OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Open search box
Impact Studio's work illustrates the breadth of Oregon State’s mission and facilitates Oregon State's Vision 2030 and Strategic Plan.
Our studio portfolio is built by successfully developing and launching new adjacent opportunities positioned outside of core activities.
Our healthy portfolio depends on the following:
The Oregon Research and Teaching Security Operations Center (ORTSOC) initiative is investigating the best way to establish a regional, world-class shared SOC to improve participating organizations’ cybersecurity capabilities while providing experiential and research opportunities for student’s in cybersecurity programs.
We are headed toward a crisis. Cybersecurity threats are increasing in intensity and sophistication with the resulting data breaches accounting for tremendous losses for organizations. As these organizations seek to improve their security posture, they are finding a shortage of qualified workers. In May 2020, there were 507,924 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. (4,595 positions in Oregon)
Academia responded, and in the last several years there have been a proliferation of cybersecurity and information assurance programs developed. But according to a recent report by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and of Homeland Security, those efforts might be failing to fully meet needs. “Employers increasingly are concerned about the relevance of cybersecurity-related education programs in meeting the needs of their organizations” was one of the key findings of the report. Further research has pointed to the importance of experiential learning to make graduating students appealing to employers.
ORTSOC proposes to incubate and scale up its programs to become the preeminent regional research and teaching Security Operations Center and a trusted cybersecurity partner offering an affordable suite of services to a consortium of under-resourced entities through an experiential learning and professional development program for students.
With degree and certificate programs, a comprehensive curriculum, and consortium member services, ORTSOC will create multiple pathways for diverse student cohorts to progress through OSU cybersecurity programs.
Pathways to OSU (P2OSU) kicked off development in January 2020.
Pathways to OSU (P2OSU) is developing a longitudinal solution to support Black, Latinx, and Native American/Alaskan Native students. Engagement in the program is proposed to start in middle school and extend through their university experience.
P2OSU recognizes and respects the vital role of other successful programs to serve these students; both offered through OSU and by other public and private organizations. The initiative team proposes to connect existing programs across each phase of a student's experience through a relationship-based collaboration and backbone structure within an ecosystem of parent, K-12, community college, Oregon State, community-based organization, industry, and alumni/career touch-points and activities.
Additionally, the focus is on supporting students through the difficult transitions by building trusted relationships with students, families, and communities. Early, intentional and research-based support will increase first-time freshman enrollment and retention through graduation.
The Engineering and Design for Society (EDS) initiative has successfully completed incubation and has been approved in spring 2021 for pilot. This initiative is a continuing partnership between the colleges of Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and Honors. The Honors College serves as the host college for the initiative. Professor Jim Sweeney serves as the EDS Academic Director.
As EDS Academic Director, Jim has overall responsibility in leading EDS in pilot, while reporting to Dean Toni Doolen and working closely with the EDS core leadership team consisting of faculty representing the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Business, Engineering, Education, and Liberal Arts. EDS is bringing together faculty from across the university to create and deliver highly experiential curricula centered on design, innovation, and social good. A central theme is the betterment of society through solutions aligned with the OSU SP4.0 signature areas of revolutionary earth systems science, leading health and wellness, and advancing economic prosperity and social progress. The envisioned experience for students, faculty, and employers/clients includes comprehensive educational plans supporting a range of undergraduate students, multiple curricular options, and experiential learning on real-world client projects. The EDS Pilot Phase will last up to one year, as the initiative core leadership team tests remaining important assumptions before further scaling of the program.
With continued success, this initiative will benefit all who are looking to apply transdisciplinary, project-based experiential curricula in their programs. If you have questions and would like to learn more, please contact Jim Sweeney, EDS Academic Director, at [email protected].
University Financial Management (UFM) kicked off in Phase I in January 2020 and has entered Phase II in January 2021.
A need exists to prioritize and tradeoff both Oregon State University academic unit costs and revenues in a strategic, optimized manner. Budget pressures have peaked with the coincidental timing of the recent implementation of modified Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget processes. Academic deans and directors have not been asked previously or provided the tools to act strategically regarding their college-level program decisions and to optimize within an allocated budget. The UFM working group is engaging with OSU's academic units to improve the tools and methods for strategic financial management.
The UFM Working Group was charged to investigate and propose solutions to provide the needed tools and expertise to support the deans and their academic leaders and faculty.
Envisioned is a UFM Suite, composed of four integrated modules, which provide essential information for budgeting and decision analysis at the college level. The UFM Suite enables the colleges to optimize spending, staffing, and course offerings consistent with their RCM budget guidance.
An early objective in the team's Phase I work was to lock in the development approach, costs, and resources. Currently, Phase II is identifying and creating the tools for the UFM Suite, and will prototype and test the tools in a Feasibility Pilot with select colleges and departments, and further test in a subsequent Development Pilot.
International Online (IO) kicked off development in February 2020 and is now in the Pilot Phase.
