Planners at Oregon State University – Cascades are seeking to sell the Graduate & Research Center as they prepare for the consolidation of academic and other operations onto the university campus on Chandler Avenue in Bend.
The Graduate & Research Center will be listed for sale this week with Fratzke Commercial for $8.2 million.
The Graduate & Research Center is OSU-Cascades’ only off-campus property. Located at 650 SW Columbia Street in Bend, the 28,000 square-foot building was purchased in 2011 with private, state and university funds.
“By selling the Graduate & Research Center as outlined in our long range development plan, we can centralize our mission on OSU-Cascades’ 128-acre campus, enhancing student engagement; increasing student, faculty and staff interactions; and providing more cost efficient access to services,” said Laurie Hill, chief business officer at OSU-Cascades.
Hill explained that proceeds from a sale would be reinvested in the development of the campus.
The Graduate & Research Center currently houses classrooms and other space for master’s programs in teaching and counseling, an undergraduate computer science program, the Human and Ecosystem Resiliency and Sustainability Lab, the Laboratory for the American Conversation and the Central Oregon Innovation Hub, and other campus groups.
The building hosts classes for about 285 students each term and office space for about 30 faculty, researchers and staff, including in shared workspaces. Following the sale of the building, employees and academic operations will be eventually moved to the nearby campus.
The Graduate & Research Center also houses an early childhood learning center, which will move into to the new Little Kits Early Learning and Child Care Center, located on the OSU-Cascades campus. Little Kits is slated to open in August.
About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest growing region in the state. Surrounded by mountains, forest and high desert, OSU-Cascades is a highly innovative campus of a top-tier land grant research university, offering small classes that accelerate faculty-student mentoring and experiential learning. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges. OSU-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building a 128-acre campus with net-zero goals.