Bend
was seeing orange and Benny the Beaver was on the loose this week as OSU
Cascades unveiled the first completed building of its new four-year campus.
Even
rival Ducks were giving a round of applause for the first new university offering freshman to senior classes to open in the state in 50 years.
The
Duck-Beaver alliance, albeit maybe a temporary truce, was highlighted at a
Sept. 13 open house by Amy Tykeson whose “family of Ducks” donation of $1
million was instrumental in construction of what is now Tykeson Hall academic
building.
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| Benny holds court - photo Lee Hicks |
OSU
president Ed Ray joined vice president Becky Johnson who heads the Bend campus
in thanking a range of participants including legislators and Gov. Kate Brown,
who also attended, for bringing the long-held dream to reality.
Ray
noted Bend’s continued growth and emphasized that it is no longer the only city
of its size in the state without a four-year university.
He
predicted OSU-Cascades could contribute more than $100 million to the Bend
regional economy in the next 10 years.
But
Ray also recalled the effort was, “not without its challenges,” alluding to some
local opposition to the site selection, including a lawsuit that ended
favorably for the university in the Oregon Court of Appeals. Opponents had
claimed they supported a four-year campus but did not want it on Bend’s west
side, citing lack of parking and increased traffic as issues.
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| Tykeson Hall open house - photo Lee Hicks |
State
Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, observed that the campus opening was “decades in
the making...it’s the last missing asset to make our great city an even greater
city.”
Also
now under construction on the 10-acre first phase at the intersection of NW
Chandler and NW Century Drive are a 300- student residence hall and dining
facility, expected to be ready for the Winter term beginning in January.
The
university expects about 1,200 students this fall with enrollment potentially
increasing to between 3,000 to 5,000 by 2025 as it expands onto an additional
46 acre site adjacent to the present campus. That site is a former pumice mine
which the university purchased for just under $8 million earlier this year
after extensive due diligence regarding environmental, soil stability and other
issues.
Also
being considered for expansion is another 76-acre site owned by Deschutes
County to the north of the pumice mine that has been used as a landfill for
construction and other material. The university has executed a non-binding
letter of intent with the county that allows it to explore the site over a
two-year period.
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| Residence & Dining Hall - photo Lee Hicks |
Among
its academic programs the university recently announced a first in the state hospitality
management degree that officials say will support the area’s booming tourism
economy. That initiative received a boost with a $500,000 endowment for a
department position by the Baney family, which controls the Oxford Hotel group
including the boutique namesake downtown Bend hotel and others in Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and California.
The
school also offers undergraduate majors programs related to computer science, natural
resources, tourism and outdoor leadership, business and energy systems
engineering. Masters degrees include creative writing, teaching and mental health
counseling, among others.
Until
the residence hall is completed some students will continue to live in leased
space at the COCC campus and at private housing throughout the community.
Previous posts on OSU-Cascades
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