Skip to main content

Request info

Oregon State’s Class of 2020 features 1,128 students who earned degrees online

By Tyler Hansen
June 11, 2020

On her first day as an Oregon State University Ecampus student in 2013, Cheryl Jobs sat down at a Starbucks in the New York metro area, opened her laptop and notebook, and she got to work.

“I remember feeling excited,” she recalls now. “The material had me hooked from day one.”

Seven years later, Jobs is one of the 1,128 members of the Oregon State Ecampus Class of 2020 who earned their degrees online and are being celebrated from a distance this week. They comprise 15.7% of the university’s 7,181 graduates this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused Oregon State to postpone its commencement ceremony – traditionally held each June on the Corvallis campus – until a later date based on public health recovery factors. Hundreds of Ecampus students participate in the ceremony each year to receive their diplomas in person.

Even though the on-site celebration was put on hold, it doesn’t lessen the sense of accomplishment for students like Jobs. She experienced homelessness and faced other personal hardships while studying full time in Oregon State’s online natural resources bachelor’s program.

Jobs immersed herself in the Ecampus coursework, with a focus in fish and wildlife conservation. Now she’s graduating with honors, and her résumé already boasts an internship with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“We are constantly in awe of our global community of students and their ability to persevere and succeed despite the challenges they face as adult learners,” Ecampus Associate Provost Lisa L. Templeton said. “This year we are particularly proud and aware of how hard they work in order to stay on track to graduate and improve their lives.”

The Ecampus Class of 2020 consists of students from 48 states and U.S. territories, as well as Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Quick facts about 2020 Oregon State Ecampus graduates

This year’s graduating class means that more than 7,000 students have earned an Oregon State degree online since 2002. They are now part of OSU’s vast alumni network that are making an impact on their communities and the world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *