Oregon Institute of Technology

"OIT" redirects here. For other uses, see OIT (disambiguation).
Oregon Institute of Technology

Oregon Tech Seal
Former names
 Oregon Vocational School
Oregon Technical Institute
Type Public
Established 1947
Endowment $42.5 million (2014)
President Chris Maples
Vice-president Mateo Aboy
Provost Brad Burda
Academic staff
 139
Administrative staff
 222
Students 4,273 (Fall 2014)[1]
Undergraduates 4,218
Postgraduates 55
Location Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States
42°15′23″N 121°47′08″W / 42.25648°N 121.78551°W / 42.25648; -121.78551
Campus Rural,190 acres (77 ha) Suburban,0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Colors Blue & Gold         
Athletics NAIA
Cascade Collegiate Conference
Sports 11 Varsity Teams
Nickname Hustlin' Owls
Mascot Hootie
Website www.oit.edu

The Oregon Institute of Technology or Oregon Tech[2] is the only public polytechnic university in the Northwestern United States. Oregon Tech has a residential campus in Klamath Falls, Oregon and an urban campus in Wilsonville, Oregon with sites in Salem, La Grande, and Seattle, as well as online degree offerings. Oregon Tech provides a total of 32 degree programs in engineering, health technologies, management, communications, psychology and applied sciences with a total of 37 majors.[3] The university is among a small group of Institutes of Technology in the United States which tends to be devoted to hands-on instruction and applied sciences.[2]

Oregon Tech is frequently cited as one of the West Coast's best public universities for preparing students for the technology and renewable energy industry.[4] The university claims that 90% of its graduates are employed or doing graduate studies within 6 months after completing a degree program.[3][5]

History

The Oregon Tech Campus in the 1970s, Owens Hall on left.
Oregon Institute of Technology buildings
The original Oregon Institute of Technology campus on Old Fort Road.
Purvine Winston, one of the founders of Oregon Tech in the mid-1950s.

Oregon Tech was founded as the Oregon Vocational School on July 14, 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 school's title was changed to the Oregon Technical Institute. In the first school year, 1947-1948, veterans constituted 98 percent of student enrollment. By 1950, the figure was 75 percent. In that year, in response to the Korean conflict, the school received a contract for training soldiers in welding and warehouse management.[6] In 1953, Associate degree programs in Surveying and Structural Engineering Technologies were first accredited by the Engineers Council for Professional Development.

The campus was transferred to its current location in 1964, followed by another name change to the Oregon Institute of Technology in 1973. OIT's four locations in the Portland metropolitan area were consolidated into a campus in Wilsonville in 2012 at InFocus' former headquarters.[7]

Historical University Timeline[8]

Academics

Fall Freshman Statistics[9]

  2015 2014 2012
Admits 103 66 120
% Admitted 38.2 39.8 38.4
Enrolled 95 61 118
Avg Freshman GPA 3.64 3.51 3.50
SAT Composite
(out of 2400)		 1850 1830 1840
ACT Composite 26.1 26.4 25.0

For the Fall 2015 academic year, the university received about 2,000 freshman applications. U.S. News & World Report in 2015 considers Oregon Tech to be the #1 Public University in the United States.[10] Forbes in 2015 rated Oregon Tech #98 among all West Coast universities and considers it to be "innovative."

Regional Impact

Oregon Tech has earned a regional reputation for exceptional academic programs in the various professional disciplines of engineering, technology and health professions, resulting in its graduates being heavily recruited by companies in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.[11] Admission information reported by the university shows that 85% of the student population are residents of the state of Oregon.[12] Oregon Tech has dual enrollment agreements[13] with various community colleges including: Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Klamath Community College (KCC), Linn–Benton Community College, Mt. Hood Community College, and Portland Community College.[14] Oregon Tech and KCC also have a reverse transfer partnership agreement, allowing current Oregon Tech students who began their educational careers at KCC to be awarded degrees from the community college for work completed at Oregon Tech.[5]

