Western Oregon University has finalized the purchase of a building in downtown Salem.
In a news release, the university said it bought the historical Vick building from Roger Yost for $2.735 million. The transaction includes a $100,000 Roger Yost Leadership Endowed Scholarship, which will go to a Western Oregon University student.
“We’re thrilled to be joining Salem’s vibrant downtown,” WOU President Rex Fuller said in a news release. “This purchase is an investment in not only Western Oregon University’s future, but the future of Oregonians and our state.”
The newly purchased building will be home to several of the school’s programs, including its new Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership.
“We are very excited to have WOU in downtown Salem,” Kristin Retherford, Salem’s urban development director, said in the news release. “To have WOU join this ecosystem will add to downtown vibrancy and create new opportunities for partnership that will support this growth through leadership development and meeting workforce needs.”
WOU began its expansion to Salem early this year, with classes and programs in the Willamette Education Service District building in south Salem. Classes will continue in that building for the 2019-20 academic year.
All of the school’s Salem offerings will be in the Vick building starting in the fall of 2020, after minor renovations.