Oregon Institute of Technology (“Oregon Tech”) announced today that it plans to resume in-person, on-campus teaching of classes beginning in the Fall term, which will begin nine days earlier than planned - on September 21 - for both its Klamath Falls and Portland-Metro campuses. This will allow the majority of students to return to their homes for the Thanksgiving break and remain there for the remainder of the term as they finish the last week of course work and final exams remotely.
Like other colleges and universities in the state, Oregon Tech has utilized remote teaching modalities since the beginning of its Spring term in early April. Remote delivery will continue throughout the summer, with the exception of some on-campus laboratory experiences in select healthcare courses, with appropriate physical distancing and other safety measures in place.
University officials said resumption of in-person teaching in September will be guided by Governor Brown’s staging plan for the state to reopen higher education institutions across Oregon; as well as guidance received from state health, education and other officials. Oregon Tech will also monitor trends in positive cases of the virus in the state, and take measures to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff through physical distancing and other measures taken in classrooms, labs and all university facilities and spaces.
Oregon Tech’s provost, Dr. Joanna Mott said, “We know that our students join us in welcoming a return to on-campus teaching and learning in the fall. The health of our university community is a top priority and we are developing re-opening plans guided by safe delivery of classes and labs. This includes several scenarios based on the status of virus infection rates, and our ability to access COVID-19 testing of students, faculty and staff.”
Dr. Nagi Naganathan, president of Oregon Tech said, “While the budget picture looks more challenging than we’ve seen in many years in Oregon, I’m bolstered by the united front that our university community is putting forward to ensure the continued delivery of our unique career-focused academic programs for the benefit of students. We are pleased that student enrollment is trending in a positive direction for us for fall term.”
Oregon Tech graduates enjoy high placement rates of 96 percent in careers or continuing education within six months of earning their degrees; as well as the highest average starting salaries for graduates of any four-year university in the state.
“This is the best time to be pursuing a university degree, preparing for an improving labor market in the months and years ahead in the high-tech, healthcare and other sectors,” said Dr. Naganathan. “Our dedicated faculty and staff will be here, prepared to help students begin or to continue their higher education. I want to give special thanks to our faculty and staff for their dedication ensuring a smooth education continuum so that our students can pursue their higher education dreams without interruption.”
Additional information on Oregon Tech’s COVID-19 response is available at www.oit.edu/coronavirus.
