July 1st.
Today marks Chris Maples’ last day in his official capacity as president of Oregon Institute of Technology. Interim President Jay Kenton, who worked in finance for Oregon Tech from 1986-88 and most recently since February, will take office officially on Friday July 1st, the beginning of the fiscal year. Maples plans to take a sabbatical and look for other opportunities during the next year. He believes he’s leaving the university in good hands with Kenton while a search is underway for a long-term replacement.“I’ve been in higher-ed in some form or fashion for 30 years,” Maples said, said during an ice cream social held in honor of his farewell earlier this month. “I’ve never had much of a break.” His position has kept him busy for the last eight years.

Many accomplishments

Maples expressed pride in being part of many accomplishments during his time eight years at the university. Among those that made the highlight reel for him are the geothermal and solar field constructed on campus, helping to finish the Martha Anne Dow Center, shepherding Oregon Tech as it came under the governance of its own board of trustees, and being apart of the effort to consolidate the Portland-area campuses into one central location in Wilsonville.

During his tenure, he also emphasized a shift in the university’s brand, pushing for Oregon Tech to be the face of Oregon Institute of Technology. When asked if Maples would like to leave a legacy, Maples said he hopes students continue to find an added quality in an Oregon Tech degree once they graduate. “Oregon Tech is today what it is because of what Winston Purvine did when he was getting the university going,” Maples said. “All the rest of us have just been trying to live up to his ideal.” Maples held an ice cream social earlier this month, one of many held at the university throughout his tenure at Oregon Tech. Surrounded by students and faculty munching on ice cream bars amid conversation is how Maples began his tenure at Oregon Tech. Rather than investitures, which he said can be costly, he opted to bring people together around a fondness for the frozen desert. It symbolizes the informal nature of his style as president, as well as a way to say farewell to Maple’s time on campus. “These jobs are relay races,” Maples said. “All too often, people stay too late at the end of their relay. I’m happy to hand off the baton without losing momentum.” Maples is confident in Kenton’s ability to help transition the university into a new presidency, especially since Kenton has served in a finance capacity at the university since February.
“That’s one of the great things about already having him on campus,” Maples added. “He knows a lot about how this works.”

Kenton sees bright future for Tech

Kenton served as interim president of Eastern Oregon University in La Grande before entering his second retirement.
He fielded a call from Maples in January asking if he could offer help in finance at the university until June. That was before he was offered the interim presidency, which officially starts on Friday.
Kenton happily obliged, and expressed optimism on Tuesday about the outlook of the university moving forward.
“My assessment of OIT is, our faculty work really hard,” Kenton said in an interview with the Herald and News on Tuesday afternoon. “They’re pretty much at capacity.
“Our faculty feel that our compensation isn’t adequate,” he added. “Obviously if we want to grow the campus, we’re going to have more faculty capacity, more people. We’re doing a big compensation study now.”

Finances in order

Kenton exuded confidence in the financial stability of the university moving forward.
“I’m projecting a $7 million surplus,” Kenton said. “We’ll end with a reserve in excess of almost $16 million, almost 30 percent of the university’s operating budget.
“Our board approved a 3 percent tuition increase in the fall,” Kenton added. “We’re budgeting for a 3 percent tuition increase, we’re budgeting for a 3 percent enrollment growth, we have a balanced budget.”
Kenton said the university is also preparing to kickoff a $11.7 million renovation of Cornett Hall, which includes adding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, removal of asbestos, seismic code upgrades, new lighting and ventilation.
“We’re requesting $42 million to build a 90,000-square-foot engineering building next to it,” Kenton said, pending approval by the Oregon Legislature.
The university is also constructing a soccer field, and recently replaced more than 200 feet of storm drain, described by Kenton as “vintage.” Plans are in place to replace the storm drain underneath the college union in summer 2017.
“We’ve got a lot of different facility-type projects that we’re working on,” Kenton said.
“I want to clean the campus up, it needs to be beautified,” he added.
He also hopes to help streamline efficiencies and accountability in the university’s administration, and to help prepare the university for a new president over the course of the next six months to one year.
The university has hired a firm to search for Maple’s long-term replacement, as well as for Provost Brad Burda, who is retiring from the university.
“The hope is to have somebody by Jan. 1,” Kenton said, of filling a long-term president’s role. “I don’t know if that’s possible … that’s the goal.
“I said I would stay until I found a president,” he added. “We’re doing a lot of things to get the campus prepared for the next president … I’m hoping that we’ll have a good launch pad for that person when they come.”