BEND, OR -- Oregon State University President Ed Ray delivers his annual State of the University address Monday evening, in Bend. Ray says he'll focus on the great things happening at OSU Cascades, "The growth in enrollment, the philanthropy that we've seen there, I'll say something about the dedication of the plaza and invite people to be there; I'll talk a little bit about work we're doing, hopefully through the Legislature, to get funding for the student success center in Bend. I think [there are] a lot of exciting things, going forward." Ray says OSU's future is bright and he believes the Bend campus is a big part of what brings the university its vitality. He also expects to discuss future projects as the campus continues to grow and impact Central Oregon.

In his annual address, though, he says he'll also talk about the many students who struggle, especially with mental health concerns, "Particularly with respect to young people. It's really skyrocketed in recent year. And so I'll say a bit about what the realities are that we're dealing with, and a little bit about how we're trying to deal with them. It's really a national problem that's ratcheted up dramatically over the last number of years, and really is a call for everybody to pay attention and start taking action."

And, he tells KBND News, "I'll talk about the role that philanthropy is playing through the OSU foundation in helping us to help students who are struggling to deal with their student debt so that they can graduate from college with a degree."

Monday evening's State of the University begins at 6 p.m. at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes.