OSU President Ed Ray gave a State of the University speech in Portland on Jan. 31, 2013. (photo: David Baker)

President Ed Ray gave a “State of the University” address at the Portland Hilton Thursday afternoon, where he shared a long list of achievements with the crowd of nearly 500 people.

Ray announced two initiatives supported by private gifts – a $40 million engineering research facility leveraged by three gifts totaling $20 million; and a $5 million gift commitment to boost performing arts at OSU and throughout the state.

Ray outlined Oregon State’s role as a 21st-century Land Grant university that is “reinventing the workforce,” a notion that is appealing to top students within the state. The OSU president noted that more than 40 percent of the university’s incoming freshmen from Oregon had a high school grade point average of 3.75 or higher, and Oregon State attracts more valedictorians and salutatorians than any other institution in the state.

OSU’s enrollment has climbed every year and is near 26,000, and it has nearly doubled its international enrollment. To meet the demand, the university has hired more than 180 tenure track faculty in the last two years.

“I know of no other university in the nation that has hired this many new faculty,” Ray emphasized.

Despite the nationwide recession, Oregon State is on solid financial ground, Ray said, and praised his faculty for their research contributions and the Oregon State University Foundation for its successful Campaign for OSU.

Last year, Oregon State faculty brought in $281 million in research funding – despite federal cutbacks at the agency level. At the same time, the university signed a record 108 licensing agreements.

“Since 2006, we have spun off 17 companies that have attracted more than $180 million in capital investment,” Ray said. He added that earlier this month, OSU launched a new initiative – the Oregon State University Advantage – to serve business partners throughout the region in areas including innovative materials, advanced manufacturing, energy and clean technology, high tech, health care and innovation related to food, water and the environment.

The Campaign for OSU has raised some $888 million toward a goal of $1 billion and was bolstered by Ray’s announcement of new gifts.

The engineering initiative is being fueled by a $7 million gift from Peter and Rosalie Johnson, a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor, and $3 million in additional private funds and matching state funds. Peter Johnson, a 1955 engineering alumnus, ran Tekmax, Inc., in Tangent, Ore., a company that revolutionized battery manufacturing equipment.

The gifts will fund a new educational and research facility for the College of Engineering that will help accommodate a near-34 percent growth in student enrollment that has occurred over the past three years; will provide additional labs for collaborative research; and will expand Oregon State’s nationally recognized leadership in chemical, biological and environmental engineering.

“This new building will help to revolutionize how Oregon State approaches collaborative projects involving scientists and students in engineering and other colleges in essential areas of study and discovery,” Ray said.

Performing arts at OSU is getting a $5 million boost from an anonymous donor. (contributed photo)

A $5 million commitment from an anonymous donor – the largest gift the university has ever received for the arts – will advance performing arts at OSU and beyond. The anonymous gift establishes endowments for four faculty and staff positions, including support for the head of the School of Arts and Communication and two professors. The fourth endowment will support a new position at the university:  a director of the performing arts who will promote arts offerings at OSU and connect with arts programs in the area.

“This cornerstone investment in the arts is vital to our mission because great arts and sciences programs are at the core of every great research university,” said Ray. “The arts provide the context and inspiration – they drive the culture of creativity, innovation and diversity that is essential to a thriving research environment. Excellence in the arts supports OSU’s growing impact and influence in all arenas.”

A portion of the gift comes as a challenge, with $1 million of the commitment contingent upon the university securing an additional $1 million in private support for the School of Arts and Communication. Any gift or pledge of $25,000 or more to the school qualifies for this challenge.

Among other OSU accomplishments Ray pointed out:

• This week, the National Science Foundation announced that it has selected OSU as lead institution on a project to design and coordinate construction of as many as three research vessels – a 10-year project that could total $290 million;
• The state’s first branch campus, OSU-Cascades, is rapidly moving toward becoming a four-year institution. Since late April, the campus has raised $3.3 million of a $4 million private fundraising goal to help fund the expansion;
• This fall, the Fiske Guide to Colleges named OSU as one of the nation’s 41 “best buy schools” based on strong academics and reasonable cost. Only 20 public universities were so ranked.
• During the last year, OSU opened the Linus Pauling Science Center, the Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families, the International Living Learning Center, and the Graduate Studies Center at OSU-Cascades, and renovated Furman Hall.

• Michelle Inderbitzin, associate professor of sociology, was presented the Thomas R. Meehan Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to undergraduate teaching in the College of Liberal Arts. Inderbitzin was cited for innovative teaching methods, including her “Inside/Out” class where OSU students learn alongside inmates at the state penitentiary.

• Mei-Ching Lien, associate professor of psychology, received the Robert J. Frank Research, Scholarship and Creativity Award. This award helps raise the visibility of CLA scholars and creative artists and honors productivity. Lien was awarded for her research, which includes 13 peer-reviewed journal articles since 2008 and more than 350 scholarly citations.

• Trischa Goodnow, associate professor of speech communications, was presented the C. Warren Hovland Service Award, for service. Goodnow was recognized for bringing notable conferences and events to OSU, and for her contributions to forensics education. The Hovland Award honors C. Warren Hovland, a CLA faculty member from 1949 to 1986, for his many contributions to the College of Liberal Arts.

• Jake Hamblin, assistant professor of history, received the Bill and Caroline Wilkins Faculty Development Award, which provides faculty members an opportunity to enhance teaching skills, improve curriculum, advance research, or promote career development. Hamblin was honored for frequent publication in top journals and a contract to publish his fourth book from Oxford University Press. The award is made possible through support by Bill Wilkins, dean emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts.

• Dwanee Howard, assistant to the chair in the Department of Art, received the Carolyn Maresh Professional Staff Award, which recognizes outstanding job performance and dedication to CLA. Howard was recognized for developing a strong relationship with the university’s business centers, and streamlining the department’s budget. The award honors Maresh, longtime assistant to the CLA dean.

Rosie Richards is focused on social justice, something her advisor, Jeff Hale, convinced her could be a big part of her future. (photo: Jim Folts)

In 2007, Richards was one of three recipients of the College of Liberal Arts’ Leadership in Social Change Award. The award includes an opportunity to complete an internship abroad with a nonprofit organization. That summer, Richards worked for Long Way Home in Guatemala, where she helped to build a school for a Mayan community.

“Interning has taught me a lot about myself and what I can do,” Richards says. “It taught me how to problem solve and how to communicate.”

Richards credits Jeff Hale — both as a teacher and an adviser — with helping her see a career in social justice and explaining the opportunities in nonprofits and public policy. For his part, Hale believes his role is to help identify a student’s passion, and then to fuel that passion.

“There is a commitment involved in these relationships that goes beyond regular student and faculty,” Hale says. “Students need to be committed to learn and give feedback, and a mentor can fine tune their aspirations, helping them to move forward.”

Richards graduated from OSU with honors degrees in History and International Studies and a minor in Spanish. She is currently attending the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. In the future, she hopes to work with nonprofit organizations, particularly those that deal with social justice issues.

~ Tara Pistorese