Dear university colleague:

In this first week of fiscal year 2025, I am reflecting on our work together to advance Oregon State University’s mission over the last 12 months:

• Both the university and the Foundation launched fully aligned strategic plans (more on this below).
• We celebrated the opening of the completed Reser Stadium and PRAx as well as the groundbreaking of the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex.
• With the Beavers Unite rally cry, we inspired support for OSU student-athletes while helping to navigate conference realignment.
• Beavs everywhere rallied for a record-breaking Dam Proud Day and then, internally, we celebrated the 2024 Dammys.
• We recognized our outstanding faculty at both the Faculty Excellence event and the first-ever “Believe It: Conversations with OSU Faculty” event, an important strategy for the public phase of the $1.75 billion Believe It campaign.

In an effort to keep you – our university leaders, including our coaches and endowed faculty position holders – apprised of the Foundation’s activities, I’m pleased to share a snapshot of the past 12 months. I will be in touch in September with the Foundation's Vital Few Goals for FY25.

A highlight of the year was April’s announcement of the $50 million grant from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation for the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex. This gift is the fourth gift of $50 million in the Believe It campaign.

OSUF’s mission by the numbers

Inspire investment – Crossed $200 million for second time ever!

When the fiscal year closed on June 30, giving from our donors crested $200 million (final number available mid-July), eclipsing our baseline goal of $142 million and our stretch goal of $174 million. This is only the second time in our history we have crossed the $200 million milestone (our record remains $216.9 million from FY22).

I am also pleased to share my gratitude to the Cabinet, Provost’s Council of Deans, Provost's Senior Leadership Team and the entire staff of the OSU Foundation for achieving 100% participation in giving in FY24. This is a huge point of pride that demonstrates our mission-driven culture and our commitment to OSU and our students. Thank you!

Engage our community – Welcome to 7,600 new alumni!

Last month, we added over 7,600 new alumni. (Did you see OSU Foundation Trustee Steven Jackson’s commencement address?) All new grads were welcomed to the OSU Alumni Association, starting with a disco themed Grad Night followed by the first annual Sweet Beginnings: Commencement Celebration after the ceremony. New grads also received a free year of OSUAA membership, congratulations messages from alumni, and information about career resources including how to access the online Beavs-only career networking platform OSU Connections.

In May, the OSU Alumni Association concluded its month-long community service initiative, Days of Service, where Beavers gathered in 21 regional locations for volunteer work involving food insecurity, environmental restoration, pet care, blood drives and more. Additionally, alumni around the world recorded their own service hours, demonstrating OSU’s culture of service and dedication to uplifting our communities.

Steward resources – Endowment flirting with $900 million!

While fiscal-year-end reports for our endowment market value are not yet available, at the end of May 2024, it was $891.91 million, up from $827.43 million at the start of the fiscal year. We are grateful for the proactive management provided by our partners at Cerity Partners (formerly Agility) and guided by policies established by the Foundation Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee.

The new Executive Committee of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees includes Eric Schoenstein, Penny Atkins, Dave Underriner, Ken Austin, Sharada Bose, Knute Buehler, Rebecca Camden, Kim Casale, Mary Coucher, Pat Egan, Dick Evans, Neil Fernando, Nancy Fischer, Tom Nakano and Mary Power.

Recapping spring board meetings and Faculty Excellence Dinner

This spring OSU Alumni Association Board of Directors two-day retreat in Newport was full of experiential learning, decision-making and laughter. Topics included approval of the FY25 operating budget, finalizing recommendations for our task forces and ratifying the appointment of new board directors. Robert (Bob) Cowen, associate vice president of marine operations and director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center, presented to the board about the center’s cutting-edge research, and we said a bittersweet farewell to members of our board who are terming off.

OSU Foundation Trustees joined us in Corvallis in May for our Annual Meeting, along with President Jayathi Murthy, Executive Vice President and Provost Ed Feser and Vice Presidents Rob Odom and Mike Green, each of whom serves in an ex officio or liaison role. Our board approved the budget, elected new and returning Trustees and recognized and thanked Trustees who are retiring from the board and Trustees who are moving on to sabbaticals. This meeting was intentionally planned to overlap with the OSU governing board meeting, thereby creating opportunities for the volunteers to get to know each other. This is considered a best practice by the Association of Governing Boards.

While in town, our Trustees attended the Faculty Excellence Dinner, which had a full house of more than 225 guests in attendance. The OSU Foundation is proud to co-sponsor this annual event with the Office of the Provost, which celebrated our two newest University Distinguished Professors, Todd Palmer in nuclear science and engineering and Malgorzata Peszynska, the Joel Davis Faculty Scholar, in mathematics. We also honored 22 new holders of endowed faculty positions with a pre-reception, where they received medallions.

At the OSU Foundation Trustees' Annual Meeting, we said a fond farewell to our graduating Homecoming Court students, who attended our events and actively engaged with both our boards during the year: Maya Sonpatki, Kate Walsh, Carissa O’Donnell, Anusha Vasudevan, Javier Garcia and Carly Thorkildson.

