PSU Magazine Winter 1997

Proud to be a PSU grad Alumni are "quite satisfied" with the education they rece ived at Portland State, according to a recent survey conducted by the PSU Alumni Association and the pri vate firm of Dotten & Assoc iates. According to the results tabulated by Dotten, the vast majority (85 percent) of respon– dents sa id their PSU experience was "somewhat or very pos itive." The survey, randomly mailed to 5,400 alumni over the summer, was des igned to assess alumni attitudes, needs, and awarene level of current Alumni Association programs. Alumni indicated a high aware– ness of PSU Weekend (89 percent ), the Alumni Advocates (83 percent), and the ava ilab ility of the Alumni Visa/MasterCard (88 percent). The Alumni Benefi ts Ca rd (ABC ) regis– tered strong awareness (73 percent) , and extremely hi gh interest in access to service as oc iated with the card . ABC holders can, fo r a small fee, use the campus compute r labs, the gymnas ium, and can check books out of the libra ry. In comparison with a 1992 survey, 1996 responses indi– ca ted a much higher interest in recreational and educational travel, profess ional development activities, and events where participation was short-term. The 1996 survey found alumni more willing to promote Portland State in daily conversation. Seventy percent of those surveyed would recommend PSU to students preparing fo r coll ege, and 63 percent would recommend the Univer ity fo r contin– uing education classes. Forty-six percent of respondent utili ze the campus fo r life- long learning and profe ional deve lopment or are seek– ing another degree. Stude nt foc us groups conducted in conjunction with the urvey prov ided similar results. Students are proud of the ir experi ences at PSU ; they enj oy the downtown conve– nience of the campus; they are concerned with employment and profess ional deve lopment; and they Higher education: what's next? are interested in future educational opportunities. The boa rd of directors will use the survey results to develop goals and objective fo r the future. Plan may include: offering more opportunitie for life- long lea rning th rough events such as PSU Weekend; utilizing more alumni in short-term projects includ– ing advocacy; and educating tudents about the service ava ilable to them as future PSU alumni. One item under con iderati on by the Alumni Association is a membership program that would offer pay ing members tangible benefits. Survey results indi– cated that respondents would be inter– ested in paying dues if benefits were ava ilable. The Alumni Association thanks all who participated in the 1996 urvey and continues to seek comments and suggestions. For questions regarding programs or the 1996 P U Alumni Survey, please contact the PSU Alumni Office by phone at 725-4948, by fax at 725-5074, or by e-mail at psualum@pdx.edu . The State Board of Higher Education made news in November when it turned down a proposed merger of PSU's Engineering School with OSU. In tead, it adopted a compromise plan, to be known as the Oregon College of Engineering, a cooperative venture that respects the integrity of the individual institutions. (surplus income tax collections) rather than returning the fund to taxpayers. While everyone agrees that education is a top priority, a number of lawmakers are opposed to spending the kicker. So at this point, future funding for higher ed is up in the air. The board's decision was good new for Portland State, and we think the best one for the state. PSU Advocates want to thank everyone who wrote letters and made calls asking that the State Board consider all options in meeting the high tech challenge. Your voices were heard! But now we have our work cut out for us. The only way this proposal is going to work is through the investment of more state and private dollars. The governor, in his budget, makes education, including higher ed, his top priority. But his plan depends on spending $383 million in "kicker" revenues 20 PSU MAGAZINE WINTER 1997 Measure 5 and the expected impact of Measure 47 are having a tremendous effect on our state. And schools, from kindergarten to graduate school, have borne a huge share of the cost. Can we afford to continue to shortchange education? What about Oregon's children and our economic future? PSU Advocates are asking the tough questions. If you want to become more actively involved or want to keep informed about higher education issues, join PSU Advocates. Call 725-5072 for more information. ]oan]ohnson '78, Chair PSU Advocates