Planning at Portland State University has been organized around key ideas and strategies designed to strengthen (a) graduate and professional programs, (b) the liberal arts curriculum, and (c) an innovative, research-based approach to undergraduate general education. PSU's institutional vision statement takes these planning processes a step further, asserting the university’s intention to be a model 21st century university, emphasizing student learning, innovative research, and community engagement.

Through the university’s program review process, academic units articulate how PSU’s institutional vision relates to their goals and objectives. Each year, the Executive Committee and Council of Academic Deans review planning priorities. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning, and the Office of Budgets and Planning, work together to track key indicators of institutional performance, aiming toward stated goals. Key indicators include those required by the Oregon University System, along with a set of campus-specific internal indicators.

The menu links on this page provide more detailed descriptions of PSU's planning process.