WINTER 2025 CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF GILL COLISEUM OSU’S HIDDEN GEM, THE MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING REWILDING THE KLAMATH OSU and the world’s largest dam removal and salmon recovery project. p. 30
CREDIT TK This fall, OSU launchedFINISH IN FOUR — a program for Oregon students with high financial need that combines four-year scholarships with services proven to help students succeed, thrive and graduate on time. Rebecca Camden (pictured) has made plans in her estate to create an endowed Finish in Four scholarship fund. “An OSU degree opens the doors to tremendous opportunities — and the sooner students can pursue those opportunities, the better off they will be,” she says. “Taking another year or more for college delays the launch of their careers and can increase debt. That’s why I so strongly believe in Finish in Four.” Finish in Four will help close the gap between the resources students have, and the true cost of an OSU degree, ensuring more students graduate in four years with minimal debt. You too can create life-changing opportunities through an estate gift that costs you nothing now. Contact me to learn more. Jennifer Milburn Office of Gift Planning | 541-231-7247 Gift.Planning@osufoundation.org A future where every student can “finish in four”
Winter 2025 1 C ON t E N t S In Every Issue The magazine of the Oregon State University Alumni Association On the Cover PHOTO BY KARL MAASDAM, ’93 ↑ Underwater salmon photography by David Herasimtschuk with Freshwaters Illustrated. 2 PHOTO ESSAY 5 EDITOR’S LETTER 7 PUBLISHER’S LETTER 8 LETTERS 58 IN MEMORIAM 64 BACKSTORY THE QUAD VOICES P. 12 President Jayathi Murthy discusses unbuilding dams and rebuilding the Pac-12; four Staters share their favorite (or least favorite) fictional portrayal of their field. NEwS P. 15 The Pac-12 adds new universities; alumni family creates endowments for men’s and women’s basketball; new ways to enjoy Beaver Classic goodies. RESEARCh P. 20 How the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building in Newport was built to withstand “The Big One”; mapping the earth's geomagnetic currents. CuLtuRE P. 25 OSU’s hidden gem, the MFA program in creative writing. OUR COMMUNITY ALuMNI NEwS P. 51 Alumnus Dr. Mark Rampton has teamed up with a Ukrainian surgeon to save lives; updates from alumni near and far. O N L I N E LEARNING & LABOR Get a closer look at OSU’s new student-run snowboard company in this Stater video companion at bit.ly/Stater-video. F E A T U R E S 30 Rewilding the Klamath Inside the world’s biggest dam removal and salmon recovery project. By Sean Nealon 40 where Beavers Gather Looking back at 75 years of Gill Coliseum. By Kip Carlson WINTER 2025
2 OregonStater.org MOME N T S At the foot of the Cascade mountains, a 20-minute drive from Mt. Bach- elor, 27 engineering, outdoor products, and art, media and technology students are managing a snowboard company. The students are stoked, but this is more than fun and games. SnoPlanks, based at Oregon State University – Cascades, is a real-world company gifted to the campus in 2023 by founders Ryan Holmes and James Nicol. The two had been pop- ular guest lecturers in instructor Todd Laurence’s entrepreneurship classes. CRAFTED FOR ADVENTURE
Winter 2025 3 PHOTO ESSAY PHOTOS BY KEELER FRANGOOLES AND HALEY NELSON like contract negotiations and customer relations — that most people don’t encounter until later in a career. They’ve also done their fair share of high-fiving — and nail-biting, too — especially in the run-up to the first student-led product line launch this October. “This is not simulated, exper- iential learning,” said Laurence, now executive director of SnoPlanks. “Students are making decisions and managing business functions just like they will in their careers.” Learn more at beav.es/snoplanks. When they decided to move on to new ventures, they remembered the students’ excitement, and the path for the company became clear. It’s now embedded in academic curriculum, in a program called SnoPlanks Academy. Students tackle tasks —
CREDIT TK Your new community branch is open! OCCU has been serving the state of Oregon for more than 65 years. And it is a proud supporter of Orange Nation, helping fellow Beavers make tracks So it was only a matter of time before branch opened in the fall, ready to accompany its members on their services and insights to help them achieve their goals. 840 NW 9th Street Corvallis, OR 97330 These are just some of the waiting for you at OCCU’s newest branch: • Auto, home and personal loans. • 24-hour drive-up and walk-up ATMs. • Interest checking and savings accounts. • • advisor (IRAs and retirement planning). • Self-service coin machine. • Video teller service. OCCU has arrived in Beaver Country OCCU’s newest location, located at 840 NW 9th Street, under construction in summer 2024. Ready to join the credit union movement, Beaver Nation? Visit MyOCCU.org/Corvallis9thSt to learn more. Ms.
