News
Historic gift helps tomorrow's teachers
Even though she had no children and wasn't a teacher, Janette Drew knew how important teachers are in the lives of young people.
Drew, who died last year at the age of 94, left $700,000 in her estate to increase her scholarship fund at Portland State's Graduate School of Education. the gift is the largest in the school's history and brings the Janette Drew Scholarship endowment to over $1 million dollars, tripling the annual scholarship dollars provided in her name.
Drew, who attended University of Oregon, established a scholarship in 1993 at Portland State for students who wanted to be teachers, adding to the endowment over the years with additional gifts, including her own home when she moved to a retirement center. To date, 55 Janette Drew Scholarships have been awarded.
"Janette took great joy in following the progress of Drew Scholars through their letters and personal connections with a number of them," says Phyllis Edmundson, dean of the Graduate School of Education.
"Their contributions in schools across the region will be a living tribure to this gracious and thoughtful woman."
For more information about the Graduate School of Education, contact Sandy Wiscarson at 503-725-4789 or by email at wiscars@pdx.edu.
Donor is not forgotten
We regret that Ernst & Young Foundation was accidentally omitted from the list of corporate contributors in the Partners in Education report printed in the last issue of PSU Magazine.
University welcomes new vice president
Catherine "Cassie" McVeety, new vice president for University Relations, has more than 20 years of leadership skills in educational advancement.
McVeety directed campus advancement at Washington State University Vancouver, where she helped increase private support by nearly 800 percent and raise more than $275 million for all WSU campuses.
She will report to the president and oversee the areas of alumni relations, marketing and communications, publications, and development. She holds a bachelor's degree from University of Oregon and a master's from WSU.
Scholarships lead to student success
As tuition increases, many students are forced to work more hours to pay for their education. Unfortunately, there is a direct correlation between the number of hours per week students work and their academic success. More work equals lower grades.
Scholarships alter this formula. Your support can bring the dream of a college education to reality for struggling students. Here's what one student has to say:
It is difficult to convey my sincere appreciation for your support for PSU scholarships in a short note. Yet I will attempt to do so. I am finishing my last term at Portland State as a biology major. I have applied to 10 medical schools around the country, but am hoping to attend Oregon Health & Science University.
My intention is to finish my medical degree, then do an year internship at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Following this year I will complete a master's degree in space medicine. I have wanted to work for NASA since I was eight years old. It is still my dream to be an astronaut.
As a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship I was able to go to college. My father suffered a brain aneurysm during my freshman year. If I hadn't received this scholarship, I would have had to drop out of school since we could not have afforded the tuition. Your generosity has meant so much to me! For this I am incredibly grateful.
--Sara Pesek, class of 2004
To find out more about supporting students through scholarships at Portland State, call the Office of University Development at 503-725-4478.
(As we go to print, Sara reports that she has been accepted at OHSU.)