Retirement Association of Portland State Portland State University Post Office Box 751 Portland, OR 97207-0751 Simon Benson House 1803 SW Park Avenue Campus mail: RAPS Web: www.raps.pdx.edu Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Officers Robert Tufts President Marjorie Terdal President-elect / Program Chair Bruce Stern Past President / Membership Chair Robert Vogelsang Treasurer / Regional Retirement Association Ad Hoc Committee Chair Larry Sawyer Secretary Doug Swanson Editor Robert Pearson Webmaster Board Members-at-Large Roger Moseley Jan DeCarrico Charlene Levesque Committees Alumni Association Pat Squire Awards Committee Chair / Pictorial History Book Committee Chair Mary Brannan History Preservation Committee Chair Steve Brannan Membership Committee Chair Bruce Stern Social/Friendship Committee Co-Chairs Beryl and Vic Dahl Office Manager AmyValdez 503-725-3447 / raps@pdx.edu Despite world worries and woes, PSU’s internationalization effort flying high THE RAPSSHEET FEBRUARY 2008 continued on page 2 When you work in the Office of International Affairs, you learn to roll with the headlines. Turmoil in the Middle East, SARS outbreaks in Asia, terrorist attacks in the United States—they all affect the international student population at Portland State. Despite all the troubles of the world, Judy VanDyck, director of International Student and Scholarship Services, told RAPS members on Jan. 17 that international enrollment is trending up at PSU. VanDyck was the third speaker of RAPS’ 2007-08 Speakers Series. VanDyck recalled that Dan Bernstine, the former PSU president, announced a university internationalization initiative a week after the 911 attacks. “We were really happy he was focusing on internationalization, given that it was 2001, a critical time for us,” she said. “It was important for the president to give internationalization a boost at that time.” The aftermath of the attacks posed problems for the university. The government tightened visa requirements, and the Bush Administration’s aggressive response to the attacks changed foreign perception of the United States. “The U.S. was perceived as an unsafe place, and later as a tough place even to get into,” VanDyck said, adding that the deteriorating image of the U.S. made other countries more attractive to some international students. “We’ve weathered those days,” VanDyck said, “and we’re doing quite well.” About 7 percent of PSU’s students are from overseas—the headcount is approximately 1,600, a figure almost double that of 1999. PSU is seeing its biggest increases from India, Korea, and China. Thanks to the Saudi government’s decision to provide five-year scholarships, the Saudi student population has skyrocketed. And the weak dollar has made Next up: “The Dancer” Thursday, Feb. 21 Portland Art Museum SEE PREVIEW STORY ON PAGE 6 Judy VanDyck with Charlie White, professor emeritus of history and a former director of Study Abroad, one of the offices in the Office of International Affairs. Two other former directors were in the audience Jan. 17 when VanDyck spoke to RAPS. Vic Dahl, professor emeritus of history, also headed Study Abroad, and Dawn White headed both Study Abroad and International Studies. Photo by Larry Sawyer
—2— Our PSU community and campus continue to experience growing pains as we grow to meet the future. The Academic and Student Recreation Center is under construction and Shattuck Hall is under renovation. Extended Studies building occupants will be moved to nearby quarters in several months in order to make room for Lincoln Hall relocations during the summer. Science Building 2 has been vacated by other state offices in preparation for lab upgrading and structure improvements in a year. The two-story Clay Building, located between SW Sixth and Broadway, has been leased for instructional support. For the latest campus map, go tohttp://www.pdx.edu/map.html. Doug Swanson has now edited this publication for a year. We appreciate his time, devotion, and professional skills in its preparation and publication. His involvement has been extensive, even making this message more readable for you. And you, the membership, have told us The RAPS Sheet is a valued benefit. Included in this mailing is a RAPS Award nomination form. Please consider nominating a colleague for a RAPS Award. In this way we honor our members, who are recognized at the PSU President’s Luncheon in April. On Feb. 21 we will enjoy a tour of “The Dancer” at the Portland Art Museum, arranged by President-Elect Marge Terdal as part of her 2008-2009 Program Series. We all have had the joy of celebrating life’s events: births and birthdays, life passages, marriages, and so on. But I’ve learned that a memorial service is a collective celebration of one complete set of life events to be embraced by those who follow. So, on a personal note, I wish to recognize one of our members, Bill Williams, with whom I worked. I found Bill to be fair to students, ethics, and the University. Please turn to page 4 to learn more about Bill and his service to Portland State. —BobTufts President’s Message Internationalization . . . continued from page 1 tuition more affordable for nearly all international students. VanDyck’s office, International Student and Scholarship Services, is one of two main offices under the Office of International Affairs. (The other is Education Abroad.) Once international students arrive in Portland, they come under the umbrella of VanDyck’s office. “A lot of our growth if through word of mouth,” said VanDyck. The Admissions Office staff makes an annual recruiting trip to Asia, but VanDyck also credits her office’s strong Web site that includes videos made by PSU international students. The international student