Water Resources Research Institute established.

West Hall (residence hall) opened.

OSU Rifle Team won the National Collegiate Championship with a record score of 1159.

Enrollment: 7,899.

Population in Corvallis: 20,669; in Benton County: 39,165; in Oregon: 1,768,687.

First oceanographic research vessel, the 80-foot Acona, acquired. It was the first United States academic vessel designed specifically for oceanographic research.

On March 6, Governor Mark Hatfield signed into law the legislative act which changed the name of the institution to Oregon State University.

James Herbert Jensen, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D. (August 22, 1961-June 30, 1969), appointed by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education as the tenth president of Oregon State University. Jensen was appointed president of Oregon State University after serving eight years as provost at Iowa State University. President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus 1971-1993.

Oregon Forest Research Center became the OSU Forest Research Laboratory.

Dormitory Service Building and Orchard Court Apartments (married student housing) opened.

Runner Dale Story led OSU to the 1961 NCAA Cross Country Championship.

University Archives established.

OSU Press established.

ROTC changed from two years of mandatory participation for qualified male students to voluntary participation.

Transportation Research Institute established.

The OSU Rifle Team won the National Championship for the second time in three years, with a score of 1,170.

Linus Pauling, OSU alumni Class of 1922, awarded the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. Having previously received the Nobel Chemistry Prize, Pauling became the only person in history to receive two unshared Nobel prizes.

On October 12 a severe windstorm (75 mph sustained winds), which became known as the Columbus Day Storm, moved inland from the Pacific Ocean and caused $50,000 damage to the OSU campus. 55 trees were destroyed, and another 43 were damaged, including the Trysting Tree.

Oregon State University quarterback Terry Baker won the Heisman Trophy, the first west coast player to win the award. Baker was also honored by Sports Illustrated as its Sportsman of the Year.

On December 15, Terry Baker ran 99 yards for the game's only score as OSU defeated Villanova 6-0 in the Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia.

New Kerr Library building completed.

McNary Hall (residence hall) opened.

The Department of Oceanography commissioned the 180-foot Yaquina.

OSU student Jean Saubert won the bronze medal in the slalom and the silver medal in the giant slalom at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Radiation Center established.

L. A. DeMonte and A. R. Wagner, university planning consultants, presented an updated campus plan to the university. The Long Range Development Plan later is approved by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education.

Callahan and Wilson Halls (residence halls) constructed.

OSU Marine Science Center at Newport dedicated.

Department of English granted permission to offer baccalaureate degrees.

Faculty Senate reorganized and included faculty representatives of all schools and divisions – but no longer included Administrative Council members.

Dean of Faculty position established.

Nutrition Research Institute established.

The OSU Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award established.

Departments of Art, Economics, History, Political Science, Russian Studies, and Speech granted permission to offer baccalaureate degrees.

Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute established.

Avery and Dixon Lodges (co-operative housing) and addition to the Pharmacy Building constructed.

Environmental Health Science Center established.

Former OSU English Department faculty member Bernard Malamud (1949-1961) won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel, The Fixer. The book's title came from the name of a shop in downtown Corvallis.

Finley Hall (residence hall) constructed.

Oregon State University Centennial Celebration.

In its 100th year after designation as a state college – enrollment: 15,791 (summer--4,908); degrees conferred: 2,867; library collection: 538,000 volumes.

80-foot research vessel, the Cayuse, commissioned by the Department of Oceanography.

OSU one of three universities in the nation selected to take part in the new Sea Grant program; program began February 20.

The OSU Seafoods Laboratory in Astoria moved into a new facility, replacing a structure that had been its home since the lab's establishment in 1940.

Forest Science Laboratory (U.S. Forest Service) dedicated.

Black Student Union organized and the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center opened.

OSU student and track star Dick Fosbury won the gold medal in the high jump at the Olympic Games in Mexico City using his "Fosbury Flop" jumping technique.

Rogers Hall and Dairy Barn completed.

Roy Alton Young, A.A., B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (June 16, 1969-June 30, 1970), appointed as acting president following the resignation of President Jensen to become vice rector of Kasetsart University in Bangkok. Young, Professor of Plant Pathology, was appointed in 1966 as the University's first Dean of Research. Young held positions at the University of Nebraska and Cornell University from 1976 to 1986, when he returned to OSU. Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, 1970-1976, Professor Emeritus, 1976-present.

International Plant Protection Center chartered.

On March 5, members of OSU's Black Student Union marched off campus in protest of certain Intercollegiate Athletics Department policies after football player Fred Milton is asked by coach Dee Andros to shave his beard and mustache.

Milne Computer Center constructed.