The OICF Ethics Bowl 2010 Champion, Willamette University. From left: Marta Tarantsey, Rafael Baptista, Tejeswara Reddy, and Angelika Orletsky.

Students from Willamette University defeated Marylhurst University to win the Oregon Independent College Foundation’s 5th Annual Ethics Bowl on February 27, 2010. Willamette, which won the championship in 2007, also competed against strong teams from Linfield College and Concordia University to become the first repeat winner in event history. For the fourth year in a row, Regence BlueCross BlueShield sponsored the Ethics Bowl.

Hosted by University of Portland, the 2010 OICF Ethics Bowl matched student teams from the OICF’s ten member colleges and universities in 5-rounds of case debates over a variety of contemporary ethical dilemmas. Teams of 3-5 students were paired in head-to-head team matches that were judged by panels of distinguished leaders from across Oregon and Washington who listened to team presentations and offered reactions to students. Mohan Nair, EVP & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield; Merrit Quarum, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Qmedtrix Systems, Inc.; and Callie Papas, Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, Schnitzer Steel Industries served as judges for the final debate between Willamette and Marylhurst. A complete list of participating judges is available below.

Students grappled with real-world ethical questions that challenged their thinking on issues such as the use of animals in research, university admissions, coaches’ compensation, and a host of other timely, hot-button issues. A complete list of cases is available upon request.

“The Ethics Bowl allows many of the brightest students from Oregon’s independent colleges to interact with some of the region’s most recognized business and community leaders,” said Mohan Nair, Chair of the OICF Board of Trustees. “The Ethics Bowl is a fabulous event that provides students with the opportunity to have in-depth discussions with leaders that would rarely occur otherwise.”

Members of the winning team from Willamette included: Angelika Orletsky, a senior Economics/Russian major, Marta Tarantsey, a junior French/Rhetoric and Media Studies major, Tejeswara Reddy, a sophomore Economics/Environmental Earth Science major, and Rafael Baptista, a sophomore Politics major. Robert Trapp and Hilary Jones served as faculty advisors for the Willamette University team.

Members of the runner-up team from Marylhurst included: Benjamin Caldwell, a senior Cultural Studies major, Alexander Craghead, a senior Communications major, Erin Clark, a junior Cultural Studies major, and Shauna LaDue, a junior Communications major. Mike Randolph served as the faculty advisor for the Marylhurst University team.

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Current OICF priorities include connecting students and alumni with professional workforce development opportunities, increasing diversity on the member campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

Oregon Independent College Foundation

2010 Ethics Bowl Leadership & Match Judges

Ethics Bowl Leadership

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Chair)

Robin Baker, President, George Fox University

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

Richard Liebman, Partner, Barran Liebman LLP

Dennis Rawlinson, Partner, Miller Nash LLP

Shari Scales, Vice President of Advancement, George Fox University

Mark Swenson, Regional Vice President, Bon Appétit Management Company

Mike Van Orman, Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank

Ethics Bowl Judges

Jennifer Allison, Assistant General Counsel and Director of Corporate Compliance, EthicsPoint

Pete Aparico, Investment Manager, Schnitzer West (Moderator)

Herbert Aschkenasy, President, Oregon Freeze Dry

KayLynne Bauman, Project Manager, Witherspoon & Heath (Moderator)

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

George Brown, M.D., President & CEO, Legacy Health System

Roger Busse, President & Chief Operating Officer, Pacific Continental Bank

Drew Corrigan, Partner, KPMG

Don Coulman, Attorney, Invention Law Group, Ltd.

Tyler Cox, Marketing Consumer Analyst, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Lucerne Currie, Director of Accounting, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Mark Cushing, Attorney, Tonkon Torp LLP

Steve Deacon, Chief Executive Officer, S. D. Deacon Corp.

Tiah DeGrofft, Foundation Administrator, Wildhorse Foundation

Jay Dudley, VP – General Counsel & Corporate Compliance Officer, Portland General Electric

Mark Ganz, President & CEO, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Fr. Rick Ganz, SJ, Special Counsel to the President, Marylhurst University

Lonnie Iholts, President, Siuslaw Bank

Jerry Ketel, President, Leopold Ketel & Partners

Melissa Mackie, Talent Acquisition and College Relations, Regence BlueCross BlueShield(Moderator)

Cinthia Manuel, Loyalty Program Coordinator, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Catherine Mater, President, Mater Engineering, Ltd.

