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Impact
FOR STUDENTS: Scholarship Initiative
"I'm from a small town, and a lot of kids don't make it to college simply because they can't afford it. It's wonderful that I'm getting this support. It's such a burden lifted off of me and my family."
— Alex Thompson
Bridge to Success Scholar
The “$100 Million for Students” Scholarship Initiative was launched last fall to help achieve our campaign goal for scholarships and fellowships. As of March 31, these gifts and pledges total $76.7 million. Campaign support helped OSU’s new Bridge to Success program provide scholarships to cover all tuition and fee costs for 3,036 students with financial need this year; that’s more than 20% of all Oregon undergraduates at OSU and twice the program’s goal for its first year. The campaign also helped OSU cover a sudden shortfall in Oregon Opportunity Grant awards for more than 3,400 students this spring term.
Some 350 new scholarship funds have been created in the campaign to date: an increase of over 25%.
One example is the von Borstel and Associates, Inc., University Honors College Scholarship Fund, created as a tribute to former dean Joe Hendricks by a wealth management firm based in The Dalles. It will benefit students from Pendleton, The Dalles-Wahtonka, and Sherman County high schools.
FOR OREGON: Building relationships in Portland
Some 40,000 OSU alumni — one in four — live in the Portland metro area, and efforts are underway to increase their engagement with the university. The Foundation’s Portland Strategic Planning group includes staff from University Advancement, the OSU Alumni Association, and Athletics. OSU Foundation Vice President Carol Van Natta, who heads the OSU Portland Center, also is leading efforts to develop relationships with civic and business leaders in the area to build long-term support.
One of OSU’s closest corporate partners in the city is Portland General Electric. Its most recent gift, in support of Dr. Greg Rorrer’s algal carbon dioxide sequestration research in the College of Engineering, was matched by Oregon BEST. The company has many OSU alumni on staff, and they donated more than $55,000 to OSU during PGE's 2008 Employee Giving Campaign. On March 28, CEO Jim Piro and other PGE leaders hosted President Ed Ray, Dean Ron Adams, and numerous alumni at PGE Park for the Civil War baseball game.
FOR THE WORLD: Venture Fund hits $1M milestone
Contributions to the OSU Venture Development Fund have passed the $1 million milestone. With the first six grants awarded, more than $430,000 has been distributed to help OSU research reach the marketplace. Marketing efforts for the tax incentive program are accelerating, including advertisements scheduled for Accountant Magazine, the Oregon Business Association newsletter, the newsletter for Oregon AeA (American Electronics Association), and the Oregon Business Journal. In a collaborative effort, Oregon's universities are encouraging state businesses to consider an investment into the fund. A letter by Trustee Harold Ashford was also sent to OSU donors with information about the fund.
Among recent contributors to the Venture Fund are Jim and Chris Williams of the class of 1966; Jim is a member of the OSU Austin Entrepreneurship Program Committee.
