Special Moments in the Foundation's History

October 15, 1947

Oregon State College (OSC) Foundation incorporated.

March 22, 1948

First meeting of incorporators; 11 trustees elected; first meeting of trustees; officers elected; by-laws approved; assets of $10,500.

June 2, 1948

Funds approved to build housing for the Campus Cyclotron.

June 2, 1949

First gift of real property — Tunison Park in Corvallis.

July 1, 1949

Funds accepted to build Azalea House, a women's housing cooperative and the Foundation's first major construction project.

August 4, 1949

Gifts accepted to begin Parker Stadium construction.

June 30, 1954

The Foundation's total annual receipts exceed $100,000 for the first time.

June 4, 1960

The first bequest received from the estate of Kenneth Miller in the amount of $25,138.

March 31, 1962

Foundation assets consistently exceed $100,000.

November 14, 1962

The Oregon State College Foundation officially becomes the Oregon State University Foundation.

March 31, 1963

Total receipts since incorporation in 1947 top $1 million.

May 27, 1964

First life income agreement established with Elizabeth P. Ritchie for $118,000.

June 6, 1964

Finance Committee of the Foundation charged with handling investments and the endowment funds.

March 31, 1969

Total assets exceed $1 million for the first time.

May 27, 1969

The Board of Trustees creates the new position of Chairman of the Board. The first chairman was H. Frank Ramsey, 1969-1972.

June 30, 1971

Total assets exceed $2 million for the first time.

1974

OSU Student Foundation created.

June 30, 1980

Total Foundation assets exceed $20 million for the first time.

April 10, 1981

The OSU Foundation Center (LaSells Stewart Center) dedicated.

July 13, 1982

The OSU Fund receives a national award for sustained performance in annual giving.

June 30, 1983

The Presidential Scholarship program awards its first $1,000 scholarships to 20 Oregon students.

1984

OSU's first endowed chair established: The Milton Harris Professor of Materials Science.

October 23, 1987

The OSU Foundation mission is revised; fundraising becomes the responsibility of the OSU Office of Development and unit fund raisers.

1988

Successful conclusion of the four-year, $13 million FourSight! campaign in support of four interdisciplinary areas at OSU: gene research and biotechnology, advanced materials research, marine studies, and humanities.

June 2, 1988

Trysting Tree Golf Course dedicated.

1991

Parker Stadium renovations completed.

June 30, 1991

Total receipts since 1947 exceed $200 million just five years after reaching the first $100 million.

1992

Valley Gymnastics Center and University Theatre projects completed.

1992

Agricultural and Life Sciences Building opens its doors. The new 182,000-square-foot home for agriculture and biotechnology programs was partially equipped and furnished through private contributions.

June 30, 1992

Total assets exceed $100 million for the first time.

October 3, 1992

The Mercedes A. Bates Family Study Center dedicated.

1993

The College of Forestry receives $23.7 million, the largest gift in university history, from the estate of Kaye Richardson.

June 30, 1995

Total assets exceed $200 million for the first time.

1996

Oregon State University is ranked number one of Oregon's colleges and universities in terms of gifts and donations.

June 14, 1997

The recently renovated Valley Football Center is dedicated.

September 27, 1997

The CH2M HILL Alumni Center grand opening during joint Landmark Weekend with the OSU Alumni Association and the OSU Foundation.

October 15, 1997

Golden Anniversary of the OSU Foundation.

June 12, 1998

The OSU Foundation Board of Trustees adopts a proposal for a new organization and operation of the Foundation that would add fundraising to the Foundation's current responsibilities for asset management and investment.

June 30, 1998

Total assets exceed $300 million for the first time.

May 28, 1999

The Valley Library and Richardson Hall are dedicated. The library's $47 million expansion and renovation project was financed through a variety of public and private gifts, including more than 9,000 gifts from OSU alumni, students, and staff.

October 29, 1999

The OSU Foundation adopts a proposal to restructure the Board of Trustees and create a new Board of Governors.

Spring 2000

The recently renovated Goss Baseball Stadium/Coleman Field is dedicated.

June 30, 2001

Total assets exceed $400 million for the first time.

September 28, 2001

The H. Dean Papé Campanile in the Valley Library quad is dedicated.

September 2004

Weatherford Hall reopens as the home to the Austin Entrepreneurship Program.

October 2004

OSU Foundation Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees merge.

March 2005

Lois Bates Acheson leaves a bequest to OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine valued at $21 million, the second largest gift in university history.

August 2005

OSU Cascades Campus Foundation created.

September 3, 2005

The OSU football team takes the field against Portland State for the first game following the 8,000-seat expansion of Reser Stadium, an $80 million project funded through ticket sales and private gifts. (The Beavers win 41 to 14.)

October 29, 2005

The $45 million Kelley Engineering Center opens as the new home of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

March 7, 2006

The OSU Foundation awards its first Lifetime Trustee Awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to OSU through their volunteer service and philanthropy. The first recipients are Joan Austin and Robert Lundeen.

June 30, 2006

Total assets exceed $500 million for the first time.

October 7, 2006

OSU breaks ground on the Apperson Hall renovation which will create a state-of-the-art home for OSU's civil and construction engineering programs. The Apperson to Kearney project is being funded entirely by private contributions.