Oregon State University Cascades campus is expanding, bringing new buildings and services to students in Bend, Oregon.
The Student Success Center is the first project currently underway at Cascades. Katie Wilson, associate dean for student life, says that the new Student Success Center will centralize student success services.
“There’s great lounge spaces and study spaces like what the Memorial Union has that we have spread out across campus. A central gathering space for students to find community and belonging is one of the ways that will help improve the student experience here,” said Wilson.
“The more we can do to help people feel like they belong and they have the support they need, the more likely they are to persist through to graduation,” said Wilson.
Within the Student Success Center, there will be multiple study lounges, a community kitchen, a coffee shop and many offices for staff and the student government office.
Nathan Moses, the associate director of student life and retention programs, says that once the Student Success Center is completed, the next two projects will be the Health and Student Recreation Center and a new residence hall.
These two projects could take three to four years to complete and are dependent on increased enrollment numbers.
Many student jobs will be added with the expansion as well. “The new Health and Student Rec Center will have a need now for student referees, intramural club consultation student positions, maintenance, facility positions and front desk positions,” said Moses. These positions could add 30 to 50 new student jobs
With the campus expansion, Cascades just recently added their first part-time nurse position. They will continue to add nursing, counseling, administrative positions and student jobs, according to Moses.
The addition of the Student Health and Recreation Center would help provide a complete student experience. Having a space for students to be active and healthy sets students up for academic success.
Moses said they will be considering what the community interface with the rec center will look like as well. “We envision that we might do some revenue generation to help supplement those student fees for things like reserving out parts of the new building for summer operations,” Moses said.
In addition to increasing student engagement across campus, the expansions are aimed at interacting with the city of Bend as well. Moses explained that having more students at OSU Cascades will provide more volunteer work and internships in Bend. “(Those) are invaluable resources for the community to tap into,” said Moses.
