Portland State Magazine Fall 2018

33 LOOKING BACK Celebrating our MBA degree FIFTY YEARS AGO, when the MBA degree program first started at Portland State College, it proved to be a challenge for students. “We had to take comprehensive exams and write a master’s thesis,” remembers Bruce Stern, one of its first graduates. Stern credits the program for providing an excellent foundation for his business doctorate at Arizona State. Soon after, he returned to Portland State, where he was a core faculty member in The School of Business for nearly 30 years. A celebration of MBA graduates, faculty and current students is planned for Tuesday, October 16, during Portland State of Mind. The event is from 3 to 7:30 p.m. in the school’s newly named and remodeled building, the Karl Miller Center, 631 SW Sixth Ave. That first class, in addition to Stern (top left) , included Charles DeVere (top right) , Chuck Kampmann (bottom left) and Sam Seward (bottom right) as well as James Hought and Anton Kirchhof. Today, there are more than 100 candidates in the MBA program, and to finish their degree they must work with other students on a consulting project for a local, regional or international company. 