OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Open search box
COVID-19 website: To facilitate the ongoing sharing of information about the virus, Oregon State University has added a link on the OSU homepage to a page that provides detailed and up-to-date COVID-19 information; links to OSU, local, state and federal resources; and updates on the latest federal travel restrictions.
NEW! Today’s Timely Teaching Tip: Did you know you can request a 1-on-1 consultation with experts in any of the Learn@OregonState technologies (Canvas, TurnItIn, Top Hat, etc.) or with a pedagogy expert from the Center for Teaching and Learning? Consultants can help you meet the challenges of teaching remotely! Visit Keep Teaching for all the Mid-Summer Timely Teaching Tips.
Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media. Content appearing includes timely news and feature stories from broadcast, print and online sources. Occasionally, opinion pieces and first-person columns appearing in mainstream media outlets that are written by faculty members and pertain to their academic or professional expertise may be included based on their unique, informative value, timeliness and space constraints. It is not the policy of OSU Today to include Letters to the Editor.
A piece by Oregon State University President F. King Alexander.
As the COVID-19 pandemic set in, the team at Oregon State’s Human Services Resource Center saw a huge spike in demand for food assistance from OSU students and the community. At the same time, many students were finding themselves at home, doing a lot more cooking than they were used to, and looking for ideas and support.
One change most colleges have made is going test optional (or test blind) on admissions. But Jon Boeckenstedt, vice provost of enrollment management at Oregon State University, published a blog post called "Congratulations. You’re Test Optional. Now What?"
Oregon State University-Cascades is planning for a fall term focused on student success and public health safety with 80% of courses offered with elements of face-to-face instruction.
For soon-to-be graduate Adrianna Marlen, signing on with OSU’s TRACE-COVID-19 coronavirus prevalence project meant a chance to meld community service with the goal of testing her “real-life skills.”
For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast, we talk with Todd Montgomery, a business and hospitality professor at Oregon State University-Cascades. His research focuses on automation and technology in the tourism industry from both the perspective of workers and customers.
A new partnership between the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the seafood industry and the Oregon Sea Grant, an Oregon State University program that supports commercial fisheries, is aimed at encouraging people to buy and prepare local seafood at home.
Jackson County’s biggest cash crop is getting a boost from science this year as part of an experimental project by Oregon State University to find the best strains of hemp and the most environmentally friendly methods of growing the plant.
Adam Krynicki, Oregon State University-Cascades executive director of the Innovation Co-lab incubator facility, says some Central Oregon companies may not be resilient enough to weather another shutdown order.
“I think fisheries managers have to be really careful about extrapolating the results of this study to double-crested cormorants,” said Dan Roby, a professor emeritus in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and one of the authors of the study. “In fact, I think they have to be careful about extrapolating it to other populations of Columbia Basin salmonids.”
Columbia wrapped up its first-ever contract with postdoctoral students and is in talks with its other graduate workers. Hard-fought collective bargaining agreements have been approved during the pandemic at public universities, too, including Oregon State University.
Summer gardening is in full swing. If you’ve got questions, turn to Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer tool from Oregon State University’s Extension Service.
On Tuesday, Hatfield Marine Science Center aquarists returned an octopus to the ocean after she began to show signs she was nearing old age, the time when the giant cephalopods breed.
“This is a great activity that would be good for social distancing activities in the summer with family or grandchild or whoever you’re living with and staying safe with,” said Oregon Coast Quest coordinator Cait Goodwin (OSU).
Today’s workspaces: “My assistant Edalyn can be a bit distracting some days,” says Jill Wells, Sport Programs APA.
"The Conference Services team asked me to share this,” says Mark Jacobson, accounts and marketing manager with OSU Conference Services. “The origami animal farm gains members daily during my stay-at-home workdays.” Follow OSU Today on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/osutoday1/ and catch up on any workspace photos you might have missed so far.
