Oregon Institute of Technology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Oregon Institute of Technology |
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Established | 1947 |
| Type | Public |
| President | Martha Anne Dow |
| Faculty | 222 |
| Students | 3,351 |
| Location | Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA |
| Address | 3201 Campus Drive Klamath Falls, OR 97601 |
| Telephone | (541) 885-1000 |
| Campus | Rural 173 acres (700,106 m²) |
| Affiliation | Oregon University System |
| Colors | Blue & Gold |
| Mascot | Hustlin' Owl |
| Athletics | NAIA, CCC |
| Website | http://www.oit.edu/ |
The Oregon Institute of Technology, also known as Oregon Tech or OIT, is an accredited university in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the northwest United States. Located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, it provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in many technical and health related fields. OIT also maintains a satellite campus in Portland, Oregon, and a partner location with Boeing in Seattle, Washington.
Contents |
[edit] Academics
While not prestigious in a classical sense, OIT has earned a substantial regional reputation for excellent academic programs in the various professional disciplines of engineering, technology and health sciences, resulting in its graduates being heavily recruited by companies in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Admission information reported by the university indicates an average SAT score and GPA of 1060 and 3.51, respectively, with 85% of the student population being residents of the state of Oregon.[1]
[edit] Engineering
OIT currently offers a variety of degrees in engineering and engineering technology, including a well-established program in Civil Engineering, as well as the more recent addition of undergraduate curriculums in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. A study of Civil Engineering graduates revealed 92% were successfully employed within 6 months of earning their degree, with a further 6% enrolled in graduate school.[2]
The school of engineering is recognized for producing graduates with a more comprehensive knowledge of practical design principles (in addition to standard engineering theory) than many other institutions, and has seen extensive recruitment by top corporations and design firms as well as state and federal agencies. Starting salaries for OIT engineering grads have exceeded the national average in each of the last 5 years. Additionally, OIT has acquired a solid record of placing students in highly ranked graduate programs at schools such as Stanford, University of California, Berkeley and The University of Washington.
[edit] Health, Arts & Sciences
Degrees such as Medical Imaging Technology, Respiratory Care and Dental Hygiene are highly sought after and admittance to many of the programs in the School of Health, Arts and Sciences is often exceptionally competitive. In the summer of 2006, OIT began construction on a new $22.5 million facility designated the Oregon Center for Health Professions, which will become the new home for its medical-related education. Oregon Institute of Technology is considered one of the regional leaders in health care training, and the university has made clear its intentions to extensively expand its curriculum and enrollment in this area. While the recognition of these programs has been good exposure for the college, there is growing criticism that the ambitious expansion plans propagated by university and state higher education officials will transform the school into simply a health care training institution while traditional university programs like engineering, science, business and management will suffer.
[edit] Renewable Energy Research
OIT is the only completely geothermally heated university campus in the United States, and is home to the Geo-Heat Center, a national resource for geothermal development, and the Oregon Renewable Energy Center (OREC), which conducts applied research on photovoltaic power systems, ground-source heating systems, fuel-cell systems, wind, biomass and integrated systems. In 2005, Oregon Tech introduced the first Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Energy offered in North America. The new program uses Electrical and Mechanical Engineering fundamentals, combined with upper-division coursework in energy-specific classes, to prepare students for careers in the energy sector in general, and renewable energy in particular.
[edit] History
OIT was founded as the Oregon Vocational School in 1947 to train and re-educate returning World War II veterans. Under the direction of Winston Purvine, the first classes were held in a deactivated Marine Corps hospital three miles northeast of Klamath Falls. The following year, the fledgling school's title was changed to the Oregon Technical Institute. In 1953, Associate degree programs in Surveying and Structural Engineering Technologies were first accredited by the Engineers Council for Professional Development. The campus was transfered to its current location in 1964, followed by a another name change to the Oregon Institute of Technology in 1973.
[edit] Campus
The present Tech campus overlooks Upper Klamath Lake on the outskirts of Klamath Falls, and is directly adjacent to Merle West Medical Center. While the physical location of the school often elicits a favorable response with its views of the lake and mountains, the campus architecture is generally regarded as bland, but pragmatic... a common symptom of institutes of technology. Newer buildings such as Purvine Hall, the OCHP, and the College Union renovation and expansion have embraced a more modern, aesthetically-appealing collegiate style. Currently, the school has only one residence hall, housing approximately three hundred students. However, development of a new on-campus, apartment-style living facility is planned for the near future. Many students live in the residential area south of the college along Eldorado Avenue, or elsewhere in Klamath Falls.