Mission Statement

The original mission statement of Oregon Tech reads:

"The mission of Oregon Tech is to foster student and graduate success and provides an intimate, hands-on learning environment, focusing on application of theory to practice. We offer statewide educational opportunities for the emerging needs of Oregon’s citizens and provide information and technical expertise to state, national and international constituents."[15]
University rankings
National
Forbes[16] 98
U.S. News & World Report[17] 1
Global
ARWU[18] 138
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[19] 5

Rankings and recognition

Oregon Tech earned a spot among 650 other four-year baccalaureate colleges in the Forbes 2012 America's Best Colleges list.[4] Oregon Tech also earned U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2013 awards. The awards included placing #10 in the West's best regional baccalaureate colleges, #3 for top public regional colleges, and #35 for the best undergraduate engineering programs in the United States.[2]

Campuses

There is a main campus in Klamath Falls, an urban campus in Wilsonville and several other sites throughout Oregon.

Main Campus (Klamath Falls)

Klamath Falls campus in 2014.
Purvine Hall

The present Klamath Falls Oregon Tech campus overlooks Upper Klamath Lake, and is directly adjacent to Sky Lakes 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, designed by the architect who designed the U.S. Air Force Academy buildings, is generally regarded as bland, but pragmatic. Newer buildings such as Purvine Hall, the Martha Anne Dow Center for Health Professions, the College Union, and the renovated Owens Hall embrace a more modern, aesthetically appealing collegiate style. Oregon Tech has a residence hall adjacent to the College Union, often referred to as "The Castle" by students because of its concrete appearance and elevated placement. The university opened a second housing unit titled "The Sustainable Village," or just "The Village," adjacent to the original residence hall for the start of the fall term, in 2009.[20] The Village features an apartment-style complex. Many students live off-campus in the residential area south of the college along North Eldorado Avenue, or elsewhere in Klamath Falls.

Post office

Oretech, Oregon is the name of the post office established in 1945 to serve the university in Klamath Falls.[21] It shares the ZIP code 97601 with the university.[22]

Urban Campus (Wilsonville)

Time lapse of Infocus and the Oregon Tech Wilsonville campus from 1999 to 2015.
The Oregon Tech Wilsonville campus.

The Wilsonville Oregon Tech campus was officially operational in 2012 and is located on Parkway Avenue in the remodeled InFocus building.[3] The last major renovations at this campus were complete in June, 2015. This included the addition of four new offices for staff on the second floor of the campus and the renovation of a classroom on the fourth floor. The Wilsonville campus currently occupies the first, second and fourth floors of the building, while Rockwell Collins, an Iowa-based aviation-electronics company, occupies the third floor.

Plans for expansion of the Klamath Falls campus were discussed in 2010 in order to consolidate the four Portland area sites, allow for a threefold increase in the number of students it serves, and spur the creation of new degrees in specialized scientific and technical fields. In 2012, Oregon Tech university president, Chris Maples, commented that the metro-area enrollment had spiked 20-percent for the current term, "It doesn’t hurt to have a more obvious presence along I-5.”[23] Chris Maples speculated that the urban campus in Wilsonville could serve as many as 1,200 students. Current enrollment at this campus is about 1,000 students. Oregon lawmakers approved using $20 million in lottery-backed bonds to cover two-thirds of the building’s cost, $20.6 million to purchase the structure and $9.4 million for renovations and related costs.

The Wilsonville campus is focused on giving industry experience to students and is regionally situated in the middle of Oregon and Washington's "Silicon Forest" to attract potential technology employers. Many undergraduate students typically intern and work professionally while working towards a degree in Wilsonville.

While offering many of the same programs that Klamath offers there are two signature programs at this campus: clinical lab sciences, in partnership with the Oregon Health and Science University, and renewable energy engineering.

Food on campus

Oregon Tech Wilsonville Library lounge.

