Roy Saigo is retiring for real this time.
The 75-year-old came out of retirement in 2014 to be Southern Oregon University's interim president. Oregon's now-defunct State Board of Higher Education tabbed Saigo, a former university president and chancellor in Minnesota and Alabama, to step in at the Ashland-based university.
He arrived in Ashland during a tumultuous time, but Saigo believes the school of roughly 6,200 students has stabilized.
His last day is July 31. Linda Schott takes over as the school's new leader.
Roy Saigo
Saigo and his family were incarcerated in an internment camp in Arizona during World War II.
"We lost everything," he said of the experience. He's focused his career on empowering first-generation and minority students. "If you have a voice, if you have initiative, if you work hard, this country will allow you to be successful," he said.
The Oregonian/OregonLive interviewed Saigo this month and talked about his tenure and the future of SOU. This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: YOU ARRIVED AT AN INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING TIME IN OREGON EDUCATION. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU ARRIVED AT SOU? WHAT WAS THE MORALE ON CAMPUS?
A: In my first cabinet meeting, the report for our enrollment was down 9 percent and we had budgeted for minus 2.6 percent. If we did not meet the minus 2.6 budget, we would have had to reopen the retrenchment plan. I asked [Associate VP Karen Stone] what other programs would we have had to consider removing, and she said it was Music, History, Political Science or Economics. We had already removed German, Geology, Geography and Physics. We had our backs to the wall, and minus 9 percent was huge. Within 2-3 weeks we got the entire university to embrace calling, talking to and trying to find students who had previously enrolled to re-enroll. Some had been denied enrollment because of finances, because of some library fines, etc. People were pretty much disillusioned, discouraged, they had been under two retrenchments, so everybody got together and it was really exciting.
Q: OREGON'S PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES NOW ARE ON THEIR OWN. HOW IS THE INDEPENDENT BOARD WORKING FOR SOU?
A: I think it's gone well. Within a year we were back on a positive track. Our enrollments were up, morale was up, people were feeling good. We went from OUS [Oregon University System] one year, to turning the institution around. Now we installed a new board of trustees and they have much more, and I put it in athletic terms, more skin in the game because we no longer have to worry about saying, "OUS is up there in Portland and they're not looking over our shoulders." We are much more responsive to a local board.
Q: STATE OFFICIALS HAVE QUESTIONED THE MISSION AND DIRECTION OF THE UNIVERSITY. AFTER TWO YEARS THERE, DO YOU HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF SOU'S MISSION?
A: Absolutely. We created a mantra. We treat every student as if they were our own. We have a liberal arts core with business, education, social sciences, and STEM wrapped around it. So we're not a small liberal arts university, as we were defined previously, we are a medium-sized comprehensive liberal arts university, regional university in Oregon. That pretty much defined the area, and when the new president comes August 1st, she and the university and the community will develop a strategic plan to focus on where they need to go in the future. I think we're very well situated to focus on what's important, and that's the well-being of the student.
Q: WHY SHOULD A STUDENT GO TO SOU?
A: We focus on every student as if they were our own. The other thing that we always emphasize with 20-25 staff members, they all have business cards, and I tell the parents that if you have a problem, take those cards and call them if you have a question or a student needs some help. And I said, if things don't go well, please call my office and I will take care of it. and about a month and a half ago, a parent from Fresno called me and emailed me and said, "Everything is fine. But you made this promise, We're just checking out if you follow through with your promise." I said, "High five. I've got it. We're listening to you if you have a concern please let my office know."
Q: HOW CAN OREGON CONTINUE TO DIVERSIFY ITS COLLEGE CAMPUSES?
A: Because of my history, I'm very sensitive to those that have no voice. I was incarcerated. I'm a former federal prisoner who is now a university president. We have about 30 percent cultural and minority enrollment [at SOU], we need to focus more on recruiting and retaining more staff and minority faculty. We need to have everybody as a part of that solution.
Q: OREGON'S PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR HIGHER ED IS DOWN ABOUT 40 PERCENT SINCE THE RECESSION. WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING LEVEL FOR SOU, IN ORDER FOR IT TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE?
A: That's kind of like asking how much candy do I want for my children, right? I have met with a ton of people - all of our legislators have their heart in the right place. This state is trying to do the best that they can, and I really appreciate what they have done. We are trying to do the best we can, we are trying to get the most bang for the dollar. We really have had a wonderful public education, and I think it's going to get better. What we need to do is convince the public that they need to get an education. Without an education, we won't have democracy. I know that the legislators are moving very, very aggressively. They are moving with the free tuition for community colleges, I'd like to see them expand that to universities as well.
-- Andrew Theen
atheen@oregonian.com
503-294-4026
@andrewtheen