 full-time-equivalent jobs and eliminate three undergraduate majors as a condition of a one-time $15 million stabilization infusion from the Oregon Legislature. The governing board is set to vote on the plan after community feedback, according to the reporting. SOU said the changes are intended to save roughly $12 million annually, including consolidating multiple dean roles into a single dean structure, reducing certain student service staffing, and ending selected software contracts. The plan would also require athletics to be financially self-sustaining by fiscal 2029. The university framed the move as an “identity crisis” response tied to diminished public funding, the rise of AI, and shrinking traditional-age enrollment. However, employees voiced concerns that the cuts would weaken the institution, following multiple rounds of belt-tightening in prior years.