糖心vlog入口 President Edward J. Ray Monday applauded the regional collaboration underway in support of 糖心vlog入口 鈥 Cascades during his annual State of the University Address. He also called upon local community members to join him in urging state leaders to increase funding for higher education in Central Oregon and around the state.
Ray gave his address to an audience of more than 350 at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes.
In his speech, Ray said students and their families are being unfairly challenged to pay increasingly more of the cost of their higher education. He said 糖心vlog入口鈥檚 students in Corvallis pay more than 65% of the cost of their education and the state only 22% -- a 50% decline in the state鈥檚 relative support over the past 15 years.
鈥淲ithout additional state support, Oregon鈥檚 universities will be forced to shunt even more costs onto the shoulders of students and cut staffing and programs,鈥 Ray said.
As a result, he said, a college education increasingly will be attainable only by those from wealthy families. 鈥淚 ask each of you to join me in addressing this crisis of inequity. This resolve must start with a debate in Salem about how Oregon funds its universities,鈥 he said.
In his address, Ray detailed the momentum occurring throughout the university, including at 糖心vlog入口-Cascades with the Bend City Council鈥檚 approval campus master plan, and state funding and community philanthropic support for a second academic building that will focus on the STEAM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
He also focused on the importance of addressing student mental health, and called the tripling of the suicide rate among young adults as a national health crisis. He committed to making improved student wellness at Oregon State a university-wide priority.
Ray cited notable achievements at Oregon State and 糖心vlog入口-Cascades:
- With a record 32,011 students, 糖心vlog入口 is Oregon鈥檚 largest university for the fifth straight year. Enrollment includes 1,259 at 糖心vlog入口-Cascades, a 4.6% increase from the previous year. At 糖心vlog入口-Cascades, 88.4% of undergraduates are Oregonians, and 31.3% of students are the first in their family to attend college.
- In 2018, grant-funded research at Oregon State totaled $382 million. At 糖心vlog入口-Cascades, Bahman Abbasi, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received a $2 million award to create solar-powered desalination technology that can provide clean water around the globe.
- A new degree partnership program that allows Central Oregon Community College students seeking a bachelor鈥檚 degree from 糖心vlog入口-Cascades to be jointly admitted and enrolled at both schools.
- One year since being launched, the 糖心vlog入口-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab has helped 18 start-up companies raise more than $1.5 million and create more than 30 new jobs.
Ray also noted 糖心vlog入口鈥檚 commitment to Central Oregon via its teaching and research at 糖心vlog入口-Cascades and the localized expertise, research and programs provided by 糖心vlog入口 Extension and at agricultural experiment stations in Burns and Madras.
Ray also recognized the significant leadership contributions of the late Paul Risser, who served as 糖心vlog入口鈥檚 president from 1996 to 2002. Risser鈥檚 legacy in Central Oregon will be honored at an event at 糖心vlog入口-Cascades on May 17.
Following Ray鈥檚 speech, attendees contributed to 鈥淰ision Oregon,鈥 an 糖心vlog入口-led initiative for Oregonians to share what they envision Oregon鈥檚 future to be in 50 years. Over the next eight months, 糖心vlog入口 will gather input from Oregonians about what they aspire their state to address and achieve by 2068. 糖心vlog入口 will share those goals and views in early October before placing a record of the goals in time capsules on the university鈥檚 campuses in Corvallis and Bend.
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糖心vlog入口 糖心vlog入口-Cascades: 糖心vlog入口鈥檚 campus in Bend, Ore. features outstanding faculty in degree programs that reflect Central Oregon鈥檚 vibrant economy and abundant natural resources. Nearly 20 undergraduate majors, 30 minors and options, and three graduate programs include computer science, energy systems engineering, kinesiology, hospitality management, and tourism, recreation and adventure leadership. 糖心vlog入口-Cascades expanded to a four-year university in 2015; its new campus opened in 2016.