Sufficient physical resources, particularly instructional facilities, are designed, maintained, and managed (at both on- and off-campus sites) to achieve the institution's mission and goals.
Available Space
The Portland State University campus incorporates over 50 buildings and encompasses 4.5 million square feet of space. Portland State currently has sufficient and appropriate facilities for class offerings and related support operations, although the amount of space at the present time is extremely tight. Portland State has been able to maintain all of its class offerings, in part through aggressive efforts to offer class sections in late night and weekend times. The University has also worked hard to optimize the scheduled use of all possible instructional spaces and encourages the adoption of alternative instructional modes (such as WebCT). This scheduling effort is primarily coordinated through the Office of Admissions and Records. Portland State maximizes the use of all possible classroom space by organizing instructional spaces into two general classifications: assigned to the individual departments (departmental pool), and to the general university pool.
Departmental pool instructional spaces are scheduled by departments, and generally include all specialized laboratory, shop, and studio spaces, and a portion of generic classrooms and seminar rooms. Utilization and sufficiency of the equipment within the spaces is dependent on courses offered by individual departments, but every effort is made to ensure the spaces are used as efficiently as possible. In Fall 2004, each classroom at Portland State averaged about 29 hours of scheduled occupancy per week. The general pool of instructional spaces is directly overseen by the scheduling coordinator in Admissions, Records and Registration.
Space Allocation
The activity of the Portland State Space Committee is an important additional component of the optimization of space utilization. The Space Committee provides a campus wide perspective for allocation of education and general spaces for academic and administrative uses. The committee generally meets monthly to discuss routine issues and plan for future needs. A published overview of instructional facilities at Portland State provides comprehensive information about the number and characteristics of instructional facilities at Portland State, including square footage, networking, and audiovisual capabilities.
Planning for Space Needs
The University has established a Space Needs Advisory Committee (SNAC), which reviews institutional plans for enrollment and research growth over the next several years and associated projected space needs. Members of the committee were appointed by the deans and the Provost to represent each of the University’s academic and service units. In its 2004 Report, SNAC recommended a planning process to consider both the needs of the core campus as well as the remote learning sites that may become more important to operations in the future.
Adequacy of Support Facilities
Portland State facilities are furnished adequately for supporting work, study, and research by students, faculty, and staff. Although office and similar support spaces are presently at a premium, careful allocation, reevaluation, and reallocation of spaces has generally kept pace with the growth in student population and course offerings.
The collective bargaining agreement between Portland State and the American Association of University Professors (Article 24, p. 30-32) includes a formal mechanism for defining workspace for faculty. The Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Budget collects information to establish that contract requirements are met, and reports annually on this subject to the faculty union.
Transportation
As an urban campus, Portland State is ideally situated to take advantage of Portland’s mass-transit infrastructure. The regional transportation system (TriMet) has a centralized downtown bus mall that funnels directly through the Portland State campus, providing convenient access from all parts of the metropolitan region. The Portland Streetcar, completed in 2003, crosses the campus on a separate route that connects the campus directly to other downtown areas and to the residential and shopping districts in Northwest Portland. In March 2005, the streetcar was extended to the River District in the opposite direction, providing another convenient connection to surrounding neighborhoods.
Plans to extend the streetcar line to the North Macadam area will connect to a major redevelopment district that includes new facilities (currently being developed) by Oregon Health & Science University. The district is being considered for potential growth by Portland State.
Portland State is committed to transit accessibility for students, faculty, and staff, offering discounted transit passes as well as subsidized participation in a local Flex Car (rent by the hour) system. The University also offers convenient bicycle access, parking, and storage.
In the past ten years, Portland State has added 770 parking spaces and built an addition to Parking Structure Three. Since many students, faculty, staff and visitors drive to the campus, parking will remain in very tight supply as Portland State continues to grow. Campus parking is constrained by the cost and lack of space for building new parking structures. The variety of transportation modes readily available to those coming to Portland State is key to partially modulating the parking demands on the campus.
Classroom Technology & Audio Visual Services
Since 1995, substantial investment has been made in upgrading audiovisual facilities and equipment, and greatly expanding the number of classrooms offering computer networking and Internet access. Classroom and student computer lab expansion and upgrading are guided by the campus strategic plan for information technology through the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Advisory Committee on Academic Information Technologies (ACAIT). Improvements in classroom technology have been achieved through accommodation of new classrooms and recently built facilities, as well as significant retrofit upgrades of older buildings.
Management, Maintenance, and Operations
Portland State Facilities and Planning centrally manages, maintains, and operates the instructional facilities. Maintenance services include building security systems, electrical, carpentry, painting, landscaping, and systems services. Among other recent innovations, the director has introduced a new philosophy to bring outsourced dollars back in-house.
