of Teachers Colleges in 1939, and Oregon Governor Charles A. Sprague signed a bill changing the institution's name to Southern Oregon College of Education (SOCE).
Elmo N. Stevenson, for whom the Stevenson Union was later named, took over as president in 1946, and rebuilt the school's enrollment from a low of 45 at the close of World War II to nearly 800 less than three years after his arrival. He became the institution's longest-serving president to date, retiring in 1969 from what had been renamed Southern Oregon College (SOC) in 1956, reflecting more diverse course offerings.
The institution was renamed Southern Oregon State College (SOSC) in 1975 and became "Southern Oregon University" in 1997. The campus now includes 175 acres (71 ha) with modern facilities, enrollment of more than 6,000 students and more than 1,100 degrees conferred annually.
== Academics ==
Southern Oregon University consists of seven academic divisions: the Oregon Center for the Arts at SOU; Business, Communications and the Environment; …
