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The clock is ticking to Join in June | Now – June 30

Just a few days left to take advantage of June membership pricing! Save 10% off any OSU Alumni Association membership through June 30. Your tax-deductible membership powers the programs that strengthen Beaver Nation, enhances student leadership opportunities and keeps you connected. Even more perks: Members enjoy exclusive shopping events and savings on travel, entertainment, Beaver gear, retail and more. Take your place as an OSUAA member with promo code JJ24.

7,648 new grads joined the Beaver family

The Oregon State community had a wonderful time celebrating a record number of graduates from OSU Corvallis, OSU-Cascades and OSU Ecampus as they joined the ranks of alumni this past weekend. Check out our Sweet Beginnings: Commencement Celebration photo album to catch up on all the fun!

About the 2024 grads:

• The oldest graduate is 70 years old. The youngest is 19.
• All of Oregon’s 36 counties, 49 states and 75 countries are represented.
• 194 graduates are veterans of U.S. military service.
• 1,226 are the first in their family to earn a college degree.

Steven Jackson, ’20 — Beaver Football Hall of Famer, star NFL running back, philanthropist and OSU Foundation Trustee — delivered a motivational message as the commencement keynote speaker.

Words of wisdom for the graduating class

A BEaver KIND note from Ron Masters, ’83, reads: “Congratulations! Be curious about the world and people. We can all learn from each other no matter what our education level or background. Choose to help others have the most positive day possible from your words and actions.”

EVENTS

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Seven lucky Beaver fans will win | Now – July 31

Enter the All Star Tailgate Sweepstakes for a chance to score big and win one of seven Beaver fan prize packages (read the official sweepstakes rules). You can tailgate like a VIP and watch a 2024 home game from some of the best seats in the house with two Club-level seats, free parking, and two meals and special access to the VIP area located at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center. No purchase necessary to enter; proudly presented by the OSUAA membership program.

Tee up for Beaver Nation | Aug. 16

Swing into action and save your spot at the 15th Annual Treasure Valley Golf Tournament! Support OSU student-athletes in this scramble-format event and make connections that keep Beaver Nation strong in the Treasure Valley. Not a golfer? Register for the lunch-only option to enjoy a delicious meal, updates from OSU Athletics and a chance to win prizes.

More events:

Summer of the Shark | July 5 and July 23
Join the OSU Big Fish Lab to meet Oregon’s shark scientists and learn about how they conduct work on local species and beyond, featuring a Q&A, food, drinks, trivia and more! July 5 at McMenamins Gearheart Hotel; July 23 grand finale and shark dissection at Portland’s McMenamins Bagdad Theater & Pub (get tickets).

Acceptance and Commitment Skills Training | July 14, 21 and 28
Join Marigold: The OSU Center for Contemplative Practice this summer for a three-week workshop, a positive psychology approach to human flourishing designed to break down ways to handle the difficulties of life.

Black and Orange Awards Celebration | Sept. 19 – Save the date!
This fall, gather with fellow Beavers as we thank the 2024 Black and Orange Awards recipients, those deeply involved members of our community whose far-reaching service and influence have strengthened Oregon State.

PRAx Presents: OSU President Emeritus Ed Ray and Professor Emeritus Charlotte Headrick in “Love Letters” | Oct. 4 and 6
Two terrific contributors to the arts at OSU present a benefit performance of "Love Letters," a powerful, retrospective and funny Pulitzer-Prize-nominated play in which two friends — who might have been more — read the correspondence they have exchanged over 50 years. All proceeds benefit student scholarships in University Theatre.

2024 Oregon State University Homecoming | Oct. 18 – 20
We can’t wait to welcome you back to campus for memorable OSU traditions and activities before we cheer for an Oregon State victory against UNLV. Lodging fills up quickly for this busy weekend, so now is the time to start thinking about your Corvallis visit this fall.

Let’s reach our goal and make the Beaver license plates a reality!

