Mission and Values and History
1
Meeting the Needs of Oregon—
and the World
Focusing on its current strengths and future potential,
Oregon State University targets its teaching, research
and outreach on five key themes that reflect Oregon’s
needs and goals.
The theme areas are:
•
Understanding the origin, dynamics and
sustainability of the Earth and its resources.
•
Optimizing enterprise, technological change
and innovation.
•
Realizing the potential of the life sciences and
the optimal delivery of public health services
in healthy environments.
•
Managing natural resources that contribute
to Oregon’s quality of life, and growing and
sustaining natural resources-based industries.
•
Building and maintaining a strong
curriculum and basic inquiry in the arts and
sciences that contributes to all parts of the
university.
All of these require a cooperative, multidisciplinary
approach involving many people and departments at
the university. This focused and compelling approach
helps OSU attract and retain talented students,
faculty and staff.
It is designed to help educate a new generation of
students who can communicate clearly and effectively,
think broadly, address and solve complex problems, and
adapt to environments that are enriched by diversity
and characterized by constant change.
Oregon State University
2
Students Come First
•
OSU is committed to diversity. Our students
come from all walks of life and from all over
the world. And they enter Oregon State with
the highest high school GPA of any school in
the Oregon University System.
•
OSU offers a full range of scholarships, grants,
work-study, and loans from federal, state, and
university sources. We will help you get the
best possible financial aid package.
•
OSU CONNECT, a five-day orientation
program before the start of fall term, helps
students adjust to campus life. Activities
include new student convocation, welcome
receptions, interactive workshops with
students and professors, and many other
educational and social activities geared
toward connecting new students to the
university and Corvallis.
•
Our First-Year Experience program helps new
students transition into university life. A
variety of small-group experiences are offered
(such as OSU Odyssey, a student orientation
course) to connect first-year students to
faculty, current OSU students, and other new
students.
•
The University Exploratory Studies Program
allows students to explore a variety of
disciplines before choosing an academic
major.
•
Our Intercultural Student Services
office, cultural centers, and Educational
Opportunities Program work with African
American, Hispanic American, Asian
American, and Native American students to
ensure that their OSU experience is positive.
•
Oregon State is the only college or university
in the state that offers ROTC programs for all
four services—Air Force, Army, Marines, and
Navy.
•
With more than 300 student organizations,
plus club, intramural, and Pac-10 Conference
sports, students find it easy to keep busy at
OSU.
3
OSU’s Campus—The State of Oregon
•
The OSU Extended Campus office offers an
extensive range of distance education services
and bachelor’s degree programs throughout
Oregon.
•
The OSU Extension Service provides services
in all 36 Oregon counties.
•
Corvallis is an ideal university town of 50,000
people, offering a wide range of community,
religious, dining, shopping, and cultural
opportunities. And the city is just an hour or
two from the Oregon Coast, the snow-capped
Cascade Mountains, and Portland—Oregon’s
largest city.
4
Oregon State University
Mission
PREAMBLE
Vision
Oregon State University is a comprehensive, public,
research university and a member of the Oregon
University System. As the one of only two land-,
sea-, space- and sun-grant universities in the country
(Cornell being the second), OSU offers programs
and employs faculty and staff in every county of the
state. OSU views the state of Oregon as its campus,
and works in partnership with Oregon community
colleges and other OUS institutions to provide access
to educational programs.
To best serve the people of Oregon, Oregon State
University will be among the Top 10 land grant
institutions in America.
Goals
1.
Provide outstanding academic programs that
further strengthen our performance and preeminence in the five thematic areas.
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.
3.
Substantially increase revenues from private
fundraising, partnerships, research grants,
and technology transfers while strengthening
our ability to more effectively invest and
allocate resources.
Mission
Oregon State University aspires to stimulate a lasting
attitude of inquiry, openness and social responsibility.
To meet these aspirations, we are committed to
providing excellent academic programs, educational
experiences and creative scholarship.
5
Core Values
Accountability. We are committed stewards of the
loyalty and good will of our alumni and friends and
of the human, fiscal, and physical resources entrusted
to us.
Diversity. We recognize that diversity and
excellence go hand-in-hand, enhancing our teaching,
scholarship, and service as well as our ability to
welcome, respect, and interact with other people.
Integrity. We practice honesty, freedom, truth, and
integrity in all that we do.
Integrity. We practice honesty, freedom, truth, and
integrity in all that we do.
Respect. We treat each other with civility, dignity,
and respect.
Social responsibility. We contribute to society’s
intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and economic progress
and well-being to the maximum possible extent.
Source: OSU Strategic Plan, February 2004.