Oregon’s public universities are at a tipping point

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It’s my favorite time of year. The trees are just starting to turn color on the Park Blocks, the mornings are crisp, and thousands of students are getting ready to start classes at Portland State University. As I begin my ninth and final academic year as PSU president, I would like to take stock of what this ritual parade of books, backpacks and brainpower really means for our state and our city.

First, and most obvious, is the incalculable opportunity that comes with a college degree. Rising tuition costs, prompted by steep drops in state support, have left the misimpression that a college education has become restricted to the privileged class. Not so.

At PSU, 39 percent of our 29,000 students come from low-income families. Roughly one out of every three entering freshmen is the first in their family ever to attend college. Nearly 40 percent of our incoming freshmen are students of color. They come with help from PELL grants, state financial aid, family members and other sources, including student loans. These students and their families, many of whom are making tremendous sacrifices, know better than anyone that college is their ladder to a successful career.

They and their classmates represent the economic, cultural and civic future of Portland and Oregon. The vast majority, 80 percent, will remain in the area after graduation to join the workforce, start new companies, teach our school children, raise families and become part of the social fabric of this wonderful place. Local companies and organizations, from Intel to OHSU, hire more graduates from PSU than from any other college.

Oregon’s universities are not isolated bubbles of learning and academia. At PSU, we require all students to spend time in the community working on projects or working as interns in businesses, schools, nonprofits or government organizations. They gain invaluable experience, and we as a region benefit from their sweat equity. On a yearly basis, our students put in an estimated 1.1 million volunteer hours, which translates to $26.8 million in value to the community. That’s truly how, as our motto says, we “let knowledge serve the city.”

As PSU has grown on Portland’s south Park Blocks, we have established ourselves as an essential partner in the region’s economy. Not only are we educating future leaders, we also are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars annually into local coffers. Our faculty brings in more than $66 million a year in federal research dollars. And while 78 percent of our students are Oregonians, we educate thousands of out-of-state and international students, who spend an estimated $241.5 million a year locally.

All told, economists peg PSU’s impact at around $1.4 billion a year. Add in the contributions made by the University of Oregon, Oregon State and the four regional universities and it’s impossible to deny the positive difference we are making in Oregon.

In my time here, we have done all we can to shore up PSU’s financial strength: We tripled private fund-raising; we struck a $25 million development deal with the city to modernize our campus; we forged a coalition with local businesses to raise local revenue for scholarships and student support. We also have worked hard to keep costs down to the point where PSU now charges the second lowest tuition and fees among all the public universities in the state.

I believe, however, that Oregon has come to a tipping point. If we return to our historic pattern of cutting state higher education funding, we will have to raise tuition to the point where we will price out the very students who need us most. They will suffer, our universities will suffer and, ultimately, Oregon will suffer from this loss of human potential.

Other states have concluded, wisely, that healthy funding of their universities is not a subsidy but an investment in a better future. It is my deepest hope, as I prepare to leave the president’s office at PSU, that Oregon makes the same decision.

My wife, Alice, and I have grown to love this state, this city and especially this university. After taking a sabbatical in 2017, I will return as a member of the PSU faculty in the College of Urban and Public Affairs. There, I will work to ensure that Portland State and Oregon’s public universities attain even higher levels of excellence.

 

Note: This first appeared in The Oregonian, Sunday, Sept. 11

Stepping down

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Colleagues and friends,

It is with mixed emotions that I’m announcing that this coming academic year will be my last one as PSU president. By next summer, I will be 67 years old and will have served nine years, and I want to have time to pursue some other interests.

It’s been a tremendous honor and pleasure to work with so many of you to make PSU one of the nation’s leading urban universities, one that truly lives up to our motto of “Let Knowledge Serve the City.” I can think of no other place that takes its mission of providing opportunity and access to excellence, through deep engagement with its region, as seriously as we do.

Many challenges as well as opportunities for future growth and excellence remain, but I am grateful for all that we have been able to accomplish together.

The work of faculty and staff is at the core of what makes a university great, and I am continually impressed by their dedication to our students. And it has been an enormous pleasure to watch our students succeed in the classroom and in the community.

Critical also has been the leadership of the executive committee; the deans; the Board of Trustees and the boards of the PSU Foundation and the Alumni Association. And we could not have done it without the support of our many donors, friends and colleagues.

