The Beaver Caucus

By?contacting your state leaders today, you can help Oregon State University student-athletes! The Oregon Legislature will make important decisions about the future of OSU Athletics this month. Take a moment to urge them to support our student-athletes now. It takes less than a minute to make a difference: https://lnkd.in/gnYG5H4s #Advocacy #GoBeavs?Andy Foster Katie Fast Oregon State University Foundation

?? Celebrate OSU Statewides Day! ?? Today, we recognize the OSU Agricultural Experiment Stations, Extension Service, and Forest Research Laboratory—programs that drive innovation and sustainability across Oregon! With 11 stations at 14 locations, our Ag Experiment Stations are at the forefront of: ? Advancing food & fiber production to support farmers & local economies ?? ? Enhancing natural resource management for a sustainable future ?? ? Improving human nutrition & food systems to keep communities healthy ?? ? Supporting commercial fishing & aquaculture to strengthen Oregon’s seafood industry ?? These public services fuel research, education, and real-world solutions that impact every Oregonian—and they need your support! ?? Join us in championing these vital programs. Add your voice today! https://beav.es/NoB #OSUStatewides #AgExperimentStations #OSUImpact The Beaver Caucus

The OSU Foundation Board of Trustees held its winter board meeting in Downtown Portland last week. There were three thematic goals for the meeting: I. Oregon State University in Portland – Learned about the university’s emerging priorities in the Portland metro Area, home to 61,000 OSU alumni. We were grateful to be joined by the mayor of Portland, and OSU alumnus, Keith Wilson, College of Business ’86; Faisal Osman, constituent services lead for the Office of the Mayor; and Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Metro Chamber. II. Economic Development and Industry Relations (EDIR) – Food and Beverage Sector: Engaged with Rebecca Robinson, associate vice president for EDIR, and learned about the university’s four priority sectors (semiconductors/tech, clean tech/clean energy, forest products/mass timber/natural resources and food and beverages). Special thanks to Mike Thelin, founder of Bolted Consulting, Jessica F. Elkan, executive director of the James Beard Public Market, and Dave Dillon, president of Food Northwest, for joining us for a deep dive on the food and beverage industry. III. Student Success and Oregon State University Ecampus: Met six very?impressive Ecampus students/recent alumni and learned about their experiences. Thank you to panelists, including?Margie Johnson, Kaitlin Lee, Marcus R. Langford, Ed.D., Terrence Scott and Mikayla Bilyeu. In addition to these topics and our regular board business, we celebrated three new lifetime trustees (see our prior post) and said farewell to Provost Edward Feser, who is leaving OSU to serve as president Saint Louis University, and Eric Schoenstein, ’88, who has competed his terms of service. We will miss both of them and thank them for their contributions.? Special thanks to OSUF Board Chair Penny A., ’79, for her leadership. We are also grateful to university leaders Jayathi Murthy, president; Carla Ho?ā, vice president, Finance and Administration; Rob Odom, vice president for University Relations and Marketing; Lisa L. Templeton, vice provost of Oregon State University’s Division of Educational Ventures; Kristopher Elliott, Ph.D., interim vice provost for Extension and engagement; and Rebecca Robinson, associate vice president for economic development and industry relations, for participating in our meetings.? #GoBeavs #VolunteerLeadership #PortlandOregon #BelieveIt OSU Portland Center Andrew H. Shawn L. Scoville

Statewides Day is next week, March 5th ?? The Statewide Public Service Programs — OSU Extension Service, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Oregon Forest Research Laboratory — partner with communities across the state to tackle complex problems that require OSU's world-leading expertise. The fundamental principles on which OSU was founded 150 years ago – learning, discovery and engagement – are woven into the fabric of our Statewides. ??Thank you for supporting these vital community programs.

I so enjoyed meeting with Oregon legislators in Salem earlier this week. I appreciate all the work they’re doing for our state and its universities. I met with Representative Susan McLain, Representative Rob Nosse, Senator Fred Girod, Senator Kate B. Lieber (all pictured) and also visited with Speaker of the House Julie Fahey, Sara Gelser Blouin, Senator Robert Wagner, Senator Janeen Sollman, Representative Tawna Sanchez, Representative Nancy Nathanson.

It has been wonderful to reconnect with former Oregon State University student leaders who are now making an impact on Capitol Hill! Kate Walsh and Joe K. Page, MPH exemplify the next generation of leaders, and we are proud to see them - and all our recent graduates - pursuing their passions. Oregon State University Foundation Chair-Elect Dave Underriner, our President and CEO Shawn L. Scoville, and Director of Board Relations Laura Pribyl caught up with Kate and Joe while in D.C. for the AGB (Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges) Foundation Leadership Forum. This annual event, with 800 participants, is designed to be attended by teams, including both Foundation volunteer board members and foundation and institution staff leaders. The collective experience helps develop a shared understanding of foundation leadership fundamentals, learn about evolving challenges and emerging and innovative practices, and identify strategies to elevate their impact on their partner institutions and the students and communities they serve. It’s inspiring to see Beavers like Dave, Kate and Joe making a difference in every corner of the globe! #GoBeavs #BelieveIt #BeaverNation #OregonStateAlumni #BeaversInDC #HigherEdLeadership

Ever wanted to explore the OSU campus in Corvallis by air? Now you can in a new immersive 360-degree video! Head to YouTube to click, pan and look around to see some of your favorite spots: https://beav.es/GDT

Last month, the Beaver Caucus participated in Lobby Day to advocate for increased support of state-funded programs like the Public University Support Fund (PUSF) and the Oregon Opportunity Grant (OOG). These programs are crucial for making higher education accessible for students across Oregon. We expressed our gratitude to legislators for increasing funding for the PUSF and OOG in the last session, while also emphasizing the need to close the gap in per-student funding compared to our regional neighbors. During Lobby Day, our teams — comprising students from Oregon’s seven public universities — met with a third of the state legislature, including 30 legislators and staff members. Two OSU students, Alexa Gomez Silva and Nathan Schmidt, who are both active in student government and recipients of the OOG, shared their personal stories about the program's impact on their education. They were joined by fellow OSU representatives Emma Gould, an MPH student, and former student legislative advocacy assistant, Kasaundra Bonanno. Overall, it was a meaningful and successful experience for everyone involved! For more information on Beaver Caucus, head to our website: https://lnkd.in/gsNx8w3

All OSU students are encouraged to apply for the upcoming ASOSU Washington D.C lobbying trip! Each year, the ASOSU brings 12 students to our nation’s capital to speak with Oregon’s Senators and Representatives about issues that are relevant and important to students. This year, we will be focusing our advocacy efforts on affordable housing, healthcare, funding for higher education, and environmental issues. Outside of lobbying and advocacy, trip participants will have opportunities to explore all that Washington D.C has to offer and to learn more about the political process. All students–regardless of year, major, college, or background–should apply for this amazing, all-expenses paid experience. Applications are due on December 20th at midnight (PST) by visiting https://lnkd.in/gXinUfpP

Happy holidays, Beaver Nation!