Points of Pride | OSU-Cascades

Oregon State University – Cascades was established in 2001 and opened its new campus in fall 2016. Below, by academic year, are some of the most notable achievements in OSU-Cascades' history, including events leading to its founding.

2021-2022

Degree seeking students increase 2% over the previous year and students enroll in significantly more courses.
OSU-Cascades is Oregon’s first public university to launch a doctor of physical therapy degree
Newest academic building named Edward J. Ray Hall, honoring OSU’s past president
Annual research funding at $3.4 million is second highest in campus history
Erika McCalpine named first executive director of strategic diversity initiatives
TRIO program launches, providing support services for students in need
Annual research funding at OSU-Cascades is second highest in history, contributing solutions to local and global challenges

2020-2021

Fall enrollment records 27% increase in first-year students, 16% increase in transfer students over previous year, despite challenges of pandemic
EDCO ranks OSU-Cascades as Central Oregon’s #10 top employer
Vice President Becky Johnson tapped by OSU Board of Trustees to serve as interim and first female president of OSU
Dean of Academic Affairs Andrew Ketsdever selected to serve as campus interim vice president
Oregon State Legislature approves $13.8m in state-backed bonds for Student Success Center, leveraging students’ $5m contribution
Oregon State Legislature approves $1m in pandemic relief funding to launch Little Kits Early Learning & Child Care Center in partnership with COCC to help address regional child care crisis
A sustainable alternative to steel/concrete, Edward J. Ray Hall is first campus building to utilize cross-laminated timber
Geothermal confirmed as sustainable energy source for heating and cooling buildings on expanded campus
Laboratory for the American Conversation report helps guide public health messaging during COVID-19 pandemic to keep communities safer
In response to rising cases, students, faculty and staff support OSU TRACE Community COVID-19 sampling in Redmond
Innovation Co-Lab student interns partner with COIC to build data platform, distribute $5m in pandemic relief to 1,600 businesses, nonprofits and agencies
TRIO Student Support Services launches to help first-generation and Pell Grant eligible students and students with disabilities succeed
Dam Proud Day raises $39,226 primarily from Central Oregon community for scholarships, student emergency fund and DEI Lab
Erika McCalpine launches Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lab with founding gift from John Teller and Amy Tykeson
Erika McCalpine co-founds Love Your Neighbor, facilitates community conversations advancing racial justice
Todd Montgomery co-produces “Tech Trek” documentary exploring technology in hospitality industry, debuted on OPB TV
MFA faculty author Beth Alvarado wins 2020 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction for “Anxious Attachments”
Ellen Waterston, award-winning author and poet, joins MFA as faculty author
OSU-Cascades joins new OSU Center for Outdoor Recreation Economy to support $788 billion U.S. industry
Honors College student Rya Hickey named Source Weekly Women of Year Young Hero for efforts supporting racial justice

2019-2020

Fall enrollment records 28% increase in first-year students over previous year
Mobility Lab concludes first pilot study, focused on app-based Ride Bend transit service
In response to pandemic, students, faculty and staff support OSU TRACE Community COVID-19 sampling in Bend.
First doctoral degree announced, doctor of physical therapy, to launch fall 2021
Arts, media and technology degree launches
Engineering science degree launches, first at a West Coast public university
Outdoor product degree launches
Elizabeth Marino awarded $750,000 by National Science Foundation to address relocation of climate refugees
Erika McCalpine receives OSU Frances Dancy Hooks diversity award
Erika McCalpine co-founds Love Your Neighbor, facilitates community conversations advancing racial justice

2018-2019

Fall enrollment records largest first-year class, and overall younger and more diverse student population
A Degree Partnership Program launched with COCC expands efforts to guide students to four-year degree completion
$500,000 gift from hoteliers Curt and Robin Baney doubles fund, creating first faculty endowed position to achieve $1 million in philanthropic support
$62,500 gift from Seven Peaks Ventures supports computer science faculty scholar Yong Bakos
Funding awarded to OSU-Cascades researchers since 2001 totals $13 million
ESE professor Bahman Abbasi receives $2m research award, largest in campus history
Social scientist and researcher Elizabeth Marino appointed by White House as delegate to Second Arctic Science Ministerial
Beaver Champion Award, OSU’s top honor given to Kelly Sparks, associate vice president for finance and strategic planning for leadership in building campus
Discovery Day, a community festival, debuted
Mobility Lab launches with support from City of Bend and St. Charles Health System to study transportation solutions
Tykeson Hall earns design award from American Institute of Architects Portland
Bike share program expands in Bend to eight stations and 55 bikes

2017-2018

$5 million anonymous gift propels campus to next phase of expansion
Gift of $1 million from Grace-Bio Labs founder and president Charles McGrath supports future STEAM building
$500,000 gift from Bend Foundation and $75,000 gift from Brooks resources support future academic building
Philanthropy effort to match state capital funding exceeds $10 million goal
Acquisition of 72-acre former county landfill expands campus footprint to 128 acres
Oregon State Legislature approves capital request for second, STEAM academic building
City Council unanimously approves campus master plan
Innovation Co-Lab launches
First cohort of OSU Honors College students begin studies
Online hospitality minor program launches
Layman Fellowship expands undergraduate research opportunities
Alumni of OSU-Cascades exceed 3,800
Community leader and education champion Jane Evey Teater honored with Distinguished Service Award

