Alumni Spotlight: Sue Brickey Class of ’77, B.S. in Social Science and History Sue Brickey considered herself the average Portland State University student—a twenty-eight year old female— when she studied social science and history in the 1970s. She found PSU to be very welcoming considering most of the students were non-traditional. From the time she was young, she had wanted to earn a college degree. Prior to PSU, she went to school at a community college on a music scholarship. Transitioning to PSU was convenient since she already worked downtown. She began by taking a few night classes with Charlie White. While at PSU, she considered earning a teaching certificate and also studying geology, but ultimately, she chose social sciences and history, two subjects she is passionate about. Sue studied social sciences for the politics and made her closest friends during a six-month legislative internship in Salem. Throughout this internship, students (about ten total, including Sue) attended legislative sessions and worked directly with a legislator. Political science professor Marko Haggard started the internship and worked with Governor Tom McCall. During her time as an intern, Sue worked with Oregon Public Health and helped with the bills they were introducing. Oregon Public Health passed the motorcycle helmet law during Sue’s internship. She went into healthcare following graduation from PSU and worked for Providence for eighteen years, while some of her fellow interns went into law. Following graduation, Sue spent six years on the alumni board, a memorable experience that included serving as president of the Alumni Association and her involvement with the development of the Urban Plaza. She feels that the Simon Benson House brings more presence/visibility for the alumni association. She helped organize PSU’s 50-year anniversary celebration. She served on a team to interview the new president. In the association, she worked with Pat Squire, the long-time director of the Alumni Association. She believes it’s important to keep alumni involved. She met many of her good friends through the Alumni Association, including Joan Johnson. She was the alumni representative during PSU’s accreditation. Sue fondly remembers the relationship between students and faculty, which was full of a lot of camaraderie. Students and faculty spent time together interacting socially, often at Sue’s favorite location on campus, The Cheerful Tortoise. Her favorite professors were Charlie White, U.S. History professor James Heath, and Mim McKee in Geology. Her secondary interest in geology provided Sue with some of her involvement at PSU outside of her majors. One of her favorite memories is of a two-night geology fieldtrip to the mouth of the Metolius River Sue and her class took. One of the biggest marks Sue left at PSU was a volunteer fundraiser for the geology department. PSU’s geology department had a seismograph on loan that had to be returned. Sue helped organize a fundraiser to buy a new one (just before Mount St. Helen’s blew!) Students examine a seismograph.
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