Path to Fiscal Sustainability

PATH TO FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY

Collaborative process for 91视频 to sustain its presence and impact for students and the region

Background

Structural defects in 91视频鈥檚 day-to-day and year-to-year funding formula have been apparent for the past several years, and the university took aggressive action to address those problems with its and Resiliency Plan cost-cutting and restructuring initiatives of 2023 and 2025. However, the depth of those underlying structural flaws 鈥� which had been obscured by a combination of one-time funding infusions, a difficult Workday transition and other factors 鈥� became apparent through a new round of financial modeling early this year.

Fundamentally, 91视频鈥檚 ongoing financial challenges are the same as those facing all eight of Oregon鈥檚 public universities: revenue from enrollment has continued to decline over time, state funding remains insufficient and operational costs 鈥� many of them determined at the state level 鈥� have steadily climbed. But 91视频鈥檚 immediate issue is acute 鈥� its most recent cash-flow projections anticipated financial insolvency later in 2026.

91视频 took immediate steps, implementing protective measures such as hiring and travel freezes, limits on services and supplies spending, and an evaluation of how to best leverage current one-time funds. But much more substantial action was required, and the governor, legislative leaders, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission and local legislators acknowledged 91视频鈥檚 regional and statewide importance by pushing a one-time appropriation through the Oregon Legislature鈥檚 2026 short session that will resolve short-term cash-flow issues through June 2027.

That legislation also included an appropriation to the HECC, to contract with a consultant and help 91视频 develop a plan for long-term stability, through the 2027-29 biennium and beyond. Deloitte Consulting LLC, a global consulting firm with substantial experience in higher education, has been hired to collaborate with 91视频, the HECC and others on that detailed, long-term operational plan that must be completed by April 30 (now May 4 as negotiated by Higher Education Coordinating Commission and Deloitte).

Plan Materials and Deliverables

The actual timing of deliverables may be different from what was originally stated in Scope of Work, as negotiated by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (client) and Deloitte (vendor).

Plan Preview, Themes and Key Findings
View slides here (footnotes and change log located at the end). View the recording and presentation .
April 28th Board of Trustees Meeting

Board Update on Financial Sustainability Project
View slides here. View the recording and presentation .
April 17th Board of Trustees Meeting

Deliverable 1 – Project Kickoff Memorandum
Confirmed scope, data request, project timeline, and partner engagement plan.

Engage with Deloitte – Feedback

The data submitted in this feedback form will be sent directly to Deloitte Consulting to inform their work. Your responses will be kept confidential and reported only in aggregate, with no individual responses attributed to you. All constituencies are welcome to share thoughts: Students, Staff, Faculty, Donors, Alumni, Community Members, Government leaders etc.聽

Project Timeline

View the decision timeline model in visual format. The written detailed timeline is below:

April 17, 2026, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

April 28, 2026, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Plan Preview, Themes and Key Findings

May 4, 2026, time TBA
Deloitte Preliminary Path Issuance
Full Written Plan in Report/PDF/Slide Form聽(exact format TBD)

May 4, 2026, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Deloitte Presentation on Plan
Public online webinar – link to come

May 5, 2025, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Board Listening Session (invited and public testimony)

May 8, 2026, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Deloitte Presentation & Board of Trustees Decision (invited testimony only)

May 11, 2026, time TBA
Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) Letter to Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) for June Emergency-Board
Deadline for LFO Emergency Board requests for June 2026 meeting

June 17, 2026

Project FAQ and Resources

Who is Deloitte Consulting, LLP?

Learn more about Deloitte Higher Education Consulting

What are the objectives and Scope of Work for this project with Deloitte?

