Because we understand the critical role that you play in the decisions of prospective college students, we created this site to provide information and answer many important questions about your student's interest in attending Oregon State. The blog is a place for you to browse but if you ever want to speak to someone about Oregon State, please call or email us using the contact information below.
With the passage of HB 2787, the Office of Admissions is prepared to assist and process students that believe they qualify for in-state tuition under this bill. We encourage interested students, parents and high school counselors to visit http://oregonstate.edu/admissions/tuition-equity to learn more about what steps they can take for consideration for fall term 2013 at Oregon State.
Governor John Kitzhaber: “The passage of tuition equity is great news for Oregon. Young people who work hard in our schools deserve equal access to post-secondary education, and House Bill 2787 opens up that opportunity to them. This will help our state capitalize on the investment we’ve made in these students through the K-12 system while giving them their shot at the American dream. I appreciate the hard work of so many Oregonians to make this possible.”
Yesterday the Oregon Senate voted to pass HB 2787 (known as the Tuition Equity bill). In anticipation of the eventual passage of Oregon House Bill 2787, I want you to know that we have been meeting to iron out the processing implications of this new and exciting legislation. As soon as Governor Kitzhaber signs the bill into law (which is expected), we will send to you specific instructions on how impacted students can proceed.
If you identify students/families who may need to communicate in Spanish, please have them contact my bilingual staff listed below.
With counselor to student ratios going through the roof in many states, Oregon State announced the addition of a new masters degree in counseling
Oregon State University is addressing the state’s need for additional K-12 counselors with a new off-campus master’s program in school counseling.
The new master of science in counseling program – offered by the College of Education and delivered in a flexible online and face-to-face format by Oregon State Ecampus – should help bring comprehensive counseling services to all students, increase college attendance rates among underrepresented populations, and increase student success, said OSU President Ed Ray.
“As the state’s land-grant university, Oregon State is charged with providing educational opportunities to citizens throughout the state, working with partners across the education continuum,” Ray said. “We produce high-achieving graduates who contribute to a healthy economy, and skilled school counselors are critical partners in efforts to provide enriching services to all Oregon students.”
Oregon’s K-12 school system posted a student-to-counselor ratio of 553 to 1 during the 2010-11 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. That’s the eighth worst ratio in the nation and more than double the rate recommended by the American School Counselor Association….
To provide schedule flexibility for students, half the instruction will be delivered online and half will be conducted in face-to-face classroom meetings, held on weekends twice a term at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. The program will also encourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics career awareness and concerns.
“Math is the gatekeeper for students meeting college entrance requirements,” said Eakin, “and if we don’t address the STEM anxiety issues, where will our scientists, mathematicians and engineers come from if we don’t have as many students entering and graduating from college?”
The program is now accepting students for its 2013 cohort.
For those students affected by Hurricane Sandy, the University Honors College (UHC) is extending their early application deadline. Please contact the UHC to discuss your situation and necessary accommodations.
If you were impacted by hurricane Sandy and were unable to apply to the UHC by the Nov. 1st early round deadline, please contact our office (541-737-6400 / honors.college@oregonstate.edu) to request an extension to the deadline.
Much has been made about the increasing cost of higher education recently, and some have even questioned the value of getting a college degree. At Oregon State, we point to some very tangible things that show not only the value of a college degree, but specifically earning it at Oregon State:
VALUE: The Fiske Guide to Collegesrecently named Oregon State a ‘Best Buy’ school. Fiske has designated 41 such institutions—20 public and 21 private—as Best Buys. All of the Best Buy schools fall into the inexpensive or moderate price category, and most have four- or five-star academics ratings.
Oregon State is the only Oregon school to make the list
As the only ‘Best Buy’ school in the State of Oregon, we are showing not only affordability but quality. Along with that, the $140 million in new scholarship funding is helping our students achieve their academic goals. Add to that some 3,000 Oregon residents that benefit from Oregon State University’s ‘Bridge to Success‘ program (which pays full tuition and fees from state, federal and institutional sources), and getting that college degree is within reach.
Another thing: Internships=jobs. At Oregon State, the chance for students to find opportunities and be career-ready once they graduate is everywhere but none more visible than the MECOP/CECOP internship program in the College of Engineering where students have two paid internship opportunities before graduating. All of these experiences at Oregon State lead to….
RESULTS: A recent study by Payscale.com showed that Oregon State graduates enjoy higher mid-career earnings on average than any other college or university in Oregon. And our graduates exceed national averages on professional certification exams and admission to graduate and professional programs (medical, veterinary, etc.). From the Provost’s Report:
Performance of OSU students continued to be excellent in professional certification exams:
Engineering—93 percent on Fundamentals of Engineering exam (national average 79 percent)
Exercise Science—67 percent on national athletic training association exam (national average 52 percent)
Nutrition—92 percent on American Dietetic Association exam (national average 82 percent)
Pharmacy—first time pass rate above 97 percent over the past five years, ranking us among the top 20 percent of all professional programs
Veterinary Medicine—100 percent on North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (national average 95 percent)
Accounting—63 percent on Unified Certified Public Accounting exam (national average 41 percent)
Acceptance rate for pre-medical students from OSU was over 77 percent, with students accepted to Oregon Health and Sciences, University of Southern California, University of Michigan, University of Washington, Dartmouth, University of Wisconsin and others.
Which brings us to the question of if a college degree is really worth it…Georgetown University recently published a study that showed the rates of unemployment during the most recent economic downturns. The results?
