Oregon State University
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

OSU's mission is to promote "economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for people across Oregon, the nation and the world." As such, the OSU Strategic Plan has recently been updated to emphasize OSU's strengths and services areas around sustainability outlines the following Signature Areas of Distinction: • Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems • Improving Human Health and Wellness • Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. The Strategic Plan further commits OSU to substantially reducing OSU's carbon footprint and to "Improving the understanding of the earth ecosystems upon which all life depends, and promoting their sustainability through high-impact public policy involvement with issues such as climate change, food security and safety, renewable energy production, and economically viable natural resource management."

Goal 1: Provide outstanding academic programs that further strengthen performance and preeminence in the three Signature Areas of Distinction: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. Summary of Initiatives: * Increase faculty capacity in signature areas and improve faculty strength through coordinated faculty hiring. * Increase total grants and contracts to expand the impact of research on scholarship and the creative work of faculty, and enhance partnerships with the business and corporate sector, other universities and associations, and non-profit and non-governmental organizations. * Raise the profile of graduate education at OSU by repositioning existing programs and introducing targeted new programs to support OSU's three signature areas, and increasing professional and graduate programs to 25 percent of all enrollments. * Increase the impact of OSU's regional programs, especially in the Portland metropolitan area and Central Oregon, and raise the university's visibility nationally and internationally. * Attract the best students to OSU's undergraduate and graduate programs through targeted recruitment, increased capacity in the University Honors College, and competitive scholarships and fellowships. * Create and enhance models of outreach and engagement to serve the needs of the State and promote adoption of these models by other higher education institutions around the globe. Goal 2: Provide an excellent teaching and learning environment and achieve student access, persistence and success through graduation and beyond that matches the best land grant universities in the country. Summary of Initiatives: * Implement a student engagement agenda that enables successful transition to college, adds value to student experiences, and increases leadership and research opportunities in order to raise first-year retention and six-year graduation rates. * Ensure all teaching faculty contribute to a learner-centered academic experience, and aid them in bringing their scholarship into the learning experience of students. * Sustain and expand the Bridge to Success program to provide educational opportunities to students from limited financial circumstances. * Increase participation and success of students from under-represented U.S. minorities and international students, and equalize six-year graduation rates for all student cohorts. * Re-evaluate the liberal education component (“baccalaureate core”) of the undergraduate education to ensure that all students explore, experience, and reflect upon world views, life situations, and cultures that are different from their own, and create opportunities for students to apply their skills and knowledge to complex problems and real-world challenges. * Increase access to innovative, relevant educational programs through non-traditional delivery modes that serve place-bound students, address targeted business needs, and promote lifelong learning. Goal 3: Substantially increase revenues from private fundraising, partnerships, research grants, and technology transfers while strengthening our ability to more effectively invest and allocate resources to achieve success. Summary of Initiatives: * Successfully complete the public phase of the Campaign for OSU and position the University for future growth in private fundraising. * Increase revenues from research grants and contracts, technology transfer, and commercialization activities. * Collaborate with institutional partners in areas of shared vision to gain efficiencies in program development and delivery. * Systematically improve the quality and cost effectiveness of business services to strengthen academic programs and student services.

OSU metrics have been updated to include Phase II metrics: Number of Degrees Awarded First-Year Retention Rate Six-Year Graduation Rate % High-Achieving Oregon High School Graduates % US Minority Students % US Minority Faculty Total R&D Expenditures (million $) Dollars Leveraged Per Appropriated Dollar for Statewide Public Service Research Annual Private Giving (million $) Fiscal Year Greenhouse Gas Emissions