2016-2017

Gift of $250,000 from Hydro Flask allows development of bachelor’s degree in outdoor products
Robert and Curt Baney Faculty Scholar Fund for Teaching Excellence in Hospitality Management established with $500,000 gift
Gift of $75,000 establishes the Roundhouse Foundation Faculty Scholar of Science Education
$373,877 Central Oregon Health Council grant helps create student health services delivery model
Campus-wide biomass energy study funded through $193,910 USDA Forest Service grant
Energy systems researcher Chris Hagen recognized as a top young educator in U.S.
Campus landscape includes 1,200 native plants that were harvested from site and replanted back onto campus
Student housing and dining complex recognized with national Innovator Award
Conference Services program initiated
University-initiated bikeshare program expands to private sector, downtown Bend
University-Community Partnership Agreement initiated
Tykeson Hall opens; OSU-Cascades is first public university campus in Oregon to open in 50 years
Former Bend Research CEO and president Rod Ray honored with Distinguished Service Award

2015-2016

Community volunteer Loren Irving honored with Distinguished Service Award
Faculty awarded total of 20 research grants totaling $1.5m
Connections to underserved students furthered through Better Together Latino Success Initiative in Madras, Prineville
Long range development planning process for expanded campus begins, with anticipated completion by March 2017
Energy Systems Engineering degree fourth of its kind in nation to receive accreditation from ABET
Campus governance structure aided by new Operations, Academic and Co-Curricular Councils
Model to assess future academic degree programs created, adapted from GE McKinsey Product Portfolio and Academic Program Portfolio Model
Hospitality Management degree launches
Letter of Intent with Deschutes County opens door to explore reclamation of former demolition landfill
HDFS professor Shannon Lipscomb awarded $1.5m grant, largest in campus history
Diversity scholarships funds increased through gifts from Bank of the Cascades, others
More than 50% of students are recipients of federal Pell Grant, an indicator of high financial need
Over 17% of all student represent as a US minority, including 7.3% Hispanic students
Historic first freshman class has average entering GPA of 3.45; 20% identify as US minority; 10% are Hispanic

2014-2015

Class of 2015 sets record as largest in campus history
MFA student Austin Anderson wins national AWP award
108 community members, leaders, experts engage in campus planning
92 of 115 volunteer committee recommendations for future campus incorporated into policy and planning
185 veterans served by campus to date
Energy Systems Engineering professor Chris Hagen receives $500,000 DOE award

2013-2014

Research funding tops $2.5m
Fundraising for capital expansion exceeds $4m goal
Purchase of 10-acre parcel finalizes
OUS State Board of Higher Education approves purchase of two parcels totaling 56 acres in Bend for future campus location
Fall enrollment increases 17% over previous year
Accountancy and computer science degrees launch
Counseling Clinic launches for community members and veterans
Poet and MFA director Emily Carr nominated for Pushcart Prize
330 undergraduate and 129 graduate students participate in internships

2012-2013

Oregon State Legislature approves $16m in capital funding
Fundraising to demonstrate community support for four-year expansion exceeds $1m goal
OUS State Board of Higher Education endorses expansion to four-year programs
Campus Expansion Advisory Committee formed
MOU with Bend Park & Recreation District offers opportunity to co-develop 11-acre site
Minority student population increases from 9% to 14%
Commencement moves from Drake Park to Les Schwab Amphitheatre
Number of degrees awarded exceeds 2,000 mark
First Energy Systems Engineering students graduate
Biology, General Science, Psychology degrees transition to OSU offerings
Double degree in Sustainability launches
Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing launches
MAT Advanced Mathematics and Integrated Science endorsements launch
FORCE Lab opens demonstrating public-private partnership
Natural Resources professor Ron Reuter named 2012 Elizabeth P. Ritchie Distinguished Professor
Energy Systems Engineering professor Chris Hagen receives $700,000 DOE award
MAT professor Kathleen Cowin elected to boards of Northwest Association of Teacher Educators and American Educational Research Association
20 students hired for work study positions on- and off-campus
Club sports in skiing and cycling launch in partnership with MBSEF
Ski team competes at USCSSA national championships
OSU-Cascades Gear Store launches

2011-2012

Learning Communities create four-year university experience for first-year cohorts
Enrollment increases 53% over five previous years
Exercise and Sport Science degree launches
HDFS professor Shannon Lipscomb receives international media attention for parenting research
Marina Martinez receives Oregon Career Development Association Esther Matthews Award recognizing lifetime achievement
Oregon University System endorses expansion of OSU-Cascades from 2+2 to four-year program

