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Ask Alumni: Smart money moves | March 11  

Financial decisions shape every stage of your career, from negotiating salaries and benefits to managing debt to investing and planning for retirement. Tomorrow evening, hear an alumni panel share practical strategies and real-world insights to level up your long-term financial and career success.

Your guide to timing pay conversations

When is the right time to ask for a raise — and what if the answer is “not yet”? A new article from the alumni career services director offers guidance on choosing the right moment, framing your request and alternate benefits you can consider to add value to your role.

EVENTS

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Dam Good Connections Sacramento: Resilient Research in Wine | April 18

Enjoy the perfect blend of networking and knowledge as Professor James Osborne, director of the OSU Oregon Wine Research Institute, shares the innovative strategies OSU researchers have developed to protect grape quality and wine production from wildfire smoke taint. Plus, get an exclusive Sacramento Beavs Dam Good Connections sticker!

Don’t miss the next stops in these cities:

»  May 8: Seattle | Pints and Peaks – What’s Brewing Beneath the Pacific Northwest?
» May 16: Bend | Nature and Beauty in Oregon’s Backyard

Alumni Fellows Awards Dinner | April 23  

Join Beaver alumni, family and friends to recognize eight exceptional OSU alumni selected by their colleges as the 2026 Alumni Fellows. Save your seat by April 9 and help celebrate the legacies they’ve built in their communities and professional fields.

Stone Award for Literary Achievement – Natasha Trethewey | May 8

Natasha Trethewey, winner of the 2026 Stone Award for Literary Achievement, will celebrate with a poetry reading at OSU on May 8. Presented by the College of Liberal Arts and established by Vicki and Patrick Stone, ’74, the award honors extraordinary authors and poets with lasting literary influence.

Spring Parent and Family Breakfast | May 2

Spring Family Weekend comes with plenty to see and do, so give yourself a strong start to your Saturday at the OSU Alumni Association’s Parent and Family Breakfast! Dig into a hearty morning buffet, connect with other OSU families and get a window into student career-readiness before diving into the day’s events.

More events

adidas Employee Store Shopping for OSUAA Members | Now – March 31
In person
Count yourself lucky this March: OSU Alumni Association members save 50% off the retail price of most items in the adidas Employee Store with this exclusive pass. Not a member yet? Join today.

FURst Aid: Calving Difficulties – Recognizing Them, Intervening and When to Call the Vet | March 11
Online
Learn how to recognize calving difficulties, when to step in and when to call a veterinarian in this session led by bovine medicine expert Dr. Jennifer Pearson, assistant professor at the Gary R. Carlson, MD, College of Veterinary Medicine.

KidSpirit Alumni Network: Gymnastics Social and Tour | March 14
In person
Reconnect with fellow KidSpirit alumni and families. Join a pre-meet social in Langton Hall before cheering on OSU Gymnastics and enjoying an exclusive post-meet tour of the practice facility with the assistant head coach!

Provost’s Lecture with Harry Smith: Reporter and TV Journalist | March 18
In person and online
The Provost’s Lecture Series, a partnership of the Office of the Provost and the OSU Foundation, welcomes Emmy- and Peabody-winning reporter and television journalist Harry Smith for a livestreamed talk on American culture and history, drawing on his impressive four-decade career.

From Oregon vineyards to Lower Manhattan | March 26
In person
Enjoy an evening of Oregon wine and Beaver community at Metropolis within the spectacular new Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City. This OSU Foundation reception features Professor James Osborne, director of the university’s Oregon Wine Research Institute.

Graduate Engineering Research Showcase | April 2
In person and online
Explore innovative research from master’s and Ph.D. students in the College of Engineering as they share live presentations on their work tackling major global challenges. Attend in person for a reception and networking or join the livestream to watch student talks.

The Rev | April 9
In person
Celebrate a new era of Oregon State Football! Connect with fellow Beavs, hear Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard’s vision for the program and get fired up for the season ahead.

BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging – Andy Akiho and Imani Winds | April 12
In person
Presented by OSU-Cascades and PRAx, experience this powerful and 2025 Grammy-nominated musical collaboration by celebrated percussionist Andy Akiho and Grammy-winning wind ensemble Imani Winds — a genre-defying exploration of mass incarceration through bold percussion and wind arrangements.

OSU-Cascades Science Pub: As I Lay Drying – What Causes Rivers to Go Dry and What Can Be Done About It? | April 21
In person
Join Skuyler Herzog, assistant professor of natural resources at OSU-Cascades, for an exploration of why Central Oregon rivers go dry, how restoration efforts influence flow and water quality and what deeper questions emerge when visions for river recovery diverge.

Alumni Field Trip in Bend | May 16
In person
Spend a day discovering Central Oregon’s natural wonders on a guided field trip featuring alumni and faculty expert-led walks at Shevlin Park and Lava Lands. Unwind afterward with OSU friends at Dam Good Connections at Deschutes Brewery.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS

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Help a student you know become a Homecoming Court Ambassador

Homecoming Court applications for 2026–2027 are open. Share this opportunity! Six students will be selected for their leadership, integrity and contributions to Beaver Nation and receive meaningful benefits including a one-time $1,000 scholarship, networking with university leaders and alumni and the honor of representing OSU during Homecoming events. Encourage a student you know to apply by Sunday, April 5.

The art of not cleaning up: Travel Talks | April 7

Step into ancient Rome’s dining rooms with award-winning food writer Kristin Griffin as she unpacks what Romans ate, how lavish feasts shaped society and why “unswept floor” mosaics — designed to mimic scattered food scraps — became fashionable. This virtual talk gives a fresh perspective on how everyday objects, even the floors beneath your feet, reveal the culture and values of people throughout history.

BEAVERS DOING THE UNBELIEVABLE

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» A clinical trial led by OSU scientists Natalia Shulzhenko and Andrey Morgun suggests a link between the bacterial makeup of a dog’s microbiome and their chances of beating cancer.

» A new AI model trained by OSU Assistant Professor Luyao Ma and her collaborators makes a major leap in assessing food safety — a process that once took days can now be reliably completed in mere hours.

» Oleh and Olena Taratula and Chao Wang of the OSU College of Pharmacy worked with a team to develop a new nanoagent for fighting cancer cells. Early tests have generated promising findings for the future of cancer treatment.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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» You may not be able to touch grass, but you can learn lots about plants on this virtual tour through the campus arboretum with Dan Blanchard, M.S. ’24, horticulture instructor and curator of living plant collections.

» Hear OSU alumni share about how research skills translate to a wide variety of career pathways, including jobs outside the world of science.

FUN FOR MINI-BEAVS

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Chick hatch cam

Any day now OSU Extension’s annual livestream of egg hatching fun will begin! Tune in to watch the bedraggled yet still very cute chicks break out of their shell in real time.

OSUAA members earn special discounts on Beavers merchandise and support student scholarships at the same time. Learn more.