Oregon State University alumni Jim Youde and Judith Atwood Youde have committed $1.4 million to their alma mater. The majority of the funds will go to scholarships for business and agricultural sciences students.

The couple met at OSU and married shortly after graduation in 1962. In 1977, they founded Northwest Economic Associates Inc., a natural resources and economic consulting firm based in Vancouver, Wash.

“We owe a huge debt to OSU, and we are fortunate enough to be in a position to give back,” said Judith Atwood Youde. “We both had scholarships when we went to college, and we really wanted to support students. It’s one of the most important things to us.”

The Youdes’ pledge is part of The Campaign for OSU, the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign. The campaign seeks to raise $625 million, and about $425 million has been committed to date, including more than $66 million toward a $100 million goal for scholarships and fellowships.

The Youdes have served on the OSU Alumni Association Board, and both are members of OSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Portions of the Youdes’ gift will support the OSU Alumni Association, faculty in applied economics, healthy aging research, the Linus Pauling Institute and the library.