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Reardon elected as new provost Provost Michael F. Reardon is a true PSU veteran. And he knows it. "I've been here a long time," Reardon said. "I know how PSU has developed over the past 27 years. I understand the structure of the ad­ ministration and I know the faculty pretty well," he said. A provost screening committee was appointed last year to identify acceptable applicants for the provost position. In consultation with President Judith A. Ramaley and the original search committee,the screening committee, which began in October 1991 to pinpoint a pool of candidates, identified eight semifinalists, from which the four finalists were selected. Reardon was appointed as provost by Rama­ ley on May 7, beating out the other three finalists who participated in PSU's national provost search. The only regret Reardon said he had about undertaking the provost's position at this time was Oregon's dismal budgetary clime. "These are the worst moments in history for Portland State," Rear­ don said, adding that Oregon's required budget reduction process was detrimental to universities statewide, but especially to PSU. "This is a disastrous process we have been asked to undertake. It is detrimental to students, faculty and Portland State at large," he said. PSU has to immediately address how it will gear its academic cul-- ture, Reardon said. He suggests that PSU should concentrate on clear­ ly defining academic programs and deal with the budget strains, si­ multaneously. , "We are a metropolitan area university and we have to be daring, aggressive and determined in providing the pertinent programs," Rear­ don said. "In order to better market PSU, we have to stop being diffident. We^ need to learn and understand the motivations of the students," he said. "We haven't done that,"he added." Reardon began his career at PSU in 1964 as an instructor of history, a position he held till 1973. He held the position of department chair, history from 1975 to 1979. In 1977 he became the director of the Uni­ versity's Honors Program. In all this time at PSU, Reardon said he has learned a lot about PSU students. "PSU's student body is one of the most interesting and fascinating student bodies," Reardon said. "The fact that Portland State students come from so many different backgrounds makes the student body such an interesting and diverse one," he said. "That is one of the uni­ versity's strengths." The experience and creativity of the faculty was another of PSU's many strengths, Reardon said. "We have a very good faculty, especially those faculty members hired in the last six or seven years," Reardon said. "They are very imaginative and creative and they have been able to redirect the institution in a way which will be critical in the next ten years," he said. "They have added a new vitality." The combination of the students and faculty has made PSU an in­ credibly resilient institution, Reardon said. "No matter what happens with the budget cuts, the population in Oregon is going to continue to grow. Any rational policy has to agree that when a metropolitan area such as Portland grows, the chief edu­ cational institution in the area has to grow with it," Reardon said. Reardon's duties as provost will not be very different from those of vice provost for Academic Affairs, the position Reardon held from 1987 till his present appointment. "The provost is the chief administrative officer who oversees aca­ demic programs," Reardon said, explaining his new job. "In effect, the office facilitates the development and delivery of the curriculum. That's the immediate impact the position has on students," Reardon said. • Reardon received a Bachelor of science in international relations from Georgetown University in 1960 and Master of Arts and doctor­ ate degrees both in history from Indiana University in 1961 and 1965 respectively. Rearrjdn received the Mosser Award for Excellence in Undergradu­ ate Teaching in 1966 and the George Hoffman Award for Faculty Ex­ cellence in 1983. —Zurain Imam 76