PSU Magazine Fall 1998

Pretend you're a stranger driving down SW Broadway looking for PSU. You say to yourself, this must be it; there is the name overhead. But which building do I enter first'? Is there a campus square? An infor– mation kiosk? Where do I get in? Portland State's new front door is now under construction. The Urban Center project between SW Market and Montgomery Streets and SW Fifth and Sixth Avenues will provide an unmistakable gateway into PSU and into a renewed south downtown. Construction officially began June 26 with the swinging of sledgeham– mers by well-known dignitaries and investors inthe project.An unprece– dented mix of private and public funding-– city, state, regional, and federal– has made the project possible. The resulting building and public plaza will include retail space, a Tri-Met transit point, and an information center for PSU. This is just the beginning of an even– tual six-block development of office, housing, retail, and class– room building. The redevelopment grew out a vision for south down– town shared by Portland State, the city of Portland, and Tri-Met. uTogether we envision a vibrant urban place which connects PSU to downtown, and encourages new growth in the neighborhood, n says PSU President Dan Bernstine. 10 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 1998 DISTANCE LEARNING (ENTER The west wing of the Urban Center Building will include five multi– purpose classrooms fitted to both receive and broadcast instructional programs to remote areas around the state. This doubles the number of distance learning classrooms on campus. URBAN (ENTER BUILDING The seven-story east wing of this build– ing will unite all the schools of the College of Urban and Public Affairs and provide dedicated space for affili– ated civic and nonprofit organizations. This concentration of urban studies will allow for collaboration and research benefiting government and public service agencies around the state.