Provost's Faculty Match

Gifted, entrepreneurial and passionate faculty are central to the success and impact of Oregon State University.

Now, a matching program offers donors an incentive to support outstanding faculty – today and for generations to come.

Through the Provost’s Faculty Match program, donors who create endowed faculty funds with gifts of $250,000 or more will leverage matching funds for the college or unit where the position is based.

Funded at $2.5 million ($500,000 per year for five years) by the Office of the Provost, the program is focused on increasing the number of endowed faculty position funds in priority areas specified in the university’s strategic plan: robotics, climate science and related solutions, clean energy and related solutions, integrated health and biotechnology, and artificial intelligence and data science.

The matching program, which launches on Jan. 1, 2024, has the potential to inspire more than $12.5 million in private support for faculty.

“Endowed positions honor and support exceptional faculty who have achieved distinction in their fields. These funds make a huge difference as Oregon State competes with institutions across the country to attract and retain outstanding scholars, educators, researchers and leaders,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Feser. “The resources generated by each endowed fund allow faculty to freely explore their best ideas, and that’s incredibly exciting.”

Here's how the match works:

All endowed faculty position funds ($250,000 or more) that support instructors or assistant/associate/full professors are eligible for the match. Commitments may support existing endowed positions or create new ones. (See chart below for minimum funding levels.) Endowments for professional faculty and staff positions are not eligible for the match.

The provost will review endowed positions proposed for matching funds to ensure alignment with OSU's strategic goals as articulated in Prosperity Widely Shared: The Oregon State Plan.

While matching funds provided by the program are traditionally used to benefit the endowed position, these expendable funds may also be used at the dean's/director's discretion to advance OSU's strategic priorities.

With the possible exception of term or lead trusts, planned gifts are not eligible for the Provost's Match

Andre Barbosa with his class looking at wood beams.

Naming opportunities in support of faculty

Donor Commitment and Provost Match chart.

* Dean’s position funds (minimum endowment of $5 million) are eligible for the maximum match at the $2 million chair level.

Dorthe Wildenschild and two students working in a lab.

"I believe access to water is a human right."

In the College of Engineering, Dorthe Wildenschild, Jon and Stephanie DeVaan Chair and Executive Director for Clean Water Initiatives, focuses on flow and transport in porous media, with the goal of answering questions related to subsurface water pollution and energy-related storage challenges.

OSU has more than 180 endowed faculty position funds.

Also pictured: (top) Meagan Wengrove, Assistant Professor and John and Jean Loosley Faculty Fellow and Hailey Bond, a PhD student in Coastal Engineering from Costa Mesa, CA, assess the size of cobble stones; (left middle) Margaret Krause,
Warren Kronstad Wheat Research Chair, College of Agricultural Sciences; (left bottom) Andre Barbosa with students, Glenn Willis Holcomb Professor in Structural Engineering, College of Engineering.

Track Record of Success

During The Campaign for OSU (2004-2014), two Provost Faculty Match programs helped establish 39 new endowed faculty position funds (at level of $250,000 and above) with total funding of $33.6 million.

A third program implemented in 2021 inspired 18 new faculty endowments and $15.2 million in new funding.

Learn More

To learn more about the Provost’s Faculty Match and how you can support OSU faculty, please contact Marlys Amundson, senior director of development for the College of Science and the OSU Foundation’s lead on this program.