Economic forecast dreary, but Wiewel remains upbeat about PSU Last November President Wim Wiewel explained Portland State’s five guiding themes to about 50 members at a regular RAPS meeting in Smith Memorial Student Union. Five months later, at the annual RAPS President’s Luncheon on April 16, he reprised those same themes during a 30-minute talk before about 140 people, saying they will lead the University to achieve its goal of becoming a highquality urban research university that is perceived as both a major civic partner and a civic leader. While both Wiewel and the talk were upbeat, the president acknowledged that an economic forecast of gloomy with a chance of pestilence makes for a few challenges. For starters, the University has been asked to submit a budget scenario describing PSU’s finances if a 30 percent cut in state funding were to occur. “The silver lining—if you can call it that—is that the more likely scenario is a ‘mere’ 20 or 22 percent cut in our state funding,” Wiewel said. “To survive that cut and continue to operate, we will have to raise tuition between 10 and 15 percent and still make some very significant cuts.” Federal stimulus money will cushion some of the blow. In addition, Wiewel said, the University is looking for alternatives to state funding. PSU is in the early stages of its next capital campaign—the first, concluded in 2006, raised about $110 million— although the economy will compel the development staff “to modulate the timing of that to be realistic.” The University will also seek to increase funded research—the stimulus money and the $25 million challenge grant from the Miller Foundation will help those efforts. And there are opportunities to save by streamlining and modernizing PSU’s business processes. The next state budget forecast will be out in May, Wiewel said, “and we expect the news to be bad.” Then there’s House Bill 3024, sponsored by state Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland). It calls for Portland State to be removed from the Oregon University System; governed, along with Oregon Health & Science University, by a new body, the Portland Metropolitan Universities Board of Directors; and eventually merged with OHSU. It’s a variation on a bill Greenlick, an OHSU professor emeritus, has introduced before. Wiewel’s enthusiasm for Greenlick’s bill is understandably muted. “We will argue that focusing on the substantive areas of collaboration is really the way to take advantage of this opportunity rather than force an organizational merger with all the complications,” Wiewel said. “Right now, health care finance is just what I need to fill my spare time,” he said, drawing laughter. Portland State and OHSU already collaborate on many fronts, Wiewel pointed out, including joint appointments in chemistry and a joint master’s program in public health. Wiewel was scheduled to testify in late April before the House Ways and Means Committee about a new life sciences building that the two institutions hope to build in the South Waterfront area. Other points of Wiewel’s talk: Enrollment management—“It’s good and well to be an access institution, but if that means you’re admitting students who have a statistically very low likelihood of success, you have to wonder whether you’re being fair and honest with them. So I’m simply saying, let’s actually enforce our admissions standards.” New undergraduate learning goals—“(They) include an emphasis on diversity, sustainability, globalization, as well as the hard skills of communication ability, teamwork, and so on. This is all part of making sure we are teaching people what we think we are teaching them, and that will allow them to have the tools to get out and be successful.” Sustainability—With the Miller Foundation grant in hand “we’re on a search for a new director of our sustainability institute, we’re hiring six new faculty in different disciplines related to sustainability, (and) we conducted an internal RFP process and got 95 proposals from faculty who wanted to do more things in the area of sustainability.” Campus improvements—“Part of excellence is to have a physical environment that is attractive. We have the money now, partly in state stimulus money, to renovate the campus steam and heat system, Lincoln Hall, Science Building 2, and do more work on Neuberger.” New student housing—“We’re in final negotiations with a developer who will build our next housing project. This is an important part of attracting a diverse student body . . . but also creating that 24/7 lively campus climate that will capture the students who will be active in student organizations—and we know that all those forms of extracurricular engagement make people more motivated to stay in school and do well in school.”
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