Oregon State University
Encyclopedia
Oregon State University is a coeducation
al, public
research
university
located in Corvallis
, Oregon
, United States
. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree
programs offered through the university. OSU's programs in nuclear engineering
, ecology
, forestry
, public health
, biochemistry
, zoology
, oceanography
, food science
and pharmacy
are recognized nationally as top tier programs. In recent years, OSU's liberal arts
programs have also grown significantly. More than 200,000 people have attended OSU since its founding. The Carnegie Foundation
classifies Oregon State University as a "very high research activity" university.
Oregon State is one of 73 land-grant
universities of the United States. The school is also recognized as a sea-grant
, space-grant
and sun-grant
institution, making it one of only two US institutions to retain all four designations and the only public university to do so (Cornell
is the only other with similar designations). In addition to Oregon State's many federally designated areas of research, the university receives more funding for research, annually, than all other public higher education institutions in Oregon combined.
The university's roots date back to 1856, when Corvallis Academy, the area's first community school for primary and preparatory education, was founded. In 1858, the school's name was changed to Corvallis College and formally incorporated by members of the Freemasons
. The school offered its first college-level curriculum in 1865, under the administration of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
.
On August 22, 1868, official Articles of Incorporation were filed for Corvallis College. October 27, 1868, is known as OSU Charter Day, the day that the Oregon Legislative Assembly
designated Corvallis College as the Agricultural College of the state of Oregon and the recipient of Land Grant
fund income. As part of this designation, the college was required to comply with the requirements set forth in the First Morrill Act
. The name was changed to Corvallis State Agricultural College and was then authorized to grant the Bachelor of Arts
, Bachelor of Science
, and Master of Arts
degrees. The first graduating class was in 1870, granting Bachelor of Arts
degrees.
developed the first Campus Master Plan in 1909, emphasizing trees and an architectural harmony showcasing basic classical forms in brick. The current campus design generally follows this original plan and is laid on a grid of wide, tree-lined streets. Well-partitioned buildings accent open lawns along the main passages and are mostly surrounded by clusters of tall trees. The overall scheme gives it a quaint, early American institutional feel common to campuses found in the Midwest or Southern U.S.
The Division of College Extension was organized in 1911 with Ralph Dorn Hetzel as director and, in 1912, the first off-campus faculty were placed in Marion and Wallowa counties. The Army
ROTC became active in 1917, replacing the original Cadet Corps formed by students studying Military Science
. In 1919, OAC began a horticultural products processing program, the first of its kind in the United States. Accreditation was granted in 1924 by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools
.
1927 marked yet another name change, this time to Oregon State Agricultural College. The Oregon Unification Bill passed by the Legislative Assembly in 1929 placed the school under the oversight of the newly formed Oregon State Board of Higher Education
. Doctoral education was first provided in 1935 with the conferral of four Doctor of Philosophy
degrees. This year also saw the creation of the first summer session. The growing diversity in degree programs offered led to another name change in 1937, when the college became Oregon State College.
The university's current title, Oregon State University, was adopted on March 6, 1961 by a legislative act signed into law by Governor Mark Hatfield
.
In 2007, Scott Reed was named the Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement as OSU Extension Service and OSU Extended Campus
were aligned under this new division.
and the Food Innovation Laboratory in Portland
. The university's college of oceanic and atmospheric sciences operates several state-of-the-art laboratories, including the Hatfield Marine Science Center
and two oceanographic research vessels out of Newport
. The oceanography department is now leading the largest ocean science project in U.S. history. The project dubbed "Endurance Array," features a fleet of undersea gliders and six sites with multiple observation platforms. The first three of the platforms will be deployed off Newport in 2013 and a second set of three off Grays Harbor in 2014.
OSU also manages nearly 11250 acres (4,552.7 ha) of forest land, which includes the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest.
The 2005 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
recognized Oregon State as a "Comprehensive Doctoral with Medical/Veterinary" university. This is one of only three such universities in the Pacific Northwest
to be classified in this category. In 2006, Carnegie also recognized the university as having "Very High Research Activity," which makes OSU the only university in Oregon to attain these combined classifications.
The National Sea Grant College Program
was founded in the 1960s. OSU is one of the original four Sea Grant Colleges selected in 1971.
In 1967 the Radiation Center was constructed at the edge of campus, housing a 1.1 MW TRIGA
Mark II Research Reactor
. The reactor is equipped to utilize Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) for fuel. Rankings published by U.S. News & World Report
in 2008 placed Oregon State eighth in the nation in graduate nuclear engineering
.
OSU was one of the early members of the federal Space Grant
program. Designated in 1991, the additional grant program made Oregon State one of only 13 schools in the United States to serve as a combined Land Grant
, Sea Grant, and Space Grant university. Most recently, OSU was designated as a federal Sun Grant
institution. The designation, made in 2003, now makes Oregon State one of only two such universities (the other being Cornell University
), and the only public institution with all four designations.
In 1999, OSU finished a $40 million remodel to the campus library. Known as the Valley Library, the totally remodeled building was selected by The Library Journal as their 1999 Library of the Year, the first academic library so named.
In 2001, the university's Wave Research Laboratory was designated by the National Science Foundation
as a site for tsunami research under the Network for Earthquake Engineering
Simulation. The O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
is located on the edge of the campus and is one of the largest and most sophisticated laboratories for education, research, and testing in coastal, ocean and related areas in the world.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
funds two research centers at Oregon State University. The Environmental Health Sciences Center has been funded continually since 1969 and the Superfund Research Center is a newer center that started funding in 2009.
OSU has more majors, minors and special programs than any other university or college in Oregon. 
Other recent recognitions include a 2007 ranking by STACK magazine
, in which OSU was selected as one of the nation's top 50 universities in "academics, athletic opportunity and overall performance." The school ranked 29th overall, making it one of only two Northwest schools in the top 30 and the only university from the state to receive a ranking.
As a top tier forestry school, OSU is widely considered the nation's leader in the subject. Of the 53 forestry programs at North American universities; OSU's College of Forestry was ranked first by a 2006 survey "in the total number of professional publications, first in the number of 'citations' to those publications, and is perceived by academic colleagues as the leading forestry program in North America."
