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The Benton Hall Legacy Society

Honoring visionary donors whose commitment today creates opportunities tomorrow for Oregon State University and its students

The Benton Hall Legacy Society honors Oregon State’s loyal and generous alumni and friends who provide for the university in their estate plans, through wills, trusts, life income gifts, retirement plans, life insurance policies, and other vehicles. Gifts from Benton Hall Legacy Society members come in many forms and sizes and benefit the full range of OSU programs. What these gifts have in common is their donors’ thoughtful consideration and desire to leave a legacy that enhances the university they hold so dear.

Just as Corvallis’ earliest citizens looked to the future and committed funds to begin creating the campus we know today, the generosity of Benton Hall Legacy Society members is helping to secure the future of OSU.

Membership in the Benton Hall Legacy Society involves no dues or obligations of any kind other than an expressed intent to include Oregon State University in one’s estate plans. The OSU Foundation periodically holds special events for donors, and members of the Benton Hall Legacy Hall Society are warmly encouraged to attend. Members who have given their permission to list their names are recognized from time to time in OSU publications, both print and online. More than 1,000 Benton Hall Legacy Society members have allowed their names to be published in the OSU Foundation’s honor roll, inspiring other supporters to join them as members.

Why Benton Hall?

Fittingly named, the Benton Hall Legacy Society acknowledges the unique role the iconic building played in OSU’s early history. In 1887, on behalf of the State of Oregon, Governor Sylvester Pennoyer accepted the new Benton Hall (then known as the Administration Building) as a gift from the citizens of Corvallis and Benton County. The gift was valued at $25,000 and became the cornerstone of what is today known as Lower Campus. When Benton Hall opened its doors, tuition was $5 per term, the faculty totaled eight members, and enrollment was under 100. Today, Benton Hall stands as the university’s oldest building and is home to OSU’s music program.

Learn More

For more information or to begin planning your gift, please contact the OSU Foundation Office of Gift Planning at 800-336-8217.

Complete the Benton Hall Legacy Society enrollment form online and join today. If you prefer, you can download a printable form, complete it and mail it to the OSU Foundation.