Portland State Magazine, Spring 2021

portland state MAGAZINE SPRING 2021 VOL. 35// NO. 2 EDITOR Scholle McFarland GRADUATE ASSISTANT Jennifer Ladwig PHOTOGRAPHERS So-Min Kang, NASHCO COPY EDITOR Martha Wagner CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brett Forman SENIOR DESIGNER Evan Kirkley DESIGNER Sofia Estrada Ferry ’20 LET TERS TO THE EDITOR Portland State Magazine P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207-0751 psumag@pdx.edu ADDRESS CHANGES Please go to the website pdx.edu/alumni/contact or call 503-725-4948 PSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Mary Coniglio, Executive Director Simon Benson House 1803 SW Park Ave. Portland, OR 972011 503-725-4948 alum@pdx.edu PSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ben Berry Emily Chow Sho Dozono ’69 Gregory Hinckley (Chair) Thomas J. Imeson Margaret D. Kirkpatrick (Vice Chair) Yves Labissiere Irving Levin Pete Nickerson Judith Ramaley Lisa Sablan Peter W. Stott HD ’11 Wally Van Valkenburg Christine Vernier Stephen Percy Portland State Magazine is published two times a year, during fall and spring terms. Contents may be reprinted only by permission of the editor. Portland State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. from the president CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF OPPORTUNITY FEBRUARY MARKED a milestone for Portland State: our 75th anniversary. We must not let the occasion pass without acknowledging how far we have come as an institution. It’s been a sometimes exhilarating, sometimes exhausting journey. But we have succeeded in creating a unique urban research university appreciated across the state and beyond. From our determined beginnings at Vanport, we have evolved while staying true to our mission. We remain a university of opportunity, where people come to improve themselves and their communities.Tis change is created through the dedicated instruction of students and comprehensive systems that support their academic journey. It is also bolstered by scholar- ship and creative endeavors that bring new ideas and new experiences that enrich the soul. Since I became Interim President in 2019 and PSU’s 10th President in 2020, I have refected on the core values that have guided us to today. Established on the streets of Vanport, these have adapted and endured over time: • An abiding commitment to student learning • A persistent efort to create social mobility for every student • Active engagement with our community • A belief that knowledge and artistic expression are key to making our community better • An unmatched spirit of innovation For 75 years, allegiance to these core values has enriched our academic and scholarly efort, sustained our spirit and guided us through the inevitable challenges of a young university. When we are successful, it is transformative. We achieve one of our central tenets: creating social mobility. Social mobility is a new phrase that describes what we’ve always done: ofer a path to a more prosperous future open to opportunity and advancement. Seventy-fve years ago, we did this with veterans returning from World War II. Today, we do this with Oregon’s most racially, ethnically and economically diverse students. We haven’t always gotten it right. Importantly, we have fallen short of the mark in regard to creating and sustaining a racially just campus. Amazing faculty, staf and students are leading us forward. I call out and celebrate their work and leadership. Still, our eforts to advance racial justice and equity, dismantle white supremacy, and decolonize ourselves and our approaches are incomplete. We have a moral imperative to lean into this work deeply now and over the long run. Our charge is to root out policies and practices that discriminate, to advance the well-being and success of all in our diverse community, and to act with courage, much as our founders did 75 years ago. Sincerely, Stephen Percy President, Portland State University