Peggy Moran

Two Oregon State transfer students have received scholarships from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation providing them funding for up to three years that will allow them to transfer to four-year colleges and universities and complete their undergraduate degrees.

Ehren Bentz and Margaret “Peggy” Moran are the Oregon State recipients.  Bentz attended Feather River Community College in Quincy, Calif., and Moran attended College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Since the foundation’s program for transfer students was instituted in 2002, more than 365 students have benefited from scholarships from the foundation.

Moran, 50, was a high school dropout who never stopped wondering what she might be missing.

“I found both new answers and new aspects of myself as a non-traditional community college student,” she said. “My surprising second growth is the result of digging in new roots; curiosity is my rich, fertile soil and my teachers are the elements, helping me reach up and branch out.”

The Lemont, Ill., resident had a three-decade career as a dog trainer, and was a contributor to Dog World Magazine. She hopes to double major in natural resources and anthropology and eventually “inspire environmental responsibility and stewardship.”

Ehren Bentz

Bentz, 26, is a Marine Corps veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq. A native of Greenville, Calif., he has a passion for the outdoors and hopes to become a herpetologist. So it’s no surprise that he cares for more than 100 reptiles, amphibians and fish in his home.

One of his defining moments was becoming a father.

“When I was 17 years old, my daughter was born,” Ehren said. “Throughout my entire adult life I have been a father, and that has given me good reason to try to succeed in life. She is now nine years old, and I am very proud to have raised her to become a good person. She has been one of the most influential parts of my life. I believe one of the most important things a person can do is to raise children well, and I am very proud to have done that.”

For more information on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, go to http://www.jkcf.org/

The $250,000 commitment will establish the Shero & Miyako Yano OSUAA Scholarship Endowment Fund and provide scholarships for high achieving students from the Treasure Valley area of eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho. The fund is named in honor of Atkins’ parents. She earned her accounting degree from OSU in 1979 and is now owner of Alta Consulting, LLC, in Eagle, Idaho.

Also part of the gift is an additional $25,000 for the Mary Ellen Phillips Scholarship Endowment Fund, which supports undergraduate accounting students enrolled in the OSU College of Business. Phillips was Atkins’ accounting professor.

Atkins grew up in the Treasure Valley, where her dad still grows onions and other row crops with her brother, Craig, also an OSU graduate.

“My parents placed a high priority on college for myself and my siblings. They funded my education which allowed me to focus on my studies and start my professional career without any debt,” Atkins said. “We feel very fortunate to be able to provide the same opportunity to others.”

OSU President Ed Ray noted the need for scholarship funds has never been more urgent. “We couldn’t be more delighted that a scholarship gift put us over the $500 million mark – especially from one of our younger alumni,” he said. “By helping students from her home area, Penny is modeling how one generation of OSU alumni and friends can help those to come.”

A member of the OSU Alumni Association board since 2003, Penny Atkins has long been a strong advocate for improving students’ access to an OSU education. As the association’s treasurer and second vice president, she has tirelessly worked to support and guide the OSUAA scholarship program.

“This is a wonderful gift, but for those us who’ve had the pleasure of working with Penny, it’s hardly a surprise she would do something like this,” said Jeff Todd, executive director of the OSU Alumni Association. “Penny is an ideal alumni volunteer. She is relentlessly positive about everything Oregon State, but she is also a wise and pragmatic voice when it comes to keeping us on a firm financial footing so we can continue to succeed.”

Last year the alumni association distributed scholarships valued at more than $200,000 to 125 OSU students.

The Atkins’ gift helps to advance the “$100 Million for Students” Scholarship Initiative, which is part of The Campaign for OSU. To date some 350 new scholarship funds have been created and more than $78 million has been raised for scholarships and fellowships.

~ Molly Brown