In its 2010 edition, U.S. News & World Report
ranked Oregon State University 139 nationally, slightly below the University of Oregon (#111). The 2010 edition of Academic Ranking of World Universities
(ARWU) ranked Oregon State in the "101 to 150" tier for universities worldwide.
The 400 acres (161.9 ha) main campus is located in Corvallis, in the Willamette Valley
. Although its surroundings are rural, the city is rapidly becoming more metropolitan and has seen recent periods of infrastructural and economic growth. This recent expansion is helping to provide the city with one of the highest standards of living in the state. Corvallis, a city of 53,000 permanent residents, was recognized in 1996 as one of the most livable cities in America.
Corvallis was most recently ranked as the 5th-smartest university town in the United States. The 2008 ranking, by Forbes.com, was based on the percent of educational degrees residents living in America's cities have earned. Researchers found 47.65% of Corvallis residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 5.62% achieved a Ph.D while 1.95% have earned other educational degrees. Over 93% of the city's residents have graduated from high school, which is an unusually high statistic for any city nationwide. In 1994 OSU was also rated the safest campus in the Pac-10 in a study of universities.
(NRHP). It is the only college or university campus in Oregon to have a historic district
designation. The effort to have the John Charles Olmsted
-designed campus listed on the NRHP took two years.
. This new branch campus is called OSU-Cascades Campus and offers students living in the more central region of the state an opportunity to attend select classes at a campus location closer to their homes.
the university's most famous alumnus. He is the only recipient of two unshared Nobel Prize
s (for chemistry and peace) Other notable academics include United States National Academy of Sciences
members Paul H. Emmett
, Milton Harris
, and Wayne L. Hubbell
. National Academy of Engineering
member Octave Levenspiel
and computer mouse
inventor Douglas Engelbart
, who is also credited with developing the initial concept of E-mail
, make the list as well.
In the business world, OSU alumni hold or have held several prominent positions in various industries. This includes Jen-Hsun Huang
, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA
; Leonard Shoen
, founder of U-Haul
; Bernie Newcomb, co-founder of E*TRADE; John A. Young
, former president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard
; Mercedes Alison Bates
, first female officer of General Mills
and former vice president of its Betty Crocker
Cooking division; Thomas J. Autzen
, Plywood manufacturing pioneer and namesake of Autzen Stadium
; Mike and Brian McMenamin
, co-founders of the McMenamins
chain; and Timothy S. Leatherman
, inventor of the Leatherman
tool and founder of the Leatherman Tool Group.
In politics, alumni include former Governor of Idaho and United States Secretary of the Interior
Cecil D. Andrus
; former Governor of Oregon
and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay
; former Governor of Oregon John Hubert Hall
; U.S. Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates
; former U.S. Representatives
Rod Chandler
, Julia Butler Hansen
, Norris Poulson
, Lowell Stockman
, and Jolene Unsoeld
; former U.S. Senators
[Frederick Steiwer] and John Ensign
. Several OSU alumni have military ties, including Medal of Honor
recipients Edward Allworth
and John Noble Holcomb
; commander of Marine forces at Henderson Hall and USMC
Colonel
Anthony E. Van Dyke
; and World War II flying ace
& USMC Major General
Marion Eugene Carl.
In arts and entertainment, alumni include Pulitzer Prize
winners' Chris Anderson, George Oppen
, and Roger Werth; Academy Award winner Harley Jessup; actor Michael Lowry
; news anchor Cathy Marshall
; country music singer Travis Rush
; screenwriter Mike Rich
and Architect Lee Arden Thomas
, who designed the Memorial Union (MU).
Oregon State athletes have a had a significant showing in professional sports, including more than 15 MLB
players, more than 20 NBA
players, and more than 130 NFL
players. Some of the more prominent athletes include Boston Red Sox
player and 2007 World Series
champion Jacoby Ellsbury
; NFL Pro Bowl
ers Chad Ocho Cinco, T. J. Houshmandzadeh
, Steven Jackson
and Derek Anderson
; Heisman Trophy
winner Terry Baker
; Houston Rockets
player Brent Barry
; former NBA player "Iron Man" A. C. Green
; and 9-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton
. OSU alumni have earned more than 15 Olympic medals, including Fosbury Flop
creator Dick Fosbury
; first American woman to high jump over 6' Joni Huntley
; and undefeated amateur wrestler Robin Reed
.
Other notable alumni include NASA
astronauts William Oefelein
and Donald Pettit
, Playboy
Playmates of The Year Jodi Ann Paterson
and Sara Jean Underwood
, and Turkish billionaire Hüsnü Özyeğin
.
professor George Poinar, Jr.
, whose work extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber was the inspiration for the novel and film Jurassic Park.
OSU baseball coach Pat Casey
was named Coach of the Year by several publications in both 2006 and 2007 when he led the baseball team to back-to-back national championships, and former OSU basketball coaches Slats Gill
and Ralph Miller
are both members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Current OSU head basketball coach Craig Robinson
is the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama
.
The city that Oregon State University calls home is the tenth largest city in the state. Still, Corvallis
is a relatively small community and many of the local events have a strong connection to the university. Oregon State has over 300 active student organizations and groups, the most of any university in the Oregon University System
. The campus is located only a few hours driving distance from any number of outdoor recreation opportunities. Several federal and state natural forests and parks make up popular student destinations. These include the Cascade Range
, a rugged coastline, several large forests, a desert, and many rivers. Portland
, Oregon's largest city, is 85 miles (137 km) north of the campus.
From 1930 until 1968, Oregon State University was home to the Gamma chapter of Phrateres
, a philanthropic-social organization for female college students. Gamma was the third chapter of the organization, which eventually had over 20 chapters in Canada
and the United States.
The majority of older students at Oregon State University live off-campus, but on-campus housing is available and typically home to incoming freshmen. There are 14 residence halls on campus, which are organized into individual Hall Councils. Residents make up the membership and each council holds their own elections to select management over the hall government. All of the councils are managed by the Residence Hall Association (RHA).
The LaSells Stewart Center
is the conference and performing arts center for the campus. Many famous speakers have graced the stage of the campus' main auditorium, Austin Auditorium, while the Corvallis-OSU Symphony plays there frequently. The OSU Office of Conferences and Special Events is located within the auditorium.
