Portland State Magazine Winter 2016

PORTLAND STATE has deep roots in the metro area we serve. We partner with hundreds of businesses, organizations, schools and governments. Nearly 100,000 of our alumni live, work and raise families here. We are featuring some of those alumni in this issue, along with groundbreaking research by our faculty and the amazing achievements of our students. They are part of PSU’s significant—and rising— local impact, and we’re proud to share their stories. The University and the region face a formidable challenge, however, as the cost of a college education continues to escalate as state support shrinks. Students we rely on to be our next generation of leaders and innovators are in danger of racking up high levels of debt that could limit their future choices. Many are being priced out of college altogether. That is why the PSU Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed a resolution to push for college affordability on several fronts. Those include continued efforts in Salem to boost state funding, a comprehensive philanthropic campaign and exploration of a metro-area ballot measure that would ask voters in November to consider a tax paid by businesses. Increased revenue would pay for scholarships and other student support at PSU, such as new advisers and faculty, and would increase the opportunity for low-income and underrepresented students in our area to get a college degree. THE NEED for greater college affordability is clear: 70 percent of our students receive financial aid—much of it in the form of loans. Total unmet need for undergraduates who qualify for financial aid is an astonishing $150 million. At the same time, Oregon employers are calling on PSU to produce more skilled graduates to grow their businesses and the local economy. Working together, as a university and a community, we can make it possible for more of our neediest students to get a college degree, launch their career and— who knows?—someday end up in the pages of this magazine. Wim Wiewel President, Portland State University WINTER 2016 / VOL. 30 NO. 2 EDITOR Kathryn Kirkland WRITERS Harry Esteve, Bess Pallares, Suzanne Pardington PHOTOGRAPHERS Kelly James, Edis Jurcys, Peter Simon COPY EDITOR Martha Wagner DESIGN Brett Forman, Evan Kirkley LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 810 Market Center Building PO Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751 503-725-4451, fax 503-725-4465 psumag@pdx.edu ADDRESS CHANGES Please email psuupdates@pdx.edu or call 503-725-4948 ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE Tom Bull, Executive Director Simon Benson House 1803 SW Park Ave. PO Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751 503-725-4948 psualum@pdx.edu PSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES Pete Nickerson, Chair Swati Adarkar Erica Bestpitch MS ’12 Gale Castillo MA ’74 Sho Dozono MS ’69 Maria Carolina Gonzalez-Prats Maude Hines Thomas Imeson Margaret Kirkpatrick Irving Levin Rick Miller MBA ’91 Lindsay Stewart Peter Stott HD ’11 Christine Vernier Wim Wiewel Portland State Magazine is published three times a year, during fall, winter and spring terms. Contents may be reprinted only by permission of the editor. The magazine is printed on recycled paper. Portland State University is an affirmative action / equal opportunity institution. 2 pORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE winter 2016 Making college affordable f r o m t h e p r e s i d e n t