Winter 2025 5 FROM thE EDItOR THE PLACES THAT HOLD OUR MEMORIES Last winter, I visited my high school for the first time in nearly 30 years. It fills an entire city block of downtown Nashville — a four-story limestone castle among high-rises and honkytonks. Walking in the doors, I was hit by the familiar smell of worn floorboards and a century’s worth of dust. Locker doors clanged shut just out of sight. And then, like a series of camera flashes popping: There was the staircase where I timed classmates with a stopwatch as they raced up and down the steps for a physics project.There was the office where I’d been summoned by the secretary, cradling the receiver to my face as my boyfriend, calling from college, told me a classmate had died. There was the corner where my girlfriends and I spent every lunch hour, crosslegged with half-eaten sandwiches in hand, laughing and singing Beatles tunes. The happy, painful and mundane crowded in — all of it forgotten until I walked those halls. It’s a particular magic trick of place that a building can hold our memories — fragments of our past selves. And for 75 years, Gill Coliseum has done just that for generations of Beavers. Since it opened in November 1949, it’s hosted graduation ceremonies; concerts and dances; registration (back when it was done with physical cards); lectures and memorial services; a turtle race or two; and athletics events aplenty, from the stands-shaking mayhem of Orange Express games to last year’s unforgettable women’s basketball buzzer beater. Records have been broken, friendships forged and minds changed, all in the shadow of its steel girders. As former Beaver gymnast Mary (Ayotte) Law, ’82, says: “When I walk into Gill Coliseum — and it can be empty — I hear people cheering for me. … There’s something about the way the sound of that happy cheering just kind of remains in there.” Though we can’t quite summon the smell of Gill’s particular mix of floor wax and popcorn in these pages, I hope you enjoy the memories in “Where Beavers Gather” (see page 40). And please write in to share your own. Scholle McFarland Editor, Oregon Stater P.S. There’s a new way to offer your thoughts on all things OSU and share favorite articles with friends. Check out our new website at OregonStater.org. ILLUSTRATION BY JOÃO FAZENDA Winter 2025, Vol. 110, No. 1 PuBLIShERS John Valva, executive director, OSUAA; vice president of alumni relations, OSU Foundation Dan Jarman, ’88, chair, OSUAA Board of Directors EDI tOR Scholle McFarland DIGItAL & PRODuCtION MANAGER Travis Stanford GRADuAtE ASSIStANt Cora Lassen ARt DIRECtION & DESIGN Pentagram Austin, DJ Stout, Davian-Lynn Hopkins DESIGN CONSuLtANt Teresa Hall, ’86 COPy EDItOR Charles Purdy ADDRESS ChANGES ForOregonState.org/Address LEttERS AND QuEStIONS stater@osualum.com 877-678-2837 Oregon Stater 204 CH2M HILL Alumni Center Corvallis, OR 97331 ADVERtISING Travis Stanford advertise@osualum.com 541-737-2786 ADVISORy COuNCIL Nicole “Nikki” Brown, ’04 Vicki Guinn, ’85 Tyler Hansen Colin Huber, ’10 Chris Johns, ’74 Jennifer Milburn, ’96 Elena Passarello Mike Rich, ’81 Lori Rush, ’78 Roger Werth, ’80 Oregon Stater (ISSN 0885-3258) is published three times a year by the Oregon State University Alumni Association in collaboration with the Oregon State University Foundation and Oregon State University. Content may be reprinted only by permission of the editor.
CREDIT TK Corporate and Workforce Education Upskill employees. Strengthen loyalty. Upgrade your team. When employers invest in their workers’ education, good things happen. And recent reports* highlight just how much employer tuition benefits can positively impact employees’ actions. * Bright Horizon Education Index — 2022 and 2023 The message is clear: Now more than ever, workers want an employer that supports their career and educational goals. And Oregon State University can help your organization meet the demand. More than 100 organizations worldwide rely on Oregon State’s innovative corporate and workforce education solutions to upskill their employees, retain their best workers and recruit future leaders. We deliver high-quality online and in-person learning opportunities, from full degree programs to three-course microcredentials. Let’s work together to explore how OSU’s customized tuition benefit programs can prime your team for success. 79% would choose a job due to tuition benefits 81% would be more loyal due to tuition benefits 77% want to gain new skills via education Engage with us: educationalventures.oregonstate.edu/workforce
Winter 2025 7 FROM THE PUBLISHER BEAVER CAREER CONNECTIONS When Casey Anderson, ’14, was a new OSU graduate in merchandising management, she wasn’t sure how to start her job search. Friends invited her to an OSU Innovation and Design Network event, where she met Beaver alumnae from employers like Nike and Kroger. They helped her land some interviews, and that launched her career at Nike. Leslie Avila, ’25, is entering her final year as an OSU marketing major. She’s leaning on the alumni career networking platform to gain advice and connections for planning what’s next. “OSU Connections has taught me networking skills, helped me build relationships with peers and professionals, and given me the chance to be mentored,” she said. Early in my own career, I expected law school to immediately follow college. To get experience, I found a part-time job at a law firm, which helped me discover, to my surprise, that law was not my preferred path. Learning what I did not want to do was critical yet scary. Perplexed but not dismayed, I pivoted to grad school, community volunteering and building a professional network. It was my network that introduced me to my current field, which I love. I was helped along each of these journeys by others, and I think that’s true of most people who succeed in the world of work. Yet not everyone has direct access to relevant advice, a built-in professional network or the gumption to leverage entry-level opportunities. This is where the Beaver network — more specifically, you — can help. Oregon State University has revamped its core curriculum requirements to include career exploratory courses for all undergraduate students. Research shows that students with access to career advisors or mentors perform better academically, while job shadowing and internships build crucial insights and experience that help students and new graduates develop the talents employers seek. Each year, many of you provide valuable career assistance to our students and alumni. The OSU Alumni Association wants those numbers to grow. Join us at osuconnections .com to translate the lessons