Oregon State University

Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university's enrollment includes just over 32,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. OSU offers programs in more than 200 disciplines at the undergraduate level, and over 100 at the graduate and doctoral levels through its 11 colleges. It has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R1 Doctoral University, designating it with, "very high research spending and doctorate production". As of 2025, OSU is home to the fifth-largest engineering college in the nation.

In 2024, nearly 38,000 students were enrolled at OSU, making it the largest university in the state. Out-of-state students typically make up over one-quarter of the student body. Since its founding, over 272,000 students have graduated from OSU.

Initially chartered as a land-grant university, OSU became one of only four inaugural members of the sea grant program in 1971. Membership in the Space Grant came in 1991, followed by Sun Grant membership in 2003. OSU is also one of the top five doctoral university destinations in the nation for Fulbright Scholars (2022–2023).

History

The 1800s

The university's roots date to 1856, when it was founded as a primary and preparatory community school known as Corvallis Academy. Corvallis area Freemasons played a leading role in developing the academy. Several of the university's largest buildings are named after these founders today. The early academy is recognized as the first to offer a postsecondary public education in the Oregon Territory. The first administrator and teacher was John Wesley Johnson, a famous figure in Oregon higher education. Johnson received his secondary education in Corvallis and his undergraduate from Pacific University before managing the new academy. He later attended Yale University and became an instrumental figure in the development and administration of several other early Oregon colleges. Between 1860 and 1868, the Southern Methodist Church took ownership and operated the academy privately.

In 1865, William A. Finley was hired as president and expanded the curriculum to include upper-level courses. The growth in curriculum made OSU a magnet for many Northwest young adults seeking professions.

On August 22, 1868, the official articles of incorporation were filed for Oregon State University, known then as Corvallis College. To help ensure the state's sole public college would be well funded, the Oregon Legislative Assembly designated it Oregon's Land-grant university and the "agricultural college of the state of Oregon". Two months later, on October 27, 1868, OSU was chartered as the state's first and only public college. Finley remained in his post and is recognized as OSU's first president. Although OSU officially became a fully public, non-denominational institution in 1868, the Southern Methodist Church remained an important part of the school's administration through the mid-1880s. Up until the turn of the 20th century, the early college adopted seven name variations. As with many land-grant colleges, name changes were common during this period, and helped schools align with the largest federal grants in agricultural research. The Morrill Land-Grant Acts were pivotal in helping OSU and other early American land-grant universities survive and thrive during a time when traditional colleges and universities often faced financial hardship. "This dependable flow of funds provided the long-sought financial foundation the colleges needed and encouraged state governments to make annual appropriations as well."

Acceptance of the federal grant required the college to comply with many new requirements. The school was then authorized to grant Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees. OSU's land-grant designation did not go without contention. In its early development, the cash-strapped founders of the University of Oregon asked the state to designate their planned institution Oregon's land-grant university, but the request was denied. The first graduates received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1870. Within two years, the school was renamed Corvallis State Agricultural College. As the school's name changed, so did its mission. Science and technology coursework became the most popular majors starting in 1900.

Campuses and educational outlets

Main campus (Corvallis)

The 420-acre (170 ha), tree-lined main campus serves as an internationally recognized arboretum and the centerpiece of Corvallis, Oregon. The campus is 83 miles south of Portland, near the middle of the state's Willamette Valley. Much of the main campus was designed by landscape architect John Charles Olmsted in 1906. In 2008, Olmsted's early campus design was designated by the National Register of Historic Places as the Oregon State University Historic District. It is the only college or university campus in Oregon to hold a historic district designation. The Memorial Union was designed by OSU alum and renowned Oregon architect, Lee Arden Thomas. It has been recognized as "one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in Oregon."

OSU-Cascades (Bend)

In 2016 OSU completed the construction of a 10-acre branch campus in Bend. This campus is called OSU-Cascades and offers students living in Oregon's central region an opportunity to attend select classes closer to their homes.

