PSU Magazine Spring 2006

Clockwise starting lower left: Food Industry Leadership student at trade show; Ricardo Alonso, Marta and Ken Thrasher education scholar; and Thomas Keller, Duncan and Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth, and Families. As students rush through the halls of Portland's Madison High School, it's easy to mistake math teacher Ricardo Alonso M.Ed . '05 for one of them. But once at the chalkboard, his knowledge and self– assurance set him apart. Math education is a passion for the Cuban native and offering instruction in two languages, English and Spanish, is a bonus for stu– dents.Alonso completed the Bilingual Teacher Pathway Program at PSU and earned multiple scholarships. He was particularly grateful for the Marta and Ken Thrasher Scholarship, which is avail– able for students who plan to teach in areas of teacher shortages: math, science, special, and bilingual education. Mentoring at-risk youth Learning from the most successful men– tors of children and teaching those skills to university students is the goal of Thomas Keller, the first Duncan and Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth, and Families. For at-risk children, a nurturing adult mentor can make a huge difference in school and in life. The best mentors, says Keller, have a purpose but are also flexible-often following a child's lead in projects or activities for learning. Keller expects to build a unique program in the Graduate School of Social Work-one that provides Portland State students with the mentoring and other skills necessary to improve the lives of children, youth, and families. Creating leaders Industry partnerships are the heart of PSU's Food Industry Leadership Center. Through collaborations with companies like Fred Meyer, Franz Family Bakeries, and PepsiCo, the center has developed educa– tional and research programs for the food and consumer packaged goods industry. Housed in the School of Business Admin– istration, the center is one of only six pro– grams of its kind in the nation.The campaign raised $1 .5 million to fund cen– ter courses, programs, conferences, semi– nars, and internships for industry employees as well as talented students interested in the food industry-the largest employer in the state of Oregon .