The University is host to a radio station, KBVR 88.7 FM
, a television station, KBVR TV 26, and an award-winning student newspaper, The Daily Barometer
.
Two Oregon State students are members of the Oregon Student Association
Board of Directors.
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement
, convocation
, and athletic games are: Oregon State Fight Song.
In a 2008 national ranking based on academics, athletic opportunity and overall performance, Oregon State was chosen as one of the "premier" universities in America. This ranking, performed by STACK magazine
, places Oregon State 29th in the nation's "Elite 50" universities and uncontested within the state that year. Since then, the University of Oregon has joined Oregon State in the STACK rankings.
The history of Oregon State athletics dates back to 1893, when "Jimmie the Coyote
" was chosen as the college's mascot. This was replaced by the beaver
in 1910; it has remained the school's mascot. In 1915, the college became one of the four charter members of the Pacific Coast (Athletic) Conference
.
Football
is played in Reser Stadium
. The current costumed mascot Benny the Beaver
made his first appearance in 1952. The next year, 1953, saw the opening of the football facility, Parker Stadium (now named Reser Stadium
). The Raising Reser campaign expanded the stadium from 35,000 seats to 46,200 throughout 2006–07. A time lapse
video recording of the expansion is viewable on the internet. 1962 saw OSU's (and the west coast's) first Heisman Trophy
winner, quarterback Terry Baker
. The University of Oregon
is often seen as the school's key athletic rival, with the annual Civil War
football game between the two teams being one of the nation's longest-lived rivalries.
Trysting Tree
is the name of Oregon State's golf course, dedicated in 1988, the tournament level course has been recognized by Golfweek
magazine as one of the top five collegiate golf courses on the West Coast. Its name is traced to a tree near Benton Hall where student couples would meet and make dates. Basketball
is held in Gill Coliseum
, named after former Beavers coach Slats Gill
. The Civil War
is one of the most contested rivalries in the nation. Baseball
is held in Goss Stadium at Coleman Field
. The OSU baseball team, managed by Pat Casey
, won back-to-back NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
s in 2006 and 2007. Softball
is held in the OSU Softball Complex. Opened in April 2001, the $1.5 million dollar OSU Softball Complex seats 750. Oregon State hosted a Regional and Super Regional tournament in the 2006 NCAA tournament, winning both and moving on to the Women's College World Series.
Oregon State has a total of three NCAA championships. In addition to the two baseball titles, the Beavers won the 1961 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship. In 1975, the men's rowing
Varsity-4 with coxswain team won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
National Collegiate Rowing Championships in Syracuse, New York
, establishing a course record which stood for 15 years. In 2006 and 2008, the Oregon State racquetball team won the USA racquetball
intercollegiate championship.
Oregon State University is home to the oldest marching band
in the Pac-12. The Oregon State University Marching Band
was started in 1890 and has become a staple at Beaver football games. OSU football coach Mike Riley credits the marching band with 10 points at each home game and 6 at each away game.
In accordance with the University’s mission for diversity, many organizations, clubs, and departments have been formed, including the Office Of Community and Diversity and several cultural and resource centers.
Oregon State University has several cultural centers aimed at promoting diversity and supporting students of color, including the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, Native American Longhouse, Asian & Pacific Cultural Center, and the Centro Cultural César Chávez.
In addition to its mission of ethnic diversity, Oregon State University supports its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population with a Pride Center.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al, public
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Corvallis
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
programs offered through the university. OSU's programs in nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
, food science
Food science
Food science is a study concerned with all technical aspects of foods, beginning with harvesting or slaughtering, and ending with its cooking and consumption, an ideology commonly referred to as "from field to fork"...
and pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
are recognized nationally as top tier programs. In recent years, OSU's liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
programs have also grown significantly. More than 200,000 people have attended OSU since its founding. The Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
classifies Oregon State University as a "very high research activity" university.
Oregon State is one of 73 land-grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
universities of the United States. The school is also recognized as a sea-grant
Sea grant colleges
The National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce...
, space-grant
Space grant colleges
The space-grant colleges compose a network of 52 consortia, based at universities across the United States, for outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico and consists of multiple independent institutions, with one of the...
and sun-grant
Sun grant colleges
The Sun Grant Association is a group of five U.S. universities that serve as regional centers of the Sun Grant Initiative, established by the U.S. Congress in the Sun Grant Research Initiative Act of 2003. They research and develop sustainable and environmentally friendly bio-based energy...
institution, making it one of only two US institutions to retain all four designations and the only public university to do so (Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
is the only other with similar designations). In addition to Oregon State's many federally designated areas of research, the university receives more funding for research, annually, than all other public higher education institutions in Oregon combined.
Early years
The university's roots date back to 1856, when Corvallis Academy, the area's first community school for primary and preparatory education, was founded. In 1858, the school's name was changed to Corvallis College and formally incorporated by members of the Freemasons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. The school offered its first college-level curriculum in 1865, under the administration of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
.
On August 22, 1868, official Articles of Incorporation were filed for Corvallis College. October 27, 1868, is known as OSU Charter Day, the day that the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
designated Corvallis College as the Agricultural College of the state of Oregon and the recipient of Land Grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
fund income. As part of this designation, the college was required to comply with the requirements set forth in the First Morrill Act
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...
. The name was changed to Corvallis State Agricultural College and was then authorized to grant the Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
, and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degrees. The first graduating class was in 1870, granting Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degrees.
Oregon Agricultural College
In 1890 the college became known as Oregon Agricultural College (OAC). Orange was adopted as the school color, with black as the background. The Olmsted BrothersOlmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was an influential landscape design firm in the United States, formed in 1898 by stepbrothers John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. .-History:...
developed the first Campus Master Plan in 1909, emphasizing trees and an architectural harmony showcasing basic classical forms in brick. The current campus design generally follows this original plan and is laid on a grid of wide, tree-lined streets. Well-partitioned buildings accent open lawns along the main passages and are mostly surrounded by clusters of tall trees. The overall scheme gives it a quaint, early American institutional feel common to campuses found in the Midwest or Southern U.S.
