The Portland Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation honored 10 scholars who were graduating from the scholarship program at a reception on May 14.  The scholars are all members of the graduate studies program in the School of Medicine, and are completing the third year and final year of their ARCS scholarship funding.

“We are very proud of you and of your achievements to date,” Chapter President Leslie Workman told the graduates and chapter members. “We look forward to hearing how your careers develop, and of the great work that you will surely do.”

Ms. Workman also announced that another donor had committed to a scholarship beginning next fall, bringing the total (cumulative) commitment so far to OHSU by the Portland chapter to $812,000.

In a related story, the national ARCS Foundation was itself singled out by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for its highest award – the James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education. ARCS was cited for granting more than 13,000 scholarships valued at $66 million to some 7,700 students over 50 years. Founded after the launch of the Russian Sputnik in 1957, the all-volunteer women’s organization is dedicated to promoting United States leadership in various scientific fields.

“While the Portland Chapter was only recently founded in June 2004, we are proud to be able to maintain and build on the national ARCS Foundation’s long tradition of support for research,” said Ms. Workman. “We look to these scientists for the answers to some of the most pressing problems of this, and future, generations.”