PSU Magazine Spring 2003

uru of growth and elder statesman of urban plan– ning-these are titles the media has used to describe Nohad Toulan, founding dean of Portland State's College of Urban and Public Affairs. After 31 years, Toulan is step– ping down as dean, leaving a legacy of campus and regional growth behind. Toulan has long played a significant role in Portland-area planning. He was on the task force that drafted the region's urban growth boundary in 1977 and has been a champion of the tri-county Metro government. In addi– tion he established the University's Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies-a think tank that takes on regional planning issues. "Nohad has been an invaluable adviser to me on urban growth and planning," says Portland Mayor Vera Katz. "His legacy as an urban planner and dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs is reflected all around the region in our wonderful quality of life." The culmination of Toulan's career at PSU is the Urban Center, a $33 mil– lion mix of academic, retail, and office buildings completed in 2000 and referred to by many in Portland as the new front door to south downtown. It houses the College of Urban and Pub– lic Affairs, which offers the only Ph.D. programs in urban studies, regional science, and public administration and policy between Berkeley and Seattle. native of Egypt, Toulan came to Portland State in 1972 to direct the urban studies doc- toral program and subsequently became its first and only dean in 1976. The college is now one of the oldest and most comprehensive of its kind in the country-with an international reputation. During the past two years China has sent senior-level officials to the college for training in sustainable land use development. "Toulan created a unique climate of community engagement-one which we might take for granted but is cer– tainly not the norm in most U.S. uni– versities," says Ethan Seltzer, director of the Institute of Portland Metropoli– tan Studies. The dean's vision has often reached beyond the University, city, and state. He began his career as a planner and architect in Egypt during the 1950s, eventually becoming Cairo's first plan– ning director in 1965. His interest in the Middle East continued after com– ing to Portland. In 1984 he took leave when asked by the United Nations to coordinate an international team of specialists developing a comprehensive plan for the holy city of Mecca. The plan had to cope not only with the one million pilgrims who converge on the city each year, but the skyrocketing growth of the city and its half-million permanent residents. accept an Urban Pioneer Award in June. The award was first given last year to former Oregon governor and Portland mayor Neil Goldschmidt and Oregonian publisher Fred Stickel. lt honors state and community leaders who exhibit the values taught in the College of Urban and Public Affairs. oday the college includes three schools: the School of Community Health, the Mark 0. Hatfield School of Government, and the School of Urban Studies and Plan– ning. It also includes eight public ser– vice and research centers and institutes NOHAD TOULAN, FOUNDING DEA OF THE COLLEGE OF URBAN AND PuBLIC AFFAIRS, STEPS DOWN AFTER 31 YEARS. "I know that retirement will open doors to new adventures and opportu– nities," says Mayor Katz of Toulan's retirement, "and I know we can count on him to continue his vital involve– ment in the life of our city and in plan– ning its future. " The dean plans to remain a part– time adviser to the Institute of Port– land Metropolitan Studies and stay connected to the college, where he will that contribute knowledge and service not only to academia, but to the city, county, and state. These include the Institute on Aging, the Institute of Port– land Metropolitan Studies, the Center for Public Health Studies, the Center for Population Research and Census, the Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute, the Institute for Nonprofit Management and the Executive Leader– ship Institute. -Kathryn Kirkland SPRlNG 2003 PSU MAGAZINE 11