Jobs that require bachelor’s degrees have been the big winner, increasing by 2.2 million jobs since the recession began. Those jobs that required some college or an associate’s degree declined by 1.8 million in the recession but have regained 1.6 million of those job losses since the recovery began in 2010. At the same time 5.8 million jobs for those with high school or less have been lost since the recession began.
We encourage you to use these messages about the value of college to your students. While we hope that students find Oregon State a good fit, we want them to know that higher education is worth the investment.
-bv
We are happy to announce that Oregon State has been chosen as one of the Fiske Guide ‘Best Buy’ institutions! For 2013, Fiske Guide to Colleges has designated 41 such institutions—20 public and 21 private—as Best Buys. All of the Best Buy schools fall into the inexpensive or moderate price category, and most have four- or five-star academics ratings.
Oregon State is the only Fiske ‘Best Buy’ in Oregon!
Oregon State not only has excelled at providing students with an exceptional academic experience through undergraduate research and internship opportunities, but we’ve done our best to offset the costs of college for our students by providing scholarships that meet students’ needs. Scholarships are considered for students that apply prior to February 1.
Oregon State University, Oregon’s leading research university, is expanding the paths students can take for their degree(s). New this fall is a sustainability double-degree, one that can be added to ANY major at Oregon State.
Some sample careers in sustainability:
Carbon and greenhouse gas management Sustainability operations for private companies, universities, and government entities Sustainability marketing and market research Sustainability and engineering manager Sustainability/environmental performance assessment and monitoring Sustainability specialist for waste, energy, or water management Sustainability strategic planning Sustainable supply chain management Sustainable packaging design and management Sustainability coordinator for school districts, hospitals, and for-profit organizations
Oregon State has been a leader in sustainability for decades and currently ranks 4th in the nation of green energy purchasers (EPA).
-bv
About Oregon State University: OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU is also Oregon’s only university to hold both the Carnegie Foundation’s top designation for research institutions and its prestigious Community Engagement classification. Its nearly 24,000 students come from all 50 states and more than 90 nations. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.
We wanted to make you aware of a slight change for students enrolling Fall 2013 and beyond.
From OSU News:
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University will revise its First Year Experience program for new students over the next several years in an effort to help students succeed academically and improve retention.
A task force of OSU faculty, staff and students has been working on ways to help students thrive academically and personally during the first year. It concurs with what many national studies have found: The best way to ensure that students return for their sophomore year is to help them “connect” to campus in a meaningful way, said Susie Brubaker-Cole, associate provost for academic success at OSU and co-chair of the task force.
“What we’re seeking is a ‘high-touch’ experience for students during that first year when it becomes critical for them to interact in meaningful ways with other students, with faculty and with campus programs,” Brubaker-Cole said. “A lot of this happens in the classroom, but much of it is an extension of classroom learning that reaches into life on campus and the experiences you have as a member of campus communities.”
As an integral part of OSU’s initiative, first-year students will be required to live on campus for their first academic year beginning fall term of 2013. (my emphasis)
“If you look at top universities in the country in terms of academic success and student retention, almost all of them require students to live on campus their first year,” Brubaker-Cole said. “The learning and community-building that occur in campus residences are focal points of the first-year experience.”
OSU has done well with retention over the past few years, hovering around 82% of students returning for their sophomore year. While that is ahead of peer institutions, there is room for improvement that can be realized by tying together efforts of many parts of the student experience into a cohesive one. Concerns about ample housing offerings and exceptions for some students are addressed:
Tom Scheuermann, director of University Housing and Dining Services at OSU, says his office has assessed its overall on-campus housing capacity and will have adequate space for the live-on-campus requirement. In addition to the International Living-Learning Center that opened last year and houses 320 students, OSU’s on-campus capacity will get a boost from a new residence hall that is in design with a planned opening of fall 2014.
Scheuermann said on-campus capacity this fall (2012) should be about 4,300 spaces, which will grow by another 300 in 2014 with the new hall. And some floors in Finley Hall that will be off-line in the coming academic year, or used for office space, will reopen in fall of 2013.
In recent years, about 80 percent of the new-to-OSU freshmen have lived on campus.
There will be some exceptions granted to the new requirement, OSU officials say, though specifics have yet to be determined.
Hosted at the OMNIMAX Theater, ‘RELENTLESS’ is a documentary chronicling a year in the life of Global Formula Racing Team. Made up of students in a multinational partnership who design and build formula cars for an extremely competitive international racing circuit, the GFR team hails from Oregon State University and DHBW Ravensburg, Germany. They devote every waking moment to the relentless pursuit of an international championship bid.
The world-winning car and members of the GFR Team will be at a pre-screening reception, so come by and see the machine and the students who created and raced it. The GFR Team are back-to-back world champions.
Just got word from the scholarship coordinator that scholarship awards for fall 2012 are going out now.
In the past week they awarded and sent scholarship letters to:
-About 800 additional Academic Achievement awards in the “competitive round” (they awarded about 750 during awarding prior to Feb. 1)
-approximately 150 Presidential scholarships
-500+ Diversity Achievement awards
To date, they’ve awarded 1100 Provost Scholarships and 2300 Tuition Grant scholarships.
Their plan is still to have financial aid award letters in the mail Monday.
We know this can be a critical time (and stressful one) for families, so please let them know they should see something from Oregon State soon.
Have a great spring break!
-bv
