UO receives largest gifts ever for international scholarships

EUGENE, Ore. -- (July 9, 2008) -- The largest-ever gifts for international scholarships at the University of Oregon will provide more opportunities for UO students to study abroad and for international students to come here, UO President Dave Frohnmayer announced today.

More than $3.1 million from three donations, all from California residents, will establish:

• Scholarships for international students from, and study abroad opportunities to, greater China;

• A fund to encourage UO students to become interns in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America;

• The first study abroad scholarship for UO students majoring in international studies.

"The ability to travel and study abroad is a critical part of becoming a successful citizen in today's world," Frohnmayer said. "I am delighted that more students will now have these opportunities because of these very generous donors."

The timing of the gifts coincides with a boom in the UO's international programs, said Steve Durrant, vice provost for international affairs.

"Participation in study and internship abroad programs at the UO has doubled over the past decade," Durrant said. "A record number of students -- more than 1,000 -- participated in study and internships abroad last year with more than 50 students in global internships. Currently, around 25 percent of undergraduates at the UO study abroad."

UO Study Abroad locations around the world

The UO sponsors more than 150 study abroad programs in more than 80 countries. According to the Open Doors 2007 Report on International Educational Exchange (published by the Institute of International Education), the UO ranks among the top 20 public research institutions for the percentage of undergraduates who participate in study abroad programs.

The UO also welcomed more international students (1,187) to campus last fall than any year since 2001 when visa regulations were tightened. About six percent of the UO’s student body is international, coming from nearly 90 countries.

The new resources enabled by the gifts will provide additional opportunities thanks to the donors, Durrant said.

The donors are:

• Timothy and Virginia Cha Foo of San Francisco, $1.6 million through a charitable remainder trust to endow the Dr. Cha Chi Ming International Scholarship for students coming from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as well as UO students pursuing their studies in those locations. They named the scholarship in memory of Virginia Foo's father, a prominent industrialist who played a significant role in Hong Kong's economic development and its reunification with China.

"We especially would like to see more students coming to the UO from greater China," said Timothy Foo, who met his wife when both were international students at the UO in the late 1960s. "We received scholarships from the university, and we want to help make sure money will be available for other international students."

Timothy Foo, originally from Hong Kong, earned his master's degree in music in 1968 and a doctorate in musical arts in 1973. Virginia Foo, also from Hong Kong, received her bachelor's degree in interior architecture in 1971.

• Richard and Gerrie Leeds of Irvine, estate commitments of more than $1 million to endow the Richard and Gerrie Leeds International Travel Fund, which will provide travel stipends for study abroad and international internship students. They designated 75 percent of the endowment to support interns pursuing projects in developing countries, with the balance to benefit undergraduate and graduate students seeking to study abroad.

Richard Leeds, a retired attorney, took his first three years of undergraduate study at the UO during the late 1960s, including a year at the University of Pavia, Italy, through a UO study abroad program.

"We want to help UO interns get to those parts of the world where they can make a real difference," Leeds said, adding that he and his wife intend to match contributions made by others to the fund. "Small gifts can have great impact. Assistance can be one person at a time."

• Judy Fosdick Oliphant ("ALL ih funt") of Lafayette, $500,000 to endow scholarships for UO students majoring in international studies, to assist with study abroad expenses. Oliphant earned a bachelor's degree in foreign languages from the UO in 1962. Her late husband, Hugh, was a 1962 graduate in business administration.

In addition to helping students, Oliphant said one of her main reasons for giving was to honor Frohnmayer's vision and leadership as president of the university. "Dave Frohnmayer makes people really want to do good things," she said. "He's very inspirational and down to earth, and he deserves a lot of credit."

The gifts bring the total raised for scholarships during Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives to more than $93 million.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

Images:
Map, UO students abroad, http://tinyurl.com/5kqeyw
Map, Where UO international students are from, http://tinyurl.com/5gr43b
Photo, Richard and Gerrie Leeds, http://tinyurl.com/659hq3
Photo, Judy Oliphant, http://tinyurl.com/5zc48j

Links:
Quick facts: International Affairs at the University of Oregon, http://tinyurl.com/5q65cc
International scholarship gifts at-a-glance, http://tinyurl.com/6zyqc3
UO Study Abroad Programs, http://studyabroad.uoregon.edu
International Studies, http://www.uoregon.edu/~isp/

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