you’ve learned into valuable insights for today’s Beavers. Many of us remember how a simple act of kindness helped our career. Today’s OSU students could greatly benefit from yours. Go Beavs! John Valva Publisher, Oregon Stater OFF I CERS Chair, Dan Jarman, ’88 Vice Chair, Jonathan Riley, ’09 Treasurer, Bob Bluhm, ’82 MEMBERS Derek Abbey, ’99 Casey Anderson, ’14 Jay Boatwright, ’78 Sharada Bose, ’84, M.S. ’88 Eric Feldhusen, ’02 Colin Huber, ’10 Conrad Hurdle, ’96, MAT ’97 Kelley Kaiser, ’93, MPH ’99 Doug Kutella, ’98 Julie Lambert, ’85 Keith Leavitt, ’88 Holly McKinney, ’91 Lee Miller, ’80 Jayathi Murthy, OSU president, ex officio Dola Popoola, student representative, ex officio Victoria Thanh Nguyen, ’95, MAIS ’06 Candace Pierson-Charlton, ’73, Ed.M. ’02 Mary Power, ’90 Denver Pugh, ’97 Michele Rossolo, ’01 Shawn Scoville, OSU Foundation president and CEO, ex officio Dorian Smith, ’09, MAIS ’17 Syesha Holliman Thomas, ’02 Marcia Torres, ’01 Michael Whitten, ’12 ADDRESS 204 CH2M HILL Alumni Center Corvallis, OR 97331 541-737-2351 osualum@osualum.com ForOregonState.org SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: facebook.com/ oregonstatealum X: @oregonstatealum Instagram: @oregonstatealumni YouTube: @Oregon_Stater Sign up for the Beaver Lodge newsletter at ForOregonState.org/BeaverLodge ILLUSTRATION BY JOÃO FAZENDA
In Search of Optimism The article “How to Keep Hope Alive” in the latest edition of Oregon Stater reminded me that, in 2017, I really needed to find more hope in the world. There was, and still is, so much to worry about locally and globally. I decided to look for signs of hope. I asked myself: What has given me the most hope in the last year? My answer was the Oregon State University alumni magazine. I made a commitment to read every issue and have for the past seven years. I am grateful my hope keeps growing as I read about progress in so many areas. Thank you beyond measure. —MARGALLEE JAMES, ’ 7 1 Strike up the Band I really enjoyed the article about the OSU Marching Band. It was thoughtful, exciting and complete. It’s amazing what the article shows about the band in general and the specific members, how they practice and how they perform. I enjoyed my years as a member and then as an alumni member. We were under the direction of Dr. James Douglass. Thank you. —JOHN R. BARBER, ’ 70 Your recent article on the OSU Marching Band was excellent! Oh, how I yearn for TV networks to show the halftime shows. Perhaps you could forward your article to the networks! —NANCY ADAMS LAYTON, ’62 There are two memories every Beaver football player remembers: the first time and last time they ran down the ramp to the stadium with the Beaver Marching Band playing the fight song. Along overdue thank you for the memories. —JEFF KOLBERG, ’ 73 Recipe Reactions I’ve been loving the inclusion of food and recipes in the Oregon Stater recently. I noticed the obitKEEPING HOPE ALIVE The fall “Optimism Issue” — complete with cover photo and Backstory tale of Oregon’s Smiley Face Hill — succeeded in inspiring some grins. One self-professed “smiley face nut” called in to ask how she could get a hold of our cover photo. However, it was “Behind the Band” — our insider’s look at what game day is like for marching band performers — that seemed to strike a chord with readers. Don’t miss the Stater’s companion video story about the band at bit.ly/OSU-band. 8 OregonStater.org L E t t E R S DAVE KILLEN, THE OREGONIAN
uary in the fall issue for Joan Ricketts Toole and am trying to locate some of her books. But intriguingly, her niece Susan Frost references her aunt’s chicken divan recipe. I’ll continue my hunt for the recipe books, but can you share that recipe in the meantime? — DANETTE HECKENBERG VANDOMELEN, ’87 Editor’s note: If you’re also interested in Toole’s bestselling microwave cookbooks — now out of print — you can still find used versions of Food for the Heart and Soul (1998) and Cooking En Concert with Microwave (1979) on Amazon. The hazelnut article [“One Superlative Spread”] was interesting. I was surprised that filberts weren’t mentioned. How sad that Oregon’s filbert has lost its name to outsiders. — LILLIAN EATON STEWART, ’69 Editor’s note: We asked the Oregon Hazelnut Commission — known as the Oregon Filbert Commission until 1981 — why Oregon’s state nut has two names. They said the industry standardized on hazelnut in the 1980s because filbert was primarily used only in the Pacific Northwest. We think the nut by any name tastes just as delicious. In regards to the recipe “One Superlative Spread”: Can the editor consider doing a future article about USDA researchers in hazelnut species studies at OSU? Specifically, I’d like to see what Jack Pinkerton worked on in the beginning when he started the hazelnut disease breeding program. Jack passed away far too early and left a large legacy in all that he accomplished for the hazelnut industry. — RANA FOSTER, M.S. '05 Marine Program Pride I just wanted to congratulate Kevin Miller and thank him for the great article in the Stater about the marine studies undergraduate program [“For Love of the Sea”]. He did a fine job telling the students’ stories and using theirvoices.We areveryproud of this new degree program that allows students from all sorts of backgrounds and with a wide range of interests to earn an OSU degree that will make a difference to our ocean and coasts and the people who live there. —PROFESSOR JACK BARTH Send letters and comments by email to stater@osualum.com or by mail to Oregon Stater, OSU Alumni Association, 204 CH2M HILL Alumni Center, Corvallis, OR 97331. We edit for clarity, brevity and factual accuracy. Please limit letters to 225 words or less. Winter 2025 9 TV FRAME: ADOBE STOCK; ILLUSTRATION BY DAVIAN-LYNN HOPKINS ↑ Oregon State Athletics Hall of Famer Tom Woodman, ’78, of the Beaver Rowing Club, wrote to let us know he was less than pleased that the article “What Now?” — about where each OSU team is competing this year — included an illustration that showed paddlers, facing forward, instead of rowers sitting backwards in their racing shells. We apologize for the mistake. Here’s a corrected version. Go Beavs! “I AM GRATEFUL MY HOPE KEEPS GROWING AS I READ ABOUT PROGRESS IN SO MANY AREAS.” AS SEEN ON TV! While watching the game show Jeopardy this summer, Brent Macey, ’80, was surprised to see Oregon State flash on the screen after a challenger selected a question in the 1980s Amateur Wrestling category: “At the 1980 NCAA Championships, Oregon State’s Howard Harris won all 5 of his matches by ‘fall’ — doing this to opponents.” The answer? “What is: Pinning (all five of his opponents).”