Due to its small size, there is currently no cafeteria on campus, however there are several vending machines that allow students to purchase meals, drinks and other items throughout the day.

Library

The campus has one library located on the fourth floor. Due to few materials in the Wilsonville library, students can checkout an item at the Klamath location and ship it to Wilsonville. A bulk of the resources for research are eBooks which can be checked out via the Oregon Tech library website with a valid student ID. The library also has a small student lounge and rooms that students can check out for studying or for group collaboration and functions as the hub for many school and industry related projects around campus.[24]

Transportation and housing

The Wilsonville campus does not offer dorms since many students live in surrounding cities such as Portland, Wilsonville, Tigard and Tualatin. Oregon Tech students can ride the S.M.A.R.T. (South Metro Area Transit) buses in Wilsonville and Portland to and from campus for free with a valid student ID.[25]

Other campuses

Chemeketa Community College Health & Science building used by Oregon Tech in the joint Dental Hygiene program.

Dental Hygiene (Salem, Oregon)

The bachelor's degree program is a partnership between Oregon Tech and Chemeketa. The classrooms and dental hygiene clinic are in Chemeketa's Health & Science Building. Dental hygiene classes are taught on the Chemeketa campus with an occasional mix of online learning. Students learn and practice dental hygiene skills in the campus-based clinic where they see patients.[26]

The program requires one year of prerequisite coursework prior to entry into the professional program at Oregon Tech. Enrollment in the professional program is limited to 20 students. Enrollment in pre-dental hygiene courses is open to anyone meeting Chemeketa admission requirements.

Dental Hygiene (La Grande, Oregon)

College of Dental Sciences building in La Grande

Oregon Tech's associate degree Dental Hygiene Program in La Grande, Oregon is a partnership between Oregon Tech, MODA Health/Oregon College of Dental Sciences, and Eastern Oregon University. All dental hygiene classes and clinics are held at the ODS College of Dental Sciences building in La Grande and are taught by Oregon Tech faculty.[27]

Boeing (Seattle, Washington)

The Boeing site in Renton where Oregon Tech Seattle holds classes.[28]

The Oregon Tech Seattle Campus offers Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology to employees of the Boeing Company at the Puget Sound area campuses. There are three sites at sites in Everett, Renton, and Frederickson.

Review classes for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' CMfgT and CMfgE exams and a Certificate of Completion in Composites are also offered here.

Boeing employees are eligible to register for any courses offered without being enrolled in a course of study as long as they have the prerequisite knowledge required.

Popular degrees

Engineering and engineering technology

Oregon Tech currently offers a variety of degrees in engineering and engineering technology, including a well-established program in Civil Engineering, as well as the undergraduate curricula in Renewable Energy Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Systems Engineering Technology, Software Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

The college of engineering focuses on producing graduates with knowledge of practical design principles (in addition to standard engineering theory) and has seen recruitment by corporations and design firms as well as state and federal agencies. Starting salaries for Oregon Tech engineering grads have exceeded the national average in each of the last five years.

Geomatics

Oregon Tech currently offers two BS Degrees in Geomatics, one in Professional Land Surveying (PLS) and the other in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Health, arts and sciences

Medical Imaging Technology, Respiratory Care and Dental Hygiene are some of the programs offered by Oregon Tech's College of Health, Arts and Sciences. The programs offered by the College of Health, Arts and Sciences are highly sought after, but also exceptionally competitive. In the summer of 2006, Oregon Tech began construction on a new $22.5 million facility designated the Oregon Center for Health Professions (OCHP), or more locally known as the Martha Anne Dow Center for Health Professions, which is now 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 intends to extensively expand its curriculum and enrollment in this area in the future.[29]

Renewable energy research

A 1750 kW binary geothermal power plant in Oregon Tech's Geo-Heat Center.