I am confident that with all this great work, PSU will continue to do well in the future. Some of the highlights of the past eight years include:

• Enrollment growth to over 29,000 students.
• Doubling the number of Latino students, and raising retention and graduation rate of Latino students equal to or exceeding that of non‐Latino white students.
• Clear recognition of PSU as one of the “big three” universities in Oregon and an anchor institution for metro Portland.
• Establishing PSU’s own Board of Trustees and independence from the Oregon University System.
• Completing or starting $572 million in major construction projects, involving ten buildings with 1.85 million square feet of space
• Annual growth in externally funded research from $40 million to more than $65 million.
• Annual growth in philanthropy from $12 million to more than $30 million.
• Received PSU’s largest gift, $25 million from the Miller Foundation, making PSU a national leader in sustainability.
• Creating dozens of online courses and student‐focused technology applications through reTHINK PSU.
• Establishing the OHSU‐PSU School of Public Health.
• Developing an urban renewal agreement with the city of Portland that generates more than $25 million for PSU.
• Establishing a College Affordability and Success Coalition that will generate $25 million per year for PSU.
• Completing the most participatory strategic plan ever, reaffirming our commitment to “Let Knowledge Serve the City.”
• Appointing PSU’s first Vice President for Global Diversity and Inclusion, and establishing dedicated spaces for Latino, African‐American/Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander students.
• Developing strong partnership agreements with OHSU, PGE, the City of Portland, and others.
• Helping to establish All Hands Raised, a cradle‐to‐career collaborative for Multnomah County.
• Recognition by U.S. News & World Report of PSU as one of the nation’s 20 most innovative universities, as well as other top rankings for specific academic programs and sustainability.

These, and many other accomplishments, are those of the entire institution. Certainly more will be added in the future.

During my final year, I will focus on implementation of our strategic plan and on increasing revenue through the College Affordability and Success Coalition and from the Legislature and philanthropy. I will work with the Board of Trustees to ensure a smooth transition and after a sabbatical, I will return part‐time as a professor.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their hard work and support during these years. Last but not least I want to acknowledge my wife Alice, whose contributions as “first lady” have been greater than anyone will ever know and without whom I would not have lasted nine years.

Go Viks!

Divestment proposal is divisive, ill-informed

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The Associated Students of Portland State University International Affairs Committee introduced a resolution to student government on May 23 calling for PSU to divest from companies doing business with the Israeli military. The resolution follows a recommendation from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which was started in 2005 by pro-Palestinian organizations seeking international pressure on Israel to end settlements in occupied territories and other measures. The BDS resolution calls for divestment from companies such as Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard.

As President, I support the right of students to express political, economic and social opinions. In this case, however, I think the resolution is divisive and ill-informed.

As an initial matter, it is important to note that Portland State University does not directly invest its funds. We are one of six Oregon public universities whose funds are deposited in the Public University Fund managed by the Oregon State Treasurer, who is prohibited by law from holding any equity investments. Thus, the resolution has no practical effect and is intended as a political statement.

More importantly, I do not support this resolution because I am concerned by the divisiveness and tenor of the conversation that has taken us to this place. There is no question that members of the PSU community have divergent views about Israel, Palestine and the Middle East in general. Robust debate is central to the educational mission of a public university. So it is not clear why the ASPSU International Affairs Committee feels it is appropriate to dictate an opinion about the policies of one nation when there are multiple governments and corporations whose policies and practices we may disagree with.

We are responsible for respecting the rights of all members of our campus community. The tone and tenor of the BDS movement has made members of our community feel unsafe and unwelcome at PSU, and it is not acceptable to marginalize or scapegoat them. Anti-Semitism cannot and will not be tolerated on our campus.

We place a high value on the cultures, religions and political views that make up the rich mosaic of our community. I believe this resolution would divide us at a time when we are striving to nurture our diverse and inclusive campus environment.

A response to The Oregonian’s editorial board

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Note: This is an op-ed I wrote with PSU Foundation Board Chair Mark Rosenbaum in response to a particularly harsh editorial in The Oregonian.

By Wim Wiewel and Mark Rosenbaum

We at Portland State University are puzzled by today’s editorial in The Oregonian that describes the pledge by local business leaders to help raise millions for PSU students as a “disaster.”

Really? Our current and future students and their families across the metro area use words like “enthusiastic” and “excited” to describe the prospect of more than $25 million a year going toward scholarships and student support such as advising and hiring faculty.

Strangely, the Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board dismisses such student benefits as “incidental.” With 70 percent of our 28,000 students dependent on financial aid to attend college, the benefits of this new college affordability coalition between PSU and business leaders should be obvious.

Many are unaware that students at PSU have greater need than their counterparts at University of Oregon and Oregon State not only because of their finances but also because PSU receives about $5,000 less per student. The disparity is driven primarily by PSU’s lower undergraduate tuition and our urban campus that draws far more metro students than out-of-state students who pay higher tuition.