In 2003, an independent facilities management evaluation was conducted for Portland State at the request of the facilities director. Facilities and Planning was examined with respect to the clarity and adequacy of its leadership, strategic and operational planning, customer satisfaction, information analysis, development and management of human resources, process management, and performance results.
Evaluators conducted interviews and heard a strong message of support in satisfaction with services provided by facilities staff, particularly in light of serious budget constraints. Respondents often spoke of dissatisfaction with the condition of the facilities, but these problems were attributed primarily to the lack of maintenance funding, rather than to the performance of the Facilities and Planning team.
The evaluation report makes a number of recommendations, including the following key findings:
- The staff is highly motivated and productive, taking pride in competent completion of duties.
- Staff positions are properly classified and allocated in adequate numbers to meet the standards for the accepted quality of service.
- Cleanliness of the buildings is in keeping with the image of the institution and the activities associated with the mission and program.
Health, Safety and Disability Access
Portland State policy aims to protect the health and safety of employees, students and visitors. Management and operation of health and safety services are coordinated through Portland State Facilities and Planning, and Occupational Health and Safety/Environmental Services. A Campus Safety Committee meets monthly to monitor issues surrounding campus safety, advise campus administration, and recommend improvements.
The Facilities and Planning management evaluation found that “safety policies and procedures have been established, written, and communicated to staff,” and that “accident records are maintained and used to reduce accidents and identify tasks for special attention.”
Access for the physically disabled is given due regard in Portland State construction and maintenance. There are isolated accessibility problems scattered around campus in older buildings, but a concerted and ongoing effort is bringing all buildings into full compliance with relevant facility access regulations. Information on policies, programs, and progress in this area are available at the following links.
Off-campus Program Facilities
Portland State offers most of its instructional programs on the main downtown campus. Programs offered off-campus are delivered at physical facilities appropriate to the offered programs, as documented at the following links.
In addition, Portland State operates the Salem Center in Oregon’s state capital. The Salem Center is located on the Chemeketa Community College campus in northeast Salem, and houses a number of degree and nondegree programs. The two largest programs based at the center are the undergraduate degree completion program and the Child Welfare Partnership training program, which provides new worker training for state child-welfare professionals and ongoing training for licensed foster and adoptive parents.
Other administrative offices and classrooms that meet appropriate standards are located on or near local community college campuses, including Mt. Hood Community College, Clackamas Community College, and the Capital Center near Portland Community College–Rock Creek. A new off-campus facility still under development is the former David Evans Building, acquired by Portland State in July 2004. The University is working with the Portland Development Commission, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Medical Center, and Oregon Economic and Community Development to create a business-acceleration center for start-up companies. Portland State is leasing the 38,000-square-foot office building, approximately a mile south of Portland State, at a discounted rate with an option to buy during the next few years.
Expansion and Development
The past decade has been a period of substantial accomplishments for Portland State in the area of instructional support facilities. A critical shortage of classroom space has been countered by an almost 100% expansion of classroom space on campus in the last 10 years. In 1994, Portland State had 76,400 sq. ft. of classroom/seminar room space. By Fall 2004, that figure had almost doubled to 144,600 sq. ft. In the same period, undergraduate class laboratory space increased from 39,900 sq. ft. to 76, 250 sq ft. Expansion has also improved the quality of the classrooms, and their equipment and networking. Although challenges remain with respect to adequacy of classroom space, there has been dramatic improvement.
Other major physical construction projects in the past decade include the following.
- Construction of Hoffman Hall (1996), a 9,600 sq. ft. modern auditorium and large-classroom space.
- Acquisition of 144,000 sq. ft of office, laboratory, and classroom space in the Fourth Avenue Building (1997), for use by the departments of computer science in electrical engineering as well as the administration of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
- Major renovations to the Peter Stott Center for sports and physical education.
- Redesign of space in Millar Library (discussed under Standard 5).
- Urban Center, housing the College of Urban and Public Affairs (opened Spring 2000).
- Redesign and reuse of East Hall after the transfer of the College of Urban and Public Affairs to the Urban Center (2000).
- Construction of the 10,600 sq. ft. Native American Student & Community Center (2001).
- Acquisition and renovation of a 26,600 sq. ft. building on Fifth Avenue that now houses the Art Department, freeing up space in Neuberger Hall (2001).
- Seismic upgrade of the Smith Memorial Student Union (2001).
- Asbestos removal in Cramer and Neuberger halls and the Smith Memorial Student Union (1999-2002).
- Substantial renovation of PCAT building when Computer Science relocated, creating new offices and classrooms (2003).
- Renovation of the Helen Gordon Center for Childhood Development in 2003-2004, including the elimination of lead paint problems, and the addition of over 14,000 sq. ft. of new space.