CREDIT TK Coming soon: the official Oregon State University license plate. Ride with pride — and help support Oregon State University. The new Beaver State license plate will be available at DMV offices beginning this spring. For more information, visit beav.es/license-plate. SHOW YOUR PRIDE ON YOUR RIDE!
Winter 2025 11 t h E QuAD INSIDE VOICES P. 12 NEWS P. 15 RESEARCH P. 20 CULTURE P. 25 PHOTO BY KATTERLEA MACGREGOR The first hints of fall color touched the trees surrounding Student Legacy Park in Corvallis.
12 OregonStater.org VO I C E S ↑ President Murthy chats with Head Football Coach Trent Bray, ’08, after a home game. Follow her on X at @OregonStatePres. KARL MAASDAM, '93 TRUTH TELLERS AND BUILDERS PRESIDENT JAYATHI MURTHY ON UNBUILDING DAMS AND REBUILDING THE PAC-12. As told to Scholle McFarland This issue’s cov‑ er story is about the world’s larg‑ est dam removal project: Beavers unbuilding, inst‑ ead of building, dams. How do you think this proj‑ ect showcases OSU’s strengths? That’s an interesting observation, building and unbuilding, but engineers build and unbuild all the time. You bring buildings down; you build new ones. Unbuilding is a kind of building, too. And our understanding of what dams do, good and bad, has gotten so much deeper. I always see OSU’s role as being the truth tellers, the data gatherers, the creators of theory, providing the information that our society needs to make good decisions. If you look at OSU’s research role in this project, it’s about looking at the ecology, at salmon, and providing hard data on what it means to do dam removal. We want to tell the whole story — the economic, sociological and other consequences that flow from these decisions. There are positive things you’re trying to do, and there are fallouts as a result. You have to tell that story truthfully, using data. I also want to recognize another responsibility we have, to Tribal nations and Indigenous communities — taking responsibility for some of the decisions that our country made in the past and trying to set things right. I guess as new problems arise from what we thought were solu‑ tions, Beavers are in there fixing. Yes, they are always fixing. There’s humility in this — we don’t fully understand everything. What do alumni need to know about the upcoming Oregon legislative session? We — all Oregon public universities, not just OSU — are asking for a $275 million increase in funding, for a total of $1.275 billion. This is not extravagant. This is basic funding for the public higher ed university system. Part of it is that we are looking for a $150 million increase to the Oregon Opportunity Grant, which funds need-based grants for Oregonians. If alumni are looking for one thing to advocate for, I would say it’s the Oregon Opportunity Grant — get in there and get our students supported. [See thebeavercaucus.org.] Exciting news broke recently about universities joining the Pac‑12. Why did OSU choose this path? We wanted a home, and we wanted to be the ones writing our own story. If we allowed ourselves to simply be taken by a conference, it wouldn’t be on our terms. For us, having agency, having an ability to shape our future, was critical. Now, why these universities? Of course there are the stats, but there’s also a cultural fit. Talking to the presidents, my sense was that they too were scrappy, like us. We all recognize this to be a singular moment,
Winter 2025 13 PRESIDENT Q + A PERSPECTIVES ALEC LEVIN Associate professor, College of Agricultural Sciences; viticulturist and director of Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center The movie Sideways is the best fictional portrayal of the wine industry and left an enduring impact that’s still noticeable today. The main character’s famous line that he would under no circumstances drink any merlot (using more colorful language) simultaneously tanked demand for merlot and surged demand for pinot noir. Undoubtedly, this helped the Oregon wine industry flourish, given that pinot noir is our signature grape variety. KAGAN TUMER Professor, College of Engineering; director of the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute Robot and Frank might be the best robot movie you’ve never heard of. After some initial resistance, an aging Frank accepts a butler robot from his son (who rarely visits him), only to realize the opportunities it provides may extend beyond helping with house chores. This movie explores ethical dilemmas in AI and robotics, including whether a robot should lie or break the law. Fair warning: Your reaction to what’s right and what’s legal may surprise you. MATTEO BUGATTI Assistant professor, School of Psychological Science After years of providing loud commentary on countless TV shows depicting therapists (just ask my wife), I’d say Shrinking is definitely one of the worst. What made me stop watching was not the fact that the therapist crosses all sorts of boundaries, but that the underlying assumption is that therapists know what their clients need to fix their lives. The truth is we don’t — but we know how to help you figure it out. WILL HOMER, ’91 Chief operating officer of Painted Hills Natural Beef Yellowstone stands out as a fictional depiction of the ranching world. It skillfully resurrects the spirit of the Wild West, complete with more gun battles than Tombstone and The Magnificent Seven combined. However, while there may be guns in our pickup trucks, they’re typically drawn only to fend off the occasional four-legged predator, not for showdowns. But I believe the show’s creators have good intentions, highlighting the profound responsibility of land stewardship. STRANGER THAN FICTION Q: WHAT’S THE BEST (OR WORST) FICTIONAL DEPICTION OF YOUR FIELD THAT YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED? HOMER: COURTESY OF WILL HOMER; BUGATTI, TUMER AND LEVIN: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY and we know that business as usual isn’t going to cut it. So there’s hunger, creativity and impatience there. I recognize that in ourselves and in them.And that’s what I mean by cultural fit. It’s not simply that we’ve got this many students and this many programs. It’s an attitude. Is it possible to keep up with the college athletics money race? If you play the game on the terms of the Alabamas and Ohio States, then you can’t succeed. We are going to have to find new models, new kinds of competition, new sources of revenue. The athletic world may look very different.The Pac-12 may choose to do things that are quite creative and different. I feel like we’ve got the group that is capable of that. What are the types of risks we’re willing to take to market athlet‑ ics and by proxy the universi‑ ty? We’re planning very creative marketing, that’s for sure. We now have an identity with the rebuild of the Pac. This is a rebirth and a rebranding. There’s lots and lots of thought going into that. And I’m keenly aware that there’s no such thing as marketing athletics without really marketing the university. The university itself is thinking through what it means to market our strategic plan — everything that we are doing in the research space and toward every student graduating. You’ll see this rollout this year. Is there anything else alumni should know about this winter? What I want to say to our alumni is that I am so grateful — so grateful for their resilience, their toughness, their willingness to give us space to work it all out. I don’t know that I could have gotten it out of any other community, but this community gave us a little bit more grace and a little bit more space.We’ll come out of this just fine. THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY AND LENGTH.