NEW! Celebrate ADA30: Virtual Open Mic: The Disability Equity Center of Corvallis and the OSU ADA30 Anniversary Committee invite you to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with our disability communities at a virtual open mic on July 26, 2-4 p.m. Registration is required. Please visit the ADA30@OSU blog for more information.
Information forums for supervisors returning to onsite work before Sept. 1: University Human Resources will host information forums via Zoom for supervisors whose employees are returning to onsite work before Sept. 1. Participation limited to current supervisors. Pre-register at https://bit.ly/30hM9KG for the Monday, July 20 session from 10-10:45 a.m. or https://bit.ly/3fNNejG for the Tuesday, July 21 session from 2-2:45 p.m.
Information forums for employees returning to onsite work before Sept. 1: University Human Resources will host information forums via Zoom for employees returning to onsite work before Sept. 1. Pre-register at https://bit.ly/39bIYIA for the Monday, July 20 session from 2-2:45 p.m. or https://bit.ly/2DIvtEm for the Tuesday, July 21 session from 10-10:45 a.m.
Department of Integrative Biology Ph.D. Defense Seminar: Holland Elder will present “Genomic resource development and studies of thermal tolerance in symbiotic Cnidarians” on Tuesday, July 21 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Elder is completing her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology under the guidance of Virginia Weis. Free and open to the public. https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/99226208845
Investment webinars: The Maps Credit Union CFS investment team is conducting a Weekly Webinar Series on a variety of investment topics that include current market updates. Tuesday, July 21, 3 p.m. - When is your Retirement Date?; Wednesday, July 22, noon - Economic Outlook: Institutional Access Real Estate (Griffin); Wednesday, July 22, 3 p.m. - Social Security: Seven Keys to Enhancing Benefits; Thursday, July 23, noon - Investing With Social Responsibility. This is one way to educate yourself without leaving the comfort and safety of your own home. (These are not OSU events but are tailored to OSU clients and during normal circumstances are held on campus. There is no charge.)
Accountability - Commitment and Responsibility: There is a subtle distinction between accountability and responsibility that when understood changes the conversation when accountability issues arise. This short program will illustrate this distinction and allow you to consider the distinction by examining accountability issues. The end goal is greater commitment that results in increased productivity and personal effectiveness. July 22 via Zoom, 8:30-9 a.m. Registration required.
Developing High Performance Teams: Why do some teams consistently produce outstanding results and other teams perform moderately at best? We will examine distinguishing characteristics of high performing teams and provide tools and principles you can use to develop high level teams. Recommended for managers and leaders. July 22 via Zoom, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Registration required.
OMN Webinar: Earth’s Wild Music: Celebrations and Laments with Kathleen Dean Moore, July 27, 7-8:30 p.m. We all love the music of the natural world – howling wolves, singing songbirds, chirping frogs, moaning whales. But our joy in their songs is muted by our growing understanding of the existential threats against them. Where can we find hope in a time of extinction? Register Online.
Faculty Staff Fitness: OSU’s Faculty Staff Fitness Program is starting in-person fitness programming on campus July 20-Sept. 18. Registration is open. Please see https://health.oregonstate.edu/fsf/schedule/summer for the full list of classes. Not going to campus? FSF is offering over 200 pre-recorded, accessible any time, online fitness classes for summer term June 15-Sept. 18. Classes range from 10, 20, 30 to 60 minutes and involves formats including Weight Training, Cardio Kickboxing, Cardio Dance (similar to Zumba), Barre Fusion, Pilates, various Yoga styles, and more. Registration is $35 and is now open via: https://health.oregonstate.edu/fsf/online.
Time Awareness: Too much to do and not enough time? We can't add more hours to the day, but we can be more aware of how we spend our time and make better choices about how we use it. As part of this session, you will learn how to increase your awareness of time-task relationship, empowering you with a useful tool when considering how to best use your time. July 28 via Zoom, 8-9 a.m. Registration required.
