Degrees Earned at OSU-Cascades Near 1,400 Mark

June 10, 2009

June 12, 2009 - Oregon State University - Cascades Campus will award degrees to 197 students- of which about half are first generation college students, the first in their family to achieve a bachelor's degree- on Saturday, June 13, during the institution's eighth annual commencement ceremony.

The event begins at 2 p.m. in Drake Park in Bend.

With the class of 2009, OSU-Cascades will have awarded more than 1,380 undergraduate and graduate degrees since it was founded in 2001.  OSU-Cascades offers degree programs from both OSU and the University of Oregon.  This year, degrees will be conferred to 145 graduates of OSU programs and 52 graduates of UO programs.  Of the OSU graduates, 39 were awarded master's degrees from the counseling or teaching programs.

Just under half, 45 percent, worked more than half-time while earning their degrees, and a full three-quarters worked while attending classes.  Five percent participated in study abroad programs in five different countries.   The graduates include 50 men and 147 women, a markedly higher proportion of women than the national average of 57 percent.  

OSU-Cascades typically attracts returning students, and 42 percent of the 2008 graduates fall in the 25-29 age group.  The youngest graduate is 22 and the oldest is 60.  The vast majority of graduates, 80 percent, are from Central Oregon, and most plan to stay within the region.  

In addition to a commencement address by Gary Fish, president of the Deschutes Brewery, Inc., the commencement ceremony will include presentations by two OSU-Cascades candidates for graduation, Jessica Dotson, a psychology major from Bend, and Gregory M. Silbernagel, a tourism and outdoor leadership major from Sisters.  Dotson is a 2009 OSU-Cascades Distinguished Student and will be honored during a reception on Friday, June 12 at the campus.