VOLUNTEERS ARE THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS. Will you help us unlock a better future for Oregon Staters? Picture yourself as a: » Webcast presenter » Career mentor » Alumni network leader » Local volunteer coordinator » Community service project host » College/unit ambassador » Plus countless other opportunities Find a role that matches your passions: ForOregonState.org/OSUAAVolunteer “I get to inspire students to learn from professionals in my industry who are looking for new talent. I love my career and I love my Beavs, and volunteering lets me combine those worlds in a big way.” – Casey Anderson, ’14, OSUAA Board of Directors Order using code “stater” and get 15% off. Indulge in the creamy goodness of our award-winning cheeses, honey and more, crafted by Oregon State University students. All sales proceeds directly support student experiential learning. Celebrate this Holiday Season with Beaver Classic Gifts! OSU COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES 14 OregonStater.org
PAC-12 REBUILDS New universities join, questions remain. By Kip Carlson The future of Oregon State’s athletic conference has started to come into focus. What’s certain: The Beavers’ home will continue to be the Pac-12. Between mid-September and early October, the conference announced that six universities will join OSU and WSU starting in the summer of 2026: Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State University, San Diego State University, Utah State University and Gonzaga University. After the announcement of the first four, OSU President Jayathi Murthy wrote, “These are universities that share our values, prioritizing the holistic health and well-being of student athletes and providing opportunities for them to continued Winter 2025 15 NEwS PHOTO BY KATTERLEA MACGREGOR
continued 16 OregonStater.org N EwS S P O R T S BEAVER BRAGS MORE BRAGS 11th consecutive year, OSU is the largest university in the state. No. 4 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in the nation is what U.S. News & World Report ranked OSU’s Ecampus program — its tenth year in the top 10. 98% of OSU-Cascade’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program graduates passed their license exam on the first try in 2024, outstripping most of the nation’s top 10 programs, including USC and Duke. 85.158 MPH is the new land speed record set by a student engineering team with their modified Aprilia 50cc motorcycle (running on methanol) during Bonneville Speed Week at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. The previous record stood for 21 years. For the compete at the highest levels.While plans for 2026 and beyond are still taking shape, there is so much to look forward to.” What’s uncertain: Who’s next, and when? Though the addition of Gonzaga University brings the Pac-12 one of the nation’s most successful and best-known men’s basketball programs of the past 25 years, Gonzaga does not have a football program. That means the rebuilt conference is one short of the eight football-playing members it needs — by, at latest, the summer of 2026 — to be eligible for a berth in the College Football Playoff. Likewise, though most women’s team sports — from soccer to softball — meet the NCAA’s minimum of six teams to earn an automatic berth in postseason competition, at press time the rebuilt conference had only five of the six baseball-playing members necessary and men’s soccer had only three. The path to postseason for other sports will be determined in the months ahead. In other words, more additions and alignments are certain to come. Plus, one twist: legal issues. When the Pac-12 signed a football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for this year, the agreement included “poaching penalties” should any of the MWC schools leave for the Pac-12. But on Sept. 25, the Pac-12 sued the MWC, asserting that this violated antitrust law. So while there’s been some movement toward a complete Pac-12 picture, there’s still more off-the-field action to come. “MORE ADDITIONS AND ALIGNMENTS ARE CERTAIN TO COME.” Oregon State University Professor Jonathan Hurst and spin-off company Agility Robotics were featured on the cover of Timemagazine’s “Best Inventions of 2024” issue this November. Hurst co-founded the company and serves as its chief robot officer. This was the second Time cover in three months related to Oregon State, highlighting the university’s excellence in robotics and artificial intelligence. In September, OSU alumnus Jensen Huang, ’84, ’09 (Hon. Ph.D.), founder and CEO of NVIDIA, was featured on the cover of the “Most Influential People in AI” issue. Time also included Huang and alumna Suzanne Simard, M.S. ’89, Ph.D. ’96, a forest ecology professor and author of Finding the Mother Tree, in its 2024 “Most Influential People” issue last spring.