Do you love to share a friendly wave and a “Go Beavs” when you bump into a stranger wearing OSU gear? It’s the best conversation starter! Soon you’ll be able to recognize fellow Beavs on the roads, too. The OSU Beaver license plates have been met with major enthusiasm, but a few hundred more vouchers must be sold before the plates can become a reality! Help OSU meet its goal of 3,000 voucher pre-sales and feel proud knowing that the purchase of your striking new Beaver plates supports the university directly.

As of this publication date, only a few hundred vouchers remain unsold, so act quickly.

SPOTLIGHT: FOR BEAVS 50 AND OVER

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Welcome to a new section of Beaver Lodge for post-career alumni and friends. Retirement today is only the beginning. It can be a time to explore new passions, whether that means taking up a new hobby, traveling, volunteering, becoming a dedicated lifelong learner or even pivoting to a new career. Oregon State University remains a resource you can turn to for education, socializing and putting to work the skills honed over a lifetime.

» Cultivate your green thumb with free resources

Early summer is in full swing, and now is the perfect time to dive into OSU’s array of free gardening resources. Whether you’re perfecting your lawn and landscape this summer or growing veggies aplenty to share with others, OSU Extension can help you enhance your gardening knowledge and skills.

Try… 10-minute university videos and handouts for quick lessons on the essentials, Master Gardener Series: Vegetable Gardening for a more in-depth (4-6 hour) course, or the Ask Extension form for a direct line to get help with your specific questions.

» Travel enthusiasts, find your community

Your mood, creativity, independence and belonging all get a boost from meaningful and immersive travel experiences. Let the OSU Alumni Group Travel program connect you with other travelers who share your appetite for growth, exploration and learning.

Try… joining fellow Beavers for a 2024 or 2025 tour, some of which are accompanied by OSU faculty for an even richer perspective. Or satisfy your curiosity with Travel Talks, diving into topics like the science behind a perfect sip of Italian wine and coffee or how to take your best travel photos.

BEAVERS DOING THE UNBELIEVABLE

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» In an episode of Oregon On The Record, OSU professors Jamie DeWitt and Jennifer Field, leading researchers on PFAS — forever chemicals, which don’t degrade and can remain in groundwater for thousands of years — discuss the impact of these persistent substances on our environment.

» OSU chemistry researcher Xiulei “David” Ji, the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professor, and his team discovered that using iron instead of expensive materials like cobalt and nickel in lithium-ion batteries could make these batteries cheaper and greener.

» Congratulations to team Yo-Go Girls from Oregon State for being selected as one of the top three contestants in the 2024 DMI New Product Competition for outstanding student development teams, having expertly designed and submitted their lactose-free nitro yogurt drink “Yo-Go on Nitro!”

» OSU alumna and former OSU Board of Trustees secretary of the board, Debbie Colbert, Ph.D. ’05, has made history as the first woman to be appointed as the director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

» College of Forestry researchers developed an AI model to identify marbled murrelet sounds in audio recordings, efficiently predicting this endangered seabird’s nesting patterns along the West Coast and making it simpler, more efficient and less expensive to protect them.

» Three OSU students were selected as 2024 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation — the top undergraduate award in the majors it covers. Congratulations to Jose Naranjo Mendez, Madalyn Gragg and Roberto Ponce Velez.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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» Food for thought: From grown to wild, discover what’s on your plate and learn how to make better choices about sustainable seafood at home and abroad with Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Department Head Selina Heppell in Travel Talk: Sustainable Seafood At Home and Away.

» Thank a teacher: “I was raised to know that education is the key that opens up doors in life,” says fourth-grade Spanish teacher Marilyn Polo. Watch the Ask Alumni: Celebrating Diversity in Teaching panel to hear from educators of color in our region about their experiences fostering welcoming classes and school communities.

FUN FOR MINI BEAVS

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Create your own Shrinky Dinks

Turn your art into a special keepsake, a magnet, a keychain accessory or even a lucky charm for Beaver game day! Just draw or trace any image onto a sheet of shrink plastic, cut it out and bake according to instructions.

Brought to you by OSU Connections

Surround yourself with inspiration when you join OSU Connections — a private and secure online networking platform built just for Beaver alumni. Find your friends and former classmates, search for jobs, connect with a community of mentors or share your own expertise. Join today.