Phase II of Oregon State University's 2004 Strategic Plan for the 21st Century continues the University's ambitious drive to rank among the ten best Land Grant universities in the nation. This updated Plan builds on OSU's long tradition of excellence in education, research, and outreach – and on the significant progress arising from the initial Strategic Plan and the University's first university-wide capital campaign – to:
Phase II rests on an intensive focus on three Signature Areas of Distinction: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. All three build upon the University's core teaching and research strengths, the skill and capacities of its faculty, and OSU's many established national and international partnerships and collaborations. Collectively, the Signature Areas represent OSU's greatest opportunity to lead in solving complex societal problems, and to creating superior learning opportunities for students by:
The fundamental goals of the Strategic Plan – Phase II remain essentially unchanged from the 2004 Plan. This document highlights progress achieved under the plan during the five year period 2004 – 2008; describes the primary contextual trends and challenges to which the university must respond going forward; describes the three new signature areas; and outlines the key future initiatives to sustain the progress achieved since 2004.
Steadfast in its vision to stand with America's 10 best Land Grant universities, Oregon State University seeks to advance its ambitious 2004 Strategic Plan for the 21st Century by continuously focusing and aligning its educational, research, and outreach and engagement activities towards this goal. The 2004 plan (http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/) harnessed OSU's long history of educational, social, and technological accomplishment as the Land Grant University for the people of Oregon, guiding the University over a five year period (2004-2008) and setting the stage for greater achievement and prominence.
The first Strategic Plan intensified OSU's commitment to serve as an engine for economic growth and social progress by preparing graduates to compete and succeed anywhere; by generating knowledge targeted at society's most pressing challenges; and by solving problems and creating economic activity through innovative new products, technologies, and applications. Going forward, OSU will work across disciplines and collaborate with external partners to enhance its positive impact on the nation and the world, especially in areas where the University has global leadership capacity.
Oregon State University is committed to a rigorous focus on academic excellence in all aspects of its mission: teaching, research, and outreach and engagement. The OSU Strategic Plan rests on a set of three fundamental goals: provide outstanding academic programs, enhance the teaching and learning environment, and increase investment in academic priorities. A Statement of Vision and Core Values supports these goals. Phase II adheres, with minor changes, to the vision and goals presented in the 2004 document.
OSU prepares talented young people from all backgrounds to be leaders and productive members of our society by helping them become critical thinkers, global citizens and skilled professionals. Its alumni are leaders in business, industry, service and education sectors of Oregon and the world. OSU has degree programs that produce graduates who now and in the future will sustain areas critical to Oregon's economic vitality, including energy, health, nutrition and green development. The University is a significant contributor to the State's economy and economic development, and its core competencies are an excellent fit with Oregon's needs and priorities. While the global economy struggles with the consequences of mismanagement of the natural world as well as crises in health and nutrition, OSU carries a legacy of knowledge-driven stewardship of the environment and a track record of developing technology and approaches to help create more effective and equitable systems for addressing health, food and other human systems.
Progress has been measured annually against a set of Strategic Plan metrics. The Office of the Provost issues yearly reports on performance. These may be read at http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/. A metrics-based assessment of progress, including 2013 targets will be found at the same web page.
The 2004 Strategic Plan established five thematic areas to be the focus of resource allocation, faculty hiring, scholarly emphasis, and research. Sustained attention to these areas has resulted in greater interdisciplinary collaboration, scholarly achievement, and external impact, including the development of new institutes and centers targeted at such critical issues as water resources and climate change. This document outlines how Phase II coalesces these five areas into three Signature Areas of Distinction that are more targeted in their aspirations and more inclusive of the University's core strengths and unique capabilities. These three Signature Areas of Distinction encompass Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. Education and inquiry in the three Signature Areas will build upon a foundation in the arts and sciences to promote economic innovation, an educated citizenry, a globally competitive workforce, and strategies for addressing difficult regional, national, and global issues.
Phase II of the Strategic Plan will guide OSU over the next five years (2009 – 2013) as the University continues to pursue its vision of achieving top ten status among Land Grant universities.
A number of factors inform Phase II of the Plan. These include progress against 2004 goals, changes in environment, and national and global issues. These factors are concisely summarized below.
OSU made substantial – in some instances remarkable – progress against Strategic Plan benchmarks. Overall, the University benefited from the sense of purpose and alignment fostered by the Strategic Plan and the accompanying success of The Campaign for OSU. Particular progress was seen in these areas:
Targets were not met in all areas. Among the areas of concern are:
Phase II of the Plan is informed by external factors, especially changes in the larger social and educational environment and the steady emergence of global challenges. The following are the key statewide dynamics shaping OSU's external environment:
Declining educational aspirations, to the point where Oregon has one of the greatest disparities in the United States between the educational attainment of older and younger residents. Census data reveal that 39% of Oregon adults aged 45-54 hold undergraduate degrees compared to only 33% of adults aged 25-34. This trend is especially pronounced among underserved and economically disadvantaged communities.