- Seismic renovation of Parking Structure 3, and the addition of two more floors and 100,000 sq. ft. of parking space (2003).
- Major upgrade in facilities for the Center for Student Health and Counseling Services, including 18,500 sq. ft. for health services in the renovated University Center Building (2003), along with 970 sq. ft. for a new dental clinic (2004).
Creative Community Development
New construction reflects high architectural standards and is well received in the community, as observed during group discussions at the Fall 2004 symposium. The conception, construction and development of the 133,000 sq. ft. Portland State Urban Center in the late 1990s has been widely hailed as a paradigm of successful expansion that leveraged community partnerships to achieve an extraordinarily attractive and functional facility. The Urban Center brings architectural distinction to the campus, and creates valuable public space with a distinctive plaza crossed by Portland’s new streetcar system.
The new engineering building, now under construction on Fourth Avenue, resulted from the combination of University dedication to securing public funding as well as a determined effort in philanthropy, culminating in a multi-million dollar donation from an alumnus benefactor in the high-tech industry.
The Urban Center, the Native American Student and Community Center, and the Epler and Broadway housing structures are examples of the highly creative expansion of the campus in the city’s University District, despite tight constraints on financial resources. These buildings, as well as the Fourth Avenue Building and the new Engineering Building (under construction), were made possible by creative and often highly leveraged relationships and partnerships with the Portland community, including the City of Portland, the state, tribal governments, the federal government, individual donations, and the Portland State Foundation. Portland State has also exploited opportunities for facilities acquisition through donors and other community partners, as in the acquisition of the David Evans building as essentially a charitable donation.
Research Facilities
During recent years, Portland State has substantially improved the amount and quality of laboratory and other research-dedicated facilities. There has been a concerted effort to continuously re-evaluate the use of space in existing buildings, then reassign underutilized spaces and renovate them to support new areas of funded research. This procedure has resulted in an improvement in capacity to conduct top-quality research and attract new faculty researchers, and has facilitated rapidly growing levels of external research funding.
Campus Residence
Portland State’s success in developing a more residential campus has dramatically changed the physical landscape of the campus community. Ten years ago, minimal housing existed on campus. Now, a range of housing options include the Stephen E. Epler Hall (opened in 2003) with 64,000 sq. ft., and the Broadway Housing Building (opened in 2005) with 212,000 sq. ft., which together provide 513 apartments for students in the heart of the campus. The development of residential life diversifies the student body and expands capacity to support international students, community connections, and alumni relationships. New developments such as the Broadway Housing also include classroom spaces and commercial space, integrating campus housing with other campus services.
Sustainable and Green Development
New construction at Portland State also reflects the University’s commitment to fostering sustainable and “green” development, including an energy management plan, green-roof construction, and recycling programs. Epler Hall recently received the silver LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Engineering Design) rating. The Broadway Housing Building was designed to meet silver standards, and certification is pending. The new engineering building will be built to LEED silver standards. The Native American Center has several environmentally-friendly features, but is not a LEED certified building.
In addition to green building and deconstruction efforts, Portland State has initiated a number of efforts designed to reduce its overall resource usage. Sustainability requirements are integrated into food services and janitorial contracts. An innovative Resource Management contract, now in its second year, provides incentives to vendors for helping reduce the overall waste stream, and to identify markets for recyclable materials produced at Portland State. The model contract is used by a number of other institutions in the region.
Portland State Recycles has established itself over the past three years. Recycling containers are available in all offices, in the residence halls, and in many common areas on campus. The recycling rate for total waste in 2004-2005 (so far) is 32%, up from 26% the previous year. In an 18-month period beginning July 2003, Portland State recycled 695.4 tons of paper, 53.44 tons of PTAG (paper, tin, aluminum, glass), and 269.55 tons of other recyclables (motor oil, batteries, toner cartridges, etc.), for a total of 1018.39 tons or 2,036,780 pounds of materials recycled.
In addition, Portland State began to compost pre-consumer food waste in 2004, and will be coming online with the City of Portland’s post-consumer food waste program in Spring 2005. Other innovative steps have been taken in energy consumption. In addition to lighting retrofits to achieve more efficient lighting, funding is being sought for a 24KW solar array and a 50KW hydrogen fuel cell demonstration project. Both of these projects will have educational components. New construction and renovation also incorporates resource-efficient lighting and heating strategies.
Tight budgets in a period of substantial growth have inevitably presented Portland State with a number of challenges in preserving and developing its physical resources. A key challenge is in the area of facilities maintenance.
