The Bob Bontrager Memorial Student Success Scholarship

Bob Bontrager, 57, Corvallis, OR, died of cancer Oct. 17,2014 at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice
House, in Albany, OR. He was born in Sturgis, MI and grew up in Elkhart, IN. Bob married Beth
Gerig on Aug. 1, 1981, in Elkhart.
Bob came to Oregon State University in 1994 as the Associate Director of Enrollment Services after serving as Vice President of Enrollment Management at Eastern Mennonite University in
Virginia. His tenure at Oregon State was filled with innovation and achievement. As director of
Admission & Orientation, he oversaw an unprecedented enrollment expansion from around 13,000 students to 17,000 in a 4-year span. He was the architect of the Degree Partnership Program, a unique co-enrollment partnership with 17 Oregon community colleges and three Hawaii community colleges.
Bob established an enrollment management structure at Oregon State in 2000. In 2004, he helped launch a holistic admissions review at Oregon State including the Insight Resume, which is used by numerous institutions around the world. After serving as Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management, Bob joined the Association of American Collegiate Registrar and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) to launch AACRAO Consulting and Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Initiatives.
Bob authored numerous journal articles and books and served as editor for “Strategic Enrollment Management: Transforming Higher Education.” He co-authored a book with Don Hossler called Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management. He earned a Doctorate of Education from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Goshen (IN) College. Bob served on the Goshen College Board of Directors. He then served Goshen College as enrollment consultant and was an important voice of expertise guiding enrollment management efforts.
Bob and his family enjoyed traveling together. He loved the outdoors; biking, hiking, backpacking, and skiing. Bob always loved planning the next adventure. He is survived by his wife Beth and his children Jesse, (daughter-in-law) Betsy, Erin and Kevin