PSU Magazine Spring 1993

."-·: ) '. •' . ' . ' frequently tell people that Portland State University is a good public investment with a significant payback in academic programs, research, community service and, mot impor– tant, enhanced human capital for Oregon. We are very serious about our stewardship responsibilities for this investment and work hard to ensure the maximum return in four ways: by pooling resources through extensive collaborations with other institutions and agencies; by keeping administra– tive costs at a minimum; by leveraging outside funding to supplement our budget; and by focusing on action and results-oriented projects. An excellent illustration of this approacb can be found in our accomplishments within the Portland Agenda, a series of five initiatives that received a special appropriation of $2 million for the 1991-93 biennium. Through the Portland Agenda, PSU leveraged that $2 million into $4 mil– lion in programs directly serving 11 academic and research institutions, seven school districts, five counties and dozens of local governments, agencies and community organizations. The key to this kind of program success is matching the academic and research expertise of the university' faculty and students with priority needs identified by the community. For example, the Governor's Com– mission on Higher Education high– lighted the need for a major research library in Portland. Enter PORTALS, the Portland Area Library Network, a part of the Portland Agenda. With its hub in PSU's Millar Library, PORTALS has linked together academic libraries at eight institutions with enrollments of more than 46,000, the Oregon Historical Society and Multnomah County Libraries creating a virtual research library. Through PORTALS member libraries have access to national and international data sources and information in libraries at MIT, the University of California, and the University of Washington. PORTALS received a $60,000 planning grant from the Murduck Trust in addition to its Portland Agenda allocation. PORTALS provides an economical way to affect a significant increase in service for thousands of metropolitan– area students and the public. In a future column I'll discuss PORTALS in more detail and tell you how PSU's Millar Library could become a major interchange on the "information superhighways" Pre ident Bill Clinton has proposed. The Portland Educational Network (PEN) was developed at PSU in response to the community's call for a more systematic way of addressing the educational needs of minority, low income, place-bound, disadvantaged and nontraditional students. Through PEN, Portland State ha leveraged a $40,000 planning grant from the Pew Charitable Trust and a $1.6 million Urban Services Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The federal grant has involved PSU with other agencies and the local communities in addressing the issues of endangered urban youth in three Portland high schools and 29 elemen– tary and middle schools. Other PEN projects involve the Linked Education System, allowing greater ease of trans– fer from K-12 to community college to higher education; the Educational Development Center, promoting early childhood and primary education in six school districts; and programs promot– ing higher education among students. Another element in The Portland Agenda is the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies (IPM ). The In– stitute is designed to enhance ties be– tween higher education and local governments in the areas of research, information and technology transfer. In addition to Portland Agenda funds, IPMS received a $100,000 in start-up funds from the City of Portland. Portland Agenda funding also made it possible to implement PSU's Ph.D. program in Social Work and Social Policy. Students in the program already are having an impact in schools and agencies in Marion, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties, working directly with hundreds of individuals and families. The final piece of the Portland Agenda is the Faculty Incentive Grants program. These relatively small grants-$12,500 average-are des igned to encourage innovative interdiscipli– nary and collaborative teaching and re– search projects. The nine grants awarded this year ($113,000 total) have leveraged $100,000 in outside funding from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, Metro and the City of Portland. Our efforts within the Portland Agenda provide a good preview of the future of higher education, particularly in our nation's urban areas. These programs provide meaningful academic and research opportunities for our stu– dents while involving the University directly in issues identified as impor– tant by the community. They are a direct response to our urban university mission and to our motto, "Let Knowledge Serve The City." 7,/1Lt1 · ~7 Judith A. Ramaley President

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