Oregon Tech is the only completely geothermally-heated university campus in the United States,[30] and is home to the Geo-Heat Center,[31] 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, biodiesel and integrated systems.

In 2005, Oregon Tech introduced the first Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Energy Engineering (REE) offered in North America. The new program uses electrical and mechanical engineering fundamentals in conjunction with upper-division coursework in renewable energy and energy systems. REE prepares students for careers in the energy sector, especially in relation to renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Engineering degree is offered in both Klamath Falls and Wilsonville. A Master's degree program is located at the Wilsonville campus.

In 2014, OIT was recognized as the first college in the U.S. to be powered with 100% on-site renewable electricity, achieved through the campus' newly installed 2 MW geothermal power system and 2 MW solar panel array.[32][33][34]

Information technology

Health Informatics, Application Development, Systems Analysis, and Accounting are some of the programs offered by Oregon Tech’s Department of Management in the College of Engineering, Technology and Management. Following the Oregon Tech tradition that supports applied learning, these programs are designed to prepare students for advanced degrees and to be ‘work-ready’ in their chosen careers. One specific example is the Health Informatics Simulation Lab[35] that offers hands-on experiential learning using a wide range of current Healthcare IT applications. Information Technology degrees are offered in both Klamath Falls and Wilsonville.

Many of the courses in all of the Information Technology options are available online. Three programs area available as fully online bachelor's degree programs, Information Technology, Operations Management, and Technology and Management B.A.S.[36]

Athletics

Oregon Tech (OIT) teams, nicknamed athletically as the Owls, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball. The mascot for Oregon Tech Athletics is the Hustlin' Owl and is a source of pride for many Tech students.

Oregon Tech'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 Oregon Tech, liberal arts at SOU) result in a natural rivalry between the two.

Oregon Tech mascot Hootie Owl

Basketball

Oregon Tech 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. They won the NAIA National Championship again in 2008 and 2012.

National championships

The Oregon Tech men's basketball team won their first NAIA Division II National Championship against Bellevue University of Bellevue, Nebraska 81-72, on March 18, 2004. They won their second national title in a rematch exactly four years later, to the day, against the Bruins from Bellevue, 63-56 in 2008. In 2012 they won their third national title 63-46 against Northwood (FLa.).

Danny Miles

As of the 2013-2014 season, men's basketball head coach Danny Miles will be in his 43rd season at Oregon Tech, and has accumulated a 987-397 record (0.711). This record has earned him the rank of 2nd winningest coach in men's collegiate basketball history at a four-year institution (second to Harry Statham of McKendree University with 1068 wins).[37]

In Miles' tenure at Oregon Tech, he has achieved three nationals wins, one national runner-up, one national third place, two elite eights, 14 district or conference titles, seven district runners-up. His team has ranked in the NAIA Division 2 top-20 on 30 occasions and averages more than 23 wins per season.[38]

Miles earned his 800th win on December 8, 2006 with an 84-73 victory over George Fox University.[39] Miles again, reached a benchmark win at 900 on February 13, 2010 against Southern Oregon University with a final score of 101-76.[40] Danny Miles became just the second men’s basketball coach at a four-year level to reach 1,000 career victories on February 1, 2014 with a 71-51 victory[41] over Corban University.

Softball

In 2011 Oregon Tech won their first ever NAIA Softball National Championship.

Clubs and 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).[42] Among these are student chapters of professional societies, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Dental Hygienists' Association, Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority,[43] Phi Delta Theta fraternity,[44] Engineers Without Borders, recreational activity programs, special interest groups, cultural awareness organizations, student media, and academic honor societies. Also, Oregon Tech's student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers competes in the annual SAE Mini Baja event. The Renewable Energy Engineering program also has a club open to all majors and is working toward becoming a chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers. The Oregon Tech Robotics Club invites students from many majors to collaborate on multidisciplinary robotics projects such as the MATE ROV competition[45] and to support community members in technical projects.

