PSU Magazine Fall 1990

• Portland State has special concerns for urban students and citizens of the urban area. The students of the future are here today in Port land. They are o lder, more experienced, and generall y must balance work and famil y commitments with the ir desire for education. They frequently mu st continue their education part-time and are unlikely to complete an entire program at a sing le institution. These students are often more focused than traditional students, and they have c lear and seri ous goals. As more and more adults contemplate several careers in a lifetime, the university will need to serve as a life- long resource for the entire community. PSU is in a unique pos ition to offer education access for working, low- income, minority, first-generation college-bound and part-time students, inc luding those returning to continue the ir ed ucat ion after several years away from forma l educat ion. We see in Portland today an educational environment that is emerging across the country as thi s nation becomes more urban in character. • Nationally, the urban university will be to the urban and metropolitan area what the land grant institutions have been to agrarian society of the past 100 years. Increas ingly, service to the c ity means service to the world. More than hal f of America's citizens li ve in 37 urban areas in the nation , and 80 percent of the peop le in thi s country live in major metropo litan areas. The urban univers ity needs to serve thi s metropolitan popul ation just as the land grant in stitutions have served agricu ltura l society. For Portland State, thi s means we will first further the educational and research needs of this region . As a natural extension of our urban mi ss ion, we also have a special state wide role to tie the Portl and metropo litan area more effectively to the rest of the state. Together, we will create a model of great significance not only to Portland but to the nation - a university whose research , teaching and service miss ion responds directly to the needs of our community . In Portland thi s is an espec ially challeng ing mi ss ion because of our increasing g lobal role as a key community on the Pacific Rim. The federal government recogni zed the special needs of metropolitan areas by creating the concept of an urban grant uni – versity in Title XI of the Higher Education Act of 1986. Although Cong ress has yet to fund this grant concept, it can serve as a model fo r what we can become: an institution where community serv ice and co llaborati on are at the heart of our enterpri se, and where a sense of responsib ility to our area is a primary factor in fanning our agenda. • The special needs and character of the Portland area will set the agenda of Portland State University. Our agenda will ari se from ou r Pacific Rim location, from the trad itional concerns of Oregonians for balance between economi c growth and quality of li fe, and from the strength of a central c ity core which is accessible to the entire metropolitan area. The Governor ' s Commi ss ion on Higher Educati on in the Portland Metropo litan Area is defining the unique qualities and needs of greater Portl and , and we will awa it it s final report as an e lement of our own planning. From test imony presented so far, we can be assured that there wi ll be a strong emphasis on grad uate ed ucation , research and professional education attuned to our urban environment, international programs, community development and public po licy, soc ial and human service needs, and the importance of fine and performing arts and other cultu ral acti vities. PSU is already a leader in design ing innovati ve model s for cooperat ion. Our mission as a major urban uni versity will be built on these experiences, and our identity as a major urban university is the logical nex t step in our development. In subsequent reports to you, we will g ive examples of ways in whi ch we are serv ing the needs of our greater metropolitan area. Even in the short time I have been here, I have been impressed wi th the ri chness and variety of our in volvement with the community. Judith A. Ramaley Pres ident PSU 3