Higher Education Center
Rogue Community College
Southern Oregon
University
Medford, Oregon
FAQs
This is a page where you get your questions answered. If you don't
see your question, please contact us so we can add it. Send your new
question to: balko@sou.edu
Note: Select any category in the left-hand pane or below to jump to the section of this page with the appropriate questions and answers.
Costs & Tuition | Enrollment & Programs | Facilities | History | Other
Cost & Tuition
What is the cost of this new building and how is it being funded?
The estimated cost is $22.2 million.
- Each school contributed $11.1 million.
- RCC's share includes $4.1 million in state bonding authority plus $7 million in local bonds, approved by Jackson County voters in 2005.
- SOU's share includes $5.5 million in state bonding authority and $3 million in state funding, plus $2.6 million in locally raised matching funds.
How can the institutions justify a new building when there have been program cuts?
The SOU Medford Campus operated in seven sites around the city, which are borrowed or leased. The Mary Phipps building where all administration was located was small, poorly located, and run down. The maintenance was expensive and the classroom capacity was at maximum. Students and faculty had to travel around town to the different sites, which was very inconvenient. SOU needed room to grow needed programs.
The RCC Riverside Campus operated in over seven separate buildings, three of which were leased, and all of which were retrofitted facilities. The new building allows RCC to terminate those leases and save the annual cost of renting space.
Consolidating classes into the new RCC/SOU Education Center better serves students, by providing more advanced equipment and more convenient learning spaces. Staff from both institutions can be cross-trained, eliminating the need for duplicated support positions.
Will student tuition increase to help pay for the new Higher Education Center?
No, any tuition increases that occur in the future are not related to the cost of the new building or its services. The funding for the Higher Education Center comes from state and local bonds, state funding, and fundraising by both RCC and SOU.
Enrollment and Programs
When can students start registering for classes at the new building?
Classes began at the Higher Education Center in fall 2008. Please check each institution's timetable for exact dates and times for registration and classes.
If I apply for admission to enroll in RCC at HEC, do I have to re-apply to SOU if I later transfer?
Whether you complete your degree on the HEC campus or transfer to the SOU campus at Ashland, you still have to apply separately to RCC and SOU. RCC and SOU are two different schools with two different admission policies, operating on the same campus.
What programs are available through the Higher Education Center?
SOU continues to offer its degree completion programs in business, psychology, and human services at HEC, as well as a great selection of general education and minor requirements. It plans to expand its offerings with other courses and programs as demand grows.
SOU students and those co-enrolled at RCC can access all the services they need at the HEC campus in Medford, such as registration, book buying, account payment, and academic advising.
RCC focuses on lower-division courses at HEC, offering nearly all college transfer classes currently available at its Riverside Campus, as well as the general education classes for career and technical education programs. Those include math, literature, writing, foreign languages, biology, chemistry, geology, general science, anatomy and physiology, history, psychology, sociology, art history, early childhood education, and business lecture courses.
RCC's student services such as registration, academic advising, and financial aid, are just steps away at the Riverside Campus in G Building on the third floor.
Facilities
How will this new building be shared between SOU and RCC?
Approximately one-third of the space is operated by both institutions to provide shared services, such as a Welcome Center to help students make smooth transitions from RCC to SOU, and the Business Center, serving both institutions' business partners.
The remaining space is divided equally between RCC and SOU for programs and services unique to each institution, while continuing the practice of sharing spaces and resources for maximum effectiveness.
History
What prompted the partnership between RCC and SOU and the development of the Higher Education Center in Medford?
Southern Oregon University and Rogue Community College have worked in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation to implement the guidelines of the white paper, "Annexation of Jackson County to the District of Rogue Community College," signed on March 6, 1996.
During the last several years, attention focused on the number of students transferring from RCC to SOU, the university's enrollment in Medford, and overall enrollment at both institutions.
During the 1997-99 biennium, RCC and SOU received Regional Partnership funding from the Legislature to jointly launch several new initiatives to provide additional access for a larger number of residents in southern Oregon.
Through these successes, the partnership has grown, providing greater access to higher education in the Rogue Valley. The Higher Education Center is just one more step in creating a closer partnership between RCC and SOU to benefit students and the region.
Other
What's the benefit of attending RCC and SOU on the HEC campus?
Students who start taking lower-division classes at RCC can transfer to SOU for upper-division classes and complete a four-year degree without leaving the campus. Students who work or have family commitments can complete their education more conveniently with evening, weekend, and online classes. And students who plan to transfer between RCC and SOU can get all their questions answered in one place.
How will the partnership between RCC and SOU improve educational opportunities for people in the Rogue Valley?
Being part of the downtown educational and cultural center better serves students who are simultaneously enrolled at SOU and RCC. Dual enrollment allows many students, especially those working, to coordinate course schedules and advance their education more effectively and efficiently.
The new HEC facility allows SOU to offer students new programs and to reach students through distance education. It also allows RCC to leverage opportunities by serving students who have aspirations for advanced education.
Co-location of RCC and SOU also helps students planning to transfer because they can find all their answers in one spot.
How does the new Higher Education Center benefit the city of Medford?
The SOU/RCC partnership and co-location supports greater integration between education and the local business community. HEC enhances coordination of resources with business partners by serving as a one-stop location for workforce training, internships, and research. These elements contribute to the economic development of Medford and the region.
In addition, the RCC-SOU joint facility allows the City of Medford to fulfill its goal of providing educational opportunity to the region's workforce for economic development. Being central in the Rogue Valley, Medford's economic and educational health is critical to the region's future.
Lastly, the new HEC campus contributes to the revitalization of downtown Medford. This revitalization began with the renovation of the Craterian Ginger Rodgers Theater and the historic Montgomery Wards Building (now RCC's G Building), and continues with development of Lithia Plaza.