Degree programs

Master of Science

Bachelor of Applied Science

Bachelor of Science

Associate Degrees

References

  1. ↑ "Oregon Institute of Technology OUS Gray Book". Oregon University System.
  2. 1 2 3 "Oregon Tech Engineering Climbs 25 spots in a year to No. 35 in Nation". Oregon Institute of Technology.
  3. 1 2 3 "Oregon Tech - Wilsonville". Foursquare. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  4. 1 2 "Oregon Tech Listed Again in Forbes’ Magazine America’s Top Colleges List". Oregon Institute of Technology.
  5. 1 2 "Oregon Tech, KCC Sign Partnership Agreement". December 7, 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech)". oregonencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  7. ↑ Stark, Rachel (July 22, 2012). "Oregon Institute of Technology expands opportunities for students, nearby companies with new Wilsonville campus". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  8. ↑ "History". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  9. ↑ "Oregon Institute of Technology | OIT | Best College | US News". colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  10. ↑ "Top Public Schools | Regional Colleges West | US News Best Colleges". colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  11. ↑ "Oregon Institute of Technology vs Portland State University - Colleges Compariso...". colleges.startclass.com. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  12. ↑ Oregon Tech Admissions (2005). Oregon Tech at a glance
  13. ↑ "Dual Enrollment Options". Oregon Institute of Technology. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "PCC, PSU renew co-admission agreement". Portland Business Journal. January 23, 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  15. ↑ "Mission Statement". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  16. ↑ "America's Top Colleges". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Best Colleges". U.S. News & World Report LP. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Regional Universities Rankings". America's Best Colleges 2012. U.S. News & World Report. September 13, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Sustainable Village". Oregon Institute of Technology. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  21. ↑ McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [First published 1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 730. ISBN 9780875952772. OCLC 53075956.
  22. ↑ "USPS ZIP Code Lookup". Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  23. ↑ "OIT Opens Wilsonville Campus". opb.org. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  24. ↑ "Wilsonville Library". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
  25. ↑ "SMART adds night service for Oregon Tech". Oregon Local News. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
  26. ↑ "Dental Hygiene Program in Salem, OR". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  27. ↑ "Dental Hygiene Program in La Grande, OR". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  28. ↑ "Oregon Institute of Technology". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  29. ↑ "Biology-Health Sciences". oit.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  30. ↑ "Oregon Tech Looks To Be World's First Fully-Geothermal Campus".
  31. ↑ http://geoheat.oit.edu/
  32. ↑ "Oregon Tech Makes History with Renewable Power" (PDF). Energy Trust of Oregon. April 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  33. ↑ Mason Walker (April 24, 2014). "Oregon college the first in U.S. with 100 percent on-site renewable energy". SustainableBusinessOregon.com. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  34. ↑ "Oregon Institute of Technology Recognized for Increasing its Use of Geothermal and Solar Energy". U.S. Department of Energy. April 23, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  35. ↑ "Oregon Tech Health Informatics Simulation Lab". Oregon Institute of Technology.
  36. ↑ "Oregon Tech Distance Education Programs". Oregon Institute of Technology.
  37. ↑ Bishop, Greg (February 22, 2012). "For 41 Years, Town Cheers Danny’s Boys". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  38. ↑ "Head Coach Danny Miles". Oregon Institute of Technology.
  39. ↑ "Danny Miles".
  40. ↑ "Miles Reaches Career Win 900, Owls Rout Raiders for Record 35-straight home wins". Oregon Institute of Technology.
  41. ↑ "Milestone Reached".
  42. ↑ "ASOIT Student Government".
  43. ↑ http://www.oregontechasa.com
  44. ↑ http://www.oitphidelts.com
  45. ↑ "MATE - Marine Advanced Technology Education :: ROV Competition".

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Coordinates: 42°15′23″N 121°47′08″W / 42.25648°N 121.78551°W / 42.25648; -121.78551

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