Let’s be clear: We proposed a metro business tax because chronic underfunding of higher education by the state has resulted in increases in tuition, student debt and the number of students who can’t afford PSU or drop out for financial reasons. We need a long-term solution to reverse this trend.

The Portland Business Alliance recognizes our need but opposed the tax. Rather than wage an expensive and confrontational campaign, we have come together to develop an alternative that not only will support PSU but help forge deeper connections between us and the PBA’s 1,850 big and small companies in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark counties.

That’s an unprecedented breakthrough that ought to be applauded by The Oregonian, as it is by political and community leaders. This is how metro Portland moves forward, in contrast to gridlock in Washington, D.C., and a campaign year already characterized by cynical attack ads and hostile rhetoric.

We recognize that this is just the beginning of what will be a long process to determine how the money will be raised. Business leaders have identified potential sources as philanthropy, a new state funding allocation based on need and an alternative regional tax. Raising $25 million a year is an ambitious goal, and it will take an ambitious partnership to get there.

Greg Ness, president and CEO of The Standard and chair of the Oregon Business Council, who will co-chair the affordability coalition, summed up the significance of the agreement: “The collective human and financial resources of all of us are better put to use solving this problem rather than engaging in a damaging and divisive political campaign.”

That makes sense. Metro business leaders depend on us to produce skilled graduates for their success. PSU generated $1.44 billion into the local economy last year. More than 100,000 PSU alumni live and work in the metro area. They are scientists and engineers at Intel, designers at Nike, physicians and nurses at OHSU, teachers in metro schools, tech startup innovators and small business owners.

From a personal standpoint, both of us have worked for years to build public support and increase private giving for PSU. We welcome the challenge of working for another year or two with business to make this commitment a reality. Our students and our community depend on it.

New coalition to raise millions for PSU

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I am pleased to announce that Portland State University and regional business leaders have joined ranks to raise millions of dollars annually for PSU scholarships and student success measures.

We have formed the College Affordability and Success Coalition, which I will co-chair along with Greg Ness, chairman, president and CEO of The Standard. Working together, Greg, I and other Coalition members will develop a plan to raise a minimum of $25 million a year dedicated to need-based scholarships and other forms of student support.

This agreement is an important breakthrough for the university and the region. A citizens group had begun gathering signatures for a metro area business tax that would have raised money for the same purpose. Because of this agreement, the committee is suspending the campaign to focus on this new initiative.

Chronic underfunding of higher education by the state has resulted in tuition increases, more student debt and a growing number of students who either can’t afford to attend PSU or drop out for financial reasons. We need a long-term solution, and today is a step toward that goal.

The Coalition is made up of prominent business leaders from the Portland region and University supporters. Please join me in supporting the Coalition and this effort to make college affordable to more local students.

Task forces being formed for two new cultural centers

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Last week, I sent an all-campus email detailing the action steps that PSU is taking to enhance student cultural and academic support. Those include establishing two separate task forces to assess the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in serving PSU’s African American/Black/African students and Asian American/Asian/Pacific Islander students.

The two task forces will guide university leadership by focusing on key areas such as academic offerings, student and faculty recruitment and retention, improving campus and community support and developing the two planned cultural resource centers for these student populations.

I and John Fraire, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, would like to invite student, faculty and staff to participate in these task forces. If you are interested, have questions or wish to nominate a member of the PSU community, please email the Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs at emsatf@pdx.edu

Tough but necessary decision on tuition hike

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The PSU Board of Trustees last week approved a tuition and fee increase for next year. While it troubles me as much as anyone that the cost of higher education continues to rise, it’s helpful to put this latest increase in perspective.

The increase, 3.77 percent for resident undergraduates, is necessary to balance PSU’s budget in the face of rising costs, including additional staff and operating costs, salaries and benefits – traditional cost drivers at any university. Without an increase, we would be looking at budget cuts of nearly $6 million. Cuts of that size obviously would be painful and hurt our goal of increasing student success.

PSU has worked hard to keep tuition hikes reasonable. Since 2011, resident undergraduate tuition has increased by an average of 2.2 percent annually. The cost of attending most other public universities in Oregon has been going up more. With our new tuition rates, only Eastern Oregon University is lower.

Nonetheless, the continued escalation is bound to have an impact on the ability of Oregonians to go to college and get a degree. That is why our new strategic plan calls on us to find innovative and strategic new ways to contain costs and raise revenue.

Measures include the streamlining of processes developed as part of reTHINK PSU; the comprehensive fundraising campaign; and our continued advocacy with the Legislature and Higher Education Coordinating Committee.

We will keep you informed on all these efforts and welcome other suggestions.

