Bend Beavs Hygge
The Student Success Center will have spaces for study and tutoring, arts presentation, informal gathering and student programming. It will provide offices and facilities for staff who are critical to supporting student success including academic and career advising, health and wellness counseling, student government, DEI and veterans services.
What is Hygge?
Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment. Hygge is not about a specific thing, but a feeling. It only requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present. We hope to bring hygge to the new Student Success Center.
Location and timeline
Construction of the 17,500 square-foot center will start in 2023. It is anticipated to open to students in the 2024-2025 academic year.
Support for students who need it most
Around the country, 55% of first-time freshmen enroll at a college within 50 miles of home. Central Oregonians represent 59% of students at OSU-Cascades. Without a nearby university, some young people may never attend college. But when they do, student success services can make a difference. This is especially true for:
- Students of color
- First generation students
- Low income students
- Rural students
Likelihood of persistence to a second year in college increases
+10% with a writing tutor
+28% with participation in a student affairs program
Source: Oregon State University, Corvallis campus
Students pay it forward
Students played a critical role in securing state funding for the new building. Not only did they work with legislators to explain the compelling need, they also voted in 2017 to increase student fees for the additional space and enhanced success services. The increased fees will raise $5 million for the project.
“We are dedicated to creating a better tomorrow for future generations of OSU-Cascades students,” said Taha Elwefati, president of the Associated Students of Cascades Campus.
Think outside the classroom
Classes are just the start when it comes to launching a student onto a successful career path.
- Academic advising
- Study and tutoring spaces
- Disability access services
- Veterans support
- Financial aid counseling
Engaged students work
Student success services make earning a degree and contributing to a workplace more likely.
- Multicultural Center
- Personal counseling
- Recreation programs
- Student organizations
Likelihood of becoming an engaged and active employee increases
1.8X with internships
1.6X with extracurricular activities
1.9X with encouragement from mentor
1.7X with in-depth project
Source: Gallup-Purdue Index 2015 Report on outcomes of higher education
The employer connection
Experiences build students’ practical and professional skills, and talented future employees. More than 75% of OSU-Cascades 2020 graduates had participated in at least one experiential learning opportunity within four years of earning their degree.
- Internship coordination
- Career advising