Alan Polaski

I first became involved with Oregon Tech about 7 years ago when my son was graduating from high school and looking at engineering universities to attend. I had lived in Oregon for almost 25 years at that point, and had been working in the engineering field, but had really only heard the name Oregon Tech, and didn’t know much about its offerings or mission. I was amazed when I did learn about the type and quality of education that Oregon Tech offered, and for an incredibly affordable price compared to private universities that we had been considering.

Over the years while my son attended Oregon Tech, I only became more impressed. The small class sizes and personalized attention; the relentless focus on practical learning; and the quality of the faculty and students were absolutely on par with the private engineering school I had attended, but at a fraction of the price. My son was fortunate to get an internship through MECOP through which he obtained a great paying job with Intel upon his graduation and he graduated on time, with no debt.

I quickly became an evangelist of what I refer to as one of the best kept secrets in Oregon, and knew it was an institution I wanted to stay involved with helping further its mission.

I had given to my alma mater, a prestigious engineering school, for years, but since their endowment is so large, I felt like my contribution wasn’t making much of a difference. With Oregon Tech, however, I could see how much was done with small amounts of money, and I could see direct uses of my donations. One of the first gifts I made was to the Finish Line Fund scholarship that provides a scholarship to students when many traditional scholarships, grants and other aid is no longer available. It sometimes doesn’t take a lot of money to help students finish their degree and make a huge difference in their lives. The benefit and direct result of that gift was tangible and profound.

It’s a great feeling to be able to give money and make a difference in someone’s life. With Oregon Tech, whether it’s giving to a scholarship fund, helping to fund student projects, supporting the development of capital projects, or any other number of projects and causes, it’s easy to see a direct and visible result. And it feels GREAT to know that I helped to accomplish that goal or vision. It’s like Christmas morning when you wait with anticipation for someone to open that perfect gift you got for them and hoping they’ll love it. But with giving to a place like Oregon Tech, you know that the recipient will love the gift – there’s no guesswork! Philanthropy is something that gives meaning to what I do and something I feel proud and honored to be able to do.

The future of Oregon Tech is as bright right now as I’ve ever seen it. The global pandemic has obviously been an incredibly difficult time and brutal for so many people. It has also demonstrated the importance of Oregon Tech and its mission. Among other disciplines, Oregon Tech provides engineering and medical-related skills, which is of course exactly what we need now as we move through this and plan for a different future. Also, money is tight for so many households, so again Oregon Tech is well-positioned to offer an affordable education that leads to a high percentage of graduates having high-paying jobs at graduation.

Oregon Tech is embarking on a series of capital improvements to our engineering buildings, student centers and athletic facilities. Anyone who hasn’t been to the campus in a while should definitely come visit and see the great infrastructure improvements made throughout the University campus. Several of these were backed not only by donors, but also by the Oregon legislature demonstrating the importance the state sees Oregon Tech having on the region.

All of this is leading to an INCREASED enrollment and demand for Oregon Tech, not just from Oregon but from the Pacific Northwest and even throughout the country. And this comes at a time when many, if not most, other universities in the country are facing decreasing enrollment. The secret is getting out! And that’s a great thing for the University, the students and alumni, the employers of Oregon Tech grads, and the community in general. It energizes me to no end to see the enthusiasm growing around Oregon Tech!

I’m so honored to be able to play a role in the growth and success of Oregon Tech. Being able to help so many people and see the immediate impacts is very rewarding, and something I’m very proud of being part of. And I get to do it surrounded and supported by a talented and passionate team of my fellow directors and foundation staff members who are as excited about Oregon Tech as I am! I truly believe we are at an inflection point of what is already a long and proud history at Oregon Tech, where we will see Oregon Tech have an even larger reach and impact in and beyond the region.