After 155 days, the Oregon Legislature concluded the 2015 session this week, and the work that our Beaver Caucus members did had a real impact on the future of Oregon State University.
Oregon has seen a significant divestment in higher education since the 2007 recession. Our primary goal for this session was reversing this trend and restoring higher education funding to pre-recession levels. We went a long way toward accomplishing this. The $700 million approved by the legislature represents a 28 percent increase over the last biennium and will allow OSU to minimize tuition increases while investing in faculty, research and facilities.
OSU’s Statewide programs also received a $14 million funding increase. This is the first raise these programs have seen since 1999, and it will help them continue their tradition of being an economic and educational driver across the state.
Finally, the legislature authorized funding that will allow OSU to remodel Peavy Hall, while constructing a new Oregon Forest Science Complex and Marine Studies Campus.
We are pleased that our legislators have taken a bold step in the right direction, and we know that messages from The Beaver Caucus members were heard in Salem.
The Beaver Caucus is now in the process of sending our thanks to the legislators who helped us take this huge step in the right direction. Please help us convey our thanks by clicking here to quickly send a thank you note to your representative in Salem. This will let them know that we appreciate their support and look forward to working with them again to continue to improve higher education in Oregon.
