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03-13-06
By Todd Simmons, 541-737-0790
Source: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
http://www.carnegieclassification-preview.org/index.aspx
STANFORD, Calif. - A new classification of U.S. colleges and universities recognizes Oregon State University as the state's most productive four-year institution, giving OSU the designation reserved for universities with "very high research activity."
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has been producing its classification of America's more than 3,000 college and universities since 1970. While the classification system itself has undergone significant changes over the years, it is widely considered the "gold standard" and is used in several well-known school rankings nationwide.
Research universities that grant doctoral degrees, such as OSU, are classified in three ways: institutions with "very high" research activity (RU/VH), those with high activity (RU/H) and those simply recognized as doctoral/research universities (DRU).
OSU is the only Oregon institution to receive the top RU/VH designation. OSU conducted nearly $209 million in research projects in 2004-05 - more than 60 percent of the total research funding garnered by the entire Oregon University System and all its campuses.
"This new Carnegie classification recognizes years of hard work aimed at building OSU into the outstanding research university," said OSU President Ed Ray. "With a strategic plan in place that focuses our drive for excellence in areas of greatest potential impact for Oregon and the nation, we're well positioned to build on our current success in ways that will greatly benefit our students, this state and the world of scientific knowledge."
Carnegie's new ratings take into account multiple factors in evaluating each institution's research activity - a key reflection of both academic quality and faculty productivity. Those factors include research funding from federal and other sources but are not limited to funding, also taking into account aggregate and per-capita measures of research activity.
The Carnegie website shows that 95 institutions received the RU/VH designation, including OSU. Among the others are the University of Washington, Washington State University, Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA and seven other University of California campuses. Only 63 of those universities, like OSU, are public institutions.
Other Oregon institutions appearing in the Carnegie ratings include the University of Oregon (RU/H), Portland State University (DRU) and Oregon Health & Science University, which as a medical campus falls within Carnegie's "special focus institution" category.
"It is gratifying to be recognized with a classification that reflects OSU's current reality, especially at a time when Oregon State and our sister institutions are facing a difficult budget situation," said OSU Provost/Executive Vice President Sabah Randhawa. "Our challenge is to marshal our resources in the most effective way possible and to make a strong case for further investment so that we continue this recognized, ongoing drive toward excellence."
About Oregon State University: OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land grant, sea grant, space grant and sun grant institution. OSU is also Oregon's largest public research university, garnering more than 60 percent of the total federal and private research funding in the Oregon University System. Its more than 19,000 students come from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.