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Kathy Oliver, Executive Director, Outside In

Callie Papas, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Schnitzer Steel Industries

Michael Paul, Co-Founder, Commercial Asset Preservation

Peggy Privratsky, R.PH, Pharmacy Recruiting Manager, Bi-Mart Corporation

Merrit Quarum, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Qmedtrix Systems, Inc.

Terry Shanley, CEO, SMART

Michael Sheridan, Vice President – Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch

Jeff Sponaugle, Chief Technology Officer, Kryptiq Corporation

Mike Van Orman, Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank

Sohrab Vossoughi, Founder and President, ZIBA Design, Inc.

Jodi Walder-Biesanz, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Grant Watkinson, President, Coastwide Laboratories (retired)

Jacqueline Yerby, Assistant Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

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The Ethics Bowl will open with the CEO’s Great Debate on February 26.  Mohan Nair, Chair of the OICF Board of Trustees & Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Executive at Regence BlueCross BlueShield will serve as Moderator of the Great Debate, which will include the following senior executives: Mark Ganz, President & CEO, Regence BlueCross BlueShield; Chandra Brown, Vice President, Oregon Iron Works & President, United Streetcar; Jake Nichol, President/CEO, Leatherman Tool Group; Steve Clark, Publisher/President, Pamplin Media Group; Catherine Mater, President, Mater Engineering & Senior Fellow, Pinchot Institute for Conservation; and Luis Machuca, President/CEO, Kryptiq Corporation.  Student team debates will begin on February 27 at 9:00 AM on the campus of the University of Portland.  The winning team will be announced at approximately 4:30 PM the same day.

The OICF Ethics Bowl matches student teams from the OICF colleges in case study debate over a variety of contemporary and complex ethically-based situations.  “The Ethics Bowl will challenge students and business leaders alike to offer thoughtful solutions to real-world ethical dilemmas,” said Kevin Matheny, OICF President/CEO. “With headlines in the media continuing to reflect poor ethical decision making in today’s society, it’s important to gather Oregon students, business executives and community leaders together to discuss the significance of applied ethics in our lives.”

Teams of three to five students from the 10 OICF colleges will compete head-to-head and be judged be judged by panels of distinguished corporate and community leaders from across the Northwest.  Many prominent leaders from business, law, finance, nonprofit and other fields will listen to team presentation and offer reactions to students.  A team from the University of Portland won last year’s Ethics Bowl and a team from Willamette University was the runner-up.

“In the business world, every day we’re faced with choices that have ethical implications for our customers, our colleagues and the communities we serve,” said Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield. “The Ethics Bowl provides an opportunity for business leaders and students to highlight and discuss such issues.”

Title Sponsor for the Ethics Bowl is: Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Portland, Ore).  Presenting Sponsors are: Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund (Portland, Ore.) and The Wollenberg Foundation (Menlo Park, Cal.).  CEO Sponsor is:  Bon Appétit Management Company (Palo Alto, Cal.).  Managing Partner Sponsor is: the Portland Business Journal (Portland, Ore.).

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities.  Current OICF include connecting priorities include connecting students with professional workforce development opportunities, increasing diversity on the member college campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College and Willamette University.

Oregon Independent College Foundation

2010 Ethics Bowl Schedule of Events

Hosted by University of Portland

Friday, February 26      Leftbank Annex (101 N. Weidler – Portland)

6:00 p.m. Opening Reception

7:30 p.m. Opening Event/Great Debate INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Saturday, February 27       All events in Franz Hall & & The Commons, University of Portland

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Judges Orientation #1 & Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Opening Plenary Session for Attendees

9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Round One of Competition

Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

10:10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

10:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Round Two of Competition

Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lunch Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Judges Orientation #2

12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. Lunch Break Continued/Surprise Case Preparation

Each team will receive one surprise case for presentation in Round 3 (i.e., where they will be the initial responding team) and second case for review (i.e., where they will provide a reaction).  Cases will be randomly assigned to each team prior to the Ethics Bowl.  Thus, when the surprise cases are handed out, each team will clearly know their roles for Round 3.

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Judges Orientation #2 & Lunch

12:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Round Three of Competition

Surprise Cases – Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

2:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

2:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Round Four of Competition

Five concurrent matches of 10 teams

3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

3:30 p.m. – 4:40 p.m. Final Round of Competition

Top two teams from Rounds 1-4. Finalists will be determined using two criteria:

1)    The respective number of “wins and losses” (based on point totals) in Rounds 1-4.

2)    The cumulative number of scoring points that each team has earned in Rounds 1-4.

