News

Portland State University is awarded the prestigious 2010 CHEA Award for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes by The Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Portland State is one of four institutions who will receive the award in 2010. The award will be presented at the 2010 CHEA Annual Conference, which will be held January 25-28 at the Marriott Hotel Washington in Washington, D.C.

The CHEA Award was established in 2005 to recognize institutions that have been exceptional in developing and applying evidence of student learning outcomes to improve higher education quality and accountability. Portland State was selected as a winner of the award by a committee selected from higher education institutions, accrediting organizations and the public. This committee judged the winners on the basis of four award criteria: 1) articulation and evidence of outcomes; 2) success with regard to outcomes; 3) information to the public about outcomes and 4) use of outcomes for educational improvement.

“The use of robust accountability practices to address student achievement has been long supported by CHEA,” said CHEA President Judith Eaton. “We are pleased to recognize Portland State University with the CHEA Award for their outstanding institutional work in advancing student learning outcomes.”

In addition to Portland State University, Capella University (MN), St. Olaf College (MN) and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (AK) also will receive the 2010 CHEA Award.

For more information on the 2010 CHEA Award for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes, contact Timothy Willard, CHEA’s Director of Communications, at (202) 955-6126 or via email at willard@chea.org.

Media interested in interviews or more information about Portland State should contact Kerri Griesbeck at 503-725-8794 or kgries@pdx.edu.

About the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
A national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 59 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations.

About Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 125 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.