HECC Launches Activities Driven by Its New Strategic Plan
The HECC’s Strategic Plan, adopted in October 2024, describes the vision, mission, goals, and strategies that the Commission intends to guide its work over the next three to five years. At its August public meeting, the Commission reviewed an initial set of new activity that the agency plans to initiate in 2025-2026 toward these goals.
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RELEVANCE - To improve the responsiveness of Oregon’s education and training systems to the goals and needs of learners, employers, and communities, HECC will initiate three new activities focused on fostering equitable workforce outcomes and connecting postsecondary education and training to workforce needs.
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ALIGNMENT - To align Oregon’s education and training systems, the HECC will begin four new activities intended to support transitions for high school students, GED® completers, and adults into postsecondary education and training and to connect learning across the education continuum.
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AFFORDABLE ACCESS - To make postsecondary education and training affordable for all Oregonians, the HECC will begin two new activities related to supporting institutional efficiency to lower costs.
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BELONGING - To elevate learner voices and support inclusivity and belonging in all postsecondary learning settings, the HECC will initiate an activity focused on empowering students by undertaking a community engagement process.
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LEADERSHIP - To infuse postsecondary education, workforce development, research, and innovation into Oregon’s economic development strategies, the HECC will begin two activities to respond to partner needs and to support business recruitment and retention.
In addition to the work on goals, the HECC will consider embarking on a collaborative process to develop new state goals for postsecondary education and training that could be recommended to the Legislature in 2027, and HECC will develop a plan for potential agency organizational changes. This initial list of actions focuses on new or changed activity, and it is intended to build upon activities already underway at HECC that are aligned with the HECC’s strategic goals.
Oregon State Capitol Building, courtesy of Oregon Scenic Images, Oregon State Archives
Learn About 2025 Legislative Outcomes for Oregon Postsecondary Education and Training in Newly Published HECC Summaries
Oregon maintained a largely Current Service Level (CSL) postsecondary budget for 2025-27, while featured bills expanded access to some postsecondary programs
Thank you to all who engaged with the HECC on the needs of Oregon learners during the 2025 legislative session. We are pleased to share summaries of key budget and policy outcomes from the recently concluded legislative session.
The HECC 2025-27 Legislatively Approved Budget (LAB)—which includes funding for Oregon’s public institutions, local workforce development boards, student financial aid programs, and more—totals $4.4 billion; this is an increase of 5.5 percent from the 2023-25 Legislatively Approved Budget (LAB). The largest funds in the HECC budget are the operating funds for the institutions and the state’s largest financial aid program.
- The Community College and Public University Support Funds are funded at CSL, or $870.4 million and $1,079.9 million ($1.08 billion), respectively.
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The state’s need-based financial aid program, the Oregon Opportunity Grant, is also funded at CSL, or $329.4 million.
In addition to the institution support funds, the 2025-27 LAB retains dedicated funding for institution benefit navigators at the 17 community colleges and seven public universities at CSL, which is $5.6 million.
The LAB also includes $449.4 million in bonding authority for public university capital construction projects, including projects at PSU, UO, SOU, and WOU, in addition to $35.9 million for community college capital projects. This includes new projects at Clackamas CC, Klamath CC, Mt. Hood CC, and reauthorized projects at Clatsop CC and Southwestern Oregon CC.
Among other legislative outcomes, the following policy developments expanded access to financial aid and college admissions programs in Oregon.
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Oregon Opportunity Grant: For the first time, learners enrolled in certificate programs at Oregon public institutions and eligible private, nonprofit institutions will be able to receive an Oregon Opportunity Grant, following agency rulemaking to conclude no later than in time for 2027-2028 academic year awards. Those enrolled at ¼ and ¾ time may also be eligible to receive the grant, allowing more flexibility for learners (HB 3025).
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Direct Admissions Program: The Direct Admissions program was expanded to include eligible private, nonprofit institutions. Oregon high schoolers who meet specific academic standards will now be automatically notified of their admission to many Oregon-based private, nonprofit institutions in addition to Oregon’s public colleges and universities (HB 2421).
Oregon Awarded $5.8 Million in Federal Grants to Support Registered Apprenticeships
In a recent press release, HECC announced that Oregon has been awarded a total of approximately $5.8 million in federal grants from the United States Department of Labor (DOL) through the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula 3 (SAEF 3) Grant. With this funding, the HECC will support expanding registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities in early learning and care, K-12 education, and behavioral health careers. This funding will support creating innovative, new registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs and scaling up established programs.
Registered apprenticeships combine structured, paid, on-the-job learning experiences with related classroom instruction to train individuals to high industry-recognized standards. In Oregon, numerous partners work together to provide Oregonians with registered apprenticeship opportunities, including state agencies, local workforce development boards, labor unions, postsecondary education and training providers, and employers. The DOL grant expands registered apprenticeships in high-demand careers in early learning and care, K-12 education, and behavioral health in response to critical workforce shortages.
