2 President’s Message attended the University’s Fall Convocation September 22, an event which I hadn’t seen for several years but one which, over the course of working with five different University presidents, I always had on my September calendar. This convocation followed the usual format with the Presiding Officer of the Faculty Senate opening the ceremony and the Provost acknowledging the recipients of the various employee excellence awards. President Wim Wiewel next addressed the nearly full Hoffmann Hall. He began with a brief summary of the University’s fiscal condition. Already this biennium PSU has sustained cuts of some $11.5 million and, he said, we must prepare for cuts of 15 to 20 percent next biennium. In view of the current outlook for Oregon’s economy and the state of available funds for higher education, Wiewel said the discussions of possible changes in structure for the Oregon University System will heat up both on campuses and in the State Legislature. Another major focus this year is improving the University’s retention rate for incoming students, now significantly lower than comparable urban research institutions. This, he said, is in line with a greater emphasis on accountability to the citizens of the state and to our students. On the plus side, President Wiewel pointed to successes in sustainability involving the physical campus, academic programs and community partnerships. He said PSU has taken a leadership role in the improvement of K-12 education, particularly in Multnomah County. He also lauded the University’s intensifying collaboration with OHSU in the area of health professions and research with new opportunities for academic growth in the field of public health. Finally, the President said the University will be working with the City of Portland on plans for an expanding University District to keep pace with a possible future enrollment of 36,000. He said he is “very optimistic" about the University’s future. I share his optimism, particularly given the leadership team now at PSU and the fine faculty and staff who continue to dedicate themselves to the mission of public higher education. --Clarence Hein Help RAPS go greener! f you are holding this issue of the RAPS Sheet in your hands, most likely you received it in the mail. Computer users with Internet access can read this and past issues (going all the way back to 2002) by logging on to www.pdx.edu/raps/raps-sheet-newsletter-archive. While RAPS will gladly continue sending paper copies of the RAPS Sheet to all members who prefer to receive it that way, we encourage RAPS members with computers to switch to reading it on-line. The advantages? • The current issue is usually posted on-line before the print version appears in mailboxes. • The RAPS Sheet is in living color. • The fewer copies printed and mailed, the fewer costs the University incurs for paper, postage and printing. Future print issues will be sent as self-mailers both to cut costs and to help the environment. Ready to make the switch? Call Maya in the RAPS Office, 503-725-3447. I I
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