4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Awards and Closing Remarks

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Post event reception & Team Recognition        INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Oregon Independent College Foundation

2010 Ethics Bowl Leadership & Match Judges & Moderators (as of January 28, 2010)

Ethics Bowl Leadership

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Chair)

Robin Baker, President, George Fox University

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

Richard F. Liebman, Partner, Barran Liebman LLP

Dennis Rawlinson, Partner, Miller Nash LLP

Shari Scales, Vice President of Advancement, George Fox University

Mark Swenson, Regional Vice President, Bon Appétit Management Company

Mike Van Orman, Vice President, U.S. Bank of Oregon

Ethics Bowl Judges

Jennifer Allison, Assistant General Counsel and Director of Corporate Compliance, EthicsPoint

Peter Aparico, Investment Manager, Schnitzer West (Moderator)

Herbert Aschkenasy, President, Oregon Freeze Dry

KayLynne Bauman, Project Manager, Witherspoon & Heath (Moderator)

Joseph Baumann, Managing Consultant – Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF

George Brown, M.D., President & CEO, Legacy Health System

Roger Busse, President & Chief Operating Officer, Pacific Continental Bank

Don Coulman, Attorney, Invention Law Group P.C.

Tyler Cox, Marketing Consumer Analyst, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Lucerne Currie, Director of Accounting, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Mark Cushing, Attorney, Tonkon Torp LLP

Steve Deacon. Chief Executive Officer, S. D. Deacon Corp.

Tiah DeGrofft, Foundation Administrator, Wildhorse Foundation

Jay Dudley, VP, General Counsel & Corporate Compliance Officer, Portland General Electric

Fr. Rick Ganz, SJ, Jesuit of the Oregon Province, Special Counsel to the President, Marylhurst University

Lonnie Iholts, President, Siuslaw Bank

Jerry Ketel, President, Leopold Ketel & Partners

Nick Konidaris, President & CEO, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Melissa Mackie, Talent Acquisition and College Relations, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Cinthia Manuel, Loyalty Program Manager, Regence BlueCross BlueShield (Moderator)

Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

Kathy Oliver, Executive Director, Outside In

Callie Papas, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Schnitzer Steel Industries

Michael Paul, Co-Founder, Commercial Asset Preservation

Peggy Privratsky, Pharmacy Recruiting Manager, Bi-Mart

Terry Shanley, CEO, SMART

Jeff Sponaugle, Chief Technology Officer, Kryptiq Corporation

Jodi Walder-Biesanz, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Jacqueline Yerby, Assistant Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Regence BlueCross BlueShield

###

Eleven (11) spots are available immediately. We anticipate the remaining thirty-three (33) spots will be available in late February or early March.

Information, including program eligibility requirements, enrollment forms and documents are available on the MESA website (www.mesaoregon.org). We plan to create an online application for MESA during 2010, making it easier and faster to submit.

Access to the 44 MESA accounts is available on a first come, first serve basis. Applications are time-stamped upon receipt. Please contact Brent Wilder, OICF Vice President if you have any questions or difficulty accessing forms or information on the website.

Since 1986, Alaska Airlines has provided an annual in-kind contribution of round-trip, coach class flight vouchers for use by the OICF member colleges. For 2010 Alaska Airlines officials generously renewed their support, contributing 85 tickets for use by the colleges in their work to recruit students, meet with donors, and allow students to travel to academic programs and events, among other purposes.  College representatives may use vouchers on all Alaska Airlines and Horizon Airlines flights systemwide.

“On behalf of the OICF Board of Trustees, we are grateful for all that Alaska Airlines has done for the OICF and the member colleges and universities over the course of 24 years,” says OICF President/CEO Kevin Matheny.  “These ticket vouchers provide tangible, direct budget relieving support for the OICF colleges and universities in their efforts to bring new, gifted students to the region.”

To learn more about establishing an OICF program partnership like that of Alaska Airlines, please contact Brent Wilder at 503-496-3420 or brent@oicf.org.

Since its founding in 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF) has raised nearly $56 million on behalf of the member colleges from top corporations, private foundations, and individuals in Oregon and beyond and serves as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Current OICF priorities include connecting students with professional workforce development opportunities, increasing diversity on the member college campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

The Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF) is pleased to announce that Regence, the region’s largest not-for-profit health insurer, has agreed to serve as the title sponsor of the 2010 Ethics Bowl to be held February 26-27 at the Leftbank Annex in Portland on the campus of the University of Portland.