The International Online (IO) initiative is taking a comprehensive look at opportunities and required offerings to serve international students. The scope includes prospective students seeking online courses to prepare for a degree program, fully online degrees, and degrees that start online and then complete in the US.
The international higher education market is changing rapidly, including the emergence of online education. The initiative will leverage OSU's Ecampus national leadership position and INTO's pioneering solutions to expand higher education opportunities for students worldwide. This initiative is an opportunity to step back and identify the best solutions to achieve student success, leverage organizational capabilities, and deliver net revenue.
The emphasis of IO shifted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which profoundly impacted our global neighbors and their communities. The IO team supported solutions for Fall 2020 and is now expanding those solutions in subsequent years, serving graduate and undergraduate international students, no matter their border.
Recognizing the immense value the outdoor industry provides to our people, planet, and economy, Oregon State University has established the Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy. Formerly known as the Outdoor Recreation Economy Initiative (OREI), the Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy is now launched in scale-up.
As a partnership of OSU’s Division of Extension and Engagement, the College of Forestry, and OSU-Cascades, the Center is committed to providing the research capacity and relevant programming that will lead to new and better opportunities for its workforce. These innovative programs will draw on close industry partnerships, and the University’s well-earned reputation as an R1 research institution and a leader in education, innovation, and engagement.
The Center will focus in the following areas:
Visit the Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy website.
Randy Rosenberger, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, College of Forestry, engaged Impact Studio to develop the Capacity-Based Pricing (CBP) initiative. The initiative kicked-off in February 2019 to lead the discussions for a more dynamic pricing model for non-resident students. The Core team's Investment Grade Proposal (IGP) was approved in August of 2019 and, under the leadership of Jon Boeckenstedt, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, the initiative is now in scale-up with select colleges.
The Capacity-Based Pricing initiative’s objective is to increase undergraduate non-resident enrollment and graduation in majors where:
Several colleges, including College of Forestry, College of Agricultural Sciences, and College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences have programs that meet the requirements above. CBP explores and recommends capacity-based pricing strategies and processes for non-resident recruitment, retention, and completion at the institutional level, while meeting the needs and goals of Colleges. Colleges will utilize these pricing strategies in cases when Oregon State has a strong program that could attract non-resident students on a selective basis to fill existing capacity.
The Transfer Enrollment and Success Expansion, originally named “Gateway,” has moved to scale-up and is under the leadership of Jon Boeckenstedt, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management; daily leadership of the effort is being transitioned from Open Campus to the Office of Admissions. Bridget Jones has been named the new Sr. Associate Director of Transfer Student Admissions and will lead the efforts. The new organizational structure brings the project in alignment with OSU’s Degree Partnership Program (DPP) and other transfer recruitment and admissions activities. The effort remains a campus-wide collaboration, with many OSU staff playing a role in transfer recruitment, transitions, and success.
The Transfer Enrollment and Success Expansion emerged from a systematic institutional innovation effort begun in 2016-17 that engaged stakeholders across the campus to surface and evaluate a series of ideas for their academic merit and capacity to generate net revenue for the Oregon State. The initiative has significant potential to advance the University's access and affordability goals, was the first such idea to gain approval by the President and Provost for further development with appropriate stakeholder engagement and shared governance through Impact Studio.
Oregon State is currently in partnership with Portland Community College (PCC) administrators, advisors, staff, and students. Our presence and partnership with PCC was implemented to ensure student retention, reduce credit loss between institutions, and develop of a “sense of belonging” toward Oregon State while students are at PCC, most often through participation in OSU’s Degree Partnership Program. The effort provides on-the-ground coaching for students transferring to any of our Oregon State locations, or online. OSU Transfer Success Coaches are co-located with PCC Advisors at Rock Creek Campus, and meets on-site with students at other PCC locations: Southeast, Sylvania, and Cascades Campuses. OSU plans to expand the number of Transfer Success Coaches in partner community colleges in late fall 2019, and continue to partner with OSU Extension and Open Campus in rural community colleges. Discussions with potential new community college partners is underway.
Transfer Student Experience Initiative is Launched in Scale-up.
The initiative was a partnership with Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, Undergraduate Education, Ecampus and other key stakeholders. Data indicated first-year retention rates for transfer students were below that of traditional students. The team utilized Human Centered Design methodologies to stand in the shoes of Oregon's unique transfer students to pinpoint issues and identify solutions that improve the transfer student experience and retention rates.
In July 2018, the Transfer Student Experience team proposed a prioritized list of improvements to the Provost and the Undergraduate Student Success Initiative leaders. Those recommendations have been integrated into the plans of the Undergraduate Student Success Steering Committee which is responsible to implement and oversee a comprehensive university-wide plan to advance Oregon State’s undergraduate student success goals.
Making significant and meaningful progress addressing the unique needs of transfer students is a foundation that supports growth, equity, and extends Oregon State’s teaching mission.