The Division of College Extension was organized in 1911 with Ralph Dorn Hetzel as director and, in 1912, the first off-campus faculty were placed in Marion and Wallowa counties. The Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
ROTC became active in 1917, replacing the original Cadet Corps formed by students studying Military Science
Military science
Military science is the process of translating national defence policy to produce military capability by employing military scientists, including theorists, researchers, experimental scientists, applied scientists, designers, engineers, test technicians, and military personnel responsible for...
. In 1919, OAC began a horticultural products processing program, the first of its kind in the United States. Accreditation was granted in 1924 by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools
Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools
The Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools was an accreditation association formed in 1917, since disbanded.In 1974, the association changed its name to the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges....
.
Oregon State
Oregon State Board of Higher Education
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
. Doctoral education was first provided in 1935 with the conferral of four Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degrees. This year also saw the creation of the first summer session. The growing diversity in degree programs offered led to another name change in 1937, when the college became Oregon State College.
The university's current title, Oregon State University, was adopted on March 6, 1961 by a legislative act signed into law by Governor Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
.
In 2007, Scott Reed was named the Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement as OSU Extension Service and OSU Extended Campus
Oregon State University Extended Campus
Oregon State University Extended Campus is the unit of Oregon State University that develops and delivers many of OSU’s academic resources, degrees, courses and programs through alternative and off-campus course delivery methods, most prominently through online and distance delivery.- History...
were aligned under this new division.
Research
Research has played a central role in the university's overall operations for much of its history. Most of OSU's research continues at the Corvallis campus, but an increasing number of endeavors are underway at various locations throughout the state and abroad. Current research facilities, beyond the campus, include the Seafood Laboratory in AstoriaAstoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
and the Food Innovation Laboratory in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The university's college of oceanic and atmospheric sciences operates several state-of-the-art laboratories, including the Hatfield Marine Science Center
Hatfield Marine Science Center
Hatfield Marine Science Center is a marine science research and education center next to Yaquina Bay of the Pacific Ocean in the U.S state of Oregon. It is operated by Oregon State University in cooperation with five state and federal agencies co-located on site. Named after Mark Hatfield, a...
and two oceanographic research vessels out of Newport
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868...
. The oceanography department is now leading the largest ocean science project in U.S. history. The project dubbed "Endurance Array," features a fleet of undersea gliders and six sites with multiple observation platforms. The first three of the platforms will be deployed off Newport in 2013 and a second set of three off Grays Harbor in 2014.
OSU also manages nearly 11250 acres (4,552.7 ha) of forest land, which includes the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest.
The 2005 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework for classifying, or grouping, colleges and universities in the United States. The primary purpose of the framework is for educational research and analysis, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly...
recognized Oregon State as a "Comprehensive Doctoral with Medical/Veterinary" university. This is one of only three such universities in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
to be classified in this category. In 2006, Carnegie also recognized the university as having "Very High Research Activity," which makes OSU the only university in Oregon to attain these combined classifications.
The National Sea Grant College Program
Sea grant colleges
The National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce...
was founded in the 1960s. OSU is one of the original four Sea Grant Colleges selected in 1971.
In 1967 the Radiation Center was constructed at the edge of campus, housing a 1.1 MW TRIGA
TRIGA
TRIGA is a class of small nuclear reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design team for TRIGA was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.TRIGA is the acronym of Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics.-Design:...
Mark II Research Reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
. The reactor is equipped to utilize Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) for fuel. Rankings published by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
in 2008 placed Oregon State eighth in the nation in graduate nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
.
OSU was one of the early members of the federal Space Grant
Space grant colleges
The space-grant colleges compose a network of 52 consortia, based at universities across the United States, for outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico and consists of multiple independent institutions, with one of the...
program. Designated in 1991, the additional grant program made Oregon State one of only 13 schools in the United States to serve as a combined Land Grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
, Sea Grant, and Space Grant university. Most recently, OSU was designated as a federal Sun Grant
Sun grant colleges
The Sun Grant Association is a group of five U.S. universities that serve as regional centers of the Sun Grant Initiative, established by the U.S. Congress in the Sun Grant Research Initiative Act of 2003. They research and develop sustainable and environmentally friendly bio-based energy...
institution. The designation, made in 2003, now makes Oregon State one of only two such universities (the other being Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
), and the only public institution with all four designations.
In 1999, OSU finished a $40 million remodel to the campus library. Known as the Valley Library, the totally remodeled building was selected by The Library Journal as their 1999 Library of the Year, the first academic library so named.
In 2001, the university's Wave Research Laboratory was designated by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
as a site for tsunami research under the Network for Earthquake Engineering
Earthquake engineering
Earthquake engineering is the scientific field concerned with protecting society, the natural and the man-made environment from earthquakes by limiting the seismic risk to socio-economically acceptable levels...
Simulation. The O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory is a research facility in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Operated by Oregon State University’s Coastal & Ocean Engineering Program within the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Built in 1972, the laboratory was designated as...
is located on the edge of the campus and is one of the largest and most sophisticated laboratories for education, research, and testing in coastal, ocean and related areas in the world.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is a part of the National Institutes of Health , which is in turn a part of the Department of Health and Human Services ....
funds two research centers at Oregon State University. The Environmental Health Sciences Center has been funded continually since 1969 and the Superfund Research Center is a newer center that started funding in 2009.
Rankings and recognition
Stack magazine
STACK magazine is a sports magazine dedicated to help high school student athletes train better, using training routines from star pro athletes. It aims to provide information, inspiration and entertainment to its readership, and covers both effectiveness in performance and sports lifestyle issues...
, in which OSU was selected as one of the nation's top 50 universities in "academics, athletic opportunity and overall performance." The school ranked 29th overall, making it one of only two Northwest schools in the top 30 and the only university from the state to receive a ranking.
As a top tier forestry school, OSU is widely considered the nation's leader in the subject. Of the 53 forestry programs at North American universities; OSU's College of Forestry was ranked first by a 2006 survey "in the total number of professional publications, first in the number of 'citations' to those publications, and is perceived by academic colleagues as the leading forestry program in North America."
In its 2010 edition, U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
ranked Oregon State University 139 nationally, slightly below the University of Oregon (#111). The 2010 edition of Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
(ARWU) ranked Oregon State in the "101 to 150" tier for universities worldwide.
