Dear OSU Community Members,
I am thrilled to join the university community, begin my service as Oregon State University’s 16th president and engage as a new Oregonian.
I greatly appreciate the warm welcome I have received from so many faculty, staff, students, donors and alums, and from all corners of the OSU community.
I thank Becky Johnson for her leadership as interim president this past year and President Emeritus Ed Ray for his many contributions and visionary guidance during his 17 years as president. I also thank members of the OSU Board of Trustees for their thoughtful leadership and service.
I look forward to joining you at University Day activities Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the LaSells Stewart Center as we begin the new academic year with an awards celebration, keynote speech, panel discussion, a prize drawing, and an OSU community lunch served by me, other university leaders, and University Housing and Dining Services staff.
In the weeks ahead, I also will be pleased to meet you, learn from you and engage with you to help advance the university’s mission of service to the state, Oregonians, the nation and the world.
A top priority of my service as president will be personal engagement – my engagement throughout OSU campuses in Bend and Corvallis, at university locations statewide, and with community, business and education partners across Oregon and beyond.
While I begin my role as a president, please know that I am first and foremost a teacher. I am inspired by students, and I am committed to advance success for all students, most importantly their graduation. Without question, students taking classes on our Corvallis and Bend campuses and through Ecampus distance learning are the heart of this great university. In the years ahead, lifelong learning delivered by the university for all ages across Oregon will grow in importance.
I recognize that commitment and action are needed to advance inclusive excellence, which must define OSU and the university’s teaching, student services, research and community service.
As Oregon’s statewide land grant university, OSU is ideally qualified to advance the ideal that higher education is a public good. As your president, I will increase access to public higher education throughout the state by working with the governor, legislators and state leaders, as well as leaders at other Oregon universities and community colleges.
As I look around this phenomenal university, I see evidence everywhere of great momentum and excellence.
Working with OSU faculty and staff, administrators, donors, alumni and stakeholders, I pledge to build on this excellence and momentum by helping advance the incredible teaching, research discovery, innovation, scholarship and engagement occurring throughout OSU.
We will do this by investing in and continuing the impressive work of Strategic Plan 4.0. In the months ahead, we will work together to fashion an updated university roadmap: Strategic Plan 5.0. We also will advance the excellence, work and impact of the university and student success by engaging with the OSU Foundation in launching the university’s next comprehensive fundraising campaign on Oct. 14.
All of this important work cannot be done alone.
Although I have only been part of this community a short while, I clearly see that in true Beaver spirit, we are better together. And it is through collaboration that we accomplish great things.
I hope to see you soon throughout Oregon State University and across this great state.
Sincerely,
Jayathi Y. Murthy
President