Implementing our strategic plans

When our campaign counsel, Martin Grenzebach of Grenzebach Glier and Associations, a Huron company, visited us this spring, he noted that, at OSU, “the partnership between volunteers, university administrators and foundation leadership is as strong as we ever encounter.” This doesn’t just happen; it’s intentional, and we are grateful for it (and you)!

I am pleased to share a few of the ways the OSU Foundation supports the university’s goals in Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan:

1. Oregon State will be a university focused on big discoveries that drive big solutions - “Doubling research expenditures”

• Best-in-class facilities are essential for OSU faculty and students to conduct research at the highest level. We are excited for our role in bringing PRAx online and for engaging donors in making the Huang Complex possible.
• We are partnering with the Office of the Provost on a fourth Provost’s Faculty Match program, designed to incentivize the creation of endowed faculty positions. This match will help advance the university’s four priority research areas (climate science, clean energy technology, robotics and integrated health and biotechnology). Please contact Marlys Amundson, senior director of development, for more information.

2. Oregon State will be a university where every student graduates: “Increasing six-year graduation rates to 80%”

• In support of President Jayathi Murthy’s aspirational goal for all OSU students to graduate in four years, without debt and with a job, we increased our student success goal in the Believe It campaign to $500 million.
• This effort will include fundraising for the university’s new Finish in Four initiative, which is specifically designed to help Oregon students with high financial need. This is the university’s number one priority for philanthropy for scholarships and student support.

3. Oregon State will be a university that fuels a thriving world in every dimension: “Prosperity for all”

• We are working closely with Associate Vice President Rebecca Robinson and partners across the university to further develop our economic development and industry relations (EDIR) strategy that includes preparing students to meet the workforce needs in our region and conducting research that can help fuel prosperity and solve problems.
• The Beaver Caucus is a passionate group of alumni and friends who work together to ensure state leaders understand OSU's impact on the state and urge them to make transformational investments in higher education and students.

As a reminder, the OSU Foundation & Alumni Association’s strategic plan is organized around six big ideas and is based on a number of underlying assumptions, which include the importance of engaging new donors and volunteers and the imperative that we invest in technology so we can personalize our work at scale:

Philanthropy

1. Raise $500 million for student success as part of the Believe It campaign.

2. Discovery Program: Proactively meet 10,000 new potential major gift donors.

Relationships

3. Double the number of volunteers engaged in formal committees or volunteer work.

4. Engage Ecampus alumni, who will one day comprise 50% of our graduates.

Positioning

5. Three states matter most (Oregon, California and Washington): Hyper-focus on our most important markets — including through events that showcase OSU’s strategic priorities.

6. Compete at the highest level: Leverage the visibility of and engagement opportunities provided by OSU Athletics like never before.

Learn about the skills OSU Foundation Trustee and lululemon executive Nikki Neuburger, ’04, developed as a student-athlete that formed the building blocks of a successful and impactful career.

News

• Sterling and Cheryl Allen: Investing in tomorrow’s leaders through gifts to 4-H
• Learn about the 2024 Changemakers recognized by the OSU Alumni Association
• Gift honors Pulitzer Prize-winning author, former Oregon State faculty member Bernard Malamud
• Scholarship recipient Yazeli Lomas-Ayala, College of Business, ’26, of Boardman, Ore., finds community at OSU
• Catalyst Scholar and 2023 President’s Dinner speaker, Javier Garcia-Ramirez, College of Engineering, ’24, prepares for a bright future
• Phia Morton, College of Science, ’24, another 2023 President’s Dinner student speaker, makes new discoveries about black holes
• Presidential Scholar Joey Takach, College of Science, ’24, follows his passion for math and physics
• 2024 Dam Proud Day Impact Report
• Students pursue research experiences with financial help
• Oregon State dedicates Evans Family Grandstand

We are grateful that CASE recently recognized the OSU Foundation with five Circle of Excellence Awards.

Thank you

Thank you for all the ways you strengthen Oregon State University. As we begin this fiscal year, I look forward to continuing to work with you to build on the momentum of a highly successful FY24.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also use this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues who were recognized with five Circle of Excellence awards from our professional organization, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE):

• GOLD – An Exciting, New Chapter for the Oregon Stater Alumni Magazine (for the redesign of the print magazine)
• GOLD – “Fear in the Water,” by Director of Communications Cathleen Hockman-Wert
• SILVER – “The Jaws Effect,” by Oregon Stater Editor Scholle McFarland
• SILVER – “Reimagining Research: Becoming the Relationship Insights Team”
• BRONZE – “When Beavers Unite,” by Vice President of Alumni Engagement and Executive Director of the Alumni Association John Valva

Four of the winning projects were from the Oregon Stater alumni magazine. We are fortunate to have a part in telling your stories. Enjoy the summer and expect to hear from me in September. Thank you.

Sincerely, 

Shawn L. Scoville
President & CEO