2010-2011

OSU-Cascades celebrates 10th Anniversary
OSU-Cascades leads OUS campuses with 16% FTE fall enrollment increase
Spring term lower-division enrollment record set with 230 freshmen and sophomores
Energy Engineering Management degree launches
American Studies degree launches
Student government joins Oregon Student Association
OSU-Cascades embarks on $7.5m fundraising campaign
State Legislature authorizes use of $2m in lottery bonds for purchase of a building for graduate programs and research
Tykeson Family Charitable Trust gives $250,000 to establish Tykeson Endowed Faculty Scholar in Energy Engineering Management
First Annual Alumni Celebration held

2009-2010

Fall enrollment jumps 20% to 611 students, the largest percentage increase in headcount of any campus in OUS system. Additional 162 freshmen and sophomores enrolled at COCC
Winter enrollment increases 17%, with a 19% increase in freshmen and sophomores enrolled at COCC
Diversity within student body increases to 10%
Hospitality Management program, an option within OSU Business Administration program, launches
OSU-Cascades partners with OSU Alumni Association to launch Science Pub series

2008-2009

Spring enrollment reaches record high, with 18% increase in students taking courses
$1 million in scholarships awarded to date through OSU-Foundation
OSU offers MAT in Secondary Teaching
UO professor John Leahy awarded European Union Marie Curie Fellowship
OSU professor Julie Elston awarded College of Business Newcomb Fellow
OSU professor David Knuff awarded College of Business Newcomb Associate
OSU Bridge to Success program awards $85,000 in scholarships
OSU Business students enter American Advertising Federation - NSAC competition, industry’s leading student competition
OSU Counseling professor Kathy Biles elected president-elect of the Oregon School Counselor Association
OSU Natural Resources professor Ron Reuter selected as a fellow of the International Canadian Studies Institute

2007-2008

OSU-Cascades awards 1,200th degree
OSU-Cascades students participate in international and study abroad program at higher rate than other state regional schools
OSU offers dual degree in International Studies
UO Psychology program establishes Bend Behavioral Research Center at Chandler Lab
OSU business students form Student Marketing Group, bridging gap between theory and practice
OSU graduate student teachers serve in 20 of 26 elementary schools in Central Oregon school districts
OSU Natural Resources instructor Matt Shinderman, students complete carbon footprint for City of Bend
OSU English professor Neil Browne named finalist for Oregon Book of the Year Award
OSU professor Henry Sayre’s six-volume humanities text, the best selling in the country, awarded Best Design for a Book Series by New York Book Designers
UO professor John Leahy initiates breast cancer detection project with OIT and Mexican institute of Technology
OSU Business professor, Julie Elston awarded Fulbright Fellowship to Study Impact of Science on Policies
OSU professor Kreg Lindberg appointed to Deschutes Provincial Advisory Committee by US Secretary of Agriculture
OSU Art professor Sandy Brooke advocated for Culture, Heritage, Art, Movies and Preservation initiative for Oregon Arts Commission

2006-2007

OSU-Cascades awards 1,000th degree
First elections held for new student government association
UO Archaeology professor Dennis Jenkins and colleagues discover pre-Clovis DNA, more than 14,000 years old, at Paisley Caves
OSU assistant professor Kate Gronemyer honored as an Emerging Leader by the American Library Association
OSU Distinguished Professor of Art Henry Sayre named to Oregon Arts Commission by Governor Kulongoski
Oregon University System 2025 goals include "Develop service models for regions projected to grow significantly, particularly ... Bend”

2005-2006

OSU offers MAT in Elementary/Early Childhood Teaching
UO Biology instructor Matt Orr receives $240,000 private gift to establish Field Studies Program in Ecological Restoration
National Undergraduate Literature Conference accepts papers for presentation from three OSU-Cascades students

2004-2005

Cascades Hall goes wireless
Annual Distinguished Students program initiated
Student Life programming launched
UO launches BA/BS in Psychology
OSU-Cascades Foundation established

2003-2004

OSU offers MS in Counseling, with options in school and community counseling
UO initiates BS in Mathematics, emphasis on secondary education teaching

2002-2003

OSU offers BS in Tourism and Outdoor Leadership, the first program of its kind in Oregon
UO receives funding from Redmond and USFS for archeological assessment of Redmond caves, performed primarily by OSU-Cascades students

2001-2002

OSU-Cascades opens its doors. In spite of 9/11 crisis and budget reductions, eight academic majors serve 363 students
In addition to OSU, degree-offering partners include University of Oregon and Eastern Oregon University
UO offers degrees in General Science and General Social Science
OSU selected to create and manage new branch campus

2000

Oregon University System evaluates alternative models; assumes “small regional baccalaureate institution is the customary goal” within 15 years; seeks proposals to lead campus

1999

Oregon University System Chancellor’s regional advisory board recommends creating a “capstone” university to partner with Central Oregon Community College

1998

Education Team 100 evaluates multiple models to increase and expand degree offerings

1995

University Center created to assume Consortium for Higher Education role, expand degree offerings and improve academic and student services

1987

Central Oregon Consortium for Higher Education formed to offer bachelor's and master's degrees by OSU and other universities

1981

OSU begins offering classes in Central Oregon for adults seeking to complete a bachelor’s degree

1949

Civic leaders establish Central Oregon College, Oregon’s first community college, to offer technical/vocational programs