As of 2023, the branch campus stretches across 30 acres in southwest Bend, with options to grow into 90 more acres of OSU-owned land nearby. The latest goal is to attract around 5,000 students per year within the next decade. As of 2023, enrollment was around 1,400 students.

Ecampus (online)

Oregon State offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs made up from a selection of over 1,500 online courses in more than 110 subjects. U.S. News & World Report ranks OSU's online Ecampus fourth nationally (2024). The Ecampus has held a top-10-ranking since 2015. In 2021 College Choice ranked the Ecampus college of liberal arts program the best in the nation. The same faculty teaching on campus also teach many of their programs and courses online through the Ecampus website. Students who pursue an online education at Oregon State earn the same diploma and transcript as on-campus students.

OSU Portland Center (Downtown Portland)

In 2017, Oregon State University's Portland headquarters were relocated to the newly renovated Meier & Frank building. The historic building features modern offices, classrooms and meeting spaces; which fill the entire second floor of what is now known as the Portland Building. Located next to downtown Portland's Pioneer Square, the OSU Portland Center accommodates offices for the OSU Extension Service, the OSU Foundation, the OSU Alumni Association, and the OSU Athletics Department. The downtown building provides the university with a more central location, in the state's largest city, to maintain a base of operations. Aside from offices, the second floor also provides classroom space for teaching, research and meeting space for outreach engagement. Its use is similar to the work at OSU's other campuses in Corvallis and Bend. Executives and university scientists working on major initiatives, such as the Marine Studies Initiative, use the space for lectures and international conferences.

Organization and administration

Colleges and schools

All academic courses at OSU operate under the quarter-system, which breaks down into four, 11-week terms. The professional disciplines taught at OSU are divided among 11 colleges, an honors college, and a graduate school. Each college has a dean who is responsible for all faculty, staff, students and academic programs. Colleges are divided into schools or departments, administered by a chair/head/director who oversees program coordinators. Each school or department is responsible for academic programs leading to degrees, certificates, options or minors.

Educational extension

The OSU Educational Extension is a section for non-students and adult education.

Extension Service

The OSU Extension service is an agricultural extension established on July 24, 1911, under the leadership of Vice Provost Ivory W. Lyles (OSU Extension Service Administration). There are OSU Extension offices, Combined Experiment & Oregon Agricultural Experiment Stations, and Branch Experiment Stations located throughout the state.

Programs include 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources (includes OSU Master Gardener), Family and Community Health/SNAP-Ed, Forestry and Natural Resources, OSU Open Campus, K-12 Outdoor School, and Oregon Sea Grant.

Funding

Together with university leaders, the Oregon State University Foundation publicly launched Oregon State's first comprehensive fundraising campaign, The Campaign for OSU, on October 26, 2007, with a goal of $625 million. Donors exceeded the goal in October 2010 nearly a year ahead of schedule, resulting in a goal increase to $850 million. In March 2012, the goal was raised to $1 billion. At OSU's annual State of the University address in Portland on January 31, 2014, President Edward J. Ray announced that campaign contributions had passed $1 billion, making OSU one of 35 public universities to cross the billion-dollar fundraising mark and one of only two organizations in the Pacific Northwest to reach that milestone. The Campaign for OSU concluded on December 31, 2014, with more than $1.1 billion from 106,000 donors.

The Oregon State University Foundation is a nonprofit organization chartered to raise and administer private funds in support of the university's education, research and outreach, governed by a volunteer board of trustees. It holds net assets exceeding $1 billion and manages most of the university's composite endowment, valued at more than $827 million.

In October 2022, the Foundation publicly launched Believe It: The Campaign for OSU, the university's second comprehensive fundraising and engagement campaign, with a $1.75 billion goal for student and faculty support, facilities and equipment and strategic initiatives. Donors have stepped forward with over $1 billion in gifts since the campaign began in 2017.

Academics

Undergraduate admissions

Undergraduate admission to Oregon State is rated "selective" by U.S. News & World Report. OSU is the largest university in the state and set a new record for enrollment in 2023. Close to 37,000 students attended the university during the year - the most for any Oregon university on record.