[edit] Surrounding Area
The region offers a variety of outdoor activities, with its close proximity to the Cascade Mountains and popular destinations such as Mount Ashland Ski Resort and Crater Lake National Park. However, the city of Klamath Falls is often the subject of derision by students for its lack of entertainment opportunities and venues, as well as its perceived reputation as a cultural wasteland and the town's overly politcally conservative resident population. Bus service is free for enrolled OIT students, and the school is connected to downtown by Basin Transit lines 1 and 2.
[edit] Athletics
Oregon Tech competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), participating in cross-country running, track and field, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. The mascot for OIT Athletics is the Hustlin' Owl (seen at right). While the official logo is crudely drawn and almost comical compared to the flashy, stylized logos often found in college athletics, it has become a source of pride for many Tech students.
OIT's traditional athletic nemesis is Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. The close proximity of the schools and alternate academic foci (science and technology at OIT, liberal arts at SOU) result in a natural rivalry between the two.
[edit] Basketball
OIT basketball has been consistently competitive in the CCC and at the national level, while earning a somewhat infamous reputation within the conference for its passionate crowds and rowdy student section. In March 2004, the Oregon Tech men's basketball team made school history by winning the NAIA Division II National Championship. It was OIT's first team title, and the first for head coach Danny Miles, who is among the top ten winningest coaches in college basketball history (NCAA & NAIA) behind only such names as Eddie Sutton, Dean Smith and Bobby Knight. Entering the 2006-2007 season, Miles' 35-year record at OIT was 788-351 (.691 win percentage).
[edit] Clubs & Activities
The university has many different clubs and activities on campus which operate under the umbrella of the school's student government organization, Associated Students of OIT (ASOIT). Among these are student chapters of professional societies, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Dental Hygienists' Association, recreational activity programs, special interest groups, cultural awareness organizations, student media, and academic honor societies.
[edit] Trivia
- According to the 2006 President's Report, OIT has approximately twenty thousand alumni which represent all 48 states in the US, plus Alaska and Hawaii. The most represented are Oregon (12,243), Washington (2,503), California (1,831), Arizona (391) and Idaho (379).
- KOTI, the local NBC television affiliate in Klamath Falls, was founded at the OIT campus (then the Oregon Technical Institute) in 1956. Student-operated radio station KTEC first broadcast in 1951.
- The old OIT campus location on Old Fort Road, outside of Klamath Falls, is considered by many to be haunted.
- Starting salary for the Class of 2005 was $46,353.
[edit] Degree Programs
[edit] Master of Science
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology
[edit] Bachelor of Science
- Applied Mathematics
- Applied Psychology
- Biology
- Civil Engineering
- Clinical Laboratory Science (joint degree with OHSU)
- Communication Studies
- Computer Engineering Technology
- Dental Hygiene
- Echocardiography (degree completion)
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics Engineering Technology
- Environmental Sciences
- Geomatics
- Health Sciences
- Information Technology, with options in:
- Applications Development
- Business/Systems Analysis
- Accounting
- Management, with options in:
- Accounting
- Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management
- Marketing
- Management Information Systems
- Management Information Systems/Management Accounting Option
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Nursing (through OHSU School of Nursing)
- Operations Management
- Radiologic Science
- Radiologic Science/Nuclear Medicine Technology Option
- Renewable Energy Systems
- Respiratory Care
- Software Engineering Technology
- Ultrasound, with options in:
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Vascular Technology
[edit] Associate Degrees
- Associate of Applied Science
- Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic (joint degree with OHSU)
- Office Systems Technology
- Respiratory Care
- Associate of Arts (Oregon Block Transfer)
- Associate of Engineering
- Computer Engineering Technology
- Electronics Engineering Technology
- Software Engineering Technology
[edit] External links
- The Oregon Institute of Technology
- Oregon University System
- ASOIT Website
- City of Klamath Falls
- Computer Systems Engineering Technology (CSET) Department
- Respiratory Care Program at OIT
