Past Tense The Beginning: Urban Studies at Portland State PSU’s College of Urban and Public Affairs originated with the establishment of the Urban Studies Undergraduate Certificate in 1959 and the Urban Studies Center in 1966, when the institution was Portland State College (PSC). Located in Harder House, both of these programs were directed by Lyndon Musolf in their earliest years. In 1968, PSC was authorized by the State Board to offer the Ph.D. in Urban Studies through the departments of Economics, Political Science, and Sociology, commencing in 1969-70, coinciding with Portland State becoming a university (PSU). The Psychology department joined soon after and founding faculty included Jim Ashbaugh and Dick Lycan (Geography), Chuck Bolton, Leonard Cain, and Jim Weiss (Sociology), Jerry Lansdowne, Lyn Musolf and Dennis West (Political Science) and Morris Weitman and David Wrench (Psychology). The first graduate Urban Studies courses were listed in the PSU Bulletin in 1971 under the Urban Studies Center, with faculty holding joint appointments with the Ph.D. program. Major steps forward that led to the establishment of the College were often accompanied by moves into new quarters across campus. In October of 1972, Nohad Toulan’s hiring to direct the Ph.D. program prompted the urban programs to move from Harder House to Francis Manor. Hiring of new faculty with full-time appointments in the program began. The structure of the Ph.D. program was developed and published in the 1974-75 PSU Bulletin for the first time. After masters programs were added in Urban Studies and Urban Planning in 1974, Toulan became the Dean of the School of Urban Affairs in 1976, with Urban Studies and Planning, Administration of Justice, and Black Studies programs included. The move to East Hall in 1987 allowed co-location of the academic departments and research centers affiliated with the School. The final move to the new Urban Center occurred in 1997 as the School became the College of Urban and Public Affairs, currently comprising the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, the School of Community Health, and the School of Government. The latter School includes the Divisions of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Political Science and Public Administration. Today’s College allows students with interests in urban problems and process to take advantage of the resources of an urban university, offering nine graduate and four undergraduate degree programs and the resources of a number of research centers. Photos (top to bottom) Harder House, Francis Manor, East Hall, and Urban Center -- Nancy J. Chapman, Professor Emerita, Urban Studies 3
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