Main campus
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
. Although its surroundings are rural, the city is rapidly becoming more metropolitan and has seen recent periods of infrastructural and economic growth. This recent expansion is helping to provide the city with one of the highest standards of living in the state. Corvallis, a city of 53,000 permanent residents, was recognized in 1996 as one of the most livable cities in America.
Corvallis was most recently ranked as the 5th-smartest university town in the United States. The 2008 ranking, by Forbes.com, was based on the percent of educational degrees residents living in America's cities have earned. Researchers found 47.65% of Corvallis residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 5.62% achieved a Ph.D while 1.95% have earned other educational degrees. Over 93% of the city's residents have graduated from high school, which is an unusually high statistic for any city nationwide. In 1994 OSU was also rated the safest campus in the Pac-10 in a study of universities.
Historic district
In September 2008, the Oregon State University campus was designated the Oregon State University Historic District by the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP). It is the only college or university campus in Oregon to have a historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
designation. The effort to have the John Charles Olmsted
John Charles Olmsted
John Charles Olmsted , the nephew and adopted son of Frederick Law Olmsted, was an American landscape architect. With his brother, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., he founded Olmsted Brothers, a landscape design firm in Brookline, Massachusetts. The firm is famous for designing many urban parks,...
-designed campus listed on the NRHP took two years.
Branch campus (Bend)
OSU recently completed the construction of a branch campus located in BendBend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
. This new branch campus is called OSU-Cascades Campus and offers students living in the more central region of the state an opportunity to attend select classes at a campus location closer to their homes.
Colleges and schools
The academic programs are divided among twelve colleges and two schools, each with a dean responsible for all faculty, staff, students, and academic programs. Colleges are divided into departments administered by a department head or chair. Each department is responsible for academic programs leading to degrees, certificates, options, or minors.Student government
The Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU) is the officially recognized student government at Oregon State University and represents all students in campus affairs and at community, state, and federal levels regarding issues that directly influence the quality of, and access to, postsecondary education.Alumni
Oregon State claims many national and world famous alumni who have made major contributions, advancements and achievements in their respective professions. Out of over 200,000 alumni to graduate from the university, OSU considers scientist and peace activist Linus PaulingLinus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
the university's most famous alumnus. He is the only recipient of two unshared Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
s (for chemistry and peace) Other notable academics include United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
members Paul H. Emmett
Paul H. Emmett
-Biography:He was born in Portland, Oregon. After completing his baccalaureate at Oregon Agricultural College , Emmett went on to the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his Ph.D. He was also a classmate and close friend of Linus Pauling at both institutions...
, Milton Harris
Milton Harris (scientist)
Milton Harris was a scientist who founded the Harris Research Laboratories and, for six years, chaired the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Sciences....
, and Wayne L. Hubbell
Wayne L. Hubbell
Wayne L. Hubbell is an American biochemist and member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is Professor of Biochemistry and Jules Stein Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on the visual system, and is primarily supported by a grant...
. National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
member Octave Levenspiel
Octave Levenspiel
Octave Levenspiel is an Emeritus professor of chemical engineering at Oregon State University. His principal interest has been chemical reaction engineering, a branch of chemical engineering studying the application of chemical reaction kinetics and physics to the design of chemical reactors.He...
and computer mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
inventor Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Carl Engelbart is an American inventor, and an early computer and internet pioneer. He is best known for his work on the challenges of human-computer interaction, resulting in the invention of the computer mouse, and the development of hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to GUIs...
, who is also credited with developing the initial concept of E-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, make the list as well.
In the business world, OSU alumni hold or have held several prominent positions in various industries. This includes Jen-Hsun Huang
Jen-Hsun Huang
Jen-Hsun "Jensen" Huang is a Taiwanese American entrepreneur and businessman. A native of Taiwan, he grew up in Oregon, graduating from Oregon State University before moving to California where he graduated from Stanford University. He co-founded the graphics-processor company Nvidia and serves...
, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
; Leonard Shoen
Leonard Shoen
Leonard Shoen was an American entrepreneur who founded the U-Haul truck and trailer organization in Ridgefield, Washington. After growing up in the farm belt of the United States during the Great Depression, he envisioned the market for rental vehicles for families who wished to avoid the expense...
, founder of U-Haul
U-Haul
U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation...
; Bernie Newcomb, co-founder of E*TRADE; John A. Young
John A. Young
John A. Young is an American business executive. He was chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1978 to 1992. He also formerly served as a director of Wells Fargo & Company.-Biography:Young was born in 1932 in Nampa, Idaho...
, former president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
; Mercedes Alison Bates
Mercedes Alison Bates
Mercedes Alison Bates is a graduate of Oregon State University most famous for her involvement in General Mills, specifically the Betty Crocker division....
, first female officer of General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
and former vice president of its Betty Crocker
Betty Crocker
Betty Crocker AKA: batter witch is a cultural icon, as well as brand name and trademark of American Fortune 500 corporation General Mills. The name was first developed by the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921 as a way to give a personalized response to consumer product questions. The name Betty was...
Cooking division; Thomas J. Autzen
Thomas J. Autzen
Thomas J. Autzen was a Danish-American pioneer in plywood manufacturing, and founder of a family-run philanthropic foundation known as the Autzen Foundation. The Autzen Foundation supplied the single largest donation, $250,000, to support the construction of a football stadium at the University of...
, Plywood manufacturing pioneer and namesake of Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks of the Pacific-12 Conference. Opened in 1967, the stadium has undergone several expansions...
; Mike and Brian McMenamin
Brian McMenamin
Brian McMenamin is an American businessperson and philanthropist in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he and his older brother Mike McMenamin founded the McMenamins restaurant and brewpub chain in 1983...
, co-founders of the McMenamins
McMenamins
McMenamins is a chain of nearly sixty brewpubs, microbreweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs. The chain is located mostly in the Portland metropolitan area, but has many other locations in Oregon and Washington...
chain; and Timothy S. Leatherman
Timothy S. Leatherman
Timothy S. Leatherman is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. as well as the inventor of the first multipurpose tool. Timothy graduated from Oregon State University in 1970 with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering...
, inventor of the Leatherman
Leatherman
Leatherman is the trade name for a line of multi-tools, knives and LED flashlights manufactured and marketed by Leatherman Tool Group of Portland, Oregon, USA.-Company history:Timothy S...
tool and founder of the Leatherman Tool Group.
