Cullinan Resigns as President of SOU

Mary Cullinan has resigned as president of Southern Oregon University and will be taking a position as president of Eastern Washington University.

“We wish Dr. Cullinan all the best as she moves to EWU and are pleased that she will remain in the Pacific Northwest as our neighbor and colleague,” said Oregon University System Chancellor Melody Rose in a press release. “The Oregon University System will miss her strong voice for our students and our public universities.”

Cullinan will start as president of EWU effective June 30. Cullinan has served as president of SOU since 2006.

In the press release on the OUS website, Rose mentioned many of Cullinan’s accomplishments at SOU including the implementation of the Houses program and her work to boost student enrollment and retention.

Rose also noted that she and the State Board of Higher Education will name an interim president for SOU by the end of the month to help smooth the transition after Cullinan’s departure and keep up work on the university’s retrenchment.

After a difficult year for the university, a vote in March showed that 63 percent of SOU faculty did not have confidence in Cullinan’s leadership.

Earlier this spring, Cullinan was named one of the finalists for a position at Youngstown State University in Ohio, though the position ultimately went to one of the other candidates.

According to Rose, once the interim president for SOU is chosen, that individual will begin work on campus on July 1.

Rose’s full statement can be read here.