Oregon Institute of Technology

"OIT" redirects here. For other uses, see OIT (disambiguation).

Oregon Institute of Technology
Established	1947
Type	Public
Endowment	$42,465,000
President	Chris Maples
Provost	Brad Burda
Academic staff	139
Admin. staff	222
Students	3927
Undergraduates	3907
Postgraduates	20
Location	Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States 42°15′23″N 121°47′08″W / 42.25648°N 121.78551°W / 42.25648; -121.78551
Campus	Rural 190 acres (77 ha)
Former names	Oregon Vocational School Oregon Technical Institute
Colors	Navy & Old Gold
Athletics	NAIA Cascade Collegiate Conference
Sports	11 Varsity Teams
Nickname	Hustlin' Owls
Mascot	Hootie
Affiliations	Oregon University System
Website	http://www.oit.edu

Oregon Institute of Technology, also known as Oregon Tech or OIT, is an accredited university in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the northwest United States. Located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, it provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in many technical and health related fields. OIT also maintains four sites in Portland, Oregon, one site in La Grande, Oregon and a partner location with Boeing in Seattle, Washington.

Academics

OIT has earned a substantial regional reputation for excellent academic programs in the various professional disciplines of engineering, technology and health professions, resulting in its graduates being heavily recruited by companies in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Admission information reported by the university indicates an average SAT score and GPA of 1060 and 3.51, respectively, with 85% of the student population being residents of the state of Oregon.^[1]

Oregon Institute of Technology earned a spot in the top 10 among Baccalaureate Colleges in the West in the 2008 and 2009 editions of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S.News & World Report. The university also ranked fourth in the Western ranking of the Top Public Baccalaureate Colleges.^[2]

Engineering and Engineering Technology

OIT currently offers a variety of degrees in engineering and engineering technology, including a well-established program in Civil Engineering, as well as the more recent addition of undergraduate curricula in Renewable Energy, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering. A study of Civil Engineering graduates revealed 92% were successfully employed within 6 months of earning their degree, with a further 6% enrolled in graduate school.^[3]

The school of engineering is recognized for producing graduates with a more comprehensive knowledge of practical design principles (in addition to standard engineering theory) than many other institutions, and has seen extensive recruitment by top corporations and design firms as well as state and federal agencies. Starting salaries for OIT engineering grads have exceeded the national average in each of the last 5 years.

Geomatics

OIT currently offers two BS Degrees in Geomatics, one in Professional Land Surveying (PLS) and the other in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Health, Arts & Sciences

Degrees such as Medical Imaging Technology, Respiratory Care and Dental Hygiene are highly sought after and admission to many of the programs in the School of Health, Arts and Sciences is often exceptionally competitive. In the summer of 2006, OIT began construction on a new $22.5 million facility designated the Oregon Center for Health Professions (OCHP), which will become the new home for its medical-related education. Oregon Institute of Technology is considered one of the regional leaders in health care training, and the university has made clear its intentions to extensively expand its curriculum and enrollment in this area. While the recognition of these programs has been good exposure for the college, there is growing criticism that the ambitious expansion plans propagated by university and state higher education officials will transform the school into simply a health care training institution while traditional university programs like engineering, science, business and management will suffer.

Renewable Energy Research

OIT is the only completely geothermally-heated university campus in the United States,^[4] and is home to the Geo-Heat Center, a national resource for geothermal development, and the Oregon Renewable Energy Center (OREC), which conducts applied research on photovoltaic power systems, ground-source heating systems, fuel-cell systems, wind, biomass and integrated systems. In 2005, Oregon Tech introduced the first Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Energy offered in North America. The new program uses electrical and mechanical engineering fundamentals combined with upper-division coursework in renewable energy and energy systems classes to prepare students for careers in the energy sector in general, and renewable energy in particular. The Renewable Energy Engineering degree is offered in both Klamath Falls and Portland.

History

OIT was founded as the Oregon Vocational School in 1947 to train and re-educate returning World War II veterans. Under the direction of Winston Purvine, the first classes were held in a deactivated Marine Corps hospital three miles northeast of Klamath Falls. The following year, the fledgling school's title was changed to the Oregon Technical Institute. In 1953, Associate degree programs in Surveying and Structural Engineering Technologies were first accredited by the Engineers Council for Professional Development. The campus was transferred to its current location in 1964, followed by another name change to the Oregon Institute of Technology in 1973.

Campus

The present Tech campus overlooks Upper Klamath Lake on the outskirts of Klamath Falls, and is directly adjacent to Sky Lakes Medical Center. While the physical location of the school often elicits a favorable response with its views of the lake and mountains, the campus architecture, designed by the architect who designed the U.S. Air Force Academy buildings, is generally regarded as bland, but pragmatic (a common symptom of institutes of technology). Newer buildings such as Purvine Hall, the OCHP, and the College Union renovation and expansion have embraced a more modern, aesthetically appealing collegiate style. The school opened a second housing unit, titled "The Village" adjacent to the original housing unit, "The Castle" for the start of the fall term, in 2009. The Village features an apartment style complex, housing four students to one "apartment" with four bedrooms, and two bathrooms in each complex. Many students live in the residential area south of the college along N. Eldorado Avenue, or elsewhere in Klamath Falls.

