PSU Magazine Winter 2005

PSU Weekend a success "Days of Dis overy" was the theme fo r the Alumni Association's 14th annual PSU Weekend held November 5-7. Dayton Duncan , a Lewis and Clark scholar and documentary fil mmaker, was the keynote speaker. The Wee kend kicked off Friday with a reception at the renovated Oregon Histo rical Society, where spon– so rs sociali zed with Duncan and viewed two Lewis and Cla rk exhibits. Saturday seminar speake rs included cartoonist Jack Ohman of The Oregon– ian givi ng his perspecti ve on the presi– dential electi on; ProL Virgi nia Butler speaking on "Where Have Lewis and Clark's Fish Gone7''; OPB's Leve Amen discussing "Oregon's Outbac k"; and Pro f. Jesse Dillard addressing "Corpo– rate Accountability in the Wake of Enron. " Attendees were 1iveted by Duncan's speech on "Lewis and Cla rk's 10 Points of Leadership." Following lunch were more seminars, including a talk on the what Lewis and Clark d id not discover, by ati ve American artist Pat Gold. Sunday was just as event ful with a tour through the Columbia Ri ver Gorge led by Charlie White and a talk by trave l guru Rick Steves. The rinal event was a wine tour Nov. 14, led by geology professor Scott Burns. How successful was the weekend 7 "l am surprised l haven 't heard about PSU Weekend before th is year," said one person attending. "l am absolutely overwhelmed by the quality of the speakers. Without exce ption, they presented their information with authority and ease. I can't believe th e seminars are offered free of charge !" Salute an outstanding alum or faculty member Nominations arc sought for the Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumni and Distinguished P U Faculty Awards Lo be presented Thursday, May 12, al PSU Salutes. Nomination materials and a list of previous recipi ents are on the alumni Web site or you can call Alumni Relations al 503-725-49+8. Deadline for materials is February 1. Whats important to you? Alumna Angela Wykoff is chair of PSU Advocates. Dear Alumni and friends, Please take a few minutes Lo reflect upon the events in your life that had an imponanL, personal impact. Most of us think of marriage, the birth of a child, or a first job. But that list may include high school and college expe– riences as well. While attending col– lege we make a start on our careers, but more importantly, we confront life-changing ideas. For many of us, college is the first time we exchange thoughts with people from other countries, exposing us to lifestyles and philosophies much different than our o,vn. That experience is critically important in dealing with today's world in both business and personal settings. l believe that at P U we were well prepared to deal successfully with a wide variety of technical, philosophical, and soc ial silllations. When l was invited to join the PSU Alumni Association and later to chair the I SU Advocates, I was delighted. I had a good experience al P U and was ready Lo do what J could to ensure that future students would have that same opportunity. l had not volunteered before because I felt that with my busy travel schedule l would not be able Lo do an adequate job as a PSU supporter. However, L found that l could provide help on a sporadic basis without having to attend regular meetings. That is why lam inviting you to volunteer as a PSU Advocate, whether you can spare Lime each month or just once in a while. What do the Advocates do? First, the Advocates support the University before the Oregon Legislature. Since we are independent from the University, we are free to pursue issues that P U, as a part of the Oregon University System, can– not. Second, we ensure that the legisla– ture and the community are aware of the great things that are happening at Portland State. And what is happening at PSU? The list is long, but if you visit the campus (or the University's Web site al www.pdx.edu) you will sec continual enhancements and additions: the cam– pus is vibrant with activity. P U has world-class academic programs with an expanding number of doctoral and masters programs to meet student demand. The University has grown LO 24,000 sLUdents and 100,000 alumni and recently received ils largest-ever donation of $8 million from alumnus Fariborz Maseeh for the new engineer– ing building and engineering scholar– ships. Furthermore, PSU's curriculum was ranked , for the third year in a row, "among the best in the nation" accord– ing Lo US cws and World Report's America's Be t Colleges 2005. We have much Lo be proud of, so I invite you Lo join the PSU Advocates in spreading the word and helping Lo ensure P Us cominued success. Please call or email Pal Squire al 503- 725-5072 ( squircp@pdx.edu) or me at 503-224-834 l (c111gelawyhof[ @ms11.com ) to learn more. We look forward LO hearing from you! Best wi hes for a healthy and productive new year. Angela Wykcff '72, M '75, '80, PSU Advo ates chair WINTER 2005 P U MAGAZINE 19