 | |
Former names | Vanport Extension Center (1946–1955) Portland State College (1955–1969) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Doctrina urbi serviat (Latin) |
Motto in English | "Let knowledge serve the city" |
| Type | Publicresearch university |
| Established | 1946; 79 years ago (1946) |
| Accreditation | NWCCU |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $98 million (2023)[1] |
| President | Ann Cudd |
Academic staff | 1,951 (fall 2023)[2] |
Total staff | 5,232 (fall 2023)[2] |
| Students | 21,040 (fall 2023)[2] |
| Undergraduates | 16,423 (fall 2023)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 4,617 (fall 2023)[2] |
| Location | ,, United States 45°30′46″N122°41′07″W / 45.51278°N 122.68528°W /45.51278; -122.68528 |
| Campus | Large city, 50 acres (20 ha) |
| Newspaper | Portland State Vanguard |
| Colors | Green and white[3][4] |
| Nickname | Vikings |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FCS -Big Sky |
| Mascot | Victor E. Viking |
| Website | www |
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Portland State University (PSU) is apublicresearch university inPortland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution forWorld War IIveterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next 20 years and was granted university status in 1969. It is one of two public universities in Oregon that are in a large city. It is governed by a board oftrustees. PSU isclassified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[5]
Portland State comprises seven constituent colleges, offering undergraduate degrees in 123 fields andpostgraduate degrees in 117 fields. As of 2023, the university had a total enrollment of approximately 21,000 students. Its athletic teams are known as thePortland State Vikings, with school colors of green and white. They compete at theNCAA Division I level, primarily in theBig Sky Conference.
Portland State University was established as theVanport Extension Center in June 1946, founded byStephen Edward Epler, a native ofIowa. Epler graduated fromCotner College inLincoln, Nebraska, and laterColumbia University inNew York City, before joining the army to fight inWorld War II.[6] After returning to the United States after serving, Epler became a veterans' counselor in Oregon's General Extension Division in Portland.[6] The Vanport Extension Center was conceived by Epler in order to satisfy the demand for higher education in Portland for returning World War II veterans, taking advantage of theG.I. Bill.
The first classes were held in the Vanport Junior High School and given its location in theColumbia River floodplain was promptly given the colloquial title, "The U by the Slough."[7] This first summer session had 221 students, and tuition and fees were $50. Over 1,410 students registered for the 1946 fall term, which was delayed until October 7, 1946, due to a lack of space. Since the population inVanport was decreasing after World War II, the extension center was able to use buildings created for other purposes: two childcare centers, a recreation building with three classrooms, and a shopping center, which required substantial modification to house a library, offices, and six classrooms. In addition to Vanport Junior High School,[8]Lincoln andJefferson high schools were used after school hours, as well as theUniversity of Oregon's dental and medical schools, located in Portland.
Following the May 30Vanport Flood of 1948, the college became known as "the college that wouldn't die" for refusing to close after the flood.[8][9] The term was coined by Lois Hennessy, a student who wrote about the college and the flood in theChristian Science Monitor,[8] though students nicknamed the school "The college without a future."[8] (Hennessy was the mother of poetGary Snyder.) The school occupiedGrant High School in the summer of 1948,[10] then to hastily converted buildings at the Oregon Shipyard,[8] known as the Oregon Ship.[9] In 1953,[8] the school moved to downtown Portland and occupied the vacated buildings of Lincoln High School on SW Broadway Street, includingLincoln Hall, then known as "Old Main."[7]
The school changed its name to thePortland State Extension Center between December 1951 and February 1952.[9] In 1955, the Center changed its name toPortland State College to mark its maturation into a four-year degree-granting institution,[9][11] although severe restrictions were placed on the college's curriculum and growth.[6] Epler, who had campaigned for a presidency role at the college, was not elected by the State Board. Without an administrative stake in the college, Epler left and accepted presidency atReedley College in California.[6] By 1956, the veteran population at the college had subsided, and baby food was no longer stocked in the bookstore.[7]
Architecture at the university was a topic of controversy in its early stages. In 1968, incoming university presidentGregory Wolfe commented that the buildings were distressing evidence ofStalinist cubism on campus, althoughurban renewal chairman Ira Keller found them to be "perfectly lovely."[12] Portland State University's growth for the next couple of decades was restricted under the Oregon University System's 1929 ruling that no public university or college in Oregon could duplicate the programs offered by another, with grandfathered exclusions for theUniversity of Oregon andOregon State University.[13]Nevertheless, graduate programs were added in 1961 anddoctoral programs were added in 1972.[2] The institution was granted university status by theOregon State Board of Higher Education in 1969, becoming Portland State University.
