Strength in Numbers
The OSU Foundation celebrates 75 years of community success
By Cathleen Hockman-Wert
It took 60 years, from 1947 until 2007, for the Oregon State University Foundation to receive its first $1 billion in philanthropic commitments. In only nine years, OSU donors made the second billion in gifts. This May, just six years later, donors crossed the $3 billion milestone.
“None of this success just happened. It was the result of hard work by our volunteer leaders, our university leaders, our outstanding foundation staff and, of course, our generous donors,” said Shawn Scoville, OSU Foundation president and CEO.
“OSU has one of the 200 largest college and university endowments…in North America, providing stability for the university by making it less dependent on the fluctuations of state funding.”
This spring, the Oregon State University Foundation celebrated its 75th anniversary with gatherings to remember and thank those who have supported OSU’s students and programs and accelerated its growth through their gifts and service.
Participants lauded OSU’s dedicated community for creating opportunities the university could not achieve alone. Its efforts ensure access to education for students, help the university attract and retain top-notch faculty, and have made possible over three dozen campus facilities in Corvallis, Bend and Newport.
More than 4,300 students currently benefit from over 1,500 endowed scholarship and fellowship funds. At $812 million (as of April 30), OSU has one of the 200 largest college and university endowments, private or public, in North America, providing stability for the university by making it less dependent on the fluctuations of state funding.
The May 18 dinner at the OSU President’s Residence also celebrated the newest Lifetime Trustees — recipients of the foundation’s highest recognition for long and outstanding volunteer service. They are:
- James E. Coleman, ’58, Modesto, California
- Roy N. Gaussoin, ’56, Lake Oswego
- Edmon “Ed” R. Jennings, ’18 (honorary alumnus),
Portola Valley, California - Susan E. Poorman, ’61, Portland
- Katherine E. Smith, ’61, Lake Oswego
“I have been involved as a leader with the Alumni Association and the Foundation for 20 years, and it is remarkable to look back and see how much has changed in that time,” said OSU Foundation Board of Trustees chair Eric Schoenstein, ’88, at the dinner. “We keep our focus on the big picture and the long view. We are always thinking about the university as a whole. We are always planning for the generations to come.”