We’re all in this together

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Oregon’s public universities are as together as we’ve ever been in our effort to bolster state investment in higher education. This was made clear Thursday, when several hundred students, staff, faculty and alumni from all seven campuses turned out at the Capitol for a show of force and unity.

We spent the day meeting with lawmakers, thanking them for last year’s funding boost and pressing the case that we’re still running behind much of the nation in state support. I can’t say whether we changed any minds, but we made sure that Portland State and the other universities aren’t forgotten this session.

The Legislature is meeting for its every-other-year short session — a 35-day sprint to pass new laws and adjust the two-year budget. Public universities are seeking $15 million in additional funding targeted to juniors and seniors who are doing fine academically but are in danger of dropping out for financial or other reasons. We also are asking for some relatively small capital improvement projects, and an extension of tax credits for the University Venture Development Fund. Finally, we’re asking the legislature to refer a constitutional amendment that would allow public universities to invest some of their funds.

Students, as always, make the best spokespeople for our cause. In one meeting I attended, several PSU students talked to Rep. Margaret Doherty, a Portland Democrat (and PSU alum) and talked about overcoming economic and cultural odds to attend college. They also talked to aides for Sen. Ginny Burdick and Rep. Jennifer Williamson.

One student, Trhona Johnson, said she grew up in a low-income family and “thought college wasn’t possible.” With help from high school and PSU advisors, she enrolled and is now a junior, working toward a degree in social work. Extra funding provided by the Legislature last year has made it easier for her to get the advising and counseling she needs to stay on track to graduate, she told Doherty.

It was one of many messages that resonated Thursday at the Legislature.

Our creative, crazy busy PSU alumni

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Recently, I invited PSU alumni to become more vocal advocates for their alma mater. I also asked them to share stories of what they were up to. Nearly 700 have responded so far, and their accounts of life after college have been a pleasure to read.

Our alumni are doing very well. They have started businesses, they’re teaching, they’re getting doctorates, they’re helping people with disabilities, they’re making movies, captaining ships and piloting airplanes.

They work for Nike, Intel, Boeing, Google, Sony, Nikon, Cambia Health, city of Portland, Washington County, Multnomah County, the FBI, the White House and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe tribe, to name just a handful. The list underscores the myriad opportunities out there for graduates, and just how valuable a Portland State degree has become.

They are a creative bunch.

“I recently retired from the motion picture business,” wrote one. “I’m now a professional fused glass artist.” He went on to note that one of his pieces had been acquired by the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles.

“I hope you will be hearing about my novel in the future,” wrote another. Another is “revitalizing and preserving indigenous languages.”

Former PSU President Natale Sicuro wrote to say he is enjoying retirement and golf in Palm Desert, Calif. Another alum wrote that she has returned to Oregon after living in Greece and volunteering with the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles.

I’ll close with one of my favorites:

“I am currently the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Operations for the Seattle Storm, one of 12 WNBA teams in the world. Our purpose is to prove that achievement has no gender. We seek to not only show the world what’s possible but to change what’s possible. I am a PSU grad, and I am fearless.”

Autonomy has been good for PSU

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A classic line from political campaigns is: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? As we enter a new year, let’s apply that to Portland State. Are we better off now than we were a year ago? Two years ago?

The answer, without doubt, is yes. And one of the main reasons is our newfound autonomy, embodied in our Board of Trustees.

Start with PSU’s finances. Under the old system, we and the other public universities fell under the governance of the Oregon University System and were not allowed to lobby state lawmakers for better funding once the governor produced a budget. During the 2015 legislative session, however, those restrictions did not apply. This allowed all of us – presidents, board members, faculty, staff and students from all seven universities – to persuade the budget-writers to provide $700 million in state funding for the seven public universities. That figure is significantly higher than the governor’s recommendation, and it ended many years of state disinvestment in higher education.

This dividend alone far exceeds the costs of independence. It is just one example of how our ability to self-govern has strengthened PSU.

The board – volunteers appointed by the governor – made some tough decisions in its first 18 months: a tuition increase and sworn campus police among them. While there have been some protests and acrimony about these issues, in the past there would not even have been a PSU-specific forum for debate. This board is uniquely committed to ensuring the long-term success of PSU.

With greater independence comes greater responsibility, which is one reason PSU supporters and the Board of Trustees are discussing a possible Metro-area measure to raise revenue for scholarships and other student support. This discussion would not have been possible under the old system of governance. The board also was closely involved in designing our new five-year strategic plan, which focuses on student success, excellence, equity, community engagement, and innovation.

Last but not least, board members have been personally extraordinarily generous to PSU. Their lifetime giving totals $36.2 million, which has gone to student scholarships, faculty endowments and capital projects.
There’s no doubt in my mind–autonomy and having our own Board have made PSU much better off than we were before.