The Tykeson Family Charitable Trust has committed $1 million to the expansion of the Oregon State University - Cascades campus into a four-year university, announced OSU President Ed Ray today in a news conference. The conference was held at the Old Mill District, near the site of the envisioned expansion.
This is the first million-dollar gift ever to OSU-Cascades and the Tykeson foundation's second gift in support of the campus.
The Eugene, Ore.-based Tykeson Family Charitable Trust has supported higher education since its inception more than 20 years ago, including gifts to Oregon Health and Science University and the University of Oregon. In November 2010, the Tykeson family established the first endowed faculty position at OSU-Cascades and helped launch its energy systems engineering degree program. This latest gift will be used toward the purchase, renovation or construction of facilities for the OSU-Cascades campus as it develops into a four-year university. University leaders estimate the expanded campus will require 90,000-square-feet of facility space.
There are many factors that make for a successful community and state. Access to higher education is on the short list. This gift from the Trust is another step in reinforcing our partnership with OSU-Cascades to help Central Oregon realize its vision of becoming home to an outstanding four-year university, said Amy Tykeson, president and CEO of BendBroadband and a trustee of the family foundation.
Her father, Donald Tykeson, acquired BendBroadband in 1983 and has been involved in a range of cable and business interests on the West Coast. He created the Tykeson Family Charitable Trust in order to provide a means to support higher education, healthcare and the arts. It is important to our family to give back and there is frankly no better investment in our future besides higher education. As a family we are pleased to reinforce the good work of OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson. We look forward to watching the new campus unfold and are pleased to help make that happen, he said.
To date, including this most recent gift from the Tykeson family, donors have committed more than $2.8 million to the expansion since fundraising efforts began in earnest this spring. The campus is optimistic it can secure the remainder of the $4 million needed for facilities by December 2013, Ray said.
A Campaign Cabinet has been created to help lead fundraising efforts. Oregon State University is extremely fortunate to have passionate community leaders, such as Don and Amy Tykeson, step up to help us at every turn. Their commitment and leadership is much appreciated, said OSU President Ed Ray. And the community leaders, who will help lead fundraising efforts to expand OSU-Cascades, will be critically important in our efforts to further connect the campus to the Bend and Central Oregon communities.
The newly formed cabinet includes the following:
Allan and Ann Bruckner
Gary Fish
Mike and Sue Hollern
Mark and Kathy Kralj
Patti and Greg Moss
Oran and Janie Teater
Bob and Clella Thomas
Amy Tykeson and John Teller
These community leaders, along with the growing number of statewide supporters, have given Central Oregon every reason to believe that our momentum to build a much needed four-year university will continue over the next 15 months, said Becky Johnson. This campus is for Central Oregon. Johnson explained that the campus recently launched a web page dedicated to the expansion initiative.
Posted September 26, 2012. Embargoed until 1:45pm.