In 1993, PSU did away with the traditional undergraduate distribution system and adopted a new interdisciplinary general education program known as University Studies. The University Studies curriculum consists of one year of required freshman inquiry courses followed by a year of sophomore inquiry, junior cluster courses (which serve as upperclassmenelectives) and, finally, asenior capstone; the senior capstone course serves as a "culmination of the University Studies program," and requires students to take part in a community-based project of their choosing, often followed by a public presentation on their experience in the project.[14] The program garnered national attention for its learning communities, service-learning, senior capstones, and successful retention of first-year students.[15]U.S. News & World Report has on multiple occasions listed University Studies as a "Program to Look For". In 1995, two years before his death, the university honored Stephen Epler for his contributions to the university's origins.[6]
In 2003 Portland State was approved to award degrees inBlack Studies. That same year the university opened a center housed in the Native American Student and Community Center. In 2004 the College of Engineering and Computer Science was renamed the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, after an alumnusFariborz Maseeh.[16]
In August 2020, citing theGeorge Floyd protests as well as the killing of a Black man by PSU (campus police) officers in 2018, university PresidentStephen Percy announced that the campus police will no longer carry guns on patrol (though firearms will still be stored in the public safety office for use in case of anactive shooter situation). In case of dangerous calls,Portland police will respond instead.[17][18] The policy took effect on September 1, 2021.[19] However, this policy was later reversed, and as of early 2023 campus police have resumed carrying weapons.[20]
Founders and presidents of the university include:[21]
Portland State offers undergraduate degrees in one hundred twenty-three fields, and postgraduate degrees in one hundred and seventeen. The university has increasingly added moredoctoral programs as it has grown from its original mission as a liberal arts undergraduate college into a more broad-based research university. Recently added fields where doctorates are awarded are mathematics, biology, chemistry, applied physics, computer science, applied psychology, engineering & technology management, mechanical engineering, and sociology. Graduate education is now offered in more than 70 master's degree programs, more than 30 graduate certificate programs, and 20 doctoral programs.
In 2006, the College of Urban and Public Affairs established Portland State University's first fully online degree.[23] The Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers an online bachelor's degree in criminology and criminal justice as well as certificates in Advanced Crime Analysis, Criminal Behavior, Leadership in Criminal Justice, and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Portland State awarded a total of 6,050 degrees for the 2014–15 academic year, including 4,250 bachelor's degrees, 1,725 master's degrees and 75 doctoral degrees.[24]
According to theU.S. News & World Report andForbes, the university's acceptance rate was 95% in 2012,[25][26] which was considered selective for a state university.[27] According toForbes in their 2015 survey, the university's acceptance rate was 61%.[28] Portland State also has a dual enrollment agreement withPortland Community College andClackamas Community College that allows students of the two schools to take courses at either school,[29][30] and also complies with the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree curriculum (A.A.O.T.), which allows accepted students who have completed two yearassociate degrees at an Oregon community college to transfer into the university at junior level.[31]
Portland State University's academic programs are organized into nine major academic units:[32]
In addition, Portland State University, through the Center for Executive and Professional Education, offers non-credit, short term, professional education programs for the public as well as customized education for organizations.
In 1993, PSU comprehensively reformed its undergraduate curriculum with a new curriculum called University Studies that is unique to the institution. The curriculum was conceived to address issues of credit distribution which required students in upper-level courses to enroll in classes outside of their majors.[33] In a 1993 summary report on the reform, it was stated that the University Studies sought to incorporate "'across-the-curriculum' themes including writing, diversity and multiculturalism,ethics, andglobal studies," as well as form a foundation that "includes the capacity and the propensity to engage in inquiry and critical thinking, to use various forms of communication for learning and expression, to gain an awareness of the broader human experience and its environment, and appreciate the responsibilities of persons to themselves, to each other, and to community."[33]
PSU's University Studies curriculum begins withFreshman Inquiry courses, which are interactive and theme-based, and "explore topics and issues using an interdisciplinary approach to show how they can be understood from different perspectives."[34]
TheSophomore Inquiry courses are heavily communication-based, and are focused on group dialogue as well as presentations and research projects.[34]
As students transition into junior level, they are required to enroll in Upper DivisionCluster Courses which are more in-depth and focused, as they pertain more closely to the students' chosen majors.[34] Unlike the inquiry courses that make up students' freshmen and sophomore years, the upper-division courses do not feature mentor sessions. The "clusters" from which students choose their courses cover a wide range of disciplines and themes.[34]
During their senior year, while still completing upper-divisionCluster Courses, students are also required to complete a six-creditsenior capstone project in order to graduate. The capstone integrates class work with community-based work. These projects are integrated with local community organizations, and cover a wide range of issues, fromsocial justice tograntwriting,environmental conservation, youth education, and more. Capstone courses often conclude with apublic presentation from the students on their experiences with the community organization or cause which they explored.[34]
The university received national recognition for the program from theU.S. News & World Report, theW.K. Kellogg Foundation, theCorporation for National Service, theAtlantic Foundation, and thePew Charitable Trust for the innovative pedagogical approach to undergraduate education.[35]
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TheCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education ranks Portland State as a university with "higher research activity."[5] The 1.4 million-volume, six-floorBranford Price Millar Library is located in the center of campus, opposite Fariborz Maseeh Hall on Park Avenue, and has several computer labs, technology and faculty reading rooms, and video viewing rooms. Built in 1966 as a rectangular structure, the library's convex wall of glass facing the campus' park blocks was added in 1989 to surround and preserve a largecopper beech tree that was planted in 1890.