Athletics

Oregon Tech competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), participating in cross-country running, track and field, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. The mascot for OIT Athletics is the Hustlin' Owl and is a source of pride for many Tech students.

OIT's traditional athletic nemesis is Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. The close proximity of the schools and alternate academic foci (science and technology at OIT, liberal arts at SOU) result in a natural rivalry between the two.

Basketball

OIT basketball has been consistently competitive in the CCC and at the national level, while earning a somewhat infamous reputation within the conference for its passionate crowds and rowdy student section. In March 2004, the Oregon Tech men's basketball team made school history by winning the NAIA Division II National Championship.

It was OIT's first team title, and the first for head coach Danny Miles, who is the ninth winningest coach in college basketball history (NCAA & NAIA). Entering the 2006-2007 season, Miles' 35-year record at OIT was 788-351 (.691 win percentage) and he earned his 800th win on December 8, 2006 with a 84-73 victory over George Fox University.^[5]

Miles has now amassed a 898-396 (.696) win-loss record over his 38 years as head coach of the Hustlin' Owls. He has won more games than any other basketball coach at one institution. In the last 11 seasons Miles has led his squads to an overall 304-88 (.776) record with 11 trips to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. Oregon Tech, under Miles, has the third most tournament wins (20-8, .714) of any team in NAIA Division II. In his tenure at Oregon Tech, Miles has guided 12 mens basketball teams to the national tournament.

Ending the 2008 season ranked 11th and headed into the NAIA Division II national tournament, OIT looked to repeat the 2004 season and win yet another national championship. The team played top-ranked Bellevue University of Nebraska at 6:30 PM PDT on March 18, 2008. In a repeat of the 2004 title game in which Oregon Tech defeated the Bruins, 81-72, the Hustlin' Owls won their second NAIA Division II national championship with a win over Bellevue University, 63-56.

Clubs & Activities

The university has many different clubs and activities on campus which operate under the umbrella of the school's student government organization, Associated Students of OIT (ASOIT). Among these are student chapters of professional societies, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Dental Hygienists' Association, Alpha Sigma Alpha [1](Sorority), Phi Delta Theta [2] (Fraternity), recreational activity programs, special interest groups, cultural awareness organizations, student media, and academic honor societies. Also, OIT's student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers competes in the annual SAE Mini Baja event.

Trivia

• According to the 2006 President's Report, OIT has approximately twenty thousand alumni which represent all 50 states in the US. The most represented are Oregon (12,243), Washington (2,503), California (1,831), Arizona (391) and Idaho (379).

• KOTI, the local NBC television affiliate in Klamath Falls, was founded at the OIT campus (then the Oregon Technical Institute) in 1956. Student-operated radio station KTEC first broadcast in 1951.

• Starting salary for the Class of 2007 was $54,000, with a graduate success rate of 98 percent (employed, continuing education, or inactive/not seeking employment).

Degree programs

Master of Science

• Manufacturing Engineering Technology
• Civil Engineering

Bachelor of Science

• Allied Health Management
• Applied Mathematics
• Applied Psychology
• Biology
• Civil Engineering
• Clinical Laboratory Science (joint degree with OHSU)
• Communication Studies
• Computer Engineering Technology
• Dental Hygiene
• Diagnostic Medical Sonography
• Echocardiography
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronics Engineering Technology
• Environmental Sciences
• Geomatics
• Health Sciences
• Information Technology, with options in:
  • Applications Development
  • Business/Systems Analysis
  • Accounting
  • Health Informatics[3]
• Management, with options in:
  • Accounting
  • Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management
  • Marketing
• Manufacturing Engineering Technology
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Nuclear Medicine Technology
• Nursing (through OHSU School of Nursing)
• Operations Management
• Radiologic Science
• Renewable Energy Engineering
• Respiratory Care
• Software Engineering Technology
• Vascular Technology

Associate Degrees

• Associate of Applied Science
  • Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic (joint degree with OHSU)
  • Respiratory Care
  • Polysomnographic Technology
• Associate of Arts (Oregon Block Transfer)
• Associate of Engineering
  • Computer Engineering Technology
  • Electronics Engineering Technology (only offered in Portland)
  • Software Engineering Technology

References

1. ^ OIT Admissions (2005). Oregon Tech at a glance
2. ^ OIT in US News & World Report Top 10
3. ^ OIT Civil Engineering. Five year graduate success rate.
4. ^ Oregon Tech Looks To Be World's First Fully-Geothermal Campus
5. ^ Danny Miles

External links

• Oregon Institute of Technology
• Oregon University System
• ASOIT Website
• City of Klamath Falls
• OIT Portland Campus
• Computer Systems Engineering Technology (CSET) Department
• Respiratory Care Program at OIT

Coordinates: 42°15′23″N 121°47′08″W / 42.25648°N 121.78551°W / 42.25648; -121.78551