OSU has responded in several ways:
Intense competition for state resources has resulted in a shift of financial support away from higher education.
OSU has responded by launching an aggressive effort to develop and secure alternate sources of income, and by instituting greater transparency in budgeting and rigorous cost-containment.
Unpredictable funding streams for the Statewide Public Service Programs (Extension Service, Agricultural Experiment Station and Forest Research Laboratory) that are at the heart of OSU's Land Grant mission.
OSU Extension has responded by working with county officials to create special tax districts to augment Extension resources – two districts were approved by voters in 2008 – and in establishing fees for some services. Additionally, there is a more intense focus within the Statewide Public Service Programs on positioning faculty for greater success in securing competitive grants and contracts.
Statewide higher education goals recently issued by the Board of Higher Education call on public higher education institutions to create an educated citizenry and provide a globally competitive workforce; ensure access to quality postsecondary education and high quality student learning leading to success; generate original knowledge and advance innovation; and contribute positively to the economic, civic and cultural life of all Oregon communities.
OSU has responded by fully incorporating these goals in the original Strategic Plan and this update.
Phase II of the plan also responds to major national and global trends:
Rapidly intensifying competition for federal research resources challenges OSU and its faculty to continue the university's track record of external funding success.
OSU has responded by developing a coordinated, carefully-planned effort to increase corporate partnerships; encourage large scale inter-institutional research and development efforts such as ONAMI and the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute; and focus interdisciplinary scholarly activity on the most pressing regional, national, and global issues.
Aggressive competition among universities nationally and internationally affects every aspect of OSU.
OSU has responded by leveraging its status as one of 96 American universities top-ranked as very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation; by expanding international partnerships (including 200 education abroad programs); by becoming the first American university to partner with INTO University Partners Ltd. to recruit international students; and by developing an integrated marketing program.
Emergence of a global economy and greater cultural diversity in workplaces and communities profoundly influences OSU's mission.
OSU has responded by striving to produce graduates who can build effective, respectful relationships with people from many backgrounds and experiences; by increasing the support for cultural diversity (including student recruitment and new Cultural Centers); and by expanding internship opportunities for students in business and service sectors. The University also continues to address the cultural dimensions of Oregon communities and leadership through statewide Extension programs.
Growing awareness of the extraordinarily complex, critically important challenges facing the world affects OSU's teaching, research and outreach priorities.
OSU has responded by explicitly embracing these challenges, creating an environment that promotes interdisciplinary education and research, and further refining its focus in the three Signature Areas of Distinction in Phase II of the Plan.
Informed by its achievements and challenges, and by the changes in its operating environment, OSU is adopting a single overarching imperative and two educational action commitments to guide the University through the next five years.
The University will foster exceptional educational, research, and outreach initiatives that sustain human well being and improve the quality of human life. Acting on this imperative requires understanding diverse, complex interactions among population, demographics, human health, climate, access to natural resources (including safe food, clean water and air, and wood products), sustainability, economic vitality, cultural diversity, and new technologies, among others. Well-being and quality of life are likewise enhanced by the fine and performing arts and the humanities and social sciences, which promote understanding and improvement in human interactions within and across cultures.
A successful response to this imperative requires OSU to meet two commitments:
OSU will lead in developing a globally competitive workforce and an informed and capable citizenry. Given complex global challenges and the explosive growth of knowledge and technology, student learning must encompass the basic tenets of human thought, the skills of critical thinking and information assessment, and the capacity to work and live in a multicultural world. Students will acquire the understanding of major political, social and intellectual trends – and the functions of the natural world – necessary to address complex academic and research problems.
OSU will address multifaceted national and global challenges that resist simple technical or social solutions. The University's education, research, and outreach activities must intensely engage broad intellectual and social communities in seeking solutions to these problems. Therefore, OSU will integrate knowledge and exploration in Signature Areas of Distinction with inquiries in the sciences and humanities that open doors to new strategies and solutions.
As indicated above, OSU has refined its opportunities for institutional distinction in Phase II of the Plan. Three Signature Areas of Distinction, informed by the two commitments above, build upon the five thematic areas in the original Strategic Plan in order to provide OSU a competitive edge, a stronger assertion of institutional identity nationally and internationally, and the greatest possible opportunity to have a positive impact. These three areas are:
OSU possesses a distinctive, world-class capacity to improve understanding and sustainability of the ecosystems upon which all life depends, a capacity that will be harnessed to expand OSU's impact on public policy decisions and the pursuit of social justice for all people.
