CORVALLIS - The Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation has made a $500,000 gift to Oregon State University, home to one of the premier academic forestry programs in North America.

The gift to the OSU College of Forestry will create an endowed scholarship fund to attract top students from diverse backgrounds to the college's programs in forest engineering, forest management, forest operations management, and wood science and technology.

"The OSU College of Forestry produces graduates who enter the professional world with a very solid background in active forest management," said Rich Wininger, Weyerhaeuser's vice president of western timberlands, who graduated from OSU in 1979 with a degree in forest engineering.

"At OSU, students are able to access nearby teaching, research and demonstration forests," Wininger pointed out. "This proximity means that they're used to working in the woods and are technically prepared to make an immediate contribution in the forestry business."

Hal Salwasser, dean of forestry at OSU, said he and his faculty repeatedly hear that OSU produces some of the best employees for the forest products sector.

"This very generous gift reflects the importance of our graduates to the vitality of the industry," Salwasser said. "Weyerhaeuser has been a terrific partner for many years, supporting research facilities, scholarships and graduate fellowships, all of which contribute to us maintaining our distinction as one of the premier forestry programs."

Weyerhaeuser Company and the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation have given nearly $4 million to OSU to date, including this gift, but this is the largest gift targeted at scholarships.

"Weyerhaeuser is proud to support the stellar forestry program at Oregon State University and promote student excellence by providing scholarships for forestry students," said Bruce Amundson, president of the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation.

Salwasser said that scholarships can be the key to attracting standout students to study forestry at OSU.

The gift is part of the university's $625 million Campaign for OSU, which is on track to raise $100 million for scholarships and fellowships.

OSU News Service