Fall 2026 19 PHOTO BY KAI CASEY ON A WINNING STREAK The Oregon Stater picked up five national awards this summer, including its first for overall excellence. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named the Stater among the country’s best, awarding it a bronze award for alumni magazines published three or more times a year. The magazine also won two writing awards: a silver for “OSU Below,” by Katherine Cusumano, MFA ’24, and a bronze for “6 Things You Might Not Know About OSU and AI,” by Keith Hautala, Cathleen Hockman- Wert, Scholle McFarland and Rachel Robertson. The Fall 2025 “Super Fans!” cover brought home silver awards from both CASE and the Society of Publication Designers (SPD). Becky Plante of Pentagram Austin created the design from photographs taken by Karl Maasdam, ’93, of more than 100 vintage Beaver buttons, pins and patches. The SPD recognition put the Stater in good company, alongside winners from The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and Rolling Stone. Go Beavs! —Stater Staff AWA R D S A T H L E T I C S nor families, led by an anonymous donor, recently committed a total of $25 million to build the university a new Field Sports Building. The facility will provide space for training, treatment, film study and more for 150 student-athletes in softball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s cross country and women’s track and field. Of course, facilities matter to fans, too. In June, OSU also announced an anonymous gift to fund improvements to Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The $15 million right-field overhaul will add bleacher seating, upgrade spaces for spectators and build a clubhouse for the Corvallis Knights, the summer collegiate baseball team that shares the facility. Together, the three initiatives could direct as much as $88 million toward some of OSU Athletics’ most immediate competitive needs. Shawn L. Scoville, president and CEO of the Oregon State University Foundation, which led the fundraising efforts, said the support will help turn the challenges of a changing athletics landscape into opportunities. “The philanthropic momentum for OSU Athletics is real,” he said. “We couldn’t be more grateful for this group of donors leading the way, and to the thousands of other supporters and fans who show up for Beaver Nation in so many ways — with their own gifts or by wearing Beaver gear, purchasing tickets and tuning in on game day.” ← A high-flying member of Oregon State Cheer brings the spirit on Nov. 1, 2025. rules that allow Division I universities to pay student-athletes directly from athletic department funds. That creates a major new annual expense at a time when competitive programs already require significant investments in coaches, facilities and support services. Enter the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation. The Valley Challenge for Student-Athletes will support student-athlete revenue sharing: If donors contribute $8 million per year to OSU Athletics, the Valley Foundation will unlock an additional $8 million each year for up to three years. If fully matched, the challenge will generate $48 million to recruit and retain student-athletes. Access to top-notch facilities also makes a difference when student-athletes are trying to decide which program to choose. Ten do- “I AM PROUD OF THE WAY WE HAVE COME TOGETHER TO OVERCOME THESE OBSTACLES.”
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