With the purchase of a new building and continued community support, Oregon State University-Cascades is planning to expand some of its programs to four-year formats.
OSU-Cascades plans to have at least two of its programs offered in a four year format by fall 2015.

Lauren Hamlin
The Broadside

With the purchase of a new building and continued community support, Oregon State University-Cascades is planning to expand some of its programs to four-year formats.
OSU-Cascades plans to have at least two of its programs offered in a four year format by fall 2015.
“What we’re talking about doing is taking the undergraduate programs and offering four years [through OSU-Cascades],” said Becky Johnson, vice president of OSU-Cascades. “So it’d be a traditional university.”
The expansion of the OSU-Cascades Campus will branch out from the recently purchased Graduate and Research Center, located on Colorado Avenue, to the surrounding buildings. The plan is to have OSU-Cascades move off of the Central Oregon Community College campus, according to Johnson.

“COCC would take over Cascades Hall and use that building for their classes,” said Johnson. “So we would have to develop a shuttle to go between the two campuses.”
The expansion is in the beginning stages right now. Officials from COCC and OSU-Cascades have met with the Bend Chamber board of directors to plan out the process.
The Bend Chamber board of directors voted unanimously to prioritize OSU-Cascades’ expansion to a four-year university.
“[We] looked at what we wanted to make a priority and we recognized that a four-year university would help both the community economically and improve the quality of life,” said Tim Casey, Executive Director of Bend Chamber. “From the meeting we voted to make it our number one goal.”
The Bend Chamber then formed a sub committee whose primary task is to make the expansion happen.
“Right now they’re gathering information to find out what the best course of action will be,” said Casey.
One of the factors in making the expansion happen is community support, which so far, has not been an issue, according to Johnson.
“The Central Oregon region has wanted a four-year university for many many years,” said Johnson. “So they’re definitely supportive.”
In the meantime, the Bend Chamber and OSU-Cascades will focus on the university and the community.
“We’ll work with the community, get the message out and work with OSU to see what their needs are, then take action to help solve those needs,” said Casey.

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