OSU-Cascade’s new campus will change Bend in a variety of ways, but what effect will it have on the college that’s already been here for more than 50 years — Central Oregon Community College?

The two institutions already have a history of working together, officials at both OSU and COCC noted, so the university’s expanded presence in Bend won’t be completely new for the community college. And while some shared operations that the two schools worked out while they shared a campus will change, many of the partnerships that COCC and OSU worked out when OSU-Cascades opened in 2001 will simply continue and grow.

These include the 2+2 dual-enrollment program, which will see expansion with the new university campus, where all OSU undergraduates will automatically be enrolled in the program and be able to take classes at COCC. Also, new academic opportunities will be possible, such as a hospitality management program that will make use of COCC’s culinary institute as OSU takes on the business-oriented side of the course.

“We’ll continue working back and forth. That’s been our model for 15 years or so now,” said Jane Reynolds, director of enrollment services for OSU. “There’s a lot of collaboration going on.”

Beyond the dual-enrollment program, COCC Director of College Relations Ron Paradis said OSU’s expanded presence in Bend is expected to give the community college’s enrollment numbers a boost. COCC has seen declining enrollment over the last few years as the recession eased, but with more students coming to Bend because of the university, the college will benefit, Paradis said.

“As far as how OSU impacts us, they’ll recruit students from out of the area and many of them will likely choose to take classes from us,” Paradis said, adding that COCC will continue in-area recruiting efforts. “With those two factors, we’re going to see one of our largest if not our largest incoming class ever.”

Paradis said the college might “lose a few” students who are no longer limited to a choice between the community college and a small OSU branch, but ultimately the two schools aren’t competing against each other for students.

“When people ask me what’s the effect of the new OSU campus — and I get asked this personally too — it’s because in higher education there always tends to be these comparatives,” said Zak Boone, executive director of the COCC Foundation. “We serve a niche as a community college, so to me it’s great that there’s an option here that provides that. I don’t put (OSU and COCC) in a competitive column.”

Competition between the two schools isn’t materializing in regard to donations, either, Boone said. Donors to COCC’s Foundation, which Boone said with about $20 million has the largest endowment in the state of any community college system, tend to give money because of a personal connection to the college, and OSU won’t change that.

“We haven’t seen any negative effects. Our fundraising has been very successful,” he said. “We’re going to offer more scholarships than ever before.”

According to data the foundation keeps, the foundation is offering $1.5 million in scholarships this academic year. That’s up from $1.22 million in scholarships in the 2015-2016 academic school year, which was an increase from $1.16 million the year before that.

“Annual scholarships are our top funding priority, and thus reflect our annual fundraising, which has doubled since 2005-2006,” Boone wrote in an email.

As for the changes in operations, the biggest one is that OSU will no longer occupy COCC’s Cascades Hall on NW College Way. The university spent the last week in August and the first week in September moving out of the building, which will now be used as COCC administration sees fit.

Paradis said it’s uncertain at this point what the building will be used for, but David Ford, a COCC board member, said more classroom space is being considered.

“The most obvious change is OSU moving off campus,” Ford said, adding that the building’s debt has been retired as part of OSU moving out, and now Cascades Hall belongs completely to COCC. “We’ll get back Cascades Hall, that’ll be part of the adjustment — figuring out the best way to utilize that campus facility.”

Regarding other operational changes, OSU will be leasing COCC’s Juniper Hall dorm and dining facilities until the university’s own facilities open in January. Also, COCC’s public safety department won’t be responsible for OSU anymore, because the university won’t be on COCC property.

“We’ll have our own public safety on the OSU campus,” Reynolds said.

Ford said that despite the changes, he agrees with Boone’s take on the university’s impacts on COCC.

“We’ve always viewed OSU-Cascades as a partner in higher education,” he said. “We’re not particularly threatened by it, and we understand there will be adjustments and changes as time goes by. There are examples of universities and community colleges partnering very successfully all over the country.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7829,

awest@bendbulletin.com