By Natalie Pate, Salem Statesman Journal, Published Sept. 20, 2021
A private ceremony Monday morning was held in Salem’s downtown Vick Building, 525 Trade St., marking the opening of Western Oregon University’s new campus, WOU|Salem.
“We are delighted to be Oregon’s first public university to have a permanent presence in Salem,” WOU Interim President Jay Kenton said in a recent news release.
The university plans to partner with state agencies and others to “help working adults make career changes and career advancements a reality,” Kenton said. They will do so with hybrid courses and evening classes in the state’s capital.
WOU began its expansion into Salem more than two years ago with classes and programs for working adults in the Willamette Education Service District building in south Salem.
WOU|Salem now features two programs only offered on the Salem campus — a Master of Arts in organizational leadership and a Bachelor of Applied Science in liberal studies. The Salem location also offers courses for a master’s in rehabilitation and mental health counseling and undergraduate courses in psychology, criminal justice, and business.
As programming is established, officials said the Vick Building’s six “technology-enhanced” classrooms and two seminar rooms will serve nearly 500 Salem-based students.
For more information, go to wou.edu/salem.
SVN’s Salem Advisor George Grabenhorst represented Western Oregon.
I am excited for WOU and proud to be able to have assisted with this expansion, said George Grabenhorst.
