A Message of Gratitude

Invest in the pursuit of excellence today!

In 1969, the Oregon Tech Foundation was established to support the educational, cultural, charitable, and service activities of Oregon Institute of Technology. The Oregon Tech Foundation raises funds and gathers many other forms of support for the endowment, scholarships, capital projects, and much more. Committed to excellence in science, technology, and health professions education, the Foundation works not simply to help Oregon Tech grow but to grow with intention and in ways that foster a better education and experience for students and a brighter future for Oregon and beyond.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Oregon Tech Foundation is to further the educational, cultural, charitable, and service functions of Oregon Institute of Technology, or any successor or affiliated institution; to acquire financial support for these activities through gifts, grants, bequests, development campaigns or other types of transactions designed to create funds for the benefit of the university; to promote the public relations aspect of the university in order to improve the understanding of its programs among students, alumni, potential employers of graduates, friends of Oregon Institute of Technology and other individuals, groups, organizations or publics.

The Foundation Board is made up of alumni, community members, and friends of Oregon Tech. The Oregon Tech Foundation is a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Oregon Tech Foundation Affiliates

The purpose of the Alumni Association is to provide alumni a worldwide network that strengthens friendships and promotes the college as a premier learning institution.

The Oregon Tech Alumni Association is chartered by the Oregon Tech Foundation as an affiliated organization. Thus, the Alumni Association operates under the authority and tax-exempt status of the Foundation which has fiduciary responsibility for the assets and financial activity of the Alumni Association.

The Shaw Historical Library was founded in 1983 by Laurence L. and Dorothy Shaw. Laurence Shaw gathered his collection over a period of forty years. In his own words it was a collection "grown from reading. Each interesting book led to another until there was total immersion in Western Americana."

The Shaws intention was to establish a library to provide students, researchers, and the interested public with a place to learn about the people and history of the area known as the Land of Lakes. The Land of Lakes is generally considered to encompass southcentral and southeastern Oregon, northeastern California, and northwestern Nevada.

Since the initial donation in 1983, the collections of the Shaw Historical Library have grown to include approximately 4,000 books, as well as maps, art, manuscripts, photographs, and an oral history collection.

The library contains materials relating to American western migration and the history of the Klamath Basin. There are significant historical collections on the lumber industry, railroads, logging, local Native American tribes and agriculture in the Klamath Basin.

Additionally, The Shaw Historical Library has been publishing Journals about the history of the Klamath Basin and Land of the Lakes since 1986. The Journals are topical covering a wide range of subjects from the Applegate Trail to the Modoc War; from the history of water rights to the cattle ranching industry. Insightful, humorous, and historically in depth, the Journals offer a window into a complex regional social and cultural history that is both ancient and unique in the United States.

More information on the Shaw Historical Library, including library hours, as well as journal information and ordering can be found at www.oit.edu/shaw.