Innovating for Access and Success
Following the release of Oregon State University’s Prosperity Widely Shared, the Division of Educational Ventures embarked on its own strategic planning process to guide us through 2030.
We are excited to share Innovating for Access and Success: Division of Educational Ventures Strategic Plan, 2024–2030, which outlines how we will support and execute the university’s exciting vision for the future.
A Roadmap to 2030 — Three Goals
Now, and over the next six years, the Division of Educational Ventures will be:
Goal 1
A division dedicated to advancing OSU’s position as worldwide leader and innovator in the delivery of education.
Goal 2
A division focused on access, affordability and the success of modern learners.
Goal 3
A division that responds to workforce needs with agility and collaboratively builds high-quality, in-demand pathways to an OSU credential.
+ Learn more about our goals
Goal 1
A division dedicated to advancing OSU’s position as a worldwide leader and innovator in the delivery of education.
Modern students demand more flexibility than ever before, and universities everywhere are recognizing the importance of developing new types of educational offerings that are accessible online, on-site and with hybrid delivery. This makes for an increasingly crowded market at a time when enrollments on college and university campuses are declining.
Oregon State is a recognized leader in digital education. We have the respect of our peers and the validation of popular ranking sites. But to remain competitive and attract students from around the world, OSU must continue to differentiate itself by developing new, innovative and in-demand learning solutions in every modality. This goal doubles down on our university-wide commitment to course quality and research as well as to promote our excellence in these areas. With campus partners, the division will invest in instructional design, faculty training, artificial intelligence, technological and multimedia advancements, and ongoing research in teaching and learning best practices.
We want OSU’s offerings to be the gold standard by which high-quality programs are measured — to show the world what’s possible at a distance and in person. Through strategic collaborations across the university and with industry, we will serve as the catalyst that helps Oregon State maximize its competitive advantages as innovators in the delivery of education.
Goal 2
A division focused on access, affordability and the success of modern learners.
Oregon State University strives to be a driver for social, environmental and economic progress — not just regionally, but also around the world. The motivation to do this work is to change lives for the better.
Capitalizing on our existing strengths and experience, the division will be a bold champion for the “widely” in Prosperity Widely Shared, helping to ensure more people have access to Oregon State’s offerings and expertise.
Access is about more than enrollment. It’s about retention and creating affordable learning opportunities that meet learners’ needs and help them advance their careers. It’s building university-wide understanding of who modern learners are and what they need so that OSU support systems ensure their success. And it’s building alternate pathways for those who might otherwise forgo continuing education altogether.
Goal 3
A division that responds to workforce needs with agility and collaboratively builds high-quality, in-demand pathways to an OSU credential.
Technology is accelerating the rate of change for industries everywhere, and disruption is the new normal. Staying responsive to workforce needs must be a priority and is critical to achieving our overall mission and vision.
Achieving this goal will require the division to listen proactively, seeking feedback from a range of critical voices: corporate collaborators, faculty and college partners, tribal nations, community and government leaders, Oregon State students, division staff and university leaders. We will respond to skills gaps, technological changes and future hiring projections with in-demand programs and accessible pathways. We will continue to invest in extensive market research and build a comprehensive strategy for how to best leverage and share data and insights across OSU.
We approach this goal with an entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit — one that’s less focused on what worked in the past and more focused on what OSU’s students, partners and communities need now and in the future.
Six actions
We are a team of doers, optimists and advocates for positive change. Here are the actions we will prioritize to make our division’s goals a reality.
1. Launch in-demand programs that significantly increase access and enrollment.
Helping students secure their futures and keeping the economy moving is critical to OSU’s mission as a land grant institution. One of the most essential ways to grow enrollment is to ensure that the new programs the university develops are relevant to the workforce and responsive to the needs of employers and communities. The university must teach the essential skills that students need to build and advance gainful careers as well as tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. For this current strategic phase, the division will work with internal and external partners to expand workforce development pathways that align with Oregon State’s research expertise and target industries, such as outdoor recreation, the semiconductor industry, robotics, and more.
2. Develop and implement a university-wide alternative credentials strategy.
Today’s students know better than anyone that the days of getting a bachelor’s or master’s degree because “that’s what you do” are over. Modern learners don’t all follow a linear path from high school to college to career. Often, they seek alternatives or shorter credentials to reduce to the financial investment and time required by full degree programs. More than that, technological advancements and other disruptions are necessitating big shifts and creating skills gaps for many mid-career people.
To help the university better meet the needs of today’s modern learners, the division will lead the development and implementation of a university-wide alternative credentials strategy, collaborating with partners across OSU. These efforts will directly support the university’s goal to increase access and affordability while staying responsive to workforce needs.
3. Establish a comprehensive, data-driven approach to listen actively and address the needs of students, workforce and partners.
The division won’t rely on lucky guesses. To achieve all three of its goals, the division will collaborate with campus partners to strategically leverage data from a wide range of audiences and sources: workforce and market insights, IPEDS, student feedback (prospective, current, alumni) as well as data from academic units and faculty. Doing so will help OSU identify upcoming trends, uncover and communicate issues, and bring us in closer collaboration and conversation with the people we serve.
4. Lead the university in scaling the online education enterprise.
Prosperity Widely Shared calls for 30,000 students studying fully online by 2030 — aka 30x30. This target is about much more than scaling online enrollment. It’s about access and opportunity. Success is about more than hitting a number. It’s about meaningfully scaling OSU’s student support systems, marketing and recruitment strategies, faculty training and support, and divisional operations and organizational effectiveness, and last, but certainly not least, continuing the quality that drives OSU’s reputation in online education. This is Oregon State’s biggest online target yet, but the university has the experience, campus partners, leadership, and talent to make it happen. To the division, 30x30 represents six years and 30,000 more opportunities to change the world.
5. Collaborate with campus partners to improve retention and graduation rates for online students.
For over 20 years, Ecampus and other units in the new Division of Educational Ventures have supported non-traditional students in their quest to advance their lives through education. This means the division is deeply familiar with the motivations, challenges and qualities that make online learners so unique. OSU’s success in online education has required a university-wide understanding of how to help online students succeed, and a capacity to take action and make change in in areas that will make the biggest difference in helping online learners achieve their goals. The envisioned growth in online enrollment will require even more attention to student success across the institution. Students are at the heart of everything we do.
6. Expand national distinction and recognition as the go-to leader in delivering educational pathways and online education.
Oregon State University wants to be known coast to coast and worldwide as research leaders and trailblazers who deliver high-quality, in-demand learning solutions in every modality. To advance this aspiration, the division will continue to shine a light on the strengths and benefits of online learning and alternative credentials, and it will work to amplify this message beyond the university itself — so OSU is known as the best by our workforce collaborators, prospective students, government leaders, the general public and more. The division will continue to push OSU’s message of quality, access and affordability to all while strengthening its position as an expert in catalyzing and supporting innovation in education delivery within its institution.
This plan is an agile and living document that directly links to the goals and tactics of Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan. It’s also grounded in inclusive excellence, with direct connections to the university’s 2024–2030 Diversity Action Plan.