In politics, alumni include former Governor of Idaho and United States Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
Cecil D. Andrus
Cecil D. Andrus
Cecil Dale Andrus was an American politician who served as Governor of Idaho from 1971 to 1977, and again from 1987 to 1995; and in Washington as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1977 to 1981, during the Carter administration...
; former Governor of Oregon
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay
Douglas McKay
James Douglas McKay was an American businessman and politician from Oregon. A native of the state, he served in World War I before he became a successful businessman, mainly as a car dealership owner in the capital city of Salem. A Republican, he served as a city councilor and mayor of Salem...
; former Governor of Oregon John Hubert Hall
John Hubert Hall
John Hubert Hall was an American Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He was Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives in 1947, fourth in line to the governorship, when the governor, secretary of state, and senate president were all killed in a plane crash...
; U.S. Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates
Mary Carlin Yates
Mary Carlin Yates is a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. State Department and was one of two deputy commanders of the United States Africa Command until June 2009....
; former U.S. Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Rod Chandler
Rod Chandler
Rodney Dennis "Rod" Chandler was a U.S. Representative from Washington. He is the great-great-grandnephew of long-time U.S. Senator Zachariah Chandler of Michigan....
, Julia Butler Hansen
Julia Butler Hansen
Julia Butler Hansen , born Julia Caroline Butler, June 14, 1907, in Portland, Oregon, USA, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1960-1974. She represented Washington's Third Congressional District as a Democrat. She was the second woman and first Democratic woman...
, Norris Poulson
Norris Poulson
C. Norris Poulson served as the 36th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1953 to 1961, after having been a California State Assemblyman and then a member of the United States Congress for eight years...
, Lowell Stockman
Lowell Stockman
Lowell Stockman was a representative from Oregon to the United States House of Representatives from 1943 to 1953.-Early life:...
, and Jolene Unsoeld
Jolene Unsoeld
Jolene Unsoeld , an American politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. She represented the Third congressional district of Washington as a Democrat....
; former U.S. Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
[Frederick Steiwer] and John Ensign
John Ensign
John Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
. Several OSU alumni have military ties, including Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipients Edward Allworth
Edward Allworth
Edward Christopher Allworth was an American officer in the United States Army during World War I.-Biography:...
and John Noble Holcomb
John Noble Holcomb
John Noble Holcomb was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
; commander of Marine forces at Henderson Hall and USMC
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Anthony E. Van Dyke
Anthony E. Van Dyke
Anthony E. Van Dyke is an American United States Marine Corps Colonel and current commander of Marine forces at Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia...
; and World War II flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
& USMC Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Marion Eugene Carl.
In arts and entertainment, alumni include Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winners' Chris Anderson, George Oppen
George Oppen
George Oppen was an American poet, best known as one of the members of the Objectivist group of poets. He abandoned poetry in the 1930s for political activism, and later moved to Mexico to avoid the attentions of the House Un-American Activities Committee...
, and Roger Werth; Academy Award winner Harley Jessup; actor Michael Lowry
Michael Lowry (actor)
Michael Lowry is an American actor best known for his role as Jake Martin on All My Children from 1996 to 2000. He has also appeared in the soap opera As the World Turns as Les Sweeney in 2004 and 2005...
; news anchor Cathy Marshall
Cathy Marshall (news anchor)
Cathy Marshall Cathy Marshall is an experienced newscaster. She has worked with news stations in major markets including Boston, Atlanta, Seattle and, most recently, as a sideline reporter for Fox Sports Northwest in Portland, OR...
; country music singer Travis Rush
Travis Rush
Travis Benjamin Rush is a country music singer from Oregon.-Biography:Travis Rush was born in Orange, California, where he lived for 9 months and then moved to Gold Beach, Oregon. By the age of 10, Rush was singing in contests and playing the piano for local fans in his home town...
; screenwriter Mike Rich
Mike Rich
Mike Rich is an American screenwriter best known for his writing on sports-related films.-Early life:A graduate of Oregon State University's College of Business, Rich began his media career as a news reporter for a Portland radio station, KINK...
and Architect Lee Arden Thomas
Lee Arden Thomas
Lee Arden Thomas was an architect in Bend and Portland, Oregon, United States. He graduated in 1907 from Oregon Agricultural College . He completed many projects in Bend, often partenering with local architect Hugh Thompson...
, who designed the Memorial Union (MU).
Oregon State athletes have a had a significant showing in professional sports, including more than 15 MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players, more than 20 NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
players, and more than 130 NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
players. Some of the more prominent athletes include Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
player and 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
champion Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ; born September 11, 1983) is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball....
; NFL Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
ers Chad Ocho Cinco, T. J. Houshmandzadeh
T. J. Houshmandzadeh
T. J. Houshmandzadeh, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State. Houshmandzadeh is of mixed...
, Steven Jackson
Steven Jackson
Steven Rashad Jackson is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams 24th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State University....
and Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson (American football)
Derek Matthew Anderson is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
; Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Terry Baker
Terry Baker
For the Canadian football player of the same name see Terry Baker .Terry Wayne Baker is a former quarterback for the Oregon State University football team. He played for them through the 1960-1962 seasons. He is most notable for winning the 1962 Heisman Trophy and playing the Final Four in the...
; Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
player Brent Barry
Brent Barry
Brent Robert Barry is an American former professional basketball player. The , shooting guard was selected out of Oregon State University by the Denver Nuggets with the 15th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly after to the Los Angeles Clippers.Barry played professionally...
; former NBA player "Iron Man" A. C. Green
A. C. Green
A.C. Green, Jr., is a retired American NBA basketball player who played in more consecutive games than any other player in NBA and ABA history. With 1,192 straight games played, he earned the nickname "Iron Man". He played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat...
; and 9-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton
Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton is a former American professional basketball point guard. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals...
. OSU alumni have earned more than 15 Olympic medals, including Fosbury Flop
Fosbury Flop
The Fosbury Flop is a style used in the athletics event of high jump. It was popularized and perfected by American athlete Dick Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics brought it to the world's attention...
creator Dick Fosbury
Dick Fosbury
Richard Douglas "Dick" Fosbury is one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. He completely revolutionized the high jump event, inventing a unique "back-first" technique, now known as the Fosbury Flop, adopted by almost all high jumpers today. His method was to sprint...