Winter 2025 17 KARL MAASDAM, '93 S P O R T S B R I E F S BOOSTING BEAVER BASKETBALL RICCI FAMILY CREATES ENDOWMENTS FOR BOTH MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAMS. By Cathleen Hockman‑Wert Growing up in Corvallis, Joth Ricci joined the crowds packing Gill Coliseum during the ’70s and ’80s. Basketball made a slam dunk into his heart, and so did Oregon State University. After graduating in 1990, Ricci channeled his passion for coaching into leadership positions with companies such as Dutch Bros and, most recently, Burgerville, while also staying active with the university, including as chair of the OSU Alumni Association board. Now Ricci; his wife, Robin Ricci; and their family have given back in another way, with a $3 million gift that creates two $1.5 million endowments for men’s and women’s basketball. “With this gift, we want to give a shout-out to all the basketball players who have competed at Oregon State, specifically the teams under coach Ralph Miller,” he said. “I’ve had success leading companies because of their inspiration and everything I learned from basketball and coaching.” The two Ricci Family Endowed Funds will provide steady, reliable funding for recruitment, travel, training tools and more, supporting long-term stability and growth for Beaver basketball. The announcement of the family’s gift coincided with news this fall that basketball powerhouse Gonzaga is joining the Pac-12. “I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to invest in OSU Athletics,” Ricci said. “Any time you are in an uncertain situation, you have a choice to make; you can wait and see what happens to you, or you can get engaged and build your narrative.As intercollegiate athletics continue to change, at Oregon State we have the chance to build and make our program even stronger. “We don’t want to let off the gas. This is the time to prepare for the future, and everyone can be part of it.” The Riccis are the parents of two recent OSU graduates, and Joth’s parents and grandfather are also alumni. He currently serves as executive in residence for the College of Business and chairs the board for SnoPlanks Academy, the student-led snowboard production company based at OSU-Cascades. (Learn more on page 2.) ENROLLMENT GOES UP, UP, UP Among the 108 Public Research 1 universities in the U.S. — universities with the most research activity — only Oregon State has produced 28 consecutive years of fall-overfall enrollment growth, according to analysis by Jon Boeckenstedt, the university’s vice provost of enrollment management. This school year, enrollment has reached 37,900 students, an increase of 3.5%. “Oregon State is not only the largest university in the state,” Boeckenstedt said, “but it also serves the most undergraduate, graduate, resident, nonresident, international and online students, as well as the most students on a single campus.” WEST COAST WIND ENERGY ALLIANCE Oregon State, Cal Poly Humboldt and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have teamed up to research the promise and potential pitfalls of offshore wind energy sites. The Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium will combine the resources and expertise of the three universities to bring in more funding and to undertake collaborative information sharing and research with state and federal agencies, tribes and towns on the West Coast. NEW STUDENT HOUSING IN THE MIX Upper-division and graduate students have a new on-campus living option. The five-story building, dubbed the 1045 SW Madison Avenue Apartments, offers 221 residents an easy walk to most campus buildings and features study rooms, communal lounge spaces and a large community kitchen. An increasingly tight Corvallis rental market has fueled growing demand for more student housing. See details at beav.es/madison-apts. ← The Ricci family (from left to right) Joth, ’90, Robin, Anna, ’21, and Joe, ’24.
@osucascades @oregonstate @beaverathletics 18 OregonStater.org CREDIT TK N EwS INSTAWORTHY A TASTE OF OREGON NEW WAYS TO SHARE STUDENT-MADE BEAVER CLASSIC FOODS. By Cora Lassen Whether it’s a snack in the stands or ice cream from the iconic orange food truck, Beaver Classic’s studentmade small-batch food products keep the Oregon State community satisfied. And ’tis the season to spread the love. This year, Beaver Classic is selling Holiday Boxes, which feature a smorgasbord sampling of the brand’s offerings. The boxes are a tasty gift for hungry Beavers in your life, and each purchase supports the agricultural sciences students who craft the food inside.“It’s all the student-made goodness in one package,” said Dhaval Bhakta, business and student development manager with the College of Agricultural Sciences. There are two varieties on offer: A smaller box, at $45, contains one Beaver Reserve aged cheddar, two flavored cheddars and a 2-ounce bottle of honey. A larger box, at $125, contains three aged cheddars, two flavored cheddars, an 8-ounce bottle of honey and a barley scone mix made from Streaker barley — a variety developed at OSU. Both boxes come with a College of Agricultural Sciences charcuterie board and branded stickers. Holiday Boxes are available to order now at the online Beaver Classic store (beav.es/beaver-classic) for shipping as well as on-campus pickup. (See page 14 for a coupon code.) If you’d like one to arrive before a particular date — say, ChristStudent photographer Keeler Frangooles captured the joy of an OSU-Cascades backpacking trip for new students to Three Fingered Jack. A colorful October day in Corvallis. Homecoming debuted a refreshed Bernice.
1 2 4 3 BOOKS BY BEAVERS Winter 2025 19 FOOD CART: KARL MAASDAM, ’93; HONEY: JOHN VALLS; NEXT SPREAD: DELPHOTOSTOCK F O O D B O O K S mas or the first night of Hanukkah — Bhakta advises ordering no less than a week in advance. After treating your loved ones to Beaver Classic, you may be craving some. Don’t fret — plans for a physical Beaver Classic Store in Withycombe Hall are well underway, and Bhakta estimates the “scoop shop” will be ready to open in spring 2025. This will be the perfect place to get a taste of the program’s less shippable products, like meats and ice cream (including a new marionberry flavor). For Bhakta, this is a return to OSU’s roots. Referencing the Dairy Counter that sold ice cream in decades past, he said, “Reopening this venture again, and coming back with this, is a good invite to get together.A reunion, almost.” A sweet treat just might be the perfect way to bring together Beavers old and new. The idea is to “bring those Oregon State memories back while showcasing our incredible, student-made products,” said Bhakta. “HOLIDAY BOXES... FEATURE A SMORGASBORD SAMPLING OF THE BRAND’S OFFERINGS.” 1. One Wild Word Away by Geffrey Davis,’06 This poetry collection from 2024 Pushcart Prize winner Geffrey Davis confronts the realities of loss and violence with the realities of love and light. With striking imagery and sonics, Davis composes a song to chase away the monsters under the bed, both imagined and real. Davis’ many accolades include the Anne Halley Poetry Prize, the Dogwood Prize in Poetry, the Porter Fund Literary Prize and the Wabash Prize for Poetry. Learn more: bit.ly/ wild-word. 2. The Ancients by John Larison, MFA ’07 Set in a not-so-distant post-apocalyptic future, The Ancientsweaves together three narrative journeys to create a sweeping and ultimately hopeful epic about human resilience in a precarious world. Learn more: bit.ly/ larison-ancients. 3. The Spirit of 1889 by Samuel Western, ’81 Western thoughtfully reviews the sociopolitical history of North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and calls for a return to the progressive values these “89ers” were founded on. Learn more: bit.ly/spiritof1889. 4. Cactus Country: A Boyhood Memoir by Zoë Bossiere, MFA ’14 In this tough and tender debut memoir about queer boyhood in an Arizona trailer park, Bossiere invites us to consider how we find our place in a world that insists on stark binaries. It was selected as an Indies Introduce and an Indie NEXT book. Learn more: bit.ly/cactus-country.
