So Oregon State University won the Bend branch campus. Don’t get upset; it’s probably for the best.
The Emerald editorial board hasn’t written to date about the Civil War battle for Bend, not because we forgot it was happening but because it doesn’t seem to affect students here very much. Yes, it was important to the University administration, and it was a long-term effort to increase the value and prestige of the University. But it wasn’t an issue that made us squirm.
As it turns out, those in the community who invested in the University’s winning the Bend deal will probably be happy we remained silent. Yes, we love our university and want it to win, win, win in everything it does. But we believe OSU had a better proposal.
Recently, the arguments over which university should expand to Bend have sounded like a culture war. Indeed, parts of the editorial board’s discussion had cultural overtones. Phrases such as “new economy,” “changing culture” and “elitist” were thrown around the room. There are, then, at least two ways to frame the purpose of bringing a state university to Bend.
First, there’s the notion that Central Oregon’s economy is changing and the citizens need to change with it. To this view, Bend needs a liberal arts infusion to “culturify” the region and to allow Central Oregon a chance to advance in the new economy. More is needed than simply degrees in engineering and computer science. A whole new way of viewing the world needs to be imported to Bend, to accompany the growing population that is already changing the cultural makeup of the area.
Then there’s the other side, which asks why Central Oregon must be forced to think and act like the Willamette Valley. Instead of demanding that everyone take undergraduate classes in philosophy and sociology, why not offer the region more of what it wants: skills to compete in the new market and courses that complement the culture Central Oregonians value. Instead of demanding worker retraining, teach workers the skills and help them identify the markets so they can be competitive.
These two views can be divisive. The editorial board was split, although the majority was in favor of allowing Bend to decide what they needed rather than sending them a “Eugene Lite” to focus on liberal arts. Apparently the demographics of Bend really have been changing in recent years, however, as the community there also has seemed to experience this battle. There was no overwhelming majority in favor of either campus.
We can’t know if the State Board of Higher Education felt the culture war, but we can say we agree with its decision, based on both schools’ proposals. To be fair, we’ve only skimmed the full text of the proposals. We focused on the summaries, which should give a representative sample of the schools’ attitudes.
Ultimately, we believe OSU’s proposal sounded the most cooperative and focused on the best interests of Bend. The first paragraph of OSU’s summary discusses its intent to work with the community. The third paragraph mentions the 24 public meetings OSU held to find out what Central Oregon wanted. Much of the entire summary is focused around how OSU will form partnerships and how OSU’s programs will provide success for the community. The proposal even mentions working with the University of Oregon in the “Partnerships” section, which, after the state board’s decision, OSU said was always part of their plan.
Like wealthier cousins often are, perhaps the University was a bit cocky in its approach. The University’s first paragraphs vaguely mention collaboration with others in the Bend community, but mostly they focus on explaining again and again just how great the University is. Reading the summary, one gets the feeling that the University is so darn great and has so much money to spend, it would be a shame not to have this greatness go out to Bend and grace everyone with its presence.
The University goes on to explain that Bend needs more liberal arts. There is repeated mention of the money that can be offered. Toward the end of the summary, the University discusses “A Spirit of Cooperation.” In this section, OSU is not mentioned. Later, in the “Success for Central Oregon” section, the University once again highlights the many things that make it great.
We love the Ducks, and we hope they can win some more games. We believe in school spirit, and we have an ingrained dislike for OSU, just like we’re supposed to. But OSU’s proposal fits Bend better than ours does. More money isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, cooperation and community go further. We’re glad the state board chose community.