Officials from Oregon’s seven public universities are looking at different ways to meet Chancellor Richard Jarvis’ goal of expanding Oregon University System enrollment capacity to 100,000 by 2010.
The goal, which is part of Jarvis’ higher education plan known as “The Deal,” is an effort to meet future demand for higher education.
University Provost John Moseley said whether that goal is met depends on how much funding is available.
“That will only happen if the state is willing to invest quite a bit more money than it’s investing now,” he said. “Right now, the state is not funding the enrollment that we have.”
Moseley said an effort to enlarge physical capacity “is going to have to start moving pretty fast” if the University hopes to meet the chancellor’s goal. He said that with the business school under construction, the University is already operating beyond capacity.
Bob Kiernen, director of Institutional Research Services for Oregon universities, said that although about one-third of the system’s students are enrolled at the University, that doesn’t necessarily mean the University will absorb an equal proportion of the increased capacity.
“A fair percentage of the growth may happen at other campuses,” he said.
Bob Bontrager, assistant provost for enrollment management at Oregon State University, said the enrollment goal includes adults returning to school to enhance their vocational skills.
“We’re not necessarily talking about traditional students,” he said. “We’re looking at expanding capacity by rethinking how we deliver education.”
Bontrager said meeting increased demand can be accomplished in part by using branch campuses, such as OSU’s Cascades Campus in Bend. Students can pursue a variety of degree programs at Cascades, including business, education and liberal arts.
Another strategy to accommodate growth is allowing students to enroll in community colleges and OSU simultaneously. Bontrager said this will eliminate bureaucratic hurdles in transferring credits and will enable students taking classes from two different institutions to qualify for federal financial aid.
While some universities are looking at alternatives to the traditional college education, others are ready to expand.
Tim Seydel, assistant vice president for university advancement at Eastern Oregon University, said the institution is looking forward to enrolling more students.
“From our perspective, we’re actually planning for a lot of growth,” he said.
Seydel said tuition dollars from increased enrollment will enable EOU to make the expansions necessary to accommodate more students. EOU experienced a 15.9 percent jump in enrollment this year, he said.
Western Oregon University President Philip Conn said he expects WOU to expand enrollment by 25 percent to meet anticipated demand.
Conn said the ability to do that without sacrificing quality will depend on state financial support.
“It’s going to be a dilemma,” he said.
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