5 The RAPS Sheet Summer 2021 Spring election puts new faces on RAPS Board Co-President BRUCE STERN is making a return engagement at the helm of RAPS. A former president who served in 2006-2007, he was elected co-president in the spring election. A professor emeritus of business administration, Stern retired from Portland State in 2003 after a career that included both the Earl Wantland Outstanding Business Professor award and the Branford Price Millar Award. Stern initially became involved with RAPS after attending a few of the monthly programs, eventually becoming president. After his term was up, other activities—including stints at the Oregon Food Bank, PSU Bookstore, Oregon Jewish Museum, and the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center—pulled him away from RAPS. “I attended a few events here and there, but I thought it was in my past,” Stern said. “Then Steve Brennan brought me into the Bridge Group, of which I was a loyal member until the pandemic. I got back into the RAPS programs, and I really enjoyed the people. It’s really about the people.” Stern says that among the challenges that RAPS faces is encouraging people to go to campus for RAPS programs and reaching out to those who recently retired. “People have this image of downtown as not being a safe place,” Stern said. “What they don’t realize is that the problem is farther away (from campus) and the problem is at night. We have to show them that it’s not much different than it was 18 months ago.” Stern believes the key to attracting recent retirees to RAPS is personal contact. A letter alone, he said, won’t do it. “There needs to be some personal contact in addition to a letter,” he pointed out. “Without that personal touch, it’s really hard to reach people.” Stern joins Co-President Pat Squire on the board and succeeds Steve Brennan. He will serve for two years. Members-at-Large CHERYL LIVNEH, who served Portland State for 28 years as a professor of education and as an associate dean of both the Division of Continuing Education and the College of Education, joins the board as a member-at-large. Livneh, who retired in 2015, said fellow education professors Dave Krug and Steve Brannan encouraged her to get involved with RAPS. “I was always interested, but I babysat on Thursdays (when board and general meetings occur) and so it never really worked out for me,” she said. While RAPS didn’t initially work out, Livneh became involved with many other community organizations, including volunteering in Beaverton Public Schools, an environment familiar to her from her days as a middle school English teacher and counselor. “RAPS is the only formal way of keeping connected to the University,” said Livneh, pointing out that many faculty members were deeply involved with PSU during their careers. “It wasn’t just their department or school or college—they were involved in many aspects of the University. RAPS is the main vehicle for maintaining that connection.” Another aspect that draws Livneh to RAPS is the value it puts on preserving Portland State’s history. As a professor, she helped put together a history of the College of Education, resulting in a document of more than 150 pages. If the time and effort isn’t taken to record an organization’s history, she points out, “it will just disappear.” MICHAEL TAYLOR joined the RAPS Board this summer as a member-at-large. A social worker for more than 50 years, Taylor joined the School of Social Work faculty after completing his Ph.D. at Portland State in 2002. Taylor was active in teaching and service across campus, and retired as associate professor of practice emeritus in 2019. “RAPS is an opportunity for retired employees to have a voice,” said Taylor, who was involved with faculty governance and the faculty union during his PSU career, while off campus he was active in the Democratic Party. Many of Taylor’s colleagues, including Eileen Brennan, the History Preservation chair, and her husband, Steve, have been involved with RAPS. It was Steve, the outgoing copresident, who approached Taylor about joining the board. “Connections are important,” he said, “and RAPS provides that opportunity. Without it, your connection to the University just fades away.” Taylor pointed to the proposed redesign of the Park Blocks as among the issues that should spark RAPS members to speak up. The plan, which has drawn opposition from many quarters, would make significant changes to the Park Blocks, which run some 12 blocks north from the Portland State campus. According to an Oregonian story, the city estimates the project would cost up to $47 million.
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