CORVALLIS, Ore. \u2013 A record number of distance students will receive degrees from Oregon State University on June 11 after completing their coursework online through OSU Ecampus.<\/p>\n
Ecampus will graduate 386 students Saturday, nearly twice as many as last year when 210 received their OSU diplomas. This year\u2019s graduates span 40 states and six countries, including China, Germany and the Bahamas, evidence that the demand for online courses continues to rise at OSU.<\/p>\n
\u201cEcampus is proud to play an integral role in providing access to an OSU education through our comprehensive online degree programs,\u201d said Ecampus executive director Lisa Templeton. \u201cWe prove year after year that we can meet the educational needs of adult learners no matter where they are, and the class of 2011 is a testament to our success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The growth of Ecampus is a result of a wide-ranging and rigorous curriculum, giving students the same learning outcomes and high-quality degree as OSU\u2019s on-campus learners. Kristine Gehring-Ohrablo, a student from Nebraska City, Neb., said her Master of Radiation Health Physics degree will give her a leg up on others in her industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty rare degree to begin with, Ecampus had the most academically rigorous program, and it\u2019s an accredited degree,\u201d Gehring-Ohrablo said. \u201cThere was no difference in being an Ecampus student or an on-campus student. They didn\u2019t cut corners so we could get it done. Having been through one on-campus master\u2019s program before, I knew what I was looking for, and OSU provided it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A special reception will be held Saturday morning for the 46 Ecampus graduates who will travel to Corvallis for commencement. The reception will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the Memorial Union, Room 109. OSU\u2019s commencement ceremony will begin at 11:05 a.m. at Reser Stadium on campus.<\/p>\n
Among the students traveling to OSU is Dirk Gard, a natural resources bachelor\u2019s degree recipient who will graduate magna cum laude. Late last month, he received the prestigious Waldo-Cummings Award, given annually to 10 OSU seniors in recognition of academic excellence. Gard said that attaining a degree will enable him to pursue opportunities previously unavailable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already applied for a federal position at the Tongass National Forest in Alaska,\u201d said Gard, 43, the operations manager at Duke Energy\u2019s Campbell Wind Farm in Casper, Wyo. \u201cThat\u2019s a job in the past I wouldn\u2019t even have tried to get. Why bother, you know? I didn\u2019t have the credentials.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow my wife just says, \u2018If it looks good and you get it, let\u2019s go.\u2019 It\u2019s a pretty amazing feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"