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A new face at OIT
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| H&N photo by Ty Beaver Chris Maples stands with the Triumph motorcycle he rode from Nevada for meetings at OIT this week. |
School’s new president ready to take charge
By TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
Chris Maples didn’t attend a college to study health sciences or engineering.
The newly appointed president Oregon Institute of Technology has spent most of his academic career involved in paleontology, a subject far from radiology or engineering.
But Maples said OIT is similar to his educational background because it is a small, hands-on institution that seeks to prepare its students immediately for the rigors of the real world.
And while he’s taught and managed programs at a half-dozen institutions, Maples said he plans to stick to OIT’s model and make changes that will increase the school’s presence and make it more competitive.
“OIT has a lot of good stories to tell, it just has to get out there,” he said.
Maples will replace David Woodall, who has served as interim superintendent since former OIT President Martha Anne Dow died of cancer last year.
The president has a resumé that includes time at several universities, foundations and the U.S. Department of Defense, but he came from a small town. His father was a biology professor at Maples’ alma mater, West Georgia College, now University of West Georgia, in Carrollton, Ga.
Maples used the GI Bill to pay for his undergraduate education, in addition to working in a wire plant and as a security guard. He did the same in graduate school, while also selling his blood plasma to make ends meet.
Those experiences impressed upon him the struggles students face. OIT provides a private school education for public school prices, he said, but more needs to be done to ensure its financial stability. Maples didn’t say where additional financial support should come from, but said it shouldn’t be from state funds and students’ pockets.
The president sees other areas to focus on as well. Research and teaching, while excellent at the school, could benefit from faculty pursuing more research funding and bringing that research into the classroom.
Maples also wants to step up student recruitment, increase OIT’s offerings and expand the school’s presence at Portland while maintaining the Klamath Falls campus’ role.
“All of these goals point toward an overarching vision I have for the institute,” he said in an e-mail.
See Wednesday's print edition for a Q&A with Maples.
The newly appointed president Oregon Institute of Technology has spent most of his academic career involved in paleontology, a subject far from radiology or engineering.
But Maples said OIT is similar to his educational background because it is a small, hands-on institution that seeks to prepare its students immediately for the rigors of the real world.
And while he’s taught and managed programs at a half-dozen institutions, Maples said he plans to stick to OIT’s model and make changes that will increase the school’s presence and make it more competitive.
“OIT has a lot of good stories to tell, it just has to get out there,” he said.
Maples will replace David Woodall, who has served as interim superintendent since former OIT President Martha Anne Dow died of cancer last year.
The president has a resumé that includes time at several universities, foundations and the U.S. Department of Defense, but he came from a small town. His father was a biology professor at Maples’ alma mater, West Georgia College, now University of West Georgia, in Carrollton, Ga.
Maples used the GI Bill to pay for his undergraduate education, in addition to working in a wire plant and as a security guard. He did the same in graduate school, while also selling his blood plasma to make ends meet.
Those experiences impressed upon him the struggles students face. OIT provides a private school education for public school prices, he said, but more needs to be done to ensure its financial stability. Maples didn’t say where additional financial support should come from, but said it shouldn’t be from state funds and students’ pockets.
The president sees other areas to focus on as well. Research and teaching, while excellent at the school, could benefit from faculty pursuing more research funding and bringing that research into the classroom.
Maples also wants to step up student recruitment, increase OIT’s offerings and expand the school’s presence at Portland while maintaining the Klamath Falls campus’ role.
“All of these goals point toward an overarching vision I have for the institute,” he said in an e-mail.
See Wednesday's print edition for a Q&A with Maples.
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