Under the direction of Winston Purvine, the first classes were held in a deactivated Marine Corps hospital three miles northeast of Klamath Falls.

In that year, in response to the Korean War, the school received a contract for training soldiers in welding and warehouse management.

Oregon Tech's four locations in the Portland metropolitan area were consolidated into a single campus in Wilsonville in 2012 at InFocus' former headquarters.

The institute of technology is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) since the 1993–94 academic year.

The close proximity of the schools and alternate academic foci (science and technology at Oregon Tech, liberal arts at SOU) result in a natural rivalry between the two.

[8] OIT's mascot, Hootie the Hustlin' Owl, has been portrayed as a costumed character since 1980 and sports the jersey number 47 as an homage to the school's founding year.

Known originally as "OIT OWL", he first hatched out of a giant paper mache egg during halftime at a home football game.

Notable stunts include skydiving, ziplining, half-court basketball throws, and various feats of acrobatics and professional dancing abilities.