The relevant issues are increasingly well known and dire. The human population doubled in the last 50 years; it is projected to grow another 30 percent by mid century. Global economic activity and related consumption of fossil fuels increased five-fold since 1950 and will increase further as nations develop economically. These trends have enormous consequences for oceans, forests, agricultural lands, fresh water, and the atmosphere. Many natural resources are declining in abundance, quality, and/or productivity, hindering the capacity of these ecosystems to sustain a livable planet that can support human well being and provide an equitable quality of life for all. The intersection between human endeavors and natural systems is projected to become even more congested and troubled in the future at both local and global scales. Key future challenges include linking the drivers of climate and ecosystem change to their impacts on natural and human systems; assessing strategies to mitigate the human “footprint,” (such as carbon sequestration, consumption moderation, and resource conservation); and formulating strategies that balance sustainable environmental, energy, and economic systems.
OSU's nationally top-ranked programs in oceanic and atmospheric sciences, agriculture, forestry, geosciences, fisheries and wildlife, marine resources, botany, zoology and natural-resource related humanities and arts – augmented by the scientific and policy expertise of major federal research laboratories on campus – give OSU unmatched competitive advantage in the study of earth ecosystems. The synergy produced by the close proximity and interdisciplinary interaction of faculty and students from these programs multiplies the advantage. By working together to address challenges in dynamic natural and human systems, OSU faculty and students, in collaboration with their many national and international partners, are poised to make major contributions to knowledge, technologies, and policies related to climate change, food security and safety, renewable energy production, and economic vitality based on sustainable natural resources.
OSU's extensive capabilities in this area also represent an opportunity to establish distinctive interdisciplinary educational programs that teach students how to solve problems creatively at the overlap of natural and human systems. Similarly, OSU's long-standing engagement with the larger community through the Extension Service, Agricultural Experiment Station, and Forest Research Laboratory enhances the university's ability to communicate information and provide answers about pressing environmental concerns broadly and effectively.
With three health-related professional schools and significant national and international research in health and life sciences across the university, OSU is uniquely positioned to enhance the quality of human lifespan by promoting a more holistic approach to mental and physical health.
As Oregon's and the nation's population grows, ages, and diversifies, public health needs are not being met adequately. This is especially true for chronic diseases, which impact the quality of life of 90 million Americans and are responsible for 70% of all deaths. While many chronic diseases result from complex interactions between infectious agents, people, animals, and the environment, traditional health care still focuses principally on the individual patient and the primary disease etiology, without taking into account the environmental, genetic, demographic, and social contexts. Nor are the impacts of chronic diseases exclusively physical. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability and suffering worldwide, trailing only heart disease.
Needed are comprehensive public health research and teaching programs that address crucial aspects of behavior; interactions among people, animals, and the environment; and the interplay between infectious agents and other factors such as stress, aging and nutrition. To treat and prevent chronic diseases and to promote health, tomorrow's competitive health professions workforce must match competency in human and animal biological science with an understanding of social, behavioral, mathematical, computational, and public health factors.
OSU's Colleges of Health and Human Sciences, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine are home to highly ranked programs that respond to some of the most challenging issues facing us today, focusing on prevention strategies to promote healthy living across the life span, examining the creation of new vaccines and vaccine delivery, and identifying and testing new pharmaceutical treatments for infectious diseases, and testing diseases that can affect humans. OSU is a collaborator in the Oregon Master of Public Health Program (OMPH) in community health, a program ranked second in the nation. The Linus Pauling Institute's focus on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, aging, immune function, and neurodegenerative diseases brings additional strength and focus to this signature area. These, and other, areas of strength position our University for long-term excellence and continued distinction in human health and wellness.
The University will expand its interdisciplinary research and academic programs that investigate the causes of chronic mental and physical diseases and promote strategies for healthy living. OSU's range of expertise in human and animal health sciences, and its existing interdisciplinary collaborations within its health and life sciences colleges, and research institutes and centers, provides the capacity to investigate the multiple causes of chronic diseases and design health promotion strategies for their prevention. The university's long history of successfully preparing undergraduate and graduate students as health professionals and its proven track record of collaboration with other universities demonstrates an ability to promulgate knowledge. A singular Medicine, Writing, and Humanities Initiative augments OSU's holistic approach to health by preparing students to empathize with the sufferings of others, reflect critically on medical knowledge and discourse, create new representations of the medical experience, and confront moral, psychological and ethical dilemmas. The existing, widespread network of Extension Service connections facilitates the rapid statewide dissemination of novel programs and new approaches that will help establish and maintain a healthy urban and rural population.
Consistent with its mission, OSU has long sought to advance effective technological solutions to societal problems and to develop the socially responsible workforce needed to solve problems in Oregon and beyond. OSU achieves these impacts in today's globally competitive economy by nurturing a culture of innovation that encourages research and discovery, and by educating the socially aware, diverse, and creative leadership required for engineering, science, and business.
