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.