life coordinator, Jill Townley, recruits 40 to 60 international and domestic students to serve as mentors to ease the transition for new students coming from overseas. “Contact starts with e-mails while the students are still home,” VanDyck explained. “Students want to know everything from how to get to campus from the airport to what it’s like to attend classes to how to talk to a professor.” PSU is also trying to increase the quality of its international students by providing scholarships to exceptional applicants. Private universities often offer scholarships “and we needed to compete with that,” said VanDyck. Although a one-time scholarship might be helpful, come sophomore year students are facing a full tuition bill. So one proposal, VanDyck said, calls for a retention scholarship that is renewable annually. Vatter lecture set for Feb. 15 Nobel Laureate Douglass C. North will give the PSU Economics Department’s Second Annual Harold G. Vatter Lecture on Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. in Hoffmann Hall. North will speak on “The Natural State or Why Economic Development is so Difficult to Achieve.” Admission is free and open to the public; a reception will follow. North is well known as a pioneer in the “new economic history,” which uses economic theory and econometric statistical techniques to investigate historical questions. He has also been a leader among economists, championing the recognition of the key role of legal and social institutions in economic development. The Vatter Lecture honors Harold Goodhue Vatter, an eminent economic historian and faculty member at Portland State University from 1965 until his death at the age of 89 in 2000.
—3— Our Active Retirees: Paglin gets an idea, gets excited, and digs in He’s taught subjects as diverse as Platonic dialogues, economic theory, and urban policy. So who would be surprised that Morton Paglin is now a playwright? Economist to playwright seems like an example of vertical integration gone wrong. Yet Paglin, who retired from Portland State in 1990, is no dilettante: he’s hard at work on his fifth play. Two of his first four, Love Among the Fabians andThree Years, were given full productions. Three Years, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s novella of the same name, was mounted at the West End Theatre a year ago, and was described by Paul Haist, writing in the Jewish Review, as “exquisitely elegant theater.” “In these days of specialization, it seems odd to have an interest in both economics and playwriting,” says Paglin. “But I’ve always had broad interests, and I decided to try my hand.” Paglin’s interest in theater is shared by his wife, Joan, who has headed a monthly play-reading group for many years, and who was active in Portland theater. Long before he tried his hand at playwriting, he was an old hand at economic research—a consultant to the U.S. Census Bureau, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a Ford faculty fellow at the London School of Economics. Born in New York City in 1922, Paglin moved with his family to Florida, where he completed a B.A. at the University of Miami. In 1956 he received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Paglin’s career reflects broad interests: intellectual history, economic theory, applied statistics, urban economics, and now playwriting. “I prefer to avoid over-specialization so I can move into new areas as my interests change,” he says. He came to Portland State in 1961. “PSU was starting some innovative interdisciplinary graduate programs,” he recalls, “and I got in on the ground floor, planning for the new Ph.D. in urban studies. Portland State College was just emerging as a university, so it was very rewarding being in on this, and I found the Northwest environment unbeatable.” Still, after two years at Portland State, he was drawn back to Berkeley by a two-year research appointment at the Center for Population and Urban Research, headed by the eminent Kingsley Davis. Subsequently, Paglin was offered a quasi-permanent research-faculty position at the center. “But Berkeley was going through the turmoil of the 1960s,” he says. “It wasn’t a good place to raise a family, so I gladly headed north for Portland.” Before his retirement, Paglin was a visiting scholar at Stanford and at Case Western Reserve. In 1994 he was invited to give a paper on the underground economy at the Yale Law School, which was later published in the Yale Law Journal. His latest paper, a collaborative effort with his son Mark, will appear in the Journal of Economic Education next August. Not surprisingly, Paglin’s plays are loosely related to economics. Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells and Sidney and Beatrice Webb—key members of the Fabian Society—were advocating a planned economy, and the intrigue and sexual rivalries in this elite group inspired his first play, LoveAmong the Fabians. It earned a grant from the Oregon Council for the Humanities and was produced at the Artists Repertory Theater. Fabians was followed by Fertility Rites, set in a Beverly Hills fertility clinic. It describes the possible human consequences of an emerging market in eggs and sperm. Old Passions/New Lives was Paglin’s first foray into Chekhov. It was an adaptation of the novella, My Life. Then came Three Years. His latest play, The Billionaires’ Lunch at McDonalds, was suggested by a meeting between Bill Gates and Warren Buffett that reportedly occurred when the pair got together over quarter-pounders to discuss Buffett’s $30 billion donation to the Gates Foundation. Paglin’s retirement isn’t all work and no play. “If you concentrate, you need only work a few hours a day,” he says. “I still have time to do other things. I get an idea, I get excited and dig in.” One of Paglin’s students from the 1960s found Paglin’s excitement infectious. He went on to complete two Ph.D.s and start a successful business. Recently, he donated $10,000 to the Economics Department, citing Paglin as providing the best educational experience of his life. “Most professors like to think they have had a long-term impact on their best students,” says Paglin, “but it certainly gives one a lift when it shows up in such a tangible form.” Morton Paglin