Work-life Balance & Integration: The essence of work-life balance is to integrate effectively work responsibilities with the domains (or buckets) in our personal lives. We will share counterbalancing techniques, and you will have an opportunity to get started by mapping out your responsibilities and other “buckets” unique to your situation. July 28 via Zoom, 9:30-11 a.m. Registration required.
Core Curriculum for Current OSU Supervisors and Managers: Consists of online modules followed by 4 half-days of classroom training via Zoom. Topics include the performance management cycle (position descriptions, expectations/standards, engagement, appraisals, and integration), equal employment and affirmative action, ADA, discrimination and misconduct, safety and compensation, and supervising represented employees. Aug. 10-13 via Zoom, 8:15 a.m. to noon each day. Registration required; closes Aug. 7.
Marine Science Virtual/Hybrid Summer Camps: Looking for fun, interactive, marine science-themed activities for your child this summer? Oregon Sea Grant’s virtual/hybrid camps will provide students ages 8-18 the opportunity to connect virtually with marine researchers and educators and engage in "Camp in a Box" activities from their own home. Click here for information on camp dates, cost, additional details, and registration.
Clean Water conference: Applications are now being accepted to host project display pages at the 2020 Oregon State Clean Water Virtual Conference, which will take place Sept. 1, 2020. If you are working on a project related to clean and sustainable water technology, this is an opportunity for you to share your work with a wide audience of industry professionals, faculty, students, alumni, and the public. Learn more at engineering.oregonstate.edu/cleanwater2
Free, self-paced, online training: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Remote Work Environments: The recent pandemic has caused a massive, sudden shift to remote work for many companies. This shift impacts efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, both in positive and potentially challenging ways. The OSU Center for the Advancement of Women in Leadership created this short (15 minute), self-paced training directed at managers, employee resource group members, HR professionals, and anyone invested in DEI work in their organization. It provides an overview of remote work and DEI, ways in which remote work can promote and challenge DEI efforts, and a series of practical strategies designed especially for promoting inclusion in remote workplaces. Register for the training. Then, join our Slack community to keep the conversation going.
Tier Two workshops, New Tier One dates, Remote delivery of Social Justice Education workshops is happening now: See the schedule and register for Zoom workshops through fall 2020 here. See three brand new Tier Two collaborations created for our community today. The SJEI is an excellent foundational professional development program for all faculty, staff and graduate students. Join your colleagues to begin, or expand, your equity and inclusion journey. Interested in this work for your unit? Contact SJEI director Jane Waite for further information: jane.waite@oregonstate.edu
Search Advocate Workshops: More OSU Search Advocate workshops are now available by Zoom. Search advocates are outside process advisors who participate on employee search committees; their goal is to encourage culture and practices that favor equity, validity, and diversity. Search advocacy offers faculty and staff an opportunity to work with colleagues in other parts of the university, build new skills and perspectives, and contribute to the university’s progress towards inclusive excellence. The initial workshop series is a sequence of four 4-hour Zoom workshops. Those who complete the series may choose to have their names added to the Search Advocate Directory and will be eligible to serve as advocates until September 2021. Three-hour continuing education workshops for current advocates are also available. To register, go to the Professional Development website. Questions? Contact Anne Gillies at anne.gillies@oregonstate.edu or 541-760-6160.
Managers as Leaders: Applications for Managers as Leaders 2020 are now being accepted. Managers as Leaders is a skill-building course for managers and supervisors. It integrates 6 day-long class sessions with online learning and on-the-job practice. It features team learning, mentors, and practical tools. All managers/supervisors are encouraged to apply. Contact Kristen Magis for more information. Submit online applications on the Managers as Leaders webpage between July 3 and Aug. 6.
NEW! OSU Libraries announces summer services: From July 20-Sept. 7, the Valley Library will be closed but study spaces will be open in Java II and outdoors on the library plaza. We’ll continue our digital services. We’ll continue to offer interlibrary loan and Scan and Deliver services, and to mail physical items to users. Book drops will be open. Due dates are extended until the building reopens. We’ll process purchase requests. More info is at https://library.oregonstate.edu/osu-libraries-announces-summer-schedule.
