FEATURES
Big changes in the air
‘Construction ahead’ becomes
a sign of exciting times
H
ere’s a tip for long-gone alumni returning to campus this fall: Don’t try to park in
the OSU Bookstore parking lot at the east end of the Memorial Union.
It’s not there anymore, and is rapidly being filled by the new Student Experience
Center, a four-story, $42 million building to house student government and organizations, student media and other student-related programs, scheduled for completion in
December 2014. An 8,000-square-foot, glass-covered outdoor plaza will connect the
building to the east wing of the Memorial Union, which will be renovated to convert the
former bookstore space into space for conferences and other student activities.
As for the bookstore, it’s not in the MU anymore, having moved to a 45,000-squarefoot space on the west side of the parking structure across the street from Gill Coliseum.
And oh yes, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s not even the OSU Bookstore anymore. In
these days of less emphasis on printed books and more emphasis on selling electronics
and branded merchandise, it’s the OSU Beaver Store.
And all that is not even close to half of the ongoing major changes to the campus
landscape. As the university said in a July news release:
“Hard hats have replaced baseball caps as the fashion statement of summer on the
Oregon State University campus, as a number of major construction projects totaling
about $125 million are under way. ...
“And, thanks to Gov. John Kitzhaber for carrying them in his budget and for the Legislature approving them during the 2013 legislative session, a number of other construction projects, with a price tag of about $145 million, are on the horizon.
“All told, that is nearly $300 million in construction in the works, funded by a combination of private giving through The Campaign for OSU, matching state funds, student
fees and state bonding, according to Brian Thorsness, ’85, ’94, executive director of
campus operations.”
The Student Experience Center is not the largest of the latest batch of construction
projects.
That distinction goes to Austin Hall, the state-of-the-art future home of the College
of Business, as it takes form along the north side of Jefferson Way, between Sackett and
Fairbanks halls. Construction began in February on the four-story, $50 million building.
A $10 million commitment from Ken Austin, ’55, and the late Joan Austin, ’05(H), and
a $6 million commitment from the family of the late Al Reser, ’60, were the lead gifts on
the project — a signature project of The Campaign for OSU. The state is providing half of
the funding for the building.
A third large project under way is a new student residence hall on the east end of
campus. Located adjacent to Wilson Hall, this $29 million building is funded by state
bonds, which will be repaid by housing fees.
By late July crews had scraped away the old bookstore parking lot and were preparing the site between the MU, Strand Ag Hall and Valley Library for OSU’s new Student Experience Center, intended
to be a hub for student activities and to be joined to the Memorial Union by an 8,000-square-foot,
glass-covered plaza. PHOTOS BY DENNIS WOLVERTON
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OREGON STATER
FEATURES
FALL 2013
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FEATURES
Austin Hall, a new home for the College of Business, rises impressively along Jefferson Way.
Between Austin and Fairbanks Hall (far right
center), a new Asian & Pacific Cultural Center
will be built next to the Fairbanks parking lot.
Farther north, behind the Women’s Building
and across a new, soon-to-be-built plaza from
Austin Hall, OSU’s new classroom building will
be built, with 2,300 seats to help relieve a serious shortage of teaching space.
See the progress on your screen
Most of OSU’s significant
construction projects are
available for live viewing at:
webcam.oregonstate.edu
The five-story hall will house 350
students and create capacity to accommodate the university’s new requirement
that almost all first-year students live on
campus.
Another focus of The Campaign for OSU
and for OSU President Ed Ray has been a
remaking of the university’s cultural centers. The new Native American Longhouse
Eena Haws opened in the spring on its old
site behind Moreland Hall, and construction is beginning on the Asian & Pacific
Cultural Center, just east of the Austin Hall
site. Work has started on a new Centro
Cultural César Chávez on the site of the
old Centro just north of — and across the
street from — the CH2M HILL Alumni Center, and major renovations are remaking
the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center
on Monroe Street. Here are some other
significant construction projects:
Basketball center — This $15 million,
two-story facility is adjacent to Gill Coliseum. Read about it on page 50.
New classroom building — The Legislature approved bonding for this four-story,
$65 million building that will add muchneeded classroom space to campus. The
130,000-square-foot building will house
2,300 classroom seats in traditional
auditorium and small classroom styles, as
well as new arena and parliament styles to
maximize student engagement. The project is to be built north of the new Austin
Hall and just west of the Women’s Building, and will house the University Honors
College, Media Services, the Center for
Teaching and Learning and the Technology
Across the Curriculum groups.
Work on it is scheduled to begin this fall
At right, the area around Reser Stadium and Gill Coliseum is seeing much change. Immediately
north of Reser and to the west of Gill, the new OSU Basketball Center is open, having been built onto
the north end of the Student Performance Center. On the other side of Gill, with a long, white roof
and occupying two stories on the west side of the parking structure, is the new OSU Beaver Store.
Between the Beaver Store and the CH2M HILL Alumni Center, site preparation is under way for a
new Centro Cultural César Chávez.
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OREGON STATER
FEATURES
and be completed in the fall of 2015. Half
of the funding for the building will come
from non-resident tuition revenues. The
university has credited student government leaders with effective lobbying to
secure its approval by the Legislature.
Engineering building — Construction of
an as-yet unnamed, $40 million, threestory, 60,000-square-foot engineering
building is scheduled to begin in summer
of 2014 on a site yet to be determined,
and completed in the fall of 2016. During
the 2013 session the Legislature approved
public bonding for half of the cost, with
the other half provided by The Campaign
for OSU.
Peter Johnson, ’55, and his wife Rosalie
gave a gift of $7 million and an anonymous
donor gave $10 million.
Strand Ag Hall — A major remodeling of
Strand, including deferred maintenance
and a seismic upgrade, is scheduled between winter of 2014 and fall of 2016. The
project will cost about $25 million in funding approved by the Legislature. q
FALL 2013
The bare dirt area behind Wilson Hall is the site of OSU’s next residence hall, temporarily named
the New Student Residence and expected to house about 350 students.
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