“Our commitment to ethics is the cornerstone of our company’s operating principles, said Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Executive for Regence. “We believe that ethics is a key to our success as an organization, one that is more strongly positioned to serve our employees, our members and our communities. Regence is proud to support the OICF Ethics Bowl series.”

The Ethics Bowl provides a unique opportunity for business and community leaders, students, and faculty alike to openly discuss real world ethical issues and dilemmas; critically important dialogue as these young people become the next generation of community leaders.

The OICF Ethics Bowl is an academic competition designed to increase awareness and discourse among students from the OICF’s 10-member colleges and area business and community leaders about the importance of ethics in leadership, decision-making, interpersonal relations, and all aspects of life.

Using the “college bowl” model of academic competition between teams of students, the Ethics Bowl offers a distinctive platform that matches student teams from the ten OICF member colleges in debates over case studies that address a variety of contemporary ethics-based dilemmas. Approximately 50 business executives and community leaders serve as judges and evaluate team arguments, truly connecting the classroom with the boardroom.

“We are delighted to continue this wonderful partnership with Regence that epitomizes ethics and leadership at the highest level, “said Kevin Matheny, OICF’s President/CEO. “Meaningful investment in programs that encourage discourse about ethics, leadership, and personal character aligns with the priorities of the OICF and the member colleges, and will provide substantial opportunities for thoughtful young people from the colleges to interact with top business and community leaders from across the region.”

Teams of students will deliberate a variety of case studies that focus on a variety of “real world” ethical dilemmas—business, public policy, personal decisions, etc.—that will challenge team analysis and decision-making skills.

The Ethics Bowl is more than a “day away from the office” or “time out of the classroom,” it’s a rare opportunity for substantial dialogue between the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

Profile of Student Teams
Teams of 3-5 students will represent each OICF college and university in the Ethics Bowl. Students must be enrolled as full-time undergraduates and may come from any academic program. Teams will be selected at the discretion of each OICF member institution. A faculty member will prepare and coach each student team.  OICF members include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

Ethics Bowl match procedures
A total of 10 student teams will compete in the OICF Ethics Bowl. There will be a moderator and three judges in each match. In a given match, “Team A” will respond to questions based on a case study. “Team B” will have the opportunity to add to, adapt, or reject the response of “Team A.” In like fashion, “Team B” will respond to questions about a second case and “Team A” will reply. Judges will ask questions to each team following their presentations and use specific scoring criteria. Teams will be randomly matched. All 10 teams will participate in four rounds of matches. The two teams with the best “win-loss” records and highest number of judges’ points will move on to the final round. Teams from Willamette University and the University of Portland were finalists in 2009, with the University of Portland being crowned as OICF Ethics Bowl champions.

Past Ethics Bowl Champions
Warner Pacific College – 2006
Willamette University – 2007
Concordia University – 2008
University of Portland – 2009

About Oregon Independent College Foundation
The Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF), founded in 1950, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, fundraising and programmatic partnership of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Since it’s founding in 1950, the OICF has raised nearly $56 million from top corporations, private foundations, and charitable individuals in Oregon and beyond. Current OICF priorities include named scholarship programs, career workforce development programs, increasing racial diversity among the campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. For more information, visit www.oicf.org.

About Regence
Created in 1995, Regence is the largest health insurer in the Pacific Northwest/Mountain State region. It includes Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield (in Washington). Through these plans, Regence provides health, life, vision, dental and long- term care insurance to nearly three million members. Regence plans are not-for-profit, independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. More than one in three Americans have coverage from the Blues. For more information, visit www.regence.com.

The OICF website features an enhanced design with rotating images and a wide photo layout on the front page.  OICF.org also highlights key OICF priorities—priorities that are endorsed by OICF’s Board of Trustees because they make a meaningful impact on the business community, OICF colleges, and students.   It also offers an inventory of the academic programs offered at the member colleges that equip students to contribute to the region’s economy, substantiating the fact that these leading independent colleges produce graduates with skills to make an immediate impact in the workforce in a supportive environment where all students excel.

All sections of the site were designed for aesthetic appeal, yet streamlined to ensure quick download time and user-friendly access to all content.  The addition of new tabs for news, information regarding OICF core programs and priorities, college information, and benefits for supporting OICF are all examples of the depth and increased visibility the site will bring to Oregon’s leading independent college sector.  The redesign also includes photo galleries, access to the POWER of 10 career website, as well as links to OICF’s Facebook Fanpage and LinkedIn profile, which are intended to serve as avenues for students and alumni of all ten institutions as well as OICF partners to connect and develop their networks.