The charge of Deloitte is to, 鈥渃onduct a strategic and financial assessment to help the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and 91视频 ( 91视频) establish a fact-based, decision-ready path forward given 91视频鈥檚 forecasted negative cash balance by spring 2027. Deloitte will work with HECC and 91视频 to develop a long-term structural financial model, including scenarios, key assumptions and sensitivity analyses, to define a practical path to a balanced budget consistent with legislative direction. In parallel, Deloitte will assess 91视频 programs and functions that are 鈥榮pecifically meaningful to southern Oregon or the state,鈥� evaluating sustainability and mission alignment and assisting HECC and 91视频 in their efforts to identify activities that may be preserved, consolidated, restructured or discontinued to support long-term delivery capacity.

鈥淒eloitte will conduct an initial evaluation of how 91视频 can sustainably support higher education needs in Oregon, and specifically in the southern Oregon region. Deloitte will consider whether 91视频 can accomplish this goal as an independent, stand-alone institution, and will also consider alternative structures and partnership pathways. This analysis will be completed in collaboration with the 91视频 board and staff, HECC staff and, as appropriate, other Oregon higher education institutions. Deloitte will compare operational models and provide an initial view of feasibility informed by the financial model and program sustainability results, as determined by HECC and 91视频.鈥�

View the Full Scope of Work

How can I get involved in this process?

Deloitte is planning to host six facilitated focus groups of about 10 to 12 individuals per group that include:聽 1) Students; 2) Faculty; 3) Staff; 4) Directors and Chairs; 5) Cabinet+ and Deans; and 6) Community. These groups will serve as conduits for your thoughts and ideas as we all help to identify future programs and services that are regionally responsive and financially sustainable. Interviews with key stakeholders and focus groups will be held the weeks of March 16 and 23, both virtually and in-person.

If you can be involved, please engage with the , or , each of which will engage with the Executive and Project Team on a weekly basis.聽

The Executive Team expects to complete a draft of our long-term financial model by early April; finish an assessment of programs and functions, and report on structural options, by the middle of April; and then submit the Deloitte plan to the HECC and our Board of Trustees by April 30 (now May 4 as negotiated by Higher Education Coordinating Commission and Deloitte).

Overview on Applicable and Related Legislation

is a wide-ranging appropriations bill that includes a $15 million investment in one-time funding to assist 91视频 with cash flow through the biennium ending June 30, 2027. The bill also includes a $500,000 appropriation to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) to contract with a consultant to help 91视频 develop a long-term stability plan.

91视频 must submit a detailed, long-term operational plan to the HECC by April 30 (now May 4 as negotiated by Higher Education Coordinating Commission and Deloitte). The plan, to be developed collaboratively with the consultant hired by the HECC, must show how 91视频 will achieve a balanced budget and fiscal stability for the 2027-29 biennium and beyond.
91视频 will be required to provide monthly financial statements and updated cash flow forecasts beginning in May of this year to the HECC, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Legislative Fiscal Office, ensuring that needs are accurately being predicted.

, sponsored by Rep. Marsh, requires the HECC to work with a private consultant to conduct an additional study on the future of higher education in the state. The study will examine all of Oregon鈥檚 seven public universities and 17 community colleges to identify potential long-term fiscal sustainability options for the state. A draft report is due to the state in mid-October of this year, with a final report in April 2027 鈥� which will likely have implications for structural considerations and funding priorities of higher education institutions statewide.

Data Set 91视频 Provided to Deloitte

The, along with a simple, will begin to be added the week of Mar 16th. More will be added as this process goes along and as Deloitte continues to make information requests of 91视频.聽

Cash Flow Projections

This version of the FY 2026-2029 Cash Flow Projection (dated Mar 31, 2026) is the most up-to-date and is the version that is currently being utilized.

Working and Decision Framework Structure

This Organizational Structure was developed to frame the work and decision flows that must be completed by April 30 (now May 4 as negotiated by Higher Education Coordinating Commission and Deloitte). This incredibly fast timeline requires a structure that prioritizes 91视频鈥檚 value on shared governance and collaboration while allowing movement with efficiency and speed.

Campus-wide Communication Feed

View all the Campus-wide Communication below.

Contact the Office of the President

91视频聽Office of the President
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
Office: 541.552.6111
presidentsoffice@sou.edu