PSU Magazine Fall 2005

k O U N D President wins award for international initiatives President Dan Bernstine won the 2005 Michael P Malone International Lead– ership Award in recognition of his work in internationalization in higher education. The National Association of State Universities and Land-grant Colleges' Commission on International Programs selected him from a group of 30 nominees. The commission lauded Bernstine for Portland States nearly SO-percent increase in international enrollment since 1999-more than 1,100 interna– tional students from 94 countries attend PSU. ln addition, over the past two years the number of students participating in study abroad programs has also increased by 50 percent. During Bernstine's tenure he initi– ated a series of outreach activities aimed at strengthening the Middle East Studies Center and the Universitys relationship with the more than 800 PSU alumni who live in the Middle East. He also helped form a pioneering relationship with the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources to offer land– use training and to bring computer science and engineering programs to China. Bernstine was instrumental in help– ing the Hatfield School of Government develop environmental and commu– nity-based lea rning projects in Vietnam-a collaborative project with the World Wildlife Fund. He continues to lend his personal attention to the School of Business Administration's Master of International Management, the only program of its kind in the U.S. focused solely on Asia. 2 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 2005 T H E PA R K BLOCKS $16 million for PSU Transportation Center Portland State's Center for Transporta– tion Studies is earmarked to receive $16 million from the federal Trans– portation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) reauthorization con– ference bill approved this summer by Congress. TEA-LU is a $286.5 billion reautho– rization of federal highway, public transportation, highway safety, and motor carrier safety programs for fiscal years 2004 through 2009. Sixteen mil– lion dollars of the bill is designated to fund the PSU Center for Transporta– tion Studies, directed by Robert Bertini, in collaboration with Univer– sity of Oregon, Oregon State Univer– sity, and Oregon Institute of Technology. The center will receive $2 million in 2005 and $3.5 million each year after that through 2009 for trans- portation research, education, and outreach programs. President Dan Bemstine praised the efforts of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, who led efforts in the conference commit– tee, and committee member Rep. Earl Blumenauer. A reception honoring DeFazios efforts was held in the Park Blocks August 3. Established in 1966, the Center for Transportation Studies is housed in the College of Urban and Public Affairs and involves faculty from the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. The center offers five graduate degree programs in transportation planning and engineering, has awarded more than 50 of these degrees since 1998, and faculty teach more than 25 graduate courses specializing in transportation subjects. University earns a place on the best lists For the fourth year in a row, PSU's curriculum is among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The magazine's "Americas Best Col– leges 2006," on newsstands in August, featured Portland State under the sec– tion "Choosing a School: Programs to Look For" in five categories: intern– ships and co-ops, senior capstone, first-year experiences, learning communities, and service learning. Portland State is known nationally for a curriculum focused on connect– ing the campus to the metro commu– nity, providing students and faculty members opportunities to engage with organizations and industry throughout the area, and enhancing both the qual– ity of education and quality of life in the region. Other schools acknowl– edged along with Portland State included Duke, Harvard, MIT, Prince– ton, Stanford, Yale, and University of North Carolina. The University was also selected as one of 122 "Best Colleges in the West" by the 2006 Princeton Review book, The Best 361 Colleges, 2006 Edition, released in August. Over 110,000 students at 361 colleges were asked to rate their schools and campus experiences. Targeting college applicants and their parents, the book contains sur– veys from 62 different rankings rang– ing from best in the region to most beautiful campus, and top party school to most religious students. The book is designed as a guide to help future stu– dents decide which college is best for them. Another Princeton Review book, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvemenl, released in June , also listed PSU for its record of having excellent service-learning programs and blending academics with community work.