The Millar Library houses approximately 1,422,427 volumes, 640 print subscriptions, 97,065 accessible electronic books, 2,592,288 microforms, 69,762 maps, and 133,978 audio-visual materials.[36] It is also a repository for federal documents, housing over 400,000 government documents.[36][37]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[38] | 290 |
| U.S. News & World Report[39] | 259 (tie) |
| Washington Monthly[40] | 124 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[41] | 401-500 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[42] | 801-900 |
| QS[43] | 1201-1400 |
| THE[44] | 801-1000 |
| U.S. News & World Report[45] | 1171 (tie) |
| National Program Rankings[46] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Education | 108 | ||
| Biological Sciences | 175 | ||
| Fine Arts | 98 | ||
| Health Care Management | 47 | ||
| Physics | 146 | ||
| Psychology | 211 | ||
| Public Affairs | 52 | ||
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 18 | ||
| Social Work | 38 | ||
| Sociology | 96 | ||
| Speech-Language Pathology | 69 | ||
U.S. News & World Report ranked Portland State as a second tier research university in their 2017 report, but listed it as unranked nationally.[27]The university is ranked amongThe Best 376 Colleges in its 2012 edition, "Best in the West",[47]and as a "College With a Conscience"[48] byThe Princeton Review. Portland State's MBA (Master's of Business Administration) was ranked in the top 100 byThe Princeton Review,[49] who also named Portland State as one of the best institutions in the country for undergraduate education.[50] In 2015, the university ranked at number 16 as one of the "Most Innovative" colleges in the nation.[51]
In 2024,Washington Monthly ranked Portland State124th among 438 national universities in the U.S. based on Portland State's contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.[52]
Portland State University's School of Business Administration is also ranked in surveys, such asThe Princeton Review'sBest 294 Business Schools.[53]U.S. News & World Report currently ranks Portland State University's graduate Urban & Regional Planning Program as the 14th best in the Nation.[54]Planetizen currently ranks the university's graduate Urban & Regional Planning Program, at the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, within the top 25 best urban planning programs in the nation.[55]
Other top programs/colleges at Portland State University include its graduate College of Urban and Public Affairs which is ranked 46th in the nation, its Rehabilitation Counseling and Social Work graduate degrees ranked 23rd and 33rd respectively, its Speech-Language Pathology program is ranked 62nd, as well as its Graduate School of Education is ranked as being among the "Best" byU.S. News & World Report.[56] The university is listed byU.S. News & World Report as having one of The Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.[56] TheCarnegie Foundation ranked PSU as a Top School in Curricular Engagement, Outreach, and Partnerships, and it is ranked as the ninth Best Neighbor Universities.
The majority of the PSU campus is located across a 50-acre (20 ha) section of southwestdowntown Portland, in an area known as the University District. The campus is situated against theWest Hills, and is bound by Clay Street to the north, Fourth Avenue to the east,Interstate 405 to the south, and 12th Avenue to the west.SW Broadway runs through the center of the campus, where the university's central buildings are located: Lincoln Hall, Cramer Hall, Smith Memorial Student Union, Fariborz Maseeh Hall, and Shattuck Hall; Cramer Hall, Smith Memorial, and Fariborz Maseeh Hall are connected by tunnels on the basement levels, as well as byskybridges on the upper levels, which allows students access between buildings without having to use street sidewalks.
The university'sSouth Park Blocks, situated on the opposite side of the central buildings, run parallel to Park Avenue, and begin at Market Street where Lincoln Hall is located, and end at Shattuck Hall. The northern edge of the PSU campus is eight blocks away fromPioneer Courthouse Square, and four blocks from thePortland Art Museum. TheKeller Auditorium is located at the northwestern edge of the campus, on 3rd Ave. and Clay St.
