Portland State Magazine Spring 2007

Arabian Nights in Riyadh SAUDI ARABIA-BASED alumni Abdulaziz and Abdullah Al-Ache! and others hosted the fourth annual PSU Gulf Cooperation Council Alumni Reunion in their country's capital city of Riyadh on March 27 and 28. President Dan Bernscine, Portland State faculty and graduate students, and alumni from other Gulf coun– tries spent fours days getting to know each other and the area. The host committee organized a banquet attended by the PSU delegation and some 80 alumni at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. The following night, Abdullah Al-Ache! welcomed alumni to his farm. The Portland Scace delegation rode camels and horses and then the alumni joined the group and were created to a reception with traditional music, dancing, and a buffet under the scars. More than 125 people savored the evening. The delegation's visit in and around R.iyadJ1 included a tour of the Arabic Horse Center, the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, and a meeting with executives at SABIC, a manufacturer of chemicals, fertilizers, and ocher materials. SABIC's CEO Mohamed H. Al-Mady attended Portland Scace. "We enjoyed the gracious hospitality of our hosts, and it was great to see former hosts Hassan AI-Ghanim (Qatar 2005) and Abdullah Al-Saleh (Kuwait 2006) there too," says Pac Squire, assistant vice president for alumni and constituent relations. "The alums have so many good memories of their time at Portland State. And now we have good memories of our visit to Saudi Arabia." Organizer Samir Kabbani '78, says he uses his degree from PSU's School of Business and remembers Portland well. "But it's tl1e people who make it great," he says. Other committee members included Mansour Al-Ache!, Abdullah Al– Ghanem, Muneer AI-Muhanna, Abdulla Al-Mugairen, and Jamal Zamrawi. Save the date for PSU Weekend 2007 NOW IN I TS 17th year, PSU Weekend will continue its tradition of celebrating lifelong learning starting on Thursday, October 27. PSU Weekend brings alumni, friends, and members of tl1e Portland commw1ity together for lectures, events, and socializing. It's organized annually by Alumni Association volunteers as a gesture of d1anks to Portland and to alumni and friends of the University. We're online! Keep up to date with the latest alumni news, events , travel programs, and resources available to PSU alumni. Visit our Web site at www.alumni.pdx.edu. You can submit alumni notes, get a free e-mail forwarding address, register for events, and sign up for an e-mail newsletter, all online. Above from left Committee members Abdulaziz AI-Athel, Muneer AI-Muhanna, and Samir Kabbani celebrate success. Co-host Abdullah AI-Athel (middle) and Abdulaziz Al-Rashed (right) enjoy the traditional dance with swords. President Dan Bernstine receives a congratulatory hand from co-host Abdulaziz AI-Athel. Below: Friends and alumni of PSU gather in Palm Desert, California, on March 24 in the home of longtime supporters Jack and Deane Garrison. President Dan Bernstine poses with Kris Luvaas Meade '81, MS '97 (left) and Paulette York '71. SPRING 2007 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 21