PSU Magazine Winter 1997

~, ... - ~ ... I;-.".,~ .. I :...., ~",. I .. I~ • ) ,.( .. - "!" r'l'J?:'i" - j ·•.,; ... ·~1 ~· ••. I - • I ·.-·I - ll"nJ.J·'-"• ' ·_-' • ~;:._1 1 /"-!{-~ • ,..4lr"';,,1IL,,, ~ ''JJ-"" •.' ·.'II .' -· _ •. - J,.~ ~-~ I ndividuals and organizations are investing in Portland State University as never before. Last year, private giving to PSU nearly doubled! Additionally, outside support from foundations and other sources increased 17 percent, topping $15 million for the first time in the institu– tion's history. Quite a set of accomp lishments to cap our 50th Anniversary year. We believe these increases reflect a broad-based belief in Portland State and its mission. Community support is critical to our success as we respond to increasing pressures, both internal and external, that call for major changes in educational traditions. These pressures include long-term financial constraints, demands for accountability and enhanced productivity, con– cerns about student learning outcomes and values, and demands for higher education to provide olu– tions to social and economic problems in an increasingly urbanized world. Our response to these challenges has been to embrace the idea of change and approach change as both a scholarly and practical activity. The climate of change has permeated both the academic and the administrative / operational aspects of the University. For example, by eschewing "busine s as usual" and, instead, creating a new administrative paradigm through the use of technology, quality initia– tives, and teamwork, Portland State has ach ieved cost sav ings in exces of $10 million in the past five years. Academically, we are committed to providing an undergraduate educa– tion and graduate and professional programs that reflect our mission and prepare our students to be successfu l in the work place and in the communi– ty. We also are designing new facu lty ro les and rewards based on our mission and the new curriculum. We have received national recognition for the scope of change undertaken on our campus; for our campus-wide approach to change; and for the way we are turning the very process of change into scho larly work, what we call, "the core competency" of the research university. During the past year we have received national recognition for our lead– ership in academic and administrative change, which has brought our University and its graduates a growing measure of prestige. This attention is gratifying, but the true test of an institution's impact on the community is its level of public and private support. As we begin our second half-century, we take particular pleasure in the solid growth we've seen in that area. Sincerely, Q?;;c_ J~h A. Ramaley President Portland State University A remarkable year... Continued from page 1 1995-96 was indeed a banner year for Portland State University. It was also another chapter in the growing legacy of private donors who are building a university for those who live and work in the Portland metropolitan area and throughout Oregon. Judy Lacy... Continued from page I degree in biochemistry. Lacy, now in her senior year, says her $2,000 scho larship has helped with tuition and living expenses at a time when a significant, stable income is hard to come by. "(The scholarship) allows me to stay focused on what I have to do," she says. To help meet college costs and augment her education, Lacy has worked as a research lab assistant in PSU's Department of Chemistry. This past summer, Lacy partici– pated with at-risk youth-young– sters who had been abused at home-in a collaborative program offered by PSU's Child Development Center, EnviroCorps, and Metropolitan Family Services' Fo ter Grandparents. Lacy and other PSU students went to the children's elementary schoo ls, assi ting them with cience projects. Lacy continues to volunteer at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, working once a week with chi ldren who are afflicted with vari– ous disease . "I intend to acquire the skills and knowledge to medically treat children like those I can only watch suffer today," she says. "Their brav– ery humbles me, and the courage and inner strength that I have wit– nessed has been awe-inspiring."