PSU Magazine Winter 2006

Challenge gift doubles other donations E st-time donors giving to Portland Stale studem scholarships can watch their dollars go twice as far, thanks to a new challenge gram from the James F & Marion L. Miller Foundation. The Miller Scholarship Challenge is pan of a $1 million gift made in November thaL pushed the University's Building Our Future campaign past the $100 million milestone-eight months ahead of schedule. This is not the first Lime Lhe University has exceeded its goal; an initial goal of $90 million was raised Lo $100 mil– lion during Lhe quieL phase of Lhe campaign, while a feasibiliLy study al Lhe campaign's ouLseL recommended a goal of 75 million. Portland SLaLe President Dan Bernstine says LhaL 750,000 of Lhe Miller FoundaLion's gift will go Loward purchase of real estaLe adjacenL Lo cam– pus, providing urgemly needed addi– Lional classrooms and office facilities. The remaining $250,000 will fund Lhe scholarship challenge, directly boosting one of the campaign's top priori Lies for iLs closing momhs. Building Our FULure calls for new scholarship funds Lhroughout the UniversiLy. Campaign gifLs for scholarships are expecLed Lo exceed $18 million before Lhe cam– paign concludes in June 2006. "The Miller Scholarship Challenge offers us an enormous opponuniLy," says BernsLine. "Portland Slate serves a loL of sLUdcms with severe financial need. " s ignificam numbers of PSU studems are the firsL in Lheir families to go to college. Many are financially indepen– dent from their parents and may even have dependems of Lheir own. A schol– arship can be a decisive factor in their academic success. "It's our mission as a public univer– siLy to open Lhe door Lo any student who has Lhe desire to learn, regardless of Lheir abiliLy Lo pay," BernsLine says. "The Miller Challenge and the gifts it will inspire represem a major invest– ment in our region's fuLUre prosperity and qualiLy of life."