OSU's Bend campus

The state’s first public university branch campus, OSU-Cascades currently serves about 600 students and has produced more than 1,400 graduates over the past eight years.

In introducing what is being called “OSU 2025,” Ray described a series of academic changes, enhancements to research and overall growth necessary to achieve OSU’s goal of becoming one of the nation’s top land grant universities. Over the same period of time, OSU’s main campus enrollment is projected to expand to 30,000-35,000, a growth arc similar to that outlined for Bend.

“That level of success [for OSU-Cascades] will require us to help colleagues there build signature programs that will make the Cascades Campus a destination of choice for students and faculty,” said Ray. “We must also promote effective fund raising for the Cascades Campus and develop local university-industry partnerships in research.”

With record growth expected this fall, OSU-Cascades is in the process of adding more programs and course offerings. Degree programs in energy engineering management, hospitality management and sustainability, for instance, will begin over the next two years.

“We appreciate the strong and positive vision for OSU-Cascades that President Ray has put forward,” said Becky Johnson, vice president of OSU-Cascades Campus. “We believe that we can build upon the momentum of this year’s strong enrollment growth at both Central Oregon Community College and OSU-Cascades.  The new programs that will be added over the next few years will also help to grow the campus.”

In recent weeks, a possible move of the OSU College of Education to OSU-Cascades has been under public discussion. After careful review, OSU leaders have elected instead to plan for increased growth of education programs at OSU-Cascades, while maintaining the administrative home in Corvallis.  Over the next few months, representatives from the College of Education will work with OSU-Cascades and local education leaders to identify priority programs that meet local needs.

Rebecca Johnson assumed leadership duties for the OSU Cascades Campus Tuesday.

Rebecca “Becky” Johnson started her new role Tuesday as interim leader of the OSU-Cascades Campus in Bend.

Johnson, who will remain vice provost for academic affairs and international programs on the Corvallis campus, will begin implementation of the campus’ new strategic and business plans in preparation for the upcoming legislative session in January.

She replaces Diana Sloane, who is stepping down to assume a faculty position and will work closely with Johnson to ensure a smooth transition.

During her interim appointment, Johnson also will focus on building student enrollment, expanding academic programs, aligning programs and student support services with Central Oregon Community College and strengthening community relationships.

Sabah Randhawa, OSU’s executive vice president and provost, said the university will immediately launch an expedited search for a new permanent leader.

“Like the other campuses of the Oregon University System, OSU-Cascades faces challenging circumstances in the immediate future, and we felt that those challenges could best be met by new leadership,” said Randhawa.

“Because this is the first branch campus of the university system and is still quite young, those challenges are compounded by ongoing growing pains,” Randhawa said. “This is an appropriate time for a change as we approach the new session and prepare to implement the strategic and business plans that Diana and the campus leadership team have been developing this year.”

Sloane has been the campus executive officer since July 1, 2007.

“I’m personally appreciative of the commitment that Diana has shown to the students of OSU-Cascades and to higher education in Central Oregon and look forward to her continuing role at OSU.”

Johnson, who has been at OSU for 20 years, is a professor of forestry economics who has been vice provost for academic affairs and international programs since 2004. She provides leadership to the university in academic programs, assessment and personnel policy, as well as developing its international dimension.

As vice provost, Johnson is involved in all aspects of OSU’s academic affairs, including budgeting and strategic planning. She chaired the OSU 2007 steering committee, which led the development of the university’s strategic plan.

An expert in the economic values and impacts of non-market resources, she has studied the value to Oregonians of recreation, tourism, fish and wildlife and biodiversity, and she has worked with federal, state and local agencies on issues of concern to rural, natural resource-based communities.

From 1990 to 2003, Johnson served on the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors.

The OSU-Cascades Campus, which has more than 500 students, features small class sizes and one-on-one mentoring. It offers 20 degree options with programs including natural resources, business administration, tourism and outdoor leadership, and liberal studies. In addition to OSU faculty, the campus partners with the University of Oregon and COCC on academic offerings.

Among the new programs OSU-Cascades is exploring are undergraduate majors in sustainability, engineering and hospitality management and a master’s degree in education.

Over the summer, OSU and peer institutions around Oregon contracted with Blackboard Connect-ED to purchase its emergency alert system, which provides near instantaneous ability for the university to communicate with employees and students. The company was chosen after a telecommunications committee with representatives from campuses around the state evaluated more than 20 similar service providers.

OSU’s implementation of the system has already imported basic contact information for 26,000 individuals who work or study on the Corvallis, Bend and Newport campuses.  Each person’s record can accommodate up to six telephone numbers, a text-messaging number and two e-mail addresses, raising the probability that, in the event of a campus emergency, an alert message will reach the individual no matter where he or she may be.

To access the Connect-ED portal and manage your record, faculty and staff should visit alert.oregonstate.edu and, on the left side of the page, select the “Enter your emergency contact information” link. Note: you’ll need your “onid” e-mail address and campus ID number to log in.

“While the system will be tested several times a year, it won’t be used for anything other than emergency communications – no ‘spam’ e-mail, promotion of university events, or regular announcements,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Sabah Randhawa, in an e-mail this week being sent to all OSU employees.

“Examples of events for which the system would be used include serious hazardous materials incidents, extreme weather events, and significant law enforcement matters. Contact information in the system will not be shared with or sold to other entities under any circumstance.”

While the OSU Emergency Management Committee had discussed campus alert systems prior to April 2007, efforts to acquire such a system took on new urgency after the Virginia Tech incident.  In the wake of the shootings, officials at that university were most often criticized for their delay in informing campus that a crisis was in process.

A gubernatorial panel reviewing the incident concluded that the campus police department “erred in not requesting that … a campus-wide notification that two persons had been killed and that all students and staff should be cautious and alert” be issued.  It further found that “senior university administrators … failed to issue an all-campus notification about the [initial] killings until almost 2 hours had elapsed” and that university practices around emergency communications “may have conflicted with written policies.”

“Those criticisms resonated with all of us who are charged with helping to keep our campuses safe,” said OSU Director of Public Safety Jack Rogers. “We all agreed that enhancing emergency communications was a priority that could not be postponed. Even so, we did our due diligence and chose a system that will be both reliable and effective, should we need to use it.”

Other OUS institutions joining OSU in launching Blackboard Connect-Ed this fall are Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon University and Eastern Oregon University; Portland Community College, Lewis & Clark College and Corban College and Graduate School have also joined the group. Other Oregon postsecondary institutions are considering acquiring the system (including Central Oregon Community College) and may do so, under the terms of the group agreement that was negotiated.

For more information on the alert system, see a list of frequently asked questions or contact Public Safety Director Rogers at 737-8321.

~ by Todd Simmons