“The use of social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn provides the OICF an interactive resource to communicate with stakeholders regarding OICF’s key priorities and reach a demographic we didn’t feel we were reaching before,” said OICF President/CEO Kevin Matheny. “With our official Facebook and LinkedIn sites, we want to build a sense of community and give students, alumni, and partners an opportunity to network and personally associate themselves with Oregon’s leading independent colleges.”

About Oregon Independent College Foundation

Since 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has served as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities.  Since its’ founding, the OICF has raised nearly than $56 million on behalf of the member colleges from top corporations, private foundations and charitable individuals in Oregon and beyond.  Current OICF priorities include named scholarship programs, career workforce development programs, increasing racial diversity among the campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. For more information, visit www.oicf.org.

OICF member colleges include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College, and Willamette University.

Elected as a new OICF Trustee was Carolyn D. Walker, Partner, Stoel Rives LLP.  Mark L. Cushing, Attorney, Tonkon Torp LLP and Stephen Anderson, Owner, Evergreen Energy Corp. were elected as new trustees at the Foundation’s Spring 2009 Mid-Year Meeting.

Individuals elected to the OICF’s Executive Committee include: Mohan Nair, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Executive, The Regence Group (Chair); M. Lee Pelton, President, Willamette University (Vice Chair), Robert E. Maloney, Jr., Shareholder, Lane Powell PC (Past Chair); Grieg L. Anderson, Portland General Electric-retired (Treasurer); John Nolting, Senior Vice President – District Retail Leader, KeyBank (Secretary); E. William Beauchamp, President, University of Portland (At-Large); and Charles E. Schlimpert, President, Concordia University (At-Large).

About Oregon Independent College Foundation

The Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF), founded in 1950, is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, fundraising and programmatic partnership of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Since it’s founding in 1950, the OICF has raised nearly $56 million from top corporations, private foundations, and charitable individuals in Oregon and beyond. Current OICF priorities include named scholarship programs, career workforce development programs, increasing racial diversity among the campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. For more information, visit www.oicf.org.

OICF member colleges include: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific University, and Willamette University.

The OICF serves as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s 10 leading private colleges and universities: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College and Willamette University.

“Funding generated by the OICF is extremely important to the member colleges on two meaningful levels. Foremost, the financial support generated by the OICF provides a provision of resources that offers critical support in a variety of areas,” said Kevin Matheny, OICF President/CEO. “Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the OICF provides the member colleges with meaningful representation before the region’s top corporate and foundation leaders—organizations and individuals that may not be as aware of the impact these of the member colleges in the state and region without the OICF serving an intermediary role. We are grateful for the investments in Oregon’s private college sector via the OICF. This investment has secured brighter futures for scores of students over the decades.”

With an average faculty to student ratio of 12:1, OICF colleges and universities offer students a highly personalized education experience that values each student as an important member of that community. OICF colleges and universities represent nearly one-quarter of the total number of bachelor degrees and higher earned in Oregon annually and pride themselves on producing graduates with the requisite skills to immediately transition into the region’s workforce.

Since it’s founding in 1950, the OICF has raised nearly than $56 million from top corporations, private foundations, and charitable individuals in Oregon and beyond. Current OICF priorities include increasing diversity on the member college campuses, connecting students and alumni with regional employment opportunities, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development.

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

The OICF serves as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s 10 leading private colleges and universities: Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Marylhurst University, Pacific University, Reed College, University of Portland, Warner Pacific College and Willamette University.

The UPS Educational Endowment Fund, which is held and administered by FIHE, was initiated through endowment gifts from the UPS Foundation totaling $2 million and is now valued at $32 million.  Since its inception, this fund has awarded over $44 million in scholarship support to over 15,000 students nationwide.

In announcing the scholarships, Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation, said, “Our young people, our communities, and our workforce all benefit from the increased educational opportunities that FIHE provides.  The UPS Foundation is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with FIHE to support the deserving students whose education these scholarships fund.”

FIHE president, Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, stated, “FIHE is delighted to have a partnership with the UPS Foundation, enabling us to give these promising students an opportunity for a successful future.”  Further, Christopherson remarked, “Thanks to the generosity of the UPS Foundation, and prudent management of their gifts, we are able to provide scholarships to promote success at private institutions of higher education for deserving students, and do so even in challenging economic times.   By funding scholarships like these, the UPS Foundation makes a strong commitment to the future of our nation’s workforce.”