—4— In memoriam: William David Williams, 1922-2008 Emeritus Professor William D. (“Bill”) Williams, born in Weiser, Idaho, on Dec. 5, 1922, died in Portland on Jan. 7, 2008, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. Bill attended public schools in Weiser and Caldwell. After earning a bachelor of arts degree (1944) at the College of Idaho, he taught for two years at Gilliam County High School in Condon, Oregon. Other post-college employment experience included a brief period of military service, working as a radio station announcer in Nampa, Idaho, followed by newspaper reporting and editing in Condon. In 1948 an entrance scholarship at the Chicago Theological Seminary enabled him to pursue ministerial training and to enter graduate studies in education at the University of Chicago. He completed a bachelor of divinity and master’s degrees in 1950-51. From 1948 to 1954 he held various ministerial appointments at Congregational churches in Indiana and Illinois. Bill launched his higher education professional career at Defiance College in Ohio as the director of development and student personnel offices from 1954 to 1957. From there he went to Eastern Montana College (later Montana State University-Billings) to head admissions and student personnel services offices until 1965, when he came to Portland State as associate dean of Student Affairs. In the latter role he was responsible for overseeing wide-ranging co-curricular student activities and related academic support functions, including orientation, health services, counseling, and disciplinary actions. His distinguished PSU service (1965-1985) coincided with the institution’s transition from an urban college to a major comprehensive university. That growth imposed burdens and strains that affected instructional departments as well as student personnel services, especially during the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s, an era that featured vigorous, organized student activism stemming from anti-war and civil rights movements. Bill’s measured, calm, and thorough responses to complaints earned his colleagues’ respect and inspired student confidence. He played a significant role in devising innovative approaches to meet emerging welfare needs of a growing student body. Ongoing participation in nationwide professional organizations enhanced his contributions to the institution during its formative stage of development. In every respect, Bill earned our gratitude for his meritorious and energetic role in advancing the University’s development at a crucial time in its history. Professor Williams is survived by his spouse, Marie A. (Burgin), whom he married in 1945 at Soda Springs, Idaho, and by their four children. Charles resides in Wisconsin, where he is a computer services manager for a private college; another son, Stewart, and, daughters, Anita and Carolyn, live in Oregon. To these family members, and four grandchildren, our organization extends its heartfelt sympathy and condolences. Family members and friends gathered for a memorial service on Sunday, Jan. 27, in Smith Memorial Student Union. Remembrances should be made to PSU’s Millar Library. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History RAPS rings in the holidays More than 80 members of RAPS gathered Dec. 18 at the Multnomah Athletic Club for the organization’s annual Holiday Dinner. RAPSters enjoyed conversation, good food, and maybe an adult beverage or two during the event. A clarinet ensemble and a vocal ensemble from Portland State’s Music Department provided entertainment to cap the evening.
—5— RAPS club reports Hikers repriseWillamette walk Our February hike will be a repeat of one we did a few years ago. Meet at 9:30 a.m. in Willamette Park on Friday, February 22, for a walk along the west bank of the Willamette to River Place. We will have lunch at a restaurant in River Place before walking back to Willamette Park. There is a hiking/cycling paved path along the riverbank. We will pass new condos and the new OHSU facility at the base of the tram and some bronze artwork. Estimated distance is five or six miles on a level, paved pathway. The March 28 hike will be in the Hoyt Arboretum. We are hoping some early flowering trees will be in bloom. We are considering a hike along the Old Columbia River Highway through the Mosier Tunnels this summer. More information on these and other hikes will be in future editions of The RAPS Sheet. Confirm your February hike participation to Larry Sawyer by Thursday, Feb. 21. Phone 503-771-1616 or e-mail larry_sawyer@comcast.net. Five hikers and two dogs braved the cold on Jan. 25 for a short hike on Mt. Tabor. Mt. Tabor has several viewpoints overlooking downtown Portland and a handful of mountain viewpoints. While hiking we met fellow RAPS member Mary Kinnick, who is a member of a volunteer group that walks and polices the grounds of the park. We had an economical lunch at a Chinese restaurant at SE 82nd and Division. —Larry Sawyer Book Clubchews on ’The LemonTree’ The RAPS Book Club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the home of Maxine Thomas, 6535 SW Canyon Court, in Portland. Contact her at 503-291-1279 to RSVP and for directions. We will discuss