For fall 2015, OSU received 14,058 freshman applications; 11,016 were admitted (78.4%) and 3,593 enrolled. Fall of 2022 brought in the largest freshman class the university had seen, with 7,146 new students. The average high school grade point average (GPA) of the enrolled freshmen was 3.58, while the middle 50% range of SAT scores were 480-610 for critical reading, 490-630 for math, and 470-590 for writing. The middle 50% range of the ACT Composite score was 21–28.

Areas of Study

OSU has more majors, minors and special programs than any other university or college in Oregon. Several undergraduate programs are unique. Ecological Engineering, the first undergraduate degree of its kind in the United States, integrates engineering principles with ecological science to design sustainable systems. Radiation Health Physics and Nuclear Engineering focus on nuclear technology, radiation safety, and related applications. Both programs are uncommon on the West Coast. Forest Engineering, Wood Innovation for Sustainability, and Rangeland Sciences are similarly distinctive.

Research

Research has played a central role in the university's overall operations for much of its history. Most of OSU's research continues at the Corvallis campus, but an increasing number of endeavors are underway at locations throughout the state and abroad. Research facilities beyond the campus include the John L. Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory in Corvallis, the Seafood Laboratory in Astoria and the Food Innovation Center (FIC) in Portland.

The 2005 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recognized OSU as a "comprehensive doctoral with medical/veterinary" university. It is one of three such universities in the Pacific Northwest to be classified in this category. In 2006, Carnegie also recognized OSU as having "very high research activity", making it the only university in Oregon to attain these combined classifications.

OSU was one of the early members of the federal Space Grant program. Designated in 1991, the additional grant program made Oregon State one of only 13 schools in the United States at that time to serve as a combined Land Grant, Sea Grant and Space Grant university.

Researchers at OSU have improved the quality and yields of Oregon's grains and vegetables, particularly through its work in wheat and hops breeding programs. The Cascade hop, widely used in American craft brewing, was developed at Oregon State University and released in 1971. The Department of Food Science and Technology maintains a fully automated research brewery that has partnered with private industry to develop beer recipes and test products.

Student life

Corvallis is Oregon's 9th-largest city. It is a relatively small community and many of the local events have a strong connection to the university. OSU has over 400 active student organizations and groups. The campus is only a few hours' driving distance from any number of outdoor recreation opportunities. Several federal and state natural forests and parks are popular student destinations. These include the Cascade Range, a rugged coastline, several large forests, the high desert and numerous rivers and lakes. Portland, Oregon's largest city, is 85 mi (137 km) north of campus.

From 1930 to 1968, OSU was home to the Gamma chapter of Phrateres, a philanthropic-social organization for female college students. Gamma was the third chapter of the organization, which eventually had over 20 chapters in Canada and the U.S.

Most older OSU students live off campus, but on-campus housing is available and required for most incoming freshmen. There are 16 residence halls on campus.

The LaSells Stewart Center is the conference and performing arts center for the campus. Many famous speakers have graced the stage of the campus's main auditorium, Austin Auditorium, while the Corvallis-OSU Symphony plays there frequently. The OSU Office of Conferences and Special Events is in the auditorium.

The PRAx (Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts) is a 49,000 square foot arts center at Oregon State University. It features the nearly 500 seat Lynne Hallstrom Detrick Concert Hall, 200 seat Edward J. Ray Theater, The 3,000-square-foot Kate and John Stirek Art Gallery, Dixie Luana Wooton Kenney Garden, Thomas W. Toomey Lobby and Celia Strickland Austin & Ken Austin III | Loni Austin Parrish & Scott N. Parrish Arts Plaza.

The university is home to Orange Media Network, the university's student media department. Orange Media Network encompasses the award-winning The Daily Barometer student newspaper, KBVR 88.7 FM, KBVR-TV, Prism Art and Literary Journal, lifestyle magazine Beaver's Digest, and fashion magazine DAMchic.

Student clubs

OSU offers a wide variety of student organizations, including the highly successful motorsport teams Global Formula Racing and Beaver Racing.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)