Honors Link

On the first annual OSU Day of Giving, the Honors College raised over $31,000 from gifts made by 139 donors. These numbers ranked in the top ten for all OSU units participating in the Day of Giving.

“The Day of Giving was a tremendous, inspiring success for the Honors College and for our entire community of students, family, alumni, staff, and friends,” says Honors College Dean Toni Doolen. “The funds raised will have a huge impact and testify to the passion and commitment of our community, especially given the relatively small size of our college compared to other academic units.”

Funds raised by the Honors College on the Day of Giving will primarily support Honors Experience Scholarships, which provide financial support for students engaged in out-of-class opportunities such as research, global experiences, service learning, and professional conference attendance.

Current students, alumni, faculty and staff, family members, and other supporters of the Honors College all made gifts on the Day of Giving, working to achieve several challenges. Honors alumni Adam Bean and Jaimee and Adam King contributed $100 for the first 30 alumni gifts made (a $3,000 total match); alum John Hurd made a $3,000 gift after 10 current students contributed; Honors College parents Tom and Angie Beer, Chuck and Nancy Huston, Kathy Pinard, Susan Lair and Douglas Trobough, Joachim Strenk, and Maryam Zare and Baiju Patel provided a $320 match of every gift from student family members (up to $4,800); the Cynipid Fund contributed $100 for each of the first ten contributions from Oregon State faculty and staff (a $1,000 total match); and current and past deans of the Honors College contributed $3,000 to challenge the full Honors College community to make 65 total gifts – a number reached by mid-afternoon and ultimately doubled.

“I am just overwhelmed by the support of our challenge donors, by the work of our current students and staff members, and by our entire honors community,” says Dean Doolen. “These gifts are providing an absolutely essential resource for our students, one that allows them to engage in truly transformative learning experiences. We made a real difference, and I am so thankful to everyone who contributed.”