Mid-Monthly Emergency Preparedness Topic: Lighting in Disasters. Lighting is one of the most essential pieces of an emergency kit. While most people are familiar with flashlights, there are other options to consider. This month’s poster can be downloaded at: https://emergency.oregonstate.edu/emergency-preparedness/preparedness-topics/light-disaster
Carol Leder retirement: Carol Leder has served as the head advisor in the College of Business since 2013, and worked in the College since 2001. Her last day will be July 29. Due to COVID-19, the College will not be holding any farewell gathering. However, if you would like to say any thank yous or goodbyes please send them directly to her via email (carol.leder@oregonstate.edu) before that date. The new COB head advisor is Kyle Ross.
How to deal with working from home with kids: Working from home with the kids? We feel you. Take 10 minutes while assistant professor and family/life expert Kelly Chandler, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, breaks down why the struggle is real, the myth of "having it all," why it's important to lighten up, and what we can do to hold it all together. Watch on the college's COVID-19 resource page.
Build community in the Beaver Lodge this summer: Beavers all over the world are staying connected through the Beaver Lodge digital engagement hub — host to OSU live webcasts, activities for kids, career resources and much more to enrich life at home and support the Oregon State community. Check in for frequently updated content, sign up for the newsletter and share at osualum.com/BeaverLodge.
Beaver Champion Award: Every year on University Day the president awards the Beaver Champion award to an individual (or individuals) for outstanding effort, the achievement of excellence, extra effort beyond that requested, and performance of the highest quality that has yielded university-wide impact. The President’s Office is seeking nominations for this award. Send nomination letters to F. King Alexander, President, Office of the President, 600 Kerr Admin. Bldg. or to pres.office@oregonstate.edu. The nomination deadline is Friday, Aug. 14.
Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund Under IRS Code Section 139: In collaboration with the OSU Foundation, Oregon State University is offering emergency financial assistance grants through the OSU Faculty and Staff COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund. The purpose of this fund is to help regular classified and unclassified employees in our university community with unexpected needs during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic. All classified staff, professional faculty and academic/research faculty are eligible regardless of service time or FTE. An individual must be actively employed on the date of grant distribution. Read more about the details of the program here. Student hourly employees, graduate assistants, and stipend recipients (e.g., fellows) are not eligible. There are separate programs for students located here: https://financialaid.oregonstate.edu/covid-19.
Irish Bend Covered Bridge Rehabilitation: Construction is scheduled to begin on the Irish Bend Covered Bridge along SW Campus Way on July 6, lasting until September. The bridge rehabilitation includes installing a fire suppression system, repainting and repairs to the wood structure. The covered bridge and Campus Way Path will be closed; SW Campus Way will remain open.
Postponed: Annual Steam Shutdown-Campus Wide: Each year Facilities Services performs necessary maintenance on the university’s steam system, which requires shutting off the steam throughout campus, to complete maintenance services at the plant, throughout the steam tunnels and in each building. This process affects hot water supply, heating, and all equipment that uses steam, campus wide. The decision has been made to postpone the annual steam shut down until August in order to stay within the guidelines from the Governor, university, State and CDC’s orders. The steam shutdown for 2020 will occur from Aug. 24 at 11 p.m. to Aug. 27 at 8 a.m. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you all for your understanding. For questions or comments on this closure, contact Facilities Services at 541-737-2969.
“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit." ~ Anne Frank.
Corvallis: Sunny today, high of 91, low of 55. Sunny tomorrow.
Central Oregon: Sunny today, high of 91, low of 54. Sunny tomorrow.
Newport: Mostly sunny, high of 67, low of 53. Mostly sunny tomorrow.
Statewide: For OSU employees around the state, find your local forecast here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/
