Starting today by his own request to the Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees, SOU President Rick Bailey will take a 20% reduction to his $290,000 salary over the remainder of the fiscal year, following a unanimous virtual vote.
According to Ashland.News, the reduction in Bailey's salary will be $53,000 and his pay will return to his full salary with the start of the next fiscal year in July 2026.
Trustees approved SOU's budget on June 20th that called for the university to make $5 million in cuts in order to "deal with a structural deficit. Declining enrollment as well as reduced state and federal support are contributors to needed reductions to the campus. The deficit has since increased to $6 million or nearly 10% of the $66 million budget. Details of the cuts will be announced today.
Bailey made the request on Wednesday in order to include his reduction in pay in the current draft plan of action. It's not the first time an SOU president has asked for a cut in pay.
Seated in a board room on Wednesday, Bailey told the board of trustees over Zoom that he made the request following in the footsteps of his predecessor and former SOU President Linda Schott, who also faced financial difficulties during her time at the college in Ashland. Bailey said he was following Schott's example.
The plan will detail how Bailey plans to cut the budget approved by trustees in June. He has also asked the university to freeze staff salary increases for now.
