Portland State Magazine Fall 2009

My story, your story IT WAS in the midst of the early 1980s recession chat I found my way co Portland Scace. I started at a private liberal arcs college here in Oregon, when financial aid and grants were plentiful. By the end of my sophomore year, they had dried up. In addition, I learned something valuable during chose first rwo years: I wanted co be at a larger institution with diversity. So I moved back in with mom and dad, enrolled in Portland State. Ifl remem– ber correctly, I was a little younger than PSU's then average age student of 28, but I was typical in ocher respects: I was working and relied on TriMer co get me co and from campus. Portland Stace proved co be full of rich– ness. The students came from all walks of life and from many countries, and the professors were (and continue co be) pas– sionately active in their fields. Suddenly, I was alive, challenged, and engaged in ways I hadn't imagined. I graduated, the first in my family with a college degree, a lircle lacer than the scheduled four years with a Bachelor of Arts, a Certificate in Cenrral European studies, and a six-month internship in the Oregon Legislature under my belt. The education and experience exceeded expectations and I'll be forever grateful. And chis is why I've been involved in the Portland State Alumni Association since 1999, and chis year I have the good fortune of being its president. We are in the process of surveying a sample of alumni to better understand Changing of the board THE PORTLAND STATE University Alumni Association wants co thank retiring board directors Jeff Austin '77; Gerry Scovil '65, MS '68; and Angela Wykoff '72, MS '75, '80. All were board presidenrs during their terms. Austin, immediate past-president, also served on the finance and executive committees. cavil, board president in 2007-08, led the PSU Advocates com– mittee. Wykoff, also a leader with the PSU Advocates, was board president in 2006-07 and served on the search com– mittees for President Wim Wiewel and 24 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE FALL 2009 for the dean of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. Welcome co our newest members Steve Brannan '57, retired PSU educa– tion professor; Aubre Dickson '98, acquisitions manager with Homestead Capital; Al Fitzpatrick MA '83, retired school principal; Eric Graham '87, presi– dent ac Montgomery and Graham, Inc.; Richard Helzer '62, attorney at Helzer Cromar; Karen McCarty '06, commu– nity affairs specialist; Nancy Morgan '87, retired account executive manager, Bonneville Power Administration; and Kori Allen your needs and interests. With over 120,000 alums of chis illustrious Uni– versity, there will be dispersion, but also some prominent themes. We've got an interesting year ahead. Our new president has exciting plans for our University and community, and in these cough economic times, we also want co ramp up our services so chat others can be as fortunate as we've been in graduating from P U. Later this sum– mer we will embark on a revised strategic plan. If you have ideas, or want co get involved, please gee in couch with the Alumni office. Kori Allen '84 President, PSU Alumni Association Krishnakumar Regupachy MS '99, engineering technology development manager at Intel Corp. Alumni Board officers for 2009-2010 are President Kori Allen '84, invest– ment manager; Vice President Behzad Hosseini '96, MBA '97, general manager at PGE; Treasurer Gina Leon '95, vice president at US Bank; and Secretary Kendal McDonald MA '02, office manager and archeologisr at Applied Archaeological Research, Inc.