Portland State Magazine, Spring 2021

MEGHAN PADDOCK FARRELL MARK MCGINNIS alumni life 4 TIMES ALUMNI SAVED PSU Portland State wouldn’t be the same without the PSU Advocates, a network of tireless alumni and supporters who promote the University whenever and wherever they’re needed. Indeed, PSU might not even exist. Here are four times the Advocates came together to shore up PSU against threats both existential and symbolic—and helped the University gain recognition in its own right. 1. SURVIVING “A BIG THREAT” Pat Squire had just started her new job as executive director of the PSU Alumni Association in 1989 when she found out she had to act fast to protect PSU. A commission on the future of higher education in Portland, appointed by the governor, was considering dividing PSU between the University of Oregon in Eugene and Oregon State University in Corvallis. In its early years, PSU often took a backseat to UO and OSU, which some considered to be the two premier state universities. But this, Squire said, was “very clearly a big threat.” “Te idea was to divide up the new kid to the more established universities,” she said. Te newly formed Advocates lobbied hard for more than a year to keep—and strengthen—PSU. New Portland State President Judith Ramaley, inaugurated in 1990, negotiated a compromise that backed PSU as a full urban university and encouraged greater collaboration among all the colleges that serve Portland. Te Advocates were united behind PSU’s new motto—Let Knowledge Serve the City—and ready for the next threat to its existence, which came only fve years later. 2. ENGINEERING SUCCESS UO and OSU were still eyeing Portland—and PSU—for expan- sion. In 1995, a proposal again surfaced for UO and OSU to take over PSU. Alumni came out of the woodwork to support the Advocates, who swung into action, pressuring lawmakers for a more thorough study of higher education issues. After the study, the Chancellor instead recommended merging PSU’s engineering school with OSU and giving some of its graduate business pro- grams to UO. Te Advocates launched letter-writing campaigns, gained editorial support from major newspapers, sponsored ads highlight- ing outstanding alumni, and won over key decision-makers.Tey also created a fact book to show the University’s importance to the Portland area. “Our strength was knowing who to reach out to,” said Joan Johnson ’78, a lead volunteer. “We went wherever we could make an impression or had friends. We ran a tough campaign.” Johnson and other supporters flled the board room in Portland for the fnal vote. When the vote went in their favor, she “could have screamed,” she said. “If they had split us up [as originally planned], PSU would have been like a community college.” 36 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE