OSU business alum picked up the pen and left his mark on film

Though he had already cultivated a love of writing, when screenwriter Mike Rich attended Oregon State University he majored in business.

"I think I was probably like a lot of individuals who aspire to be writers - they cover their bases," he said.

For years, the 48-year-old Rich considered writing a hobby. After graduating from OSU in 1982, he worked as a radio talk-show host in Portland. A father of three, he wrote in his limited spare time, in the afternoons before the kids got home from school.

Rich's hobby eventually led to a successful career as a screenwriter and acclaim for such movies as "Finding Forrester" and "The Rookie."

OSU will recognize this success today with a honorary doctorate of fine arts.

"It's going to be a thrill," Rich said. "I'm really, really flattered and honored."

Rich's career in screenwriting got a jumpstart in 1998 when he was awarded a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for "Finding Forrester."

After director Gus Van Sant and actor Sean Connery signed on to the project, Rich became a sought-after writer in Hollywood. He continued to write movie scripts, often about underdog athletes or sports teams.

A loyal Beavers football and baseball fan, Rich may have been indirectly influenced by witnessing some of OSU's less-than-stellar seasons in the 1970s and early 1980s.

"I think I can count all of the football wins from that time on one hand," he said.

Having come from the very small town of Enterprise in eastern Oregon, his experience in Corvallis was influential.

"Corvallis, in a sense, was the big city for me," he said. "To come to a place where the professors were hands-on and receptive to students … that was critical to me."

Rich hopes the trajectory of his career will inspire others, of all ages, to eschew self- or culturally imposed restrictions.

"I harbored that dream of writing for years and years and years, and the breakthrough only took place nine years ago, when I was 38 years old," he said. "You can make a change in your life at any age. Don't limit yourself thinking you're too old to pursue a dream."