The presence of skilled, educated, creative workers is a prerequisite for generating wealth and producing positive social impact in all sectors of the economy. This workforce is in turn reliant on an advanced research capacity to explore and uncover solutions for the nation's most pressing challenges, matched with a talent for delivering these solutions efficiently.
Numerous governmental and nongovernmental organizations including The National Academies and the Oregon Innovation Council have clearly identified America's urgent need for this skilled work force and the essential underlying research and development capacity needed to ensure regional and national competitiveness.
OSU's strengths in nationally ranked engineering programs and well-known entrepreneurship and family business programs, along with a focus on unique and distinctive areas like nanotechnology, sensor design and interfaces, tsunami wave research, nuclear engineering research, and wood product innovation leverage the culture of creative solutions at OSU and further impact economic growth and social progress.
OSU will capitalize on its broad strengths in technology, engineering, science and business to pursue breakthrough advances in renewable and alternative energy, green building technology, and resource and enterprise sustainability. Several alternative energy companies have recently emerged from OSU, and energetic linkages between business, engineering, and science-dependent colleges are giving rise to new degree programs, strategic partnerships with corporations, and acceleration in the process of bringing discoveries to market. All these activities create advanced learning opportunities for students.
Socially progressive, effective technological and enterprise solutions occur in a context of social justice, supportive communities, and outlets for creativity and expression. By building a diverse community rich and varied in its talents, OSU seeks to attain excellence and to enrich the human spirit in fields ranging from bioengineering to the visual and performing arts, while capitalizing on its world-class engineering and science programs and its distinctive programs in education for entrepreneurship to responsibly address society's most challenging problems.
OSU's Mission Statement is reformulated to reflect the three new focus areas:
As a land grant institution committed to teaching, research, and outreach and engagement, Oregon State University promotes economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation and the world. This mission is achieved by producing graduates competitive in the global economy, supporting a continuous search for new knowledge and solutions, and maintaining a rigorous focus on academic excellence, particularly in the three Signature Areas: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress.
OSU understands diversity is essential to excellence and therefore commits itself to integrating core institutional values of diversity, integrity, respect, social responsibility, and accountability into every dimension of the University's life. OSU likewise recognizes the global dimensions of most issues, especially in the context of preparing graduates for success in a competitive, interdependent international society.
To meet its aspirations, OSU reconfirms the three fundamental goals that underlie the Plan and adopts a set of institution-wide objectives. OSU will continue to assess progress on goals through selected metrics. Our metrics have been updated to include Phase II targets:
| Metric | 2002-2003 Baseline | 2007-2008 Performance | 2012-2013 Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Degrees Awarded | 3894 | 4232 | 4566 |
| First-Year Retention Rate | 80.7 | 80.8 | 85 |
| Six-Year Graduation Rate | 60.5 | 62.1 | 65 |
| % High-Achieving Oregon High School Graduates | 30.5 | 32.7 | 35 |
| % US Minority Students | 13 | 15 | 18 |
| %US Minority Faculty | 9.2 | 12.8 | 15 |
| Total R&D Expenditures (million $) | 208.1 | 233.4 | 296.6 |
| Dollars Leveraged Per Appropriated Dollar for SWPS Research | 1.73 | 1.70 | 1.75 |
| Annual Private Giving (million $) | 29.3 | 91.1 | 92 |
OSU's goals remain unchanged, except for a slight revision to the first goal to reflect the three new signature areas. Updated initiatives are shown for each goal.
Goal 1: Provide outstanding academic programs that further strengthen performance and pre-eminence in the three Signature Areas of Distinction: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress.
Goal 2: Provide an excellent teaching and learning environment and achieve student access, persistence and success through graduation and beyond that matches the best land grant universities in the country.
Goal 3: Substantially increase revenues from private fundraising, partnerships, research grants, and technology transfers while strengthening our ability to more effectively invest and allocate resources to achieve success.
In addition to the goals and objectives listed, there are a number of university-wide initiatives focused on institutional culture and infrastructure that are critical to success. These include:
The 2004 Strategic Plan positioned OSU to begin sustained improvement in education, research, and outreach. It set the stage for more productive faculty interactions, improved student learning, and essential private investment into facilities, programs, professorships, and student access. By harnessing these investments into thematic areas with significant potential, OSU was able to leverage institutional resources and dramatically increase measurable results in student performance, institutional quality, faculty renown, and many other areas.
Phase II of the Strategic Plan consolidates and refines the accomplishments of the last five years to accelerate institutional improvement. The three signature areas concentrate the impact of OSU's scholarship and research, shaping and guiding the efforts of a great university to enhance its contributions to the state, nation, and world, and to continue its leadership in finding innovative solutions to our most important regional and global problems.
