3 PAST TENSE The Early Years: Engineering at PSU anport Extension Center opened in June 1946 in response to the unprecedented demand for higher education following the end of World War II. Nationally, some 15 million veterans received generous scholarships; by 1947, 1.1 million students were enrolled. Vanport was authorized to offer freshman and sophomore-level courses extended from the five state institutions of higher learning. Nearly all the veterans applying to Vanport were interested in three areas: engineering, business administration, and liberal arts. In 1946 Oregon State College was the only school authorized to offer engineering. The Birth of Engineering. The need for some form of departmental organization at Vanport soon became evident, and several departments were organized. The newly created Engineering Department was composed of Eugene Guldemann (head), James Coombs, Carleton Fanger and Ralph Greiling. The average teaching load for full-time faculty in the fall of 1947 was 16.1 credit hours, and the average class size was 38 students. The Columbia River Flood of May 1948 was the game changer in the development of the school and its engineering programs. Although the flood destroyed the campus’s physical plant, it did not alter the determination of loyal students and staff to seek stability and permanence for their fledgling institution. The institution that students humorously characterized as “the college without a future” became “the college that would not die.” Chancellor Paul Packer made no secret of his hope to close “the temporary center” as early as possible. High enrollments and enthusiastic students persuaded the State Board of Higher Education to continue the center for one more year. Accordingly, the 1948-49 academic year was hastily organized on the Oregon Shipyard campus. The move to PSU’s present location in 1952 marked the establishment of a permanent day/night Portland State Extension Center (PSEC). War on the E-Word. The Engineering program was housed in an abandoned, partition-modified Safeway store (see photo above) on the SE corner of SW 6 th and Mill. Later the program occupied the south end of Lincoln Hall’s basement for laboratories and office space. These years marked continued growth in engineering registrations and faculty. Fanger headed the program from 1954-60. Donald Kellas (1953), David Jannsen (1955), Bernard Baumgartner and Casimir Oliszewski (1956), and Nan-Teh Hsu (1958) were recruited to support the rapid growth of the program. The great event for this period was the legislative action in 1955 renaming Portland State Extension Center (PSEC) Portland State College (PSC). The idea was to establish PSC as the fourth regional teacher’s college. By 1958 most students were pursuing General Studies, the only degree authorized other than a B.S. in Teacher Education. This situation led to a faculty drive for degrees in nine majors, including a B.S. in Engineering Science. Political considerations resulted in the engineering program request being altered to a B.S. in Applied Science to ensure the program was “distinct from engineering.” All cont. on page 4 V THEN: "Portland State Center Engineering Building" can just be deciphered on the window in this circa 1952 photo. The Engineering program was located at SW 6th & Mill in an abandoned grocery store. NOW: The Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science on SW 4 th Ave. boasts a beautiful exterior and topnotch teaching and research facilities inside.
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