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OSU engineering dean urges continued sustaining funds, warns startup costs for faculty research have risen sharply
Summary
Oregon State University’s engineering leadership told the Ways and Means education subcommittee on May 1 that sustained state investment in the Engineering and Technology Sustaining Fund is critical to meet workforce demand and to keep research programs competitive.
Oregon State University’s engineering leadership told the Ways and Means education subcommittee on May 1 that sustained state investment in the Engineering and Technology Sustaining Fund (ETSF) remains critical to meet workforce demand and to keep research programs competitive.
Scott Ashford, dean of OSU’s College of Engineering (speaking for Dean Ben Barry), described ETSF as a long‑running state investment that helped expand faculty, labs and student capacity. He told the committee OSU now awards more computer‑science degrees than any other institution in the country, produces about 2,400 engineers and scientists each year, and distributes nearly $3 million a year in scholarships.
Ashford said the sustained funds support recruiting and faculty startup packages that are essential to launching research programs. He cited a funding example: “When Etech was first launched, startup funding was crucial for hiring and equipping labs. In 2008 a startup package for a semiconductor experimentalist was about $80,000; today that cost is about $600,000.” He urged the state to revisit an investment model that supports clear metrics for program growth and competitiveness.
Senator Frederick and other committee members asked about outreach to K‑12 and community engagement. Frederick encouraged engineering programs to reconnect with elementary and middle schools and PTAs to expand students’ awareness of engineering career paths. Ashford invited the committee to visit campuses and labs to see outcomes firsthand.
Ashford framed the sustaining fund as a long‑term workforce investment that helps place graduates at employers from Intel to Oregon‑based startups, and in university spinouts such as Agility Robotics, which he cited as an example of technology commercialization originating from OSU faculty hires.
No formal appropriations vote was taken at the hearing; the ETSF request will be one component considered in the HECC budget process and in deliberations over SB 5525.
