Oregon Public Broadcasting

It's different at Reed College. 

John Sheehy - Photo Courtesy Reed College

The school in Southeast Portland has developed a national reputation for its unique approach to education -- one that has been tested by time. 

For a hundred years now, the Reed learning environment has developed into one where academic freedom is prized, instruction is rigorous, the classes are small, and grades practically don't matter. 

Reed College was founded in 1908, but classes began three years later.  And the college views 2011 as its centennial year. 

John Sheehy graduated in 1982.  He's one of the school's trustees, and he runs the Reed Centennial Oral History Project.  John Sheehy says the "Reed Difference" is not an accident.

On The Web: http://centennial.reed.edu/