3 PAST TENSE Judith Ramaley: Portland State’s First Female President udith Ramaley came to Portland State in 1990 but my story actually begins in 1985, a year before the retirement of President Joseph Blumel. I was a member of the search committee charged with finding a replacement for our highly respected leader. Each time our committee met, we found a certain applicant’s file folder on top of the pile. As this candidate, whom I shall call “Candidate X,” was not high on any search committee member’s list, his file would be put at the bottom of the stack and we would continue discussing the merits of the other candidates. At the next meeting of the search committee, we would find Candidate X’s file on top again. From one meeting to the next, his file would have risen miraculously from the bottom to the top. When we realized it wasn’t the hand of God that was causing this miracle but rather the hand of the State Board of Higher Education, we knew we were fighting a losing battle. It did come to pass that Candidate X was chosen by the Board and served the next two years as PSU’s president. It also came to pass that I retired when Joe Blumel did, so I was no longer an active faculty member when the next president was chosen. Roger Edgington served as Interim President from 1988 until 1990, when our next President, Judith Ramaley, was selected. Many of us were convinced that the members of the Board of Higher Education wanted an easily manipulated leader for PSU. Much to their surprise, Judith Ramaley was not what the Board had anticipated. Dr. Ramaley brought to PSU strong leadership which at times clashed with the higher powers that be. Thankfully she prevailed in most cases. In addition to her skills as an administrator, Dr. Ramaley possessed a fine contralto voice and was well trained in vocal music. She was called upon to sing at various PSU functions as well as occasionally with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. After seven years as PSU’s leader (1990-97), Judith went on to become President of the University of Vermont (19972001). From there she joined the National Science Foundation as Director of Education and Human Resources (2001-2004). She served jointly as a Fellow at the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy and as Presidential Professor at the University of Maine (2004-05) before becoming the 14 th President of Winona State University in Winona, MN, a position she has held since 2005. Her presence at PSU is still in evidence. As you drive south on Broadway, the motto she approved for PSU -- “Let knowledge serve the city” – stands out in bold gold letters on the side of the pedestrian overpass. She is also honored on “Portland’s Walk of the Heroines,” the campus garden and walkway near Harrison Hall that recognizes women’s vital contributions to society. --Gordon Solie Editor’s note: Judith announced in her 2011 Christmas letter that she will retire from Winona State University in May 2012 and return to Portland, “the place I have always felt most at home.” 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. RAPS club reports, cont. The book is described on the back cover as follows: Infidel shows the coming of age of this distinguished political superstar and champion of free speech as well as the development of her beliefs, iron will, and extraordinary determination to fight injustice. Raised in a strict Muslim family, Hirsi Ali survived civil war, female mutilation, brutal beatings, adolescence as a devout believer during the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and life in four troubled, unstable countries ruled largely by despots. . . . Under constant threat, demonized by reactionary Islamists and politicians, disowned by her father, and expelled from family and clan, she refuses to be silenced. Ultimately a celebration of triumph over adversity, Hirsi Ali’s story tells how a bright little girl evolves out of dutiful obedience to become an outspoken, pioneering fighter. In February we will discuss Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour along with a presentation by Marge Terdal and Maxine Thomas on their trip to Palestine and Israel. --Mary Brannan J
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