The Oregon State University Alumni Association has named Adam Bean, ’00, as the Honors College’s 2026 OSU Alumni Association Alumni Fellow. Adam was a member of the first class admitted to the Honors College in 1995, and he graduated with his H.B.S. in industrial engineering in 2000. Since then, he has built a high-impact career across a range of fields and become a leader in the HC alumni community, including serving on the Honors College Board of Regents since 2012. As the second-longest-serving member on the board, he has provided strategic guidance and sustained support for HC programs. Adam has also been instrumental in reengaging honors alumni by hosting alumni networking events in the San Francisco Bay Area and supporting alumni mentorship initiatives.
For Adam, joining the board was an opportunity to give back. “I went to OSU on a scholarship. I wouldn't have been able to do all that I’ve done without the support I’ve had,” he says. “I wanted to pay it forward and help others do the same.”
Adam, a West Coast native who now lives in California, enjoys returning to Oregon State for board meetings and seeing the depth and breadth of the work Honors College students produce. “I learn a lot on the board that I apply to my work and personal life,” he says. “Seeing the eye-opening work of HC students invigorates and energizes me. It helps me see what's out there and keeps me abreast in what is going on in the world.”
For Adam, supporting the HC gives back to a program “that was a defining part of my undergraduate experience.”
“I almost got kicked out of the HC because of my grades, but I held on, and my perseverance paid off,” Adam says. He completed a thesis focused on the microwelding of electrical interconnections, an experience he describes as “incredibly valuable” and one that sparked his interest in pursuing engineering work in advanced technologies.
Adam still applies lessons from an honors seminar he took at OSU. “The idea behind the class was that if you understand why systems happen in a loop, you can break the loop,” he says. “It was an interesting course, and it has proven invaluable for helping find faults in systems and working on changing work cultures in more of a project management setting. The class has played a major role in how I approach my life and career.”
As an honors student, Adam was also responsible for naming the SLUG, the Honors College student lounge. “One day, while avoiding schoolwork, I visited the HC office, where I often went to chat and grab some candy. I joined in on a discussion with the office receptionist and then-Honors College Dean Joe Hendricks about the need for a name for the student lounge,” which was located in the basement of Strand Hall at the time. Adam suggested "Students Learning UnderGround,” which was then abbreviated to SLUG. The name stuck, and when Adam graduated, he recalls receiving “a jar of candy and a slug memento.”
During his time at Oregon State, Adam says he “made great memories and friends.” Adam also gained “invaluable professional experience” through engineering internships in the Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program. He says that while the “job interview for MECOP might have been the toughest and most stressful I have ever had, with maybe 30 people in the room during the interview, the internships provided great learning experiences.”
Since graduating, Adam’s professional experience includes semiconductor manufacturing at Intel, systems improvements and technology upgrades at Fujifilm and leadership roles in the energy storage industry and project management. “My OSU engineering education and honors experience provided me with a knowledge base that has served me well throughout my career,” says Adam.
Adam's involvement with the Honors College reflects more than a decade of sustained service supporting student success. Through his leadership on the Board of Regents, philanthropic support and alumni engagement, he has consistently worked to strengthen the honors community. "I hope to be on the Board of Regents until they kick me out," he says.
“It’s easy to rally around students who are driven and capable. What matters most is removing obstacles so they can get through school and become who they want to be. Expanding access to experiential learning and research opportunities through scholarships is life-changing and creates a more diverse honors community. Supporting students is something I really believe in — and it’s why I stay involved.”
Honors College students can meet Adam over lunch at a special Dean and Friends conversation on Thursday, April 23rd at noon. Register here.
By HC Student Writer, Montana Burack
