BEND, OR -- Oregon State University offers tours of its Bend campus in a series of events, starting Friday. Christine Coffin, with OSU-Cascades, says it's an extension of a pilot program tested in April, "We offered a classroom session, where we shared the history of the campus, how it came about, going back 40 years; the community support. And then, described the academic programs and how they came about, the research and researchers." 

Groups then tours Tykeson and Edward J Ray Halls, "Along the way, you'll see several of our 40 pieces of public art that are on the campus, and then also, depending on the weather and the state of the construction, you might take a van tour to see some of the land remediation that's underway. Or, you might take a walking tour of the site. But either way, there's a lot to discover."

Tours are for groups of 12-24 people, occurring monthly, typically on the fourth Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, "We have always, of course, offered tours for students and prospective students and parents," says Coffin, "But what we've realized along the way is the community has invested so much in bringing a university campus to Central Oregon, and they're also invested in seeing it thrive, that they're very interested in seeing what's under the hood." She tells KBND News, "It's kind of us living out our land grant mission and really connecting with the community."

Advance online reservations are required. Click HERE for more information.