20 OregonStater.org PHOTO BY FIRSTNAME LAST RESEARCh
THE ELECTRIC EARTH Researchers map the planet’s geomagnetic currents. A nearly 20-year effort to map the electrical properties of Earth’s crust and mantle across the contiguous United States, viewed as critical to protecting the electrical grid during extreme solar storms and against damage from electromagnetic pulses used as weapons, is now complete. “Before, we had a patchwork quilt of information, but we could not connect the dots,” said Professor Adam Schultz, the project’s principal investigator. “Now we can see the entire picture.” The 3-D geoelectric map provides vital information to scientists and power companies and helps them understand how geomagnetic currents under the surface interface with the power grid. The map could also be used to identify geohazards and potential natural resources. OSU’s National Geoelectromagnetic Facility (ngf.oregonstate.edu) is the largest facility for this type of measurement in the world. — Michelle Klampe Winter 2025 21
22 OregonStater.org R E S E AR C h ILLUSTRATION BY MATT TWOMBLY BUILT FOR THE BIG ONE COME EARTHQUAKE OR TSUNAMI, OSU'S MARINE CENTER IS READY. By Katherine Cusumano, MFA ’24 The signs are everywhere.You start to notice them — blue and white and printed with the words “Tsunami Evacuation Route,” alongside an illustration of a cresting wave — after crossing Newport’s Yaquina Bay Bridge. Follow them, and you might reach Oregon State’s Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building, which is not only a space for learning and research, but also a vertical evacuation structure. The vertical evacuation structure — the 47-foot-high roof of the building — is a necessary adaptation to new research on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Scientists say that this fault line, just off the coast of Newport, is overdue for an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater (aka “The Big One”), which could summon a mighty tsunami. To make matters more precarious, the spit of land where the building is located lies close to sea level and is composed primarily of soft, unstable dredge spoils. As a result, architects engineered the building, which was funded by a lead grant from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation and opened in the fall of 2021, for the worst-case Cascadia rupture.They drew inspiration from disaster-proof structures around the world, including foreign embassies designed to withstand bomb strikes and other earthquake- and tsunami-resilient structures. As someone who works on the coast, Cinamon Moffett, the Hatfield Marine Science Center’s associate director for research and marine support, says that the risk of natural disaster is always on her mind. “OSU does an amazing job about putting this forward and saying, ‘OK, this is real; there’s a problem, this is going to happen,’” she says. “For those of us that already chose to work here, I was like, ‘Thank you.’” These key features make this state-of-the-art building ready for what’s to come. An Extra-Deep Foundation Dredged land beneath the building will liquefy after a major earthquake. For stability, the Marine Studies building sits atop a nearly 100-foot-deep, honeycomb-shaped foundation made of soil mixed with concrete and then secured to the foundation by 50-foot bolts. This means the foundation is roughly two times as deep as the building is tall. “We’re kind of an iceberg,” Moffett says. Breakaway Walls The building may be tsunami-proof, but that doesn’t mean that the building itself will survive. It won’t. “The only safe place in this building when the water comes is the roof,” Moffett says. In the event of a tsunami, the building’s exterior walls have been designed to collapse so water can rush through, leaving the roof — held up by sturdy structural steel I-beams and concrete shear walls — safe and stable. (In fact, a few of those I-beams can even be compromised without affecting the structural integrity of the roof.) A Really Big Ramp To accommodate the largest possible number of evacuees, there are three ways to access the roof: the elevator, the stairs and the massive ramp wrapping around the structure’s exterior. As you ascend the ramp — which is steep, its incline too sharp for wheelchair users to navigate on their own — you pass markers estimating how high the water will rise in case of “medium,” “large” and “xl” events.
Winter 2025 23 NATURAL DISASTERS A Ship-Proof “Crumple Zone” Though the likelihood that large pieces of debris — like the ships moored in the harbor — will travel as far inland as the Marine Studies Building is low, the building’s architecture is nevertheless prepared for this worst-case scenario. On the roof, metal barricades and a rock garden mark the “crumple zone,” an area (10-feet wide at its widest point) that will sustain the impact of objects tossed ashore without harming either the people who’ve sought refuge on the roof or the I-beams holding it up. Supplies for Days The tsunami won’t simply wash in and recede, Moffett says. Waves created by the earthquake will slosh to and fro, oscillating as if in a bathtub, for up to two days. On the roof, a cache contains enough food, water and first-aid supplies for up to 920 people (and pets!) to survive for that period. (“Remember, I said ‘survival,’ not ‘happy,’” Moffett says of the 800 calories and gallon of water allotted to each person per day.) In the cache, a binder labeled “Open Me First” outlines protocol and includes tasks, like portioning out food rations, designed to keep survivors occupied. A Disaster-Proof Elevator The Marine Studies Building is the only Americans with Disabilities Act-approved vertical evacuation site in the country, and it’s all because of the elevator. It looks just like a regular elevator — so much so, in fact, that one of the architects’ challenges was how to represent its role in evacuation to people taught to avoid elevators in disasters. A reinforced elevator shaft makes it sturdy enough to operate during an earthquake, allowing people with limited mobility to access the roof.
