Here are some brief facts about how PSU is serving more students and improving student services while investing in programs that serve both the region and the state.

Serving more students and improving student services

• Enrollment growth from Fall 1999 to present
  • Fall end of quarter enrollment increased 25% between 1999 and 2002; this percent includes a 43% increase in international students.
• Improved student services
  • PSU implemented a campus-wide, student friendly, electronic advising system to assist students and faculty with advising and supplemented the system with a new comprehensive undergraduate advising handbook.
  • From 1999-2000 to the current award year, 2002-2003, total financial aid awarded increased from $79,032,985 to $103,912,962. This is an increase of 31.5%. In that same period, student applications increased from 17,004 to 23,699 – an increase of 39.4%. Students awarded financial aid increased from 8,987 to 11,589 – an increase of 29%.
• Provide merit and need-based financial aid for students not served by other programs
  • PSU provides approximately $3.8M in tuition assistance through programs that assist Oregon students who otherwise would have been unable to attend graduate and undergraduate programs.
  • Scholarships awarded have grown from $2,344,911 to $4,961,503 (111%).
• Expand life-long learning and professional development
  • In 2000-01, Extended Studies offered workforce development for more than 1100 companies and businesses, 180 governmental agencies, 175 non-profit/human services agencies, 150 PreK-12 school districts, 115 higher education institutions, 40 health-related organizations and 7 arts organizations.
  • Extended Studies offers programs that address life-long learning such as: independent study courses for high school students; bringing international groups to campus for short-term ESL and classes on U.S. culture; opera appreciation for members of the community; Haystack arts and humanities offerings in Cannon Beach and training for Headstart administrators and teachers.
• Expand off campus instruction
  • Since 1999, PSU has tripled the number of courses it offers off campus and enrollment has increased from 8,800 to 22,409 students.
• Increase accelerated degree programs
  • PSU School of Business Administration offers an accelerated business degree at Harmony Center.

Improving the quality of our programs and student learning

• Portland State University ranked nationally in the top ten in three categories in the 2003 edition of US News and World Report, “America’s Best Colleges.” These categories and rankings spotlight academic programs “that really work.” National rankings were: 4th in Service Learning, 7th in Learning Communities, and 8th in Senior Capstones.
• As part of a national initiative for innovative course redesign (supported with $400K from Pew), PSU has been able to accommodate more Spanish 101 students – six sections instead of four – with the same resources. Innovative models are being explored in more than ten other departments.
• The quality of PSU’s programs is reflected in continued and increased support from external funding sources (increase by 10% from 2000-02). Building on areas of excellence:
  • Food Industry Management –The School of Business Administration has established and expanded the Food Industry Leadership Center courses and strong applied research in areas of marketing, human resources, accounting, finance, information systems and strategy; over 230 firms have participated in Center activities.
  • Integrated Circuit (IC) Design and Testing Laboratory – The College of Engineering and Computer Science has developed and expanded the IC Design and Testing Laboratory to become a leading source of information and testing capacity for advanced integrated circuits and works with regional partners.
  • Lake Program – PSU, with the support of the Watershed Enhancement Board and multiple other funding sources, has developed the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs; a series of projects support State and regional efforts, including the study of non-native invasive species and the assessment of overall lake quality in the State.
  • Nanoscience – PSU has a strong cluster of interdisciplinary faculty working in the area of nano-science, supported by the Murdock Foundation ($750K); developing materials and methods to work at a molecular level, their work has implications for the next revolution in computers, materials and innovative manufacturing processes with patents pending and filed. This science has great potential for the commercial marketplace and economic growth in the region.
  • Life in extreme environments – PSU has nearly doubled the number of faculty working in this exciting area where discovering and understanding of new organisms have great potential for the field of biotechnology. With support from the Keck Foundation ($880K), PSU developed a novel set of mobile field equipment that allows the study of organisms in their extreme environments.

Investing in programs that serve the region and the state

• Expanded programs that meet labor market demands and targets (engineering, education, social work, and multimedia/graphic arts)
  • Increased the number of graphic design students to 450 majors and revised the curriculum to meet workforce demands.
  • Social Work is offering the Distance Graduate Education Option MSW with a focus on child welfare in Pendleton and Ashland.
  • The Graduate School of Education is meeting three areas of critical need: added a science/math cohort that will result in 25 additional secondary math and/or science teachers in Fall 2003; recommended 20 bilingual teachers for licensure; and continue to increase the number of special educators.
  • The College of Engineering and Computer Science offers courses in Washington County designed to match the working schedules of technicians and other employed degree seeking students.
  • The School of Business Administration offers the Masters of Science in Financial Analysis in 2000 to meet the Oregon requirement for accountants to have 5 years of education to become a CPA.
  • The School of Business Administration, with Extended Studies, launched the eMBA which allows place-bound students and traveling professionals to complete the majority of their MBA studies online.
  • The School of Business Administration offers the Master’s of International Management addressing the training needs of international and American students desiring work in areas of international business.
  • The College of Urban and Public Affairs offers an intensive program – the Legacy Program – for senior public officials facilitated by former Governor Barbara Roberts.
  • The College of Urban and Public Affairs offers two-year leadership programs for the Portland and Walla Walla Districts of the Army Corps of Engineers and public safety officials.
  • The College of UPA has doubled the number of the Community Development majors over the last three years, enabling graduates to contribute to community and economic development.
• Expand service learning and internship programs
  • PSU was recently awarded three additional national awards for community-based learning: the 2002 Theodore M. Hesburgh Award Certificate of Excellence for Enhancing Undergraduate Teaching and Learning; the first ever Corporation for National and Community Service: Higher Education Award for Leadership in National Service; and the 2002 Urban Impact Award given by the Council of the Great City Schools and The Council of the Great City Colleges of Education.
  • Annually PSU offers over 400 community-based learning courses, works with more than 400 community partners, and places more than 6500 students in community-university partnerships each year.
• Develop collaborative programs with community colleges
  • PSU agreements with community college partners for co-admission have increased from 160 students in 1999-2000 to 577 students in 2001-02.
• Deliver University Studies programs in the high schools
  • PSU’s began offering the freshman level of its general education program, University Studies, at Grant H.S. in Portland and Westview H.S. in Beaverton in the late 90’s; in 2001, PSU added offerings at Vocational Village (an alternative Portland high school); and in 2002, added offerings at Jefferson H.S. in Portland.