OSU and LBCC classes increasingly overlap

By KYLE ODEGARD


Gazette-Times reporter

Chase Endicott is your typical 19-year-old living in a dorm at Oregon State University, except that he takes all his courses at Linn-Benton Community College.

Three days a week, he carpools to Albany for classes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Endicott heads to LBCC’s satellite campus in Corvallis, the Benton Center.

But every night, he returns home to OSU to hang out with friends at Finley Hall.

The Pendleton resident figures he gets the university social life, but his required classes cost half as much.

“I won’t have any loans going into next year. It’s a lot of money,” he said.

Cutting costs by taking classes at LBCC is an increasingly popular student option.

In the fall of 2007, 1,500 students concurrently were enrolled in OSU and LBCC through the schools’ Degree Partnership Program.

“A student would save $5,000 on a bachelor’s degree if they earned it in four years and really maximized the program,” said Bruce Clemetsen, LBCC’s dean of student services.

Most students in the program mix and match their courses between the two schools, averaging about 15 credits per year at LBCC.

On Friday, OSU and LBCC celebrated the 10th year of the Degree Partnership Program and sign a memo of understanding to extend the cooperative agreement, which was the first of its kind in Oregon.

“We really look forward to the next 10 years,” said Kate Peterson, OSU assistant provost for enrollment management.

Since 1998, more than 7,000 students have enrolled through the program and as of winter term, 1,300 had gone on to graduate from OSU. Most of the students are from the mid-Willamette Valley, but even international students enter the program.

About 190 participants live in residence halls and cooperative houses in Corvallis, said Eric Hansen, assistant director for University Housing and Dining.

Peter Radke, a computer science major in the Army ROTC, lives in Avery Lodge, where he plays on intramural teams and attends dances. He is taking all but one of his classes at LBCC to save money.

“There are a lot of people who believe, ‘Oh, you’re going to a community college. You’re a failure.’”

But the computer science major said the quality of education is better at LBCC, mainly because teachers care more.

Clemetsen said that observation has some validity. A study found that OSU’s degree partnership students had a higher GPA with fewer accumulated credits when they graduated, implying they’d been able to fast-track their trip to a diploma.

Amanda Smith, a 19-year-old freshman, said even OSU employees sometimes make assumptions about LBCC, and there sometimes is confusion about program details, but she’s found it to be a valuable experience.

The Degree Partnership Program is designed to eliminate barriers to attending a four-year institution, such as transferring credits. There is one application for both schools, coordinated financial aid and scholarships. Students can interact with academic departments and administrative offices on both campuses.

OSU has partnerships with 16 of the 17 Oregon community colleges, plans are in the works to add two Hawaiian schools.

The future likely holds more students in the Degree Partnership Program with LBCC, which has grown steadily ever year, Clemetsen said.