OSU named to green college list

Oregon State University has been named one of the top 25 green colleges in the United States by the newly released Kaplan College Guide 2009.

This is the first time the guide has focused on environmentally responsible public and private colleges across the nation.

Schools were ranked based on environmentally responsible campus projects, initiatives and courses offered, organizations and student groups on campus, and achievements noted in the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s College Sustainability Report Card 2008.

Other Pac-10 schools that made the list include Arizona State University, the University of California and the University of Washington. Harvard and Yale also were listed.

Sea Grant director hails from Michigan

The new director of the Oregon Sea Grant Program at Oregon State University is Stephen Brandt, the director of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office in Ann Arbor, Mich.

In January 2009, Brandt will start his new job leading the agency, which is a partnership between NOAA and the state.

Brandt said Oregon’s Sea Grant Program is one of the strongest in the nation.

“Now we’re embarking on a new era in which there are great opportunities for forward-looking research and new partnerships that address both the needs of Oregon and the vital Pacific region of which we’re part,” he said in a news release.

Brandt has directed the Great Lakes lab since 1997. During his first seven years there, its federal budget grew by more than 50 percent, to more than $9 million.

“Steve Brandt is not only a talented scientist, he is a nationally recognized scientific leader,” John Cassady, OSU’s vice president for research, said in an OSU news release.

Robert Malouf was the Oregon Sea Grant director from 1991 until his retirement in June. Jay Rasmussen, Sea Grant’s associate director and extension program leader, is serving as interim director.

Power outage hits university campus

A power outage at Oregon State University on Wednesday afternoon resulted in the closure and evacuation of Weniger Hall and the Plageman Student Health Center.

The outage was resolved Wednesday evening, according to the OSU homepage, and normal operations were scheduled to resume Thursday.

The outage was at least the third at OSU since late June.

On July 5, a power outage knocked out electricity to almost a third of the campus for about 12 hours. Because it happened on a Saturday, few activities were interrupted.

On June 26, a blackout hit 13 buildings on the OSU campus, prompting their evacuation and leaving them without power for several hours.

— Gazette-Times