24 OregonStater.org OSU FOUNDATION Every day, two in five college students experience food insecurity, skipping meals to make rent, keep the lights on and buy required textbooks. The alumni community has the power to help solve this. This holiday season, give to end student hunger. BeaversFightHunger.org No student should have to choose between textbooks and groceries. Kernutt Stokes has been helping Oregonians, many of them OSU grads, reach their business goals for more than 75 years. We are certified public accountants specializing in privately-held and family-owned companies in construction, manufacturing, agribusiness, transportation, professional services, and more. If you’re seeking accounting services, give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you. Proud to serve our fellow OSU alumni. Firm partners and OSU alums Shelly Sorem, CPA and Jonathan Powell, CPA lead Kernutt Stokes’ Corvallis office. Bend | Corvallis | Eugene (541) 752-4556 | kernuttstokes.com
Winter 2025 25 CuLtuRE PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT OF PORTLAND PDX REFRESH Built with Northwest culture in every beam. This summer, the Port of Portland unveiled its new main terminal at the Portland airport, featuring a stunning 9-acre mass timber roof made from 2.6 million board feet of locally sourced wood. Using mass timber for sustainable buildings was the vision of late dean of OSU’s College of Forestry, Thomas Maness. He helped create the TallWood Design Institute, a collaboration between Oregon State and the University of Oregon, which unites faculty across the disciplines of architecture, structural engineering and wood science to advance mass timber and other wood product building solutions. OSU and the Port of Portland are founding members of the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition, a partnership between Oregon’s leading research universities and government agencies. — Parker Akkerman
26 OregonStater.org C u Lt uR E PHOTO BY KARL MAASDAM, ’93 THE WRITING LIFE A look inside OSU’s hidden gem, the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing. BY > KATHERINE CUSUMANO, MFA ’24 Karie Fugett, MFA ’18, knows that publishing doesn’t normally work out this way, so please suspend your disbelief for just a moment. The year after she completed her graduate degree in creative writing at Oregon State, she published an essay in the Washington Post entitled “Love and War.” (Read it at wapo.st/3NauQEh.) Her husband, a U.S. Marine, had been wounded in Iraq. After his return, he became addicted to opioids; he died of an overdose when she was 24. The essay charts this experience and how, in the aftermath, she was able to buy a house, attend college and go to grad school: “From his ashes, I built myself into something beautiful and new,”she writes.“When I meditate on the sacrifice it took to get there, guilt and anger burn deep.” Three months later, Fugett’s memoir, which traces her experiences as a military widow, was the subject of a 15-editor auction. “I had people from every major publishing house bidding on it for three days,” says Fugett, now 39. “And then I sold it, for a lot of money.” Alive Day comes out in May through the Penguin- Random House imprintThe Dial Press.“What the story is about is sad and terrible, but the book part — although
Winter 2025 27 LITERATURE long, and it’s required patience and whatnot — everything’s just slid into place,” she says. Fugett began plotting the memoir as her graduate thesis at Oregon State, where she was a student in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in creative writing.With just a 3.76% acceptance rate, it’s one of OSU’s most competitive programs — and perhaps its most unexpected, given the university’s roots in science, agriculture and engineering. Yet for more than two decades, the MFA has provided time and, importantly, funding to its student artists, preparing them for careers as writers and communicators. All students receive graduate assistantships, which waive tuition and provide a stipend for living expenses. Alumni have gone on to win state and national awards; just this year, Steven Moore, MFA ’16, was nominated for an Oregon Book Award for his essay collection, The Distance From Slaughter County. “For two years,you get to find your voice and discover your territory, and no one’s going to be breathing down your neck just yet,” says Marjorie Sandor, the former director of the program and, along with Professor Emeritus Tracy Daugherty, one of its original architects. For Fugett, the MFA allowed her to focus wholly on the project she came to write — “to play and do weird things and see if they work,” she says. “I loved that.” But the program’s real magic — beyond publishing deals and accolades — might just be its tight-knit camaraderie, both among students and between students and their faculty mentors. “You find your readers,” says Lanesha Reagan, MFA ’18. The philosophy implicit in these relationships: an MFA does not need to be cutthroat in order to set its students up for success. On a clear, crisp Sunday afternoon in September, a few dozen current MFA students, alumni and faculty members scattered across the wide sloping lawn at Remy Wines in Dayton, Oregon. A few sat on the chairs arrayed in front of a microphone where, soon, three alumni would read their work: Jesse Donaldson, MFA ’14; Loretta Rodriguez, MFA ’23; and Nola Iwasaki, MFA ’23. The atmosphere was languid. Tor Strand, a current MFA student in poetry who previously worked at the winery, poured glasses of dolcetto. (He read a poem, too.) In some ways it felt like a reunion — and this is the point where I should make an admission: I attended OSU as a student in the MFA program’s nonfiction track. I finished my degree this past June. And so when I talk about the community and mentorship, my perspective is a little skewed. I hope you won’t hold it against me. To ← Nola Iwasaki, MFA ’23, reads from her essay “Some Broke Magnificently” at Remy Wines in September. ↓ Just a tiny sampling of the dozens of titles by MFA graduates. balance the scales, I did my homework: This story draws on interviews with nearly a dozen people affiliated with the program. The MFA’s emphasis on community was baked into its very foundation.When Sandor joined the faculty in 1994, Daugherty — a Pulitzer Prize finalist this year for his biography of the writer Larry McMurtry — had already been working for nearly 10 years to bring an MFA program into being. It took nearly another 10 to make it a reality: OSU awarded its first MFAs in fiction in 2002 and then added tracks in poetry (2006) and nonfiction (2012). “We knew that we could make a family out of our program,” Sandor says. “We really saw ourselves as the literal mom and pop.” The groundwork had been laid decades earlier, by the writer Bernard Malamud — a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner who taught at Oregon State from 1949 to 1961. (Earlier in 2024, Malamud’s daughter, Janna Malamud Smith, organized an $850,000 gift to the School of Writing, Literature, and Film from her late brother’s estate. It will fund a visiting “WE KNEW THAT WE COULD MAKE A FAMILY OUT OF OUR PROGRAM.” continued
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