Dear OSU Community Members:
Today’s news that Stanford and Cal will join the ACC means that Pac-12 Conference membership will almost entirely turn over at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. While not inevitable, this was one of several possible scenarios, and we are prepared for it. We will continue pursuing all opportunities within our control to preserve the Pac-12 or identify a new conference home for OSU Athletics. At the center of this effort is you – OSU’s student-athletes, students, faculty and staff, our community and fellow Oregonians, and OSU alumni, friends and fans around the world.
We are Beaver Nation, and I along with the Vice President & Director of Athletics Scott Barnes will continue to advocate vigorously, act purposefully, rally supporters – and speak out for you.
But we won’t be able to do this by ourselves. We need your help. Now is the time to recommit to Oregon State University and show your passion and spirit for all that we have to offer in athletics, academics, research and beyond.
We can start by acknowledging and celebrating OSU’s many strengths, starting with the people of Oregon State and Beaver Nation. We are fortunate to have the most talented and determined student-athletes, coaches and staff found in any conference in the nation. They choose to be here for a reason – because of our single-minded focus on the holistic development and success of students and student-athletes in their academic, athletic and life goals.
That isn’t going away.
For the last nine years, OSU has seen record demand. We now enroll more than 35,000 students, the most of any university in Oregon. Our faculty research spans vital fields of study with deep community impact – from climate science and clean energy to biotechnology and robotics. OSU’s research funding now approaches half a billion dollars and is growing by double-digit percentages each year. More than 200,000 OSU alumni in Oregon and beyond expand Beaver Nation’s reach throughout the world.
With so much to be proud of and so many supporters working hard on behalf of OSU, we can lead from a position of strength. We are the university that serves Oregonians statewide. We look forward to our future. We will not stop fighting to ensure that OSU student-athletes will continue to compete at the highest level of competition possible. We look forward to game days that will continue to bring fans to Corvallis from across the state and beyond to fill Reser Stadium with cheering fans, providing critical economic benefits to our local community.
And OSU will continue to advance our education, research and public engagement missions to serve the state, the nation and the world.
I know you have many questions, concerns and ideas. I invite you to join me, Vice President and Athletic Director Scott Barnes and ASOSU President Carissa O’Donnell on Sept. 5 at noon for a virtual town hall where we will answer questions from students and student-athletes about our path forward. The link to that town hall is https://beav.es/TXD, and further information is available on our athletic conference realignment website.
I am proud and grateful for everyone in Beaver Nation who are rallying in support of our university. We are actively pursuing all conversations that present a path forward for Oregon State University and will continue to provide you with updates.
Sincerely,
Jayathi Murthy
President