Commencement-Afternoon-2017

Portland State University Portland State University serves as a cer-rter of opportuniry for more than 27,000 students and a cornerstone for more than 171,000 alumni worldwide. The strength oFthe Universiry is irs world-class faculty, who serve the University and the community through teaching, research, and public service. Research at Portland State has more than doubled in the past decade, achieving new degrees of excellence through investments such as the $24 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) research and training grant that will fund the Enhancing Crossdisciplinary Infrastructure Tiaining at Oregon (EXITO) program. Portland State contributes an annual economic impact of $ 1.44 billion to the regional economy. Located in Portland, one ofthe nation's most livable cities, the University's innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects wirh communiry Partners. The Universityt 50-acre downtown campus exhibits a commitment to sustainability with many Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings, while many of the more than 200 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU's motto, "Let Knowledge Serve the Ciry" inspires the teaching and research ofan accomplished faculry whose work and students span the globe. HISTORY Portland State Universiry opened in 1946 as the Vanport Extension Center to meet the educational needs of veterans home from \World \Var II. The first campus was a portion of Vanport, a wartime housing project that was destroyed in 1948 when a dike broke along the Columbia River. The campus was moved to north Portland in fall 1948, and in 1949 the Oregon Legislature made "Vanport College" permanent. Three years larer the campus moued to irs presenr location along downtown Portland's South Park Blocks, occupying the former Lincoln High School building. It was then known as the Day Division ofthe Portland State Extension Center. The Legislature created Portland State College as a four-year. degree-granting institution in \955. Graduate work was added in 1961, doctoral programs began in l')68, and thc institution became Portland Srare Universiry in 1969. The University has grown from an initial enrollment of 1,410 students in 1946 to become Oregon's largest urban research universiry. Our Vision, Mission, and Values OUR VISION Portland State University leads the way to an equitable and sustainable future through academic excellence, urban engagement, and expanding opportunity for all. OUR MISSION . \7e serve and sustain a vibrant urban region through our creativity. collective knowledge and expertise. . \7e are dedicated to collaborative iearning, innovative research, susrainabiliry and community engagement. . \7e educate a diverse communitv of lifelong learners. . Our research and teaching have global impact. OUR VALUES . \(/e promote access, inclusion and equiry as pillars ofexcellence. . \7e commit to curiosiry collaboration, stewardship and sustainability. . \7e strive for excellence and innovation that solves problems. . \7e believe everyone should be treated with integrity and respect.

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