In 2010, the university opened a $62 million GoldLEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified Student Rec Center.[57] The six-story building houses an aquatics center, climbing wall, basketball/volleyball/badminton courts, an indoor soccer court, a large fitness area, and an outdoor program; it is located in the university's Urban Center, aquadrangle which is also home to the College of Urban and Public Affairs, the university bookstore, and several restaurants; thePortland Streetcar runs west through the center.
The student-managed PSU Film Committee operates the5th Avenue Cinema, one of the only student operated theaters in the United States.[58]
PSU houses around 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and has ten residence halls.[59] Its largest include University Pointe, a sixteen-story apartment building operated byAmerican Campus Communities built in 2011, and Ondine, a fifteen-story high rise.[60]
Older residence halls, many of which were originally apartment buildings that were purchased by the university, includeBlackstone, built in 1930, and Montgomery Court, built in 1916. Other older residence halls includeSt. Helens Court, built in 1927; theart decoParkway Manor, built in 1931; and Blumel Hall, built in 1986.
There are severalfraternities and sororities on campus.[61] They are represented by a student-run group called "Greek Life."[62]
Portland State University has numerous pieces of public art around campus from renowned local, national and international artists, such asFrederic Littman, Thomas Hardy, Ken MacKintosh &Lillian Pitt,Emily Ginsburg,Harrell Fletcher with Avalon Kalin,Linda Stein,John Aiken, andEd Carpenter.[63][64]
The university has made great efforts to make its buildings environmentally sustainable, both in its new architecture as well as through renovation of its older buildings. In September 2008 the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation awarded Portland State University a $25 million challenge grant. The grant and the funds raised to match it must be used exclusively for sustainability programs.[65]
As of 2012[update], eight buildings on the PSU campus areLEED-certified, two of which are at Platinum status, and the university announced plans for renovations on Neuberger Hall to bring it to LEED certification as well in 2014.[66] Portland State has been named among the most eco-friendly universities in the United States.[67] In addition to the university's eco-conscious architecture and reconstructive work, it has also been recognized for its utilization of mass transit, including light rail, streetcar, and bus systems all central to the campus. It has also been recognized for its abundance of bicycle transportation; in 2013, PSU was ranked one of America's six most bike-friendly universities, third toStanford University andUniversity of California, Davis.[68]
OutsideShattuck Hall, the university's architecture department constructed the Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza, a garden featuringgreen walls,solar panels, and permeable pavement.[69]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 48% | ||
| Hispanic | 23% | ||
| Asian | 10% | ||
| Two or more races | 8% | ||
| Black | 5% | ||
| International student | 2% | ||
| Unknown | 2% | ||
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1% | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 46% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 54% | ||
Portland State differs from the other universities in Oregon partially because, as an urban institution, it attracts a student body older than other universities;[71] in the 2010–2011 school year, it was reported that the average age of an attending undergraduate student was 26 years. Some programs only offer night classes. PSU also delayed the development of its campus for decades after its founding. The institution sold land in a neighboring block soon after its move to downtown Portland, and delayed the construction of student housing until the early 1970s.
Thestudent government is the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU). In addition to a student body President and Vice President, there is a Student Fee Committee, a 25-member Student Senate, and a Judicial Board which rules on ASPSU constitutional questions. There are also a number of university committees that have student members appointed by the ASPSU President.[72] Portland State also participates in theOregon Student Association, the statewide student lobbying non-profit.
The fully student-runnewspaper at Portland State is thePortland State Vanguard, established in 1946. Student-run broadcasters run radio station KPSU which is ranked in the Top 20 College Radio Stations by several organizations and is one of only a handful of "Free Format" radio stations in the country, and television station PSU TV.The Portland Review is a literary magazine of poetry, fiction, and art published by PSU's Student Publications Board since 1956.[73] Additionalstudent newspapers at PSU wereThe Rearguard, a monthly newspaper, andThe Spectrum.[74] Following budget cuts for these publications, they were consolidated into a monthly magazineThe Pacific Sentinel in January 2016.[75]
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The university houses a Women's Resources center,[76] a Disability Resources center,[77] a Resource Center for Students with Children, a Queer Resource Center forLGBT students,[78] and a Veteran's Resource Center.[79]
The university contains four parking structures for automobiles: two located on 6th Avenue; one on 12th Street at the northwestern edge of the campus; and one 5th Avenue between Montgomery and Harrison Streets. A guest parking lot is located on the south end ofShattuck Hall.
