Happy Friday Raider family,
First of all, thank you to everyone who has given feedback and recommendations to the Deloitte consultant team. They now have received over 300 new, distinct submissions (440 total to date) and appreciate all of the guidance and perspectives you have shared.
I asked them to share a synopsis of what they have gathered so far, and here is the response in their own words:
Executive Snapshot
• Total responses: 313; open ended comments: 309 (98.7%)
• 70% agree/strongly agree that they have an understanding of project goals, while 57% agree/strongly agree that they have an understanding of the approach and timeline.
Who We Heard From
• Students: 133 (42.5%)
• Extended & Affiliate Community (alumni, partners, visitors): 74 (23.6%)
• Faculty & Academic Deans: 65 (20.8%)
• Administrative, Professional, Operational & Support Staff: 29 (9.3%)
• Board Members: 12 (3.8%)
Main Themes
• Respondents were focused on protecting and investing in SOU’s distinctive arts identity (Theatre/Music/OSF). We heard repeated advocacy to preserve Theatre and related arts as core differentiators linked to regional draw and employability.
• Respondents highlighted their wish to preserve the Summer Language Institute and Spanish teacher pipeline. There was strong emphasis on SLI’s national appeal, educator upskilling, and alignment with mission and enrollment.
• Enrollment growth via sharper marketing and recruitment: respondents called for clearer value propositions, targeted pipelines (K–12, employers), and program mix (graduate/online).
• Transparency, communication, and governance discipline: respondents were focused on their desire for decision criteria, milestones, and regular progress updates to build trust and alignment.
• There were suggestions for maximized budget discipline, prioritization, and efficiencies. There were also concerns about student employment and advising capacity, with an emphasis on retention and well-being.
• Athletics spending and trade-offs: respondents had questions on relative protections and cost/benefit in the broader portfolio with regards to Athletics.
Key Takeaways
• Distinctive identity matters: Theatre/Arts and SLI/Spanish pathways are repeatedly framed as SOU’s differentiators with community impact and enrollment potential.
• Growth plus governance: Stakeholders want a clear, measurable growth plan (marketing, recruitment, pipelines) paired with visible decision criteria, timelines, and disciplined budgeting.
• Protect the student experience: Employment, advising, and mental health capacity were all flagged as items to manage during change to safeguard retention and reputation.
• Engagement is strong and constructive: Nearly all respondents provided comments, giving a robust foundation for targeted actions and communications.
Please keep your feedback coming. We encourage all students, faculty, staff and community members to please share your thoughts directly with Deloitte. Their feedback loop remains open, and they definitely welcome your thoughts and insights. Click the link HERE to share your suggestions. The sooner you send in that feedback, the better, particularly as they start to conceptualize the plan.
As we host Preview Day today, I am reminded of the responsibility we have to both our current students and to future generations of students. For our current students, all of us as faculty and staff want to reiterate our heart-centered commitment to you and your success. We remain steadfastly at your service, and it is why we are fighting so hard to preserve the university you all deserve.
I do want to set reasonable expectations for our campus in terms of iterations on the plan. Our Board of Trustees will likely have to make a decision on adoption of a plan either in the last week or April or the first week of May. And then our transformation must be completed by the summer of 2027. What that means is that there will likely be little to no opportunities to do any kind of wholesale revision to the plan. It does not mean that we may not have influence in the implementation phase, but that will likely be in the margins, and not through sweeping revisions. I just want us all to be clear-eyed about that process as we move forward, and the transformation that will be required to finally to achieve the stabilization we need long-term.
Finally, a word of gratitude. As complex as our challenges are, you have all risen to the occasion with grace and dignity. Please continue to show love, kindness and compassion to each other, and please remember to take care of yourself as well – remaining true to our principles will get us through this, and much more. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and thanks for all you do.
Very respectfully