Considerable routine maintenance has been deferred due to budget constraints, leading to gradual deterioration of some infrastructure. Portland State community members have identified concerns that the new spaces being developed on campus may not always be maintained properly and therefore may degrade in a relatively short time. Portland State has found creative ways to finance new construction, but has been challenged by long-term funding of maintenance. The governor’s current budget does contain state appropriations for deferred maintenance.
A 2003 Portland State community survey of custodial services indicated some of the key challenges related to routine maintenance. Survey results showed the majority of respondents believed custodial services had room for improvement, and there were indications of a communication disconnect between many customers (i.e., survey respondents) and the service providers. There was strong consensus that custodial services should not be reduced, and most respondents thought that services needed to be increased, even at additional expense. The priority list indicated that the appearance of cleanliness on campus is the most important of the survey responses, indicating a concern for areas of high use and public visibility.
There were concerns that, with maintenance budgets tightly constrained, a priority system needed to be established, so more effort could be directed towards maintenance of those areas on campus that receive the greatest use and welcome the greatest number of visitors. A new maintenance contract for the campus has recently been negotiated, with initial results showing an improvement in building cleanliness and upkeep.
Another concern is that budgeting for maintenance is sometimes decentralized (e.g., to the department level), and does not match the needs created by growth. Individual academic departments become responsible for maintenance activities, yet these activities are not assigned line items in the departments' annual budgets.
In its advisory role, the Campus Safety Committee has identified safety in the laboratory as an issue that affects students, faculty, and staff, and poses institutional risk for Portland State. To address this issue in an integrative manner, the Safety Committee has collected survey data from peer and other public universities, observed laboratory operations on campus, and discussed options for closing the identified gaps during its meetings. The committee in Fall 2004 recommended the creation of a Chemical Hygiene Committee at Portland State. The proposed committee will provide oversight and risk management of chemical safety issues, currently beyond the technical scope of the Campus Safety Committee. The Chemical Hygiene Committee will also facilitate the development of a system of accountability for safety in Portland State laboratories, and provide an opportunity for faculty to design and implement the “Portland State Chemical Hygiene Plan” as required by Oregon OSHA.
The Chemical Hygiene Committee will also provide leadership in educating students for the complexities of rapidly advancing, high-risk technologies, so they are better able to transition into the workforce.
As a relatively young institution, Portland State is fortunate to possess buildings that have mostly been built after 1970. There are several legacy buildings, however, that date from the early 20th century. The quality of these buildings varies considerably.
Lincoln Hall, occupied by the Music and Theater departments, was built in 1912 as a high school, and presents particular challenges to its modern occupants. The building has poor acoustics – a significant problem for a music building – and also requires faculty and staff to keep their office doors closed at all times to shut out unwanted sounds. The building is also not air-conditioned, which compounds the problems. The basement contains a well-equipped and attractive performance space with good acoustics for small ensembles, but the building lacks a good-quality performance space for the band or orchestral ensembles. General rehearsal space for students is also at a premium, and students often must resort to paying for rehearsal space at other locations, on or off campus. A new building for the music department has been proposed and designed, but the necessary financing and a firm construction schedule have not been established.
Another problem structure has been the renovated space in the recently acquired Art Building. The structure was originally built in 1965, and renovation has had to deal with costly and ongoing problems. Personnel who work in this building complain about the temperature (too hot in winter, too cool in the summer); ceilings in the top floor are cracked from water damage, and artwork has sustained damage as well; and security design flaws have resulted in the theft of some equipment from unsecured spaces. Repairs have addressed these problems, but they reflect the kind of continuing challenges inherent in maintaining and upgrading an urban campus with pre-existing, repurposed buildings.
Although new construction on campus is attractive, Portland State has yet to establish a coherent and appealing gateway or entry area that welcomes visitors and creates a strong visual image of the institution. Presently, visitors may enter the campus from any of a number of locations, so there is no centralized point to orient visitors or provide them with information such as maps and parking locations. The development of the Urban Center and its attractive public plaza and streetcar station point toward the possibilities of developing a better public face for the campus, but the existing urban landscape presents a challenging constraint for any major physical developments of such a gateway. The potential exists in the proposed corridor of future development in the Southwest Fourth Avenue area, which is planned as a joint partnership between the City of Portland and Portland State. The recent acquisition by Portland State of a hotel complex for University visitors and conferences (now called University Place), adjacent to the proposed Fourth Avenue development, creates an opportunity to develop an attractive and informative entry to the campus at the south end of Portland State’s district. Plans are in the early stages for the further development of the Urban Center plaza with the proposed construction of a new student recreation center, commercial space and classroom facilities on the site of the current PCAT building. This could further enhance the role of this central plaza that also serves as a campus and community hub for transportation. Any definitive plan for the space is heavily dependent upon the availability of funding and new sources of funding.
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