Portland State University is serviced with mass transit byTriMet, which includes fifteen bus lines as well as theMAX light rail system.[80]
There are also shuttles available throughOregon Health & Science University andPortland Community College on SW Harrison Street at SW Broadway. In addition to use of mass transit, the university also has a large population of students who travel bybicycle.[68]
PSU's campus is home to twoChristian churches.
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church is home to the Portland StateNewman Center.[81]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates anInstitute of Religion which holds Sunday services.[82]
Other clubs forChristian,Muslim, andJewish students meet on campus.[83][84]
Portland State competes at theNCAA Division I level in football, basketball, women's volleyball, golf, soccer, tennis, softball, indoor and outdoor track and field, and cross country as a member of theBig Sky Conference. Thefootball team competes inDivision I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision).
Prior to joining Division I, the school won NCAA National Division II championships in women's volleyball and wrestling. The university has 30 student-managed club sports on campus including the PSU Rugby Club, the PSU Ice Hockey Club and the PSU Lacrosse Club. In addition, the Student Activities and Leadership Program sponsors 120 student clubs including the Tango, Fencing, Medieval and Brewers' clubs.
Portland State's colors are green and white, and its mascot is the Viking personified as "Victor E. Viking".
Home games for football are held off-campus atHillsboro Stadium, and home games for basketball are held on-campus in theViking Pavilion.
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The university has several alumni in law and government, includingBarbara Roberts, the 34th Governor of Oregon, U.S. Federal JudgeAnna J. Brown, and AmericandiplomatsJoseph LeBaron andMarisa Lino.Betty Roberts, the first woman to serve on theOregon Supreme Court, andMargaret Carter, the first African American woman elected to theOregon House of Representatives, are also graduates of the university.Casten Nemra, the seventhpresident of the Republic of theMarshall Islands, andArnold I. Palacios the 12th Lt. Governor of theCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are graduates of Portland State University as well.[85]
Portland State has produced many academics across the sciences and humanities; alumni include:cultural anthropologist and professor atDuke UniversityLee D. Baker;Michael Kazin, historian and professor atGeorgetown University;Dali Yang, professor of political science at theUniversity of Chicago;Thomas Talbott, professor of philosophy atWillamette University; andHans G. Furth, professor of psychology atThe Catholic University of America.
Businessman and engineerNorm Winningstad,United Parcel Service CEOD. Scott Davis, andJudi Hofer, executive CEO ofThe May Department Stores Company are also graduates. Business magnate and co-founder and chairman ofNike, Inc.,Phil Knight was an assistant professor of business at the university, and his son,animator and CEO ofLaika,Travis Knight, is an alumnus.Carolyn Davidson, an alumnus of the university's visual arts department, invented theNike swoosh while she was a student there.Tarah Wheeler, cybersecurity executive and author ofWomen In Tech, received her MS in Political Science from the Hatfield School.
WriterFrancisco Laguna Correa; poetsMichael Dickman andJohn Sibley Williams; and novelistsDeborah J. Ross andDavid James Duncan are among the university's alumni;Mike Richardson, publisher and founder ofDark Horse Comics, is an alumnus as well. In 2007, Dark Horse donated copies of all of its published works to the PSU Library, which maintains both a browsing collection of book titles, in addition to a research collection which also includes every "print, poster, statue, figure, and all other products."[86]
In the sciences, the university's alumni base include computer scientist andTuring Award winnerIvan Sutherland, theoretical physicistMohammad Aslam Khan Khalil,autism researcherPaul Shattuck, and Antarctic researcherJill Mikucki. Several social activists are among alumni as well, including British political scientist and peace-building initiative pioneer Harry Anastasiou;Native American activistRobert Robideau;gay rights activistPaul Popham, who founded theGay Men's Health Crisis in New York City and social activist and recipient of the Director's Community Leadership Award (DCLA)Musse Olol.
The university's contribution to performing arts and entertainment include actorsMark Dacascos andTerence Knox; four-timeGrammy Award-winning jazz musicianEsperanza Spalding; film composerRob Simonsen; andJack Ely, guitarist ofThe Kingsmen. Emmy-winning writer, stand-up comedian, and fantasy draft expert;Ian Karmel. Alternative rock singer and guitaristCourtney Love ofHole also attended the university, but did not graduate.
Sportsmen who attended Portland State include football playersTony Curtis,Super Bowl XLVIII ChampionDeShawn Shead,Julius Thomas, two-time Super Bowl Champion (XVII, XXII)Clint Didier,Dave Stief, andNeil Lomax.Freeman Williams, who has the second-highest NCAA score inNBA history, is also an alumnus.
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