; first American woman to high jump over 6' Joni Huntley
Joni Huntley
Joni Luann Huntley is an American athlete who won the bronze medal in the women's high jump event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California....
; and undefeated amateur wrestler Robin Reed
Robin Reed
Robin Reed is considered among the greatest amateur wrestlers in the history of the sport. Throughout his career he never lost a wrestling match, official or unofficial, to anyone at any weight class...
.
Other notable alumni include NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronauts William Oefelein
William Oefelein
William Anthony "Bill" Oefelein is an American businessman and a former test pilot instructor, naval officer and NASA astronaut who, on his only spaceflight, piloted the STS-116 Space Shuttle mission....
and Donald Pettit
Donald Pettit
Donald Roy Pettit is an American chemical engineer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station and a six-week expedition to find meteorites in Antarctica.-Personal:...
, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmates of The Year Jodi Ann Paterson
Jodi Ann Paterson
Jodi Ann Paterson is an American model, actress and former beauty queen. She competed in the Miss Teen USA competition as Miss Oregon Teen USA in 1994; she was a Playboy Playmate in 1999, and was named Playmate of the Year in 2000...
and Sara Jean Underwood
Sara Jean Underwood
Sara Jean Underwood is an American model and actress who was chosen as the Playmate of the Month for the July 2006 issue of Playboy magazine and later became Playmate of the Year in 2007. She is a presenter on Attack of the Show!....
, and Turkish billionaire Hüsnü Özyeğin
Hüsnü Özyegin
Hüsnü Özyeğin is a Turkish businessman in the finance sector who created his own fortune. He is owner of FIBA Holding, a group of mostly finance companies in Turkey. He has a net worth of $US3 billion as of 2011....
.
Faculty and staff
OSU has several notable faculty members, including entomologyEntomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
professor George Poinar, Jr.
George Poinar, Jr.
George O. Poinar, Jr. is an entomologist and writer. He is known for popularizing the idea of extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber, an idea which received widespread attention when adapted by Michael Crichton for the book and movie Jurassic Park.Poinar earned a B.S. and M.S. at Cornell...
, whose work extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber was the inspiration for the novel and film Jurassic Park.
OSU baseball coach Pat Casey
Pat Casey
Pat Casey is the head coach for the Oregon State Beavers baseball team. He is best known for winning the 2006 College World Series for the Beavers' first-ever baseball National Championship...
was named Coach of the Year by several publications in both 2006 and 2007 when he led the baseball team to back-to-back national championships, and former OSU basketball coaches Slats Gill
Slats Gill
Amory Tingle "Slats" Gill was a men's basketball and baseball coach at Oregon State University.-Early life:Gill was born in Salem, Oregon, the youngest of eight children. His father died when he was a child. His nickname "Slats" was given to him at age 12. Gill was swimming in a local pond one...
and Ralph Miller
Ralph Miller
Ralph H. Miller was an American basketball coach. A native of Chanute, Kansas, Miller coached at the University of Wichita , the University of Iowa and Oregon State University , compiling a 657-382 overall record in 38 seasons combined...
are both members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Current OSU head basketball coach Craig Robinson
Craig Robinson (basketball coach)
Craig Malcolm Robinson is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Oregon State University. He was previously the head coach at Brown University. He was a star forward as a player at Princeton University in the early 1980s and a bond trader during the...
is the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Student life
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
is a relatively small community and many of the local events have a strong connection to the university. Oregon State has over 300 active student organizations and groups, the most of any university in the Oregon University System
Oregon University System
The Oregon University System consists of seven public, four-year universities in the State of Oregon administered by the Chancellor of the OUS, who is appointed by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education...
. The campus is located only a few hours driving distance from any number of outdoor recreation opportunities. Several federal and state natural forests and parks make up popular student destinations. These include the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
, a rugged coastline, several large forests, a desert, and many rivers. Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon's largest city, is 85 miles (137 km) north of the campus.
From 1930 until 1968, Oregon State University was home to the Gamma chapter of Phrateres
Phrateres
Phrateres is a philanthropic-social organization for female college students.- History :Phrateres was founded at UCLA in 1924 by the Dean of Women, Helen Matthewson Laughlin. The intention was to bring "independent" women students into a collective group for the purposes of socialization and...
, a philanthropic-social organization for female college students. Gamma was the third chapter of the organization, which eventually had over 20 chapters in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States.
The majority of older students at Oregon State University live off-campus, but on-campus housing is available and typically home to incoming freshmen. There are 14 residence halls on campus, which are organized into individual Hall Councils. Residents make up the membership and each council holds their own elections to select management over the hall government. All of the councils are managed by the Residence Hall Association (RHA).
The LaSells Stewart Center
The LaSells Stewart Center
The LaSells Stewart Center is the performing arts and conference center on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. The Stewart Family donated the money used to construct the center, and it is dedicated to the memory of LaSells Stewart....
is the conference and performing arts center for the campus. Many famous speakers have graced the stage of the campus' main auditorium, Austin Auditorium, while the Corvallis-OSU Symphony plays there frequently. The OSU Office of Conferences and Special Events is located within the auditorium.
The University is host to a radio station, KBVR 88.7 FM
KBVR (FM)
KBVR is a student-run radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Corvallis, Oregon, USA. The station is currently owned by Oregon State Bd. of Higher Education....
, a television station, KBVR TV 26, and an award-winning student newspaper, The Daily Barometer
The Daily Barometer
The Daily Barometer is an independent campus newspaper of Oregon State University, in Corvallis, Oregon. It is published five days a week during the fall, winter and spring quarters, and weekly during the summer.-History:...
.
Two Oregon State students are members of the Oregon Student Association
Oregon student association
The Oregon Student Association , a non-profit organization, was established in 1975 to represent, serve and protect the collective interests of students in post-secondary education in the U.S. state of Oregon....
Board of Directors.
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
, convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
, and athletic games are: Oregon State Fight Song.
Athletics
Stack magazine
STACK magazine is a sports magazine dedicated to help high school student athletes train better, using training routines from star pro athletes. It aims to provide information, inspiration and entertainment to its readership, and covers both effectiveness in performance and sports lifestyle issues...