The majority of the funds will support expansion of established programs through partnering agencies, workforce boards, and community organizations. In the coming months, the HECC will also issue a Request for Applications (RFA) for a total of $750,000 in funding for the development of new Oregon Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs focused on behavioral health and early childhood education. Partners can look for this opportunity on our Grant and Contract Opportunities web page where it will be announced.
New Study Examines Oregon’s Teacher Workforce
The Oregon Longitudinal Data Collaborative (OLDC) is pleased to publish the Oregon Teacher Workforce Study, a new research study that explores preparation, hiring, and retention of teachers in Oregon public K-12 schools. Connecting disparate sources of Oregon data on educators for the first time--from the Oregon Department of Education, the HECC, and the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission—this study examines data related to geography, training, and demographics in relation to transition points in educators’ careers.
This new analysis of the teacher workforce describes the educator pathway from high school, through college educator preparation programs (EPPs), and on to public school employment in Oregon. It identifies several relevant factors that affect teachers’ pathways: geographic proximity to EPPs, the growing number of teachers prepared by non-Oregon EPPs, teacher racial/ethnic identity, and teacher salaries relative to local cost of living. The findings in the study underscore the need for local districts and state policymakers to consider these factors in planning to prepare and support Oregon’s teacher workforce. The findings also introduce questions for further research.
Who is OLDC? OLDC is an inter-agency program located in the HECC. We look at the intersections of K-12, postsecondary education, workforce training, and employment to examine how these sectors influence and impact each other. This work focuses on the impact of education programs, policies, and investments to help individuals and communities in Oregon thrive.
Oregon’s Maritime Workforce Grant Powers Jobs, Training, and Coastal Economies
In 2023, Oregon’s maritime industry gained momentum with the launch of the Maritime Workforce Grant, funded through House Bill 3410 (2023). The initiative, implemented by the HECC Office of Workforce Investments, supports grantees that provide hands-on training, expand awareness of maritime careers, and invest in infrastructure to strengthen local coastal economies.
Since its inception in 2023, this biennial grant has awarded over $1.8 million in funding to six local workforce development areas with the highest percentage of maritime jobs. More than 400 individuals have been served through programs such as technical certifications, youth career exposure, gear and license assistance, and sustainable harvesting training.
For example, to meet employer needs, seafood butchery training is being brought to coastal high schools, while an additional welding instructor was added at Oregon Coast Community College, boosting shipbuilding and repair graduates. A new Diesel Mechanic Program at Southwestern Oregon Community College addresses a critical shortage of fleet mechanics.
To help strengthen local maritime economies, grant funding transformed a local market into a full seafood hub, enabling small boat fishermen to process locally, capture more value, and sell directly to consumers.
The grant is also removing barriers for workers. Local programs have provided over 200 commercial fishermen with direct support to help them afford essential gear and permits that are required for their work. Funding is also used to enhance safety, recruit new entrants, and develop industry-informed training.
Together, these efforts are preserving Oregon’s maritime heritage while ensuring economic resilience for years to come.
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The 2025 Oregon Campus Sexual Misconduct Survey is Developed and Ready for Institutions to Administer
We are pleased to announce that the Sexual Misconduct Survey Council has completed its legislative charge to develop the base 2025 Oregon Campus Sexual Misconduct Survey and implementation recommendations, which will be distributed to Oregon colleges and universities in September. Oregon institutions will have two years to administer the survey to their students for the first time.
Students who have experienced sexual misconduct—sexual and gender-based harassment, relationship abuse, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual exploitation—often struggle to continue their academic careers. To learn about their experiences, Oregon passed legislation in 2023 that requires institutions of higher education to biennially conduct a campus sexual misconduct climate survey. The legislation also created the Sexual Misconduct Survey Council, housed in the HECC, to write the base survey and make implementation recommendations.
The Council has been meeting regularly since May 2024 to develop the survey, and in July, it approved the 2025 Oregon Campus Sexual Misconduct Survey and the accompanying Implementation Guide. These documents were developed using decades of research on best practices for sexual misconduct climate surveys. In writing the questions, the Council used a trauma-informed framework and language to minimize potential harm to participants. The survey is designed to allow students as much control as possible over the experience of taking it.
Survey results will shed light on how Oregon higher education students are affected by sexual misconduct. Institutions will be able to identify strengths and areas for improvement in their sexual misconduct prevention and response programs.
Reducing sexual misconduct and improving supports for those who have experienced it can reduce harm and trauma, and help ensure that all students will be able to achieve their academic goals. For more information about the survey, contact Rowan Frost (rowan.frost@hecc.oregon.gov) or visit the Sexual Misconduct Reporting web page below.
Other Recent Legislative Reports
Public University Evaluations
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission has released its public university evaluations for 2024. You can find the reports for each of the evaluated institutions linked here: University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University.
Under ORS 352.061, the HECC is required to evaluate each public university every two years. This year’s evaluations highlight the significant contributions UO, OSU, and PSU make to the State of Oregon and to their communities. They explore recent trends in student enrollment, completion, access, and affordability, and measure the universities’ performance against a set of established financial metrics.
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