Marcus J. Borg earned a B.A. from Concordia College in 1964 and a Ph.D. from Oxford University in 1972. Borg joined the faculty of Oregon State University in 1979 and retired in 2007 as Distinguished Professor in Religion and Culture and the Hundere Endowed Chair in Religious Studies. He is a leading scholar of the life and teachings of Jesus, the author of multiple books, a lecturer, and an outstanding teacher. Borg received numerous teaching awards at Oregon State and was the Chism Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Humanities at the University of Puget Sound during the 1986-1987 academic year. Borg was the first faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts to receive the designation of Distinguished Professor, which he received in 1992. Borg was appointed Chair of the Religious Studies Department in January 1988. The Religious Studies Department was closed at the end of the 1991-1992 academic year and Borg became became a faculty member in the Philosophy Department. He organized and lead two nationally televised symposia at Oregon State University in 1996 and 2000.
Tim White was vice president of Oregon State University from 2000-2002 and helped establish the first branch campus, OSU-Cascades, located in Bend. White served as interim president from 2002-2003. White first arrived at OSU in 1996 as Dean of Health and Human Sciences.
Bill Wilkins was a faculty member and administrator at Oregon State University for 33 years. Wilkins became an assistant professor in Economics in 1961, then served as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts from 1982-1994.
Esther Taskerud became the Assistant State 4-H Club Leader in November of 1947. Taskerud later served as the head of Home Economics from 1963-1969, retiring in 1970.