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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University will dedicate its new entrance to campus at the intersection of 26th Street and Western Boulevard before the Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct 20.

Scheduled for 4:30 p.m., the public ceremony will celebrate the largest class gift in Oregon State history, resulting in a new lighted gateway to the campus, complete with freshly painted street lines and a large brick monument.

Allen Leggett, from the class of 1960, who lives part-time in Corvallis and in Emeryville, Calif., led efforts to raise nearly $100,000 from classmates to support the construction of a new university gateway on the south side of campus. Leggett and his cohort were the last students to graduate from then-named Oregon State College.

"This is an exciting legacy for me and my classmates," said Leggett, who was honored in 2011 with Jean and C.H. "Scram" Graham Leadership Award from the OSU Alumni Association for his efforts to assist the association in its service to the university. "It is my hope that our efforts will welcome generations of OSU students to campus."

Original plans for a campus makeover on its south side date to 2008, and the class of 1960 donated an estimated $100,000 for the monument in 2010. Construction began in earnest in 2011.

"The generosity of our alumni community is evident throughout the campus," said Christi Kasten, senior associate executive director of the OSU Alumni Association. "This gateway is a permanent reminder of how fortunate we are that alumni and friends make time to support Oregon State."

The gift is part of The Campaign for OSU, the university's first comprehensive fundraising effort. Guided by OSU's strategic plan, the campaign seeks $1 billion to provide opportunities for students, strengthen the Oregon economy and conduct research that changes the world. More than $855 million has been committed to date, including more than $185 million in campus facilities and equipment needs.