About OICF

Since its founding in 1950, the OICF has raised nearly than $56 million from top corporations, private foundations, and charitable individuals in Oregon and beyond.  Current OICF priorities include increasing diversity on the member college campuses, connecting students and alumni with regional employment opportunities, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development.  For more information visit www.oicf.org.

About FIHE

The Foundation for Independent Higher Education is the national partner in a network of 32 state associations, including the Oregon Independent College Foundation, which develop resources for private colleges and universities.   Since its founding in 1958, FIHE and its partners have received more than $1.6 billion in support for private colleges.  For more information visit www.fihe.org.

About the UPS Foundation

Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, GA., The UPS Foundation’s major areas of focus include community safety, nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability, and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact.  In 2008, The UPS Foundation directed more than $100 million in philanthropy to charitable organizations worldwide.  Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS’s community involvement.

Contact:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

As part of its continuing development in the area of diversity and to aid member colleges in increasing their representation and retention of underrepresented students, the Oregon Independent College Foundation has entered into a formal partnership with the Community and Shelter Assistance Corp. of Oregon (CASA of Oregon) to offer the Matched Educational Savings Accounts (MESA) College Initiative (www.mesaoregon.org) to students attending one of Oregon’s leading private colleges.

The MESA College Initiative serves Oregon’s students with limited financial resources (i.e. families whose household income is less than 200% of the poverty level) by promoting positive financial behavior and rewarding students for their active participation and savings. MESA matches participating students’ savings 5:1, up to $8,000 over thirty-six months, provided that the student meets his or her savings goals and fulfills the financial education and college planning requirements. Thus, MESA College Initiative is a natural link to the OICF’s services and is a valuable tool in increasing individual self-reliance.

Support for the match comes from OICF (private contributions) and CASA of Oregon (federal and state grants), both of which raise funds to support this program. In order to create an efficient model for delivery to students, CASA of Oregon is partnering with the OICF who will act as a clearinghouse for their member colleges accessing these funds.

A $100,000 matching grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation First Opportunity Partner Access and Success Grants administered by the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) has awarded  OICF with the initial pool of private resources to launch the program. Beginning in 2009, the OICF and CASA of Oregon will enroll a cohort of thirty-three (33) students at OICF member colleges and universities in the matched education savings account program (MESA College Initiative). The partnership is designed to creatively address the funding gap of low-income students.

“CASA is a committed partner working with the OICF to provide access, opportunity and choice for low-income Oregonians, especially while targeting underserved populations, i.e., students of color, first generation students and non-native English speakers by leveraging support and resources from the private sector,” said Thomas Jensen, Program Director – Asset Development of CASA of Oregon.

“Our partnership with OICF provides important additional private support for the program and more importantly participating students.  MESA is about more than receiving match money—the training requirements provide the skills needed to acquire and maintain an asset (education), as well as connect it to a personal development plan.  We believe that the partnership between the OICF and CASA will result in an effective outcome-driven program that builds human capital and fosters long-term goal-setting.”

OICF and CASA seek to create access to post-secondary education for low-income Oregonians through incorporation of IDAs into the service stream of Oregon’s leading independent colleges and universities. In order to achieve this goal, CASA & OICF uphold the following objectives:

• Increase the number of low-income students enrolling into post-secondary study at one of Oregon’s leading independent colleges and universities;
• Increase the number of participating students graduating with the skills to immediately impact the region’s workforce:
• Decrease the amount of debt with which a student will graduate;
• Encourage and model positive financial practices for students.

“Partnering with area community service organizations and funding partners to offer a creative financial aid program to promising young people is a tremendous opportunity for us,” said Robert Maloney, Shareholder, Lane Powell, P.C., and Chair of OICF’s Board of Trustees. “At OICF colleges and universities, professors are accessible and leadership opportunities abound.  We know the small campus experience can be life changing for all young people.”

“Incorporating the MESA College Initiative into OICF’s cadre of resources provides an opportunity to build our member institutions’ capacity and leverage private donations against public resources. said Kevin Matheny, President/CEO of the Oregon Independent College Foundation.  “This will advance OICF’s goal to ensure that all young people have equal opportunity to access a quality and personalized education experience (average faculty to student ratio of 12:1) at one of Oregon’s leading independent colleges and graduate with the skills to immediately impact the region’s workforce needs.”

Contacts:
Kevin Matheny
President/CEO
503-496-3420
kevin@oicf.org

Thomas Jensen
Program Director – Asset Development
CASA of Oregon
tjensen@casaoforegon.org