Oregon Institute of Technology

The Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) is a public college in Oregon with a residential campus in Klamath Falls, Oregon, an urban campus in Wilsonville, Oregon, and additional locations in Salem and Seattle. Almost all students complete externships, co-ops, or other hands-on training inside and outside the classroom. History Oregon Tech was founded as the Oregon Vocational School on July 15, 1947, to train and re-educate returning World War II veterans. Under the direction of Winston Purvine, the first classes were held in a deactivated Marine Corps hospital three miles northeast of Klamath Falls. The following year, the school's title was changed to the Oregon Technical Institute. In the first school year, 1947–1948, veterans constituted 98 percent of student enrollment. By 1950, the figure was 75 percent. In that year, in response to the Korean War, the school received a contract for training soldiers in welding and warehouse management. In 1953, Associate degree programs in Surveying and Structural Engineering Technologies were first accredited by the Engineers Council for Professional Development. In 1954, KTEC, the institution's first radio station went on air. By 1953, associate degree programs in the Surveying and Structural Engineering Technologies were first accredited by the Engineers Council for Professional Development. Not long after in 1956, KOTI television opened on campus. However, KOTI is no longer operated on campus. In 1962, the institute was accredited by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools. In 1970, the first bachelor's degree programs were accredited by ABET. It would be 25 years later when the first master's degrees were offered. In 1975, the first Geo-Heat Center was established. The campus was transferred to its current location in 1964, followed by another name change to the Oregon Institute of Technology in 1973. In 2012, the Oregon Institute of Technology officially rebranded to "Oregon Tech". Oregon Tech's four locations in the Portland metropolitan area were consolidated into a single campus in Wilsonville in 2012 at InFocus' former headquarters. By 2015, the Oregon Institute of Technology became an independent public body governed by Board of Trustees. On April 26, 2021, the faculty went on strike after more than 500 days of initial contract negotiations between the faculty union and administrators. This was the first strike conducted by a public college or university faculty union in Oregon's history. As of Fall 2025, Oregon Tech is Oregon's fourth largest four-year public college or university for student enrollment; only behind Oregon State University (38,485), University of Oregon (24,448), and Portland State University (19,697). Over the past 10 years, most four-year, public colleges and universities in Oregon have experienced a decline in student enrollment; with the only exceptions being Oregon Tech, Oregon State University, and University of Oregon. This has helped Oregon Tech maintain and expand the number of undergraduate and graduate degrees offered even while the state is dealing with budget difficulties. Academics Research The 2025 The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized Oregon Tech as a "Research Colleges and Universities" university, recognizing institutions that spend more than $2.5 million on research annually. Oregon Tech's research activity focuses on projects that address real-world problems. Faculty and students partner with businesses and government to benefit industry productivity and, by extension, social mobility and society. Oregon Tech's Office of Sponsored Projects & Grants Administration works with students and faculty to find research opportunities and grants. Notable partners include the Air Force, NASA—Oregon Space Grant Consortium, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Oregon Department of Human Services, Sky Lakes Medical Center, and more. The designation reinforces Oregon Tech's real-world focus, which produces tangible results – a more than 95% placement rate for graduates and average starting salaries of $61,000 annually. Oregon Tech is also pleased to assure a very high return on investment for students and their families – the top 3% in the nation among more than 4,500 colleges and universities and regularly ranked number one among the public universities in the State of Oregon. Recent News In 2025, Oregon Tech announced it is planning to establish a new public College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) at its Klamath Falls campus to tackle the rural healthcare provider shortage. Key features include becoming the state's first public osteopathic medical school, an accelerated three-year curriculum, and a partnership with Sky Lakes Medical Center. The new medical school will have a primary focus on training physicians for practice in Oregon’s rural communities. In 2023, Oregon Tech and OHSU began a joint Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Oregon Tech's Klamath Falls campus to target healthcare worker shortages and focus on rural practice needs in the Pacific Northwest. The DO and DPT programs will add to a list of Oregon Tech healthcare-related professional degrees, including nursing, dental hygiene, medical imaging, respiratory care, marriage and family therapy, healthcare leadership, and more. Rankings and recognition In 2025, the personal finance company SmartAsset released new data for the Best Value Colleges in the U.S., ranked Oregon Tech as #1 for college graduates' average starting salary of $72,273. The study lists the average starting salary for all Oregon higher education graduates as $52,079. In 2026, U.S. News and World Report ranked Oregon Tech as #2 among Western regional colleges and #46 in the nation for best undergraduate engineering program. The U.S. News list of regional Colleges in the West is comprised of the top baccalaureate colleges across Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Campuses Oregon Tech Klamath Falls, the University Residential Campus Oregon Tech Wilsonville, the University Urban Campus Athletics The Oregon Tech (OIT) athletic teams are called the Owls and Lady Owls (sometimes known as the "Hustlin' Owls"). The institute of technology is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) since the 1993–94 academic year. Oregon Tech competes in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball. The mascot for Oregon Tech Athletics is Hootie the Owl. Rivalries Oregon Tech's traditional athletic nemesis is Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. The close proximity of the schools and alternate academic foci (science and technology at Oregon Tech, liberal arts at SOU) result in a natural rivalry between the two. Men's basketball OIT has won multiple NAIA Men's Basketball Championships. Former men's basketball coach Danny Miles completed his 1,000th win February 1, 2014, in his 43rd year of coaching at OIT. This is the fourth most of any men's college basketball coach all-time (NCAA & NAIA). Softball OIT's softball program won the NAIA Softball Championship in 2011. OIT was the national runner up in the NAIA Softball Championship in 2021. Mascot Oregon Tech's mascot, Hootie the Hustlin' Owl, is a great horned owl and has been portrayed as a costumed character since 1980. He sports the jersey number 47 as an homage to the school's founding year. Known originally as "OIT OWL", he first hatched out of a giant papier mâché egg during a home football game. Hootie's other alias was "OWLY OOP" in the 1990s amidst the loss of the school's football team, in an attempt to further emphasize their basketball program. The beloved owl mascot was created by executive secretary Nancy Cox, inspired by the San Diego Chicken after attending a Padres game in 1980 and proceeding previous attempts at an official school mascot such as a rally head in the 1960s named "OTIS" and a live owl. Notable stunts include skydiving, ziplining, basketball trick shots, and various feats of acrobatics and professional dancing abilities. Performed by actress Brooke Eldridge (2021–2025), as featured on ABC Nightline News. Accolades: • CCC Mascot of the Year 2014, 2018 • Mascot Training Camp Champion 2023 • Mascot Hall of Fame Awards Nominee 2023 (best video skit, most community impact) Notable alumni Benny Agbayani, professional baseball player Joe Cain, professional football player Tim Freeman, Oregon House of Representatives Ty Knott, professional football coach Wayne Krieger, Oregon House of Representatives and Oregon State Police Nate Lewis, professional football player Doug Mikolas, professional football player Justin Parnell, college basketball coach Earl Snell, former governor of Oregon Don Summers, professional football player Photo gallery Notes References External links Official website Athletics website