Three Goals
A university focused on big discoveries that drive big solutions
Prosperity will flourish when Oregon State research is fully powered up for excellence — intentionally concentrated in domains in which we are uniquely competitive and distinctive, making the most of our capacity for collaborative transdisciplinary discovery and leveraging entrepreneurship and public engagement. To begin embedding this culture of high strategic focus, this plan outlines four initial research areas where OSU has clear opportunities to build a global reputation and exert extraordinary impact: climate science and related solutions, robotics, clean energy and related solutions, and integrated health and biotechnology. In all cases, we will pursue these ambitions with transdisciplinary teams that work across the sciences, engineering, arts, social sciences and humanities.
Our intention to go big in selected areas will require a new mindset in how we prioritize, fund, staff, collaborate and problem-solve. We are confident that strategic, targeted investments will lift the entire university, open new opportunities in every discipline and create social, economic and environmental solutions with big impacts.
These focused initiatives will also create enduring university-community partnerships that will serve the state, the nation and the world far beyond the timeline of this plan: bridging differences, combating misinformation, inspiring more effective stewardship and facilitating greater civic participation. As we build these strengths, we will do so in ways that grow and sustain resilient, collaborative relationships with diverse community stakeholders, incorporate many ways of learning and knowing, and co-create solutions with benefits that are distributed fairly and equitably.
A university where every student graduates
This goal commits us to becoming a university deeply committed to the principle that every student we admit — in person or online — should achieve their goal to graduate. We are not gatekeepers; we are enablers. As an institution established in the public trust, we have the privilege and responsibility to keep open pathways to academic success and to do all we can to provide every student with the support necessary to succeed. We know we can do so without compromising our academic standards or the value of an Oregon State University degree.
We will continuously adapt to the rapidly evolving needs of learners and communities by strategically expanding academic programs and credentials and delivering them fluidly across Oregon State’s campuses and education platforms. We will build on the scale and reputation of Ecampus, which serves a growing number of degree-seekers of all ages and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top providers of degrees online. We can enrich pre-college engagement and Oregon State’s curriculum, teaching, experiential learning, academic support and career development. At the same time, we will offer educational opportunities for learners who seek shorter-term credentialing programs to upskill and retool their careers.
More a mindset than a metric, this goal will require us to productively disrupt many of the ways we are organized and approach our work. Every member of our community should approach their work, their responsibilities and their obligations toward the academic fulfillment and success of our students.
A university that fuels a thriving world
By combining exceptional research and teaching with an unparalleled capacity to partner with public and private stakeholders, Oregon State will serve as a powerful engine for widely shared, environmentally sustainable prosperity in our state, the nation and the world.
Working with partners in industry, government and education, we will help strengthen economies and communities by sharing Oregon State’s discoveries and capacity for joint problem-solving and by continuously adapting to the future of work in how we teach and prepare students for careers. We will be among the nation’s leaders in translating research to applications that contribute solutions to the world’s greatest challenges in areas like food, water, energy and climate change. We will be proactive and collaborative in creating the vision for — and helping to realize — dynamic, innovative and entrepreneurial economies and communities.
Purposefully engaging all disciplines, we will connect the analytic, humanistic and aesthetic in innovative ways to contribute understanding of how societies can fully realize the promise of new discoveries and technologies. To create a shared path forward, we will coordinate with the private sector; state, local and Tribal governments; and other educational institutions. Knowing true partnerships are built on trust, we will measure our leadership by whether we deliver on our commitment to collaboration and reciprocity.