OSU-Cascades plans May 28 open house for public to explore Bend campus expansion progress

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon State University–Cascades invites community members to an open house on Tuesday, May 28 to explore the latest progress as once unusable lands — a former landfill and pumice mine — near the center of Bend are transformed into a university campus.

The event will take from 4 to 6 p.m., with attendees starting in the Charles McGrath Family Atrium in Edward J. Ray Hall.

Attendees will join guided van tours of land remediation work underway for the first eight-acre phase of OSU-Cascades’ future innovation district. This remediation effort, which takes place within the former landfill area, has reached an important juncture as excavation of construction and demolition waste related to this phase was recently completed.

Visitors will also see the heavy equipment used at the site to move tons of fill and prepare it for sorting and recycling. They will also join a hard hat tour of the Student Success Center and its mass timber structure. The building will open to students in winter 2025. 

Visitors can view plans showing the future campus, and members of the campus planning and design teams will be on hand to answer questions.

Community members interested in being involved in the future of OSU-Cascades can meet with representatives from Now4 OSU-Cascades, which is part of the Beaver Caucus, a community advocacy group, to learn about ways to support OSU-Cascades.

Light refreshments will also be available.

The land remediation work underway was funded by the Oregon State Legislature, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and OSU. The Student Success Center was funded by the Oregon State Legislature and through student fees.

The open house is free, but registration is requested. Closed-toe shoes are recommended. For accommodation requests, contact events@osucascades.edu.

To register or learn more, visit osucascades.edu/community-open-house.