The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East, written by Sandy Tolan, who has written for more than 40 magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times Magazine. He has produced several radio documentaries for NPR and PRI. The Lemon Tree, which is a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, is described on the jacket: In 1967, Bashir Khairi, a twenty-fiveyear-old Palestinian, journeyed to Israel PAST TENSE The Auditory Rehabilitation Mobile In 1972 an audiology project was launched at Portland State that became a prototype for the nation. A mobile hearing testing van was built with funds from the Kresge Foundation and the Administration on Aging. Aimed at low-income aging persons in the tri-county area, this unique community service project was conceived of and led by James Maurer, Ph.D., Speech Hearing Sciences Program. Project ARM was staffed by SPH Program faculty and graduate students who tested and rehabilitated thousands of hearing-impaired older persons in the tri-county area over a period of nearly 20 years. Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. Left to right: Arthur Fleming, U.S. commissioner on Aging and former UO president; Marion Hughes, head of Oregon Program on Aging; James McCartney, audiologist; and Prof. James Maurer, Speech and Hearing Sciences. with the goal of seeing the beloved old stone house with the lemon tree behind it that he and his family had fled nineteen years earlier. To his surprise, when he found the house he was greeted by Dalia Eshkenazi Landau, a nineteen-year-old Israeli college student, whose family fled continued on page 6 RAPS hikers paused during their Jan. 25 hike on Mt. Tabor. From left to right: Bob Vogelsang; Maxine Thomas; Bob Tufts; Bob Vogelsang’s daughter, Suzanne Bengel (with her dogs, Fiona and Jack); and Larry Sawyer.
Markyour calendars February 21, 1:00p.m. Tour of “The Dancer” Portland Art Museum, advance payment required March20, 12:30 p.m. Potluck Lunch Housing Options As We Age—panel discussion by four RAPS members LaRay Barna, Vic Dahl, Prue Douglas, Sally Jacobsen Room 333, Smith Memorial Student Union April 17, noon President’s Luncheon University Place, Columbia Falls Ballroom May 15, 1:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social Michael Munk, “Portland’s Radical Past” Location TBA February program: Special exhibit at Portland Art Museum Europe for Israel following the Holocaust. On the stoop of their shared home Dalia and Bashir began a rare friendship, forged in the aftermath of war and tested over the next thirty-five years in ways that neither could imagine on that summer day in 1967. Sandy Tolan brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict down to its most human level, suggesting that even amid the bleakest political realities there exist stories of hope and reconciliation. For March, we will readLoving Frank by Nancy Horan. We read The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, which is the last of a trilogy of novels set in Montana. It was a heartwarming fiction story that took place in the early 1900s. It rekindled memories of many of us who met to discuss it at Prue Douglas’s residence. We hope to see you at Maxine’s in February. —Mary Brannan Club reports . . . continued from page 5 RAPSBridge Group The Raps Bridge Group meets regularly at 1:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. For the past few months we have been the appreciative guests of one of our members at her home at Willamette View. We rotate tables and change partners during the afternoon. With the help of occasional guest players, often from Willamette View, our attendance has been 16 players—enough for four tables of bridge. Our next meeting will be at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, also at Willamette View. If you have questions about the group, please call me at 503292-0838 or e-mail colinkeld@gmail.com. If you would like to play, please contact me as soon as you can and no later than Friday, Feb. 8. —Colin Dunkeld RAPS members and guests will enjoy a guided tour of “The Dancer,” a special exhibit at the Portland Art Museum on Thursday, Feb. 21, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. This is an exclusive exhibit focusing on the image of the dancer in the work of three 19th century French artists: Edgar Degas, Jean-Louis Forain, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The exhibit presents 110 works of art, including paintings, pastels, drawings, prints, and sculptures from collections in Europe and the United States. The art museum Web site notes, “These remarkable works illustrate the differences in social classes between patrons and performers, and among the dancers . . . (and) evoke a sense of being a spectator of one of the favorite forms of diversion in turn-of-the-century France.” Please meet your fellow RAPS members at 12:50 p.m. at the side entrance, on the north side of the art museum near the gift shop. Admission for museum members is free plus $2 for a docent. The cost for non-museum members is $8 plus $2 for the docent. Checks should be made payable to PSU Foundation and mailed by Feb. 7 to the RAPS Office, Simon Benson House, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207. If you have questions, please call the RAPS office, 503-725-3447. RAPSseeks nominees for awards Nominate a colleague for a RAPS award who deserves to be recognized for achievements made after retirement. Nominees should be exemplary in three of four areas: service to the community; service to the university; professional/career achievements; service to RAPS. Please see the announcement that was enclosed with this issue of The RAPS Sheet.
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