giving back: the coming campaign - OSU Alumni Association

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epresent the difference between adequate and excellent for OSU,” said Ray. Phases of transformation Campaigns do even more for a university than raise money, according to Connie Kravas, vice president of development and alumni relations at the University of Washington. “I can’t think of anything else that has a more profound impact on a public university than a comprehensive campaign,” she said. “What a campaign does is institutionalize fund-raising at a university. Fundraising can’t be the business of a small group of volunteers and academic leaders. It has to be owned by everyone, by every dean, every volunteer, by everyone on campus.” The campaign process also helps a university build a strong case for support, said OSU Foundation President Mike Goodwin, who led campaigns at Washington State University and Georgetown University before coming to Oregon State. “The preparation and planning needed for a campaign help a university create clear, focused messages about its mission and vision for the future,” Goodwin said. “At OSU, the Foundation board has charged us with following the best campaign practices, and we are laying the groundwork for future success, not just during the years of this campaign, but over the long term.” OSU has been in the early planning phases of a seven-year campaign since 2004. In the first campaign phase, OSU Provost Sabah Randhawa convened a group to select potential funding priorities guided by OSU’s strategic plan. The OSU Foundation hired outside counsel to conduct a feasibility study, and hundreds of alumni and other supporters participated in surveys and focus groups to provide input on the proposed goals. Next, Ray, OSU academic deans and OSU Foundation staff began early conversations with many prospective donors, resulting in numerous gifts and pledges, including more than 45 commitments of $1 million or more. In keeping with campaign best practices, OSU leaders hope to reach half the dollar goal by the October kickoff of the public phase. According to OSU volunteers and officials, the campaign kickoff celebration on Oct. 26 will be a historic moment for the campus community. Alumni, donors, faculty, staff and students — everyone is invited to the public showcase, marking the start of the effort to engage a wide range of people in the campaign. The showcase will reveal the campaign goals and highlight many of the achievements reached in the early part of the campaign. The kickoff is also an opportunity to draw more attention to Oregon State’s contributions to society — something which Pat Reser is particularly looking forward to. “People are really beginning to look at OSU,” Reser said. “I think we are one of Oregon’s best kept secrets, but the secret is finally coming out. I’m excited about the public launch. It will really make Oregon folks aware of how proud they can be of Oregon State University.” q Ford Family Foundation supports outstanding OSU students G I V I N G B A C K 4 2 Ford Family Foundation Scholar Nick Reyna is not a graduate student, but his résumé makes him look like one. As an undergraduate psychology major, he has worked closely with top psychology professor Frank Bernieri in developing a study on emotional intelligence, which he turned into a new class. Reyna taught that course, and now he is preparing an honors thesis on his work. Outside of class, Reyna is also the president of Avery Lodge, a cooperative housing complex with more than 50 male student residents, and he talks to K-12 students about opportunities at OSU as an ambassador for the College of Liberal Arts. Reyna said the Ford Family Foundation not only helped him financially but also inspired him to become a better person. “I’ve been given a model of what Nick Reyna, a junior majoring in psychology, records how people use body language to express emotions. Working with Professor Frank Bernieri, he turned his research on emotional intelligence into an OSU class, which he also taught. Photo by Karl Maasdam leadership and responsibility is, and it’s become an integral part of who I am,” said Reyna. “Even when I struggle, I know that there are people who support me and believe in me, and that helps me go on to try to accomplish great things.” Every year, the Ford Family Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships to students from Oregon and Siskiyou County, Calif. Students from Oregon have a choice of any institution in the continued on page 43
Foundation briefs Beaver fans break fund drive record For the third consecutive year, the Beaver Athletic Student Fund is celebrating a record-breaking fund drive. The eight-week effort raised more than $8.4 million in commitments from more than 4,900 donors; that’s $1.1 million and 500 donors more than at the same time last year. Because of this success, the BASF increased its annual goal from $10 million to $12 million. Support from Beaver Nation provides scholarships and enriches programs for 500 student-athletes in all 17 Oregon State teams. More than 60 volunteers across Oregon and in California and Texas took part in the fund drive, personally contacting nearly every donor. Norb Wellman receives OSU Foundation’s highest honor The OSU Foundation presented its Lifetime Trustee Award to Norbert J. Wellman at a March 6 Destination OSU awards banquet in Palm Springs (see story, page 49). A former star baseball pitcher, Wellman has volunteered with the university for more than 30 years. He is a past president of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees and has participated on numerous committees, Reyna, continued from page 42 including outstanding service on the Foundation’s Investment Committee. He and his wife, Ann Ridings Wellman, ’55, live in Portland. The co-founder of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, Inc., Wellman earned his OSU bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education in 1954 and 1958. In 1952, he was a starting pitcher when Oregon State went to the College World Series. Gift establishes communication program for future engineers Thanks to a $1 million gift from a 1941 mechanical engineering alumnus, engineering students will gain invaluable opportunities to develop their communication skills. Raymond Pederson of Casa Grande, Ariz., worked at Boeing for 25 years before going on to a second career in real estate. “My experiences showed me that engineers who could explain their projects well were the ones who progressed while those who were tongue-tied lagged in promotion,” he said. Pederson’s gift will establish the Raymond Pederson Engineering Communication Collaboratory, an endowed fund Norb Wellman state, and some recipients may choose any university in the country. But since the Ford Family Foundation scholarship program began in 1994, more recipients have chosen OSU than any other institution. This year alone, 137 Ford Family Foundation scholars are studying at OSU, representing more than $1 million in scholarship funds. Recently, OSU invited Ford Family Foundation representatives and scholars to celebrate this year’s awards. “Our goal is to help you be successful here and successful later,” Norman Smith, president of the Ford Family Foundation, told the students. “Being successful means a lot of things, but if you have the opportunity to take the expertise you are developing here at OSU and give back to your community, then I which will provide support to implement new courses, seminars and other communication resources designed specifically for students in the College of Engineering. Forestry Centennial Fund launched Descendants of one of the College of Forestry’s first graduates are leading efforts to raise $100,000 in celebration of the college’s 100th anniversary. Bond Starker, ’69, and Barte Starker, ’72, grandsons of the late T.J. Starker, are raising funds that will support several centennial projects, including a native plant garden, new books for the college, and the creation of a DVD and book on the history of forestry in Oregon and at OSU. Additional gifts will benefit the college’s Legacy Scholarship Fund. Couple gives $1 million to the College of Science A recent pledge of $1 million from Ken and Ginger Harrison will benefit the College of Science. Half of the gift will support facilities. The other half will launch the College of Science Scholars Fund, an endowed scholarship program to recruit top high school students to OSU and retain talented students who are committed to science and mathematics careers. A longtime member of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees, Ken Harrison, ’64, ’66, was chair and CEO of Portland General Electric before retiring in 2000. He and his wife, Ginger Hudson Harrison, ’64, own the Abeja winery in Walla Walla, Wash. think that founders Ken and Hallie Ford would feel their investment in you is worth every penny.” The Ford family started their foundation out of a desire to contribute to the communities that helped their family-owned business, Roseburg Forest Products, thrive. The scholarships are designed not just to benefit students financially, but also to encourage them to give back to society. F O U N D A T I O N N E W S 4 3
Page 1 and 2: Mohsen Nasroullahi and Kevin Kemper
Page 3: Volunteers named to lead first-ever

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