, places Oregon State 29th in the nation's "Elite 50" universities and uncontested within the state that year. Since then, the University of Oregon has joined Oregon State in the STACK rankings.
The history of Oregon State athletics dates back to 1893, when "Jimmie the Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
" was chosen as the college's mascot. This was replaced by the beaver
American Beaver
The North American Beaver is the only species of beaver in the Americas, native to North America and introduced to South America. In the United States and Canada, where no other species of beaver occurs, it is usually simply referred to as "beaver"...
in 1910; it has remained the school's mascot. In 1915, the college became one of the four charter members of the Pacific Coast (Athletic) Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
.
Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
is played in Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. on the campus of Oregon State University. It is the home of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference. Originally opened in 1953 as Parker Stadium, the stadium was renamed in 1999, and its current...
. The current costumed mascot Benny the Beaver
Benny Beaver
Benny Beaver is the official mascot of Oregon State University and current winner of the 2011 Capital One Mascot of the Year write-in campaign. The exact date of when the name was first used as the university's mascot is not known, but photographs in the school's yearbook document its use as early...
made his first appearance in 1952. The next year, 1953, saw the opening of the football facility, Parker Stadium (now named Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. on the campus of Oregon State University. It is the home of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference. Originally opened in 1953 as Parker Stadium, the stadium was renamed in 1999, and its current...
). The Raising Reser campaign expanded the stadium from 35,000 seats to 46,200 throughout 2006–07. A time lapse
Time Lapse
Time Lapse is the first live album by guitarist Steve Hackett. The album is drawn from live performances at the Savoy Theater in New York City and at Central TV Studios in Nottingham.-Track listing:...
video recording of the expansion is viewable on the internet. 1962 saw OSU's (and the west coast's) first Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner, quarterback Terry Baker
Terry Baker
For the Canadian football player of the same name see Terry Baker .Terry Wayne Baker is a former quarterback for the Oregon State University football team. He played for them through the 1960-1962 seasons. He is most notable for winning the 1962 Heisman Trophy and playing the Final Four in the...
. The University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
is often seen as the school's key athletic rival, with the annual Civil War
Civil War (college football game)
The Civil War is the colloquial name for an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oregon Ducks football team of the University of Oregon and the Oregon State Beavers football team of the Oregon State University...
football game between the two teams being one of the nation's longest-lived rivalries.
Trysting Tree
Trysting Tree
Trysting trees are those trees of any species which have through their individual prominence, appearance or position been chosen as traditional or popular meeting places for meetings for specific purposes...
is the name of Oregon State's golf course, dedicated in 1988, the tournament level course has been recognized by Golfweek
Golfweek
Golfweek is a high-end weekly golfing magazine, published in the United States. The magazine was launched in 1975 but was purchased by Turnstile Publishing Company, based in Orlando, Florida, in 1990 and has since become its flagship publication out of the five magazines it publishes...
magazine as one of the top five collegiate golf courses on the West Coast. Its name is traced to a tree near Benton Hall where student couples would meet and make dates. Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
is held in Gill Coliseum
Gill Coliseum
Gill Coliseum is a 10,400-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Opened in 1949, the arena is home to the Oregon State Beavers' basketball, wrestling, volleyball, and gymnastics teams. It is named after famed basketball coach Amory T...
, named after former Beavers coach Slats Gill
Slats Gill
Amory Tingle "Slats" Gill was a men's basketball and baseball coach at Oregon State University.-Early life:Gill was born in Salem, Oregon, the youngest of eight children. His father died when he was a child. His nickname "Slats" was given to him at age 12. Gill was swimming in a local pond one...
. The Civil War
Civil War (college rivalry)
The Civil War is a college rivalry between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. The rivalry is one of the oldest in the nation, dating back to 1894 when the two universities' football teams first met. Although the college football game is the most popular rivalry, the two...
is one of the most contested rivalries in the nation. Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
is held in Goss Stadium at Coleman Field
Goss Stadium at Coleman Field
Goss Stadium at Coleman Field is a college baseball stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, on the campus of Oregon State University. It is home to the Oregon State Beavers of the Pac-12 conference...
. The OSU baseball team, managed by Pat Casey
Pat Casey
Pat Casey is the head coach for the Oregon State Beavers baseball team. He is best known for winning the 2006 College World Series for the Beavers' first-ever baseball National Championship...
, won back-to-back NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
s in 2006 and 2007. Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
is held in the OSU Softball Complex. Opened in April 2001, the $1.5 million dollar OSU Softball Complex seats 750. Oregon State hosted a Regional and Super Regional tournament in the 2006 NCAA tournament, winning both and moving on to the Women's College World Series.
Oregon State has a total of three NCAA championships. In addition to the two baseball titles, the Beavers won the 1961 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship. In 1975, the men's rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
Varsity-4 with coxswain team won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
National Collegiate Rowing Championships in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, establishing a course record which stood for 15 years. In 2006 and 2008, the Oregon State racquetball team won the USA racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
intercollegiate championship.
Oregon State University is home to the oldest marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
in the Pac-12. The Oregon State University Marching Band
Oregon State University Marching Band
With over 250 members, the Oregon State University Marching Band, or OSUMB, is the marching band of Oregon State University, known as the "Spirit and Sound of OSU." It was founded in 1890 making it the oldest band in the Pac-12. The OSUMB is the main group within the Oregon State University...
was started in 1890 and has become a staple at Beaver football games. OSU football coach Mike Riley credits the marching band with 10 points at each home game and 6 at each away game.
Diversity
As of 2009, the total student enrollment (undergraduate and graduate) at OSU was 21,969. As of November 11, 2010, total enrollment had increased to 23,761 students. The jump gives OSU the largest enrollment of the state's two major universities.In accordance with the University’s mission for diversity, many organizations, clubs, and departments have been formed, including the Office Of Community and Diversity and several cultural and resource centers.
Oregon State University has several cultural centers aimed at promoting diversity and supporting students of color, including the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, Native American Longhouse, Asian & Pacific Cultural Center, and the Centro Cultural César Chávez.
In addition to its mission of ethnic diversity, Oregon State University supports its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population with a Pride Center.