Chapter Milestones

Over the years since ARCS Oregon was incorporated in 2004, the Chapter has accomplished significant milestones. We credit these milestones to a talented and educated membership, a solid and successful track for supporting scholar awards, and a strong relationship with our university partners that were approved by ARCS National.

2004

• The Portland Chapter was incorporated and applied for 501(c)(3) status in May
• The chapter was chartered with 65 members
• Sharon Hewitt was elected the first chapter president

2005

• The Portland Chapter received its 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit organization
• First Long Range Plan was formed and implemented
• The School of Medicine and the School of Nursing at OHSU were approved for funding by ARCS National Foundation in October 2005
• First scholar awards of $15,000 were granted to 11 PhD students at OHSU and in the Oregon Graduate Institute

2008

• The College of Engineering at Oregon State University (OSU) was approved for funding by ARCS National in September 2008
• The first annual Celebrate the Scholars event was organized to acknowledge students who completed three years of funding
• First year scholar awards were presented to four (4) OSU PhD students

2009

• The scholar award amount was raised to $18,000

2010

• The College of Forestry at OSU was approved for funding in October 2010 by ARCS National
• The College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU was approved for funding in October 2010 by ARCS National
• The Chapter reached the $1 million mark of scholar awards committed

2011

• OHSU hosted a lunch for all ARCS Oregon members to celebrate the $1 million mark of scholar awards committed to OHSU
• The Scholar Award Policy Agreement was created and signed with OHSU and OSU
• A member retreat was scheduled in June to create a 5-year Long Range Plan and Implementation Plan

2012

• First membership satisfaction survey was conducted
• Long Range Plan was written and implemented
• The board was restructured to be a committe-driven organization
• The first $200,000 scholar award endowment was established by Caron and Larry Ogg
• Two additional schools in the College of Engineering at OSU were approved for funding by ARCS National (School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engingeering and School of Civil and Construction Engineering)

2013

• The Chapter reached the $2 million mark of scholar awards committed
• The Chapter pledged $1 million to OSU by 2018 and therefore became a member of the Milton Harris Society
• The second $200,000 scholar award endowment was established by Barbara and Philip Silver
• The Portland Chapter hosted the fall ARCS National Board meeting
• The College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU was approved for funding by ARCS National in October 2013

2014

• The College of Science at OSU was approved for funding by ARCS National in February 2014.
• The third $200,000 scholar award endowment was established by the Fairway Fund
• The 10th Anniversary Scholar Award Fund of $200,000 was established by member and community donations

2015

• The Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry at the University of Oregon was approved for funding by ARCS National in January 2015
• AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) awarded the Portland Chapter the "2015 Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation"
• First year scholar awards were presented to two (2) UO PhD students

2016

• The Chapter reached the $3 million mark of scholar awards committed
• Second member satisfaction survey was conducted
• The College of Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Sciences at OSU was approved for funding by ARCS National in January 2016
• The College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Geology at OSU was approved for funding by ARCS National in January 2016
• The Portland Chapter changed its name to ARCS Foundation Oregon Chapter on May 11, 2016
• University Matched Endowments (UME) were established with OHSU, OSU, and UO

2017

• The Chapter received its first bequest from charter member Mary Martin Rosenberg that will fund students in perpetuity
• Second member retreat was scheduled in January to revise the Long Range Plan and Implementation Plan

2018

• The Chapter received a $1.5 million bequest from member Jill Josselyn to support the scholar award program in perpetuity

2019

• The Oregon Chapter hosted the ARCS All Member Conference in September
• From 2016 - 2019, 15 University Matched Endowments have been established
  •   1 University Matched Endowment at UO
  •  4 University Matched Endowments at OHSU
  • 10 University Matched Endowments at OSU