Global Experience Fund

The Global Experience Fund, established for the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University, provides resources in support of students and faculty gaining global experiences related to food and agriculture.

Hiram Larew, who earned a masters degree in botany and plant pathology and a doctorate in entomology at Oregon State University, is the lead donor for the endowment and his gift was matched by the ER Jackman Friends and Alumni Board and the Dean of Agricultural Sciences. Several other donors have also contributed to the endowment.  Dr. Larew said he seeks to increase international opportunities for students and faculty.

The endowment, established through the OSU Foundation, provides funds to support students who wish to enrich their studies with life-changing international experiences.  Since June 2013, awards ranging from $200-$2000 averaging $1000 each have been awarded to students doing International Internships; often these funds were augmented by awards directly from the ER Jackman Fund. Additional funds have been used to support students participating on Exploring World Agricultural educational tours, international service-learning trips, and to participate in and host the IAAS (International Association of Agriculture and related Sciences) National Summit.

Support to students from the Global Experience Fund is making a difference. Read below how Dominee Cagle spent the summer of 2018 at the Dan Girang Field Centre in Borneo and states “Overall, this was an incredibly valuable experience.”  And, read about Kevin Keys’ International Internship at the Cape Town Environmental Education Trust in South Africa.

With the ever-increasing importance of international engagement to Oregon’s agriculture, it’s critical that faculty and students build awareness of and involvement in global agriculture, “My intent has been pretty simple," says Larew "I hope that other alums and donors will join me in building the Global Experience Fund endowment as a way of ensuring that the College is able to support Oregon agriculture and natural resources which increasingly depends on international engagement. During the pandemic-caused pause in international work, I nonetheless hope that we will continue to grow the Endowment so that it's that much more able to lend support when students can once again grab their passports and go." 

Alumni and others who wish to build the Global Experience Fund endowment through additional donations.