Why is President Rick Bailey sitting in an electric Volkswagen van on a video set at SOU’s Digital Media Center? It’s what his January video message is all about: partnerships. In this case, SOU’s partnership with Lithia Motors and its GreenCars division – the VW ID. Buzz electric bus is on loan to the university, part of an historic gift that created the Lithia & Driveway Scholarship program, the SOU Institute for Applied Sustainability and much more. President Bailey says that partnership has had “direct impact in the community and university and statewide.” He also shares during this month’s video that he was a first-generation college student, and receiving college informational packets while he was in high school helped reinforce the idea that he was college material. Fast-forward to present day and SOU has forged data-sharing partnerships with 10 school districts around the state and region, giving SOU the opportunity to share information and encourage students to pursue their college aspirations. “That’s an example of a partnership where the more we get students into colleges in the state, the more everyone wins,” he says.
