Summer 2010

CURRENTLY will resume weekly electronic publication in the fall. Deadline for the first issue is Tuesday noon, Sept. 21.

Back to school events

President Wim Wiewel will welcome faculty and staff to the new academic year at Fall Convocation Wednesday, Sept. 22, beginning at 3 p.m. in Hoffmann Hall. A reception will follow. On Sept. 23, the Center for Academic Excellence will hold its annual Focus on Faculty with afternoon workshops, keynote talk, and reception.

International exhibit in Littman Gallery

An International Women Artists' Exhibition makes its United States debut at a 7 p.m. reception, Aug. 5, in the Littman Gallery, second floor Smith Union. Works from 84 artists will be on display in the Littman weekdays, noon to 4 p.m., through Aug. 27.

Advising staff to double

The University is hiring 14 more advisers for fall in a push to improve retention rates by giving students more academic support from the moment they arrive on campus for orientation. PSU expects to spend about $1 million to hire, train, and support the new advisers, who will be located in the schools and colleges. Read more >

New grant to fund doctoral studies in ecosystem services

The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $3 million grant to Portland State in support of a cutting-edge graduate training program: Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions. The grant will support 25 to 30 doctoral students in the program over five years. Read more > 

Outstanding faculty named

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Awards for 2010 were presented June 4 to Ken Ames, Anthropology; Lynn Santelmann, Applied Linguistics; Michael Murphy, Biology; Carl Wamser, Chemistry; Leslie Rill, Communication; Amanda Byron, Conflict Resolution; Andreluis Oliveira, Economics; Debra Gwartney, English (writing); Christine Rose, English (literature); Yangdong Pan, Environmental Sciences and Management; Margaret Elliott, Foreign Languages and Literatures; and Hunter Shobe, Geography

The awards also went to Ken Cruikshank, Geology; John Ott, History; Allison (A.J.) Brown, IELP; Leopoldo Rodriguez, International Studies; Steven Bleiler, Mathematics; Cornel Pewewardy, Native American Studies; Tom Seppalainen, Philosophy; Erik Sanchez, Physics; Dennis Swiercinsky, Psychology; Daniel Sullivan, Sociology; Bill Griesar, Speech and Hearing Sciences; Suhash Kochar, Statistics; and Priya Kandaswamy, Women's Studies.

Football practice begins August 8

The football program opens its preseason practice schedule Sunday, Aug. 8, at Stott Community Field with a 3 p.m. practice. The Vikings will spend four weeks preparing for a season opener at Arizona State on Sept. 4, in a first-ever meeting with the Sun Devils. That will start a formidable schedule that includes two Pac-10 teams and three NCAA FCS playoff teams, as well as four home games at Hillsboro Stadium and seven road games.

New faces, new places

After five years as the University librarian, Helen Spalding is retiring effective this September. During her tenure the Library experienced a rapidly changing environment as well as many institution-wide initiatives, including the development of a robust campus copyright policy, the selection of a new learning management system, and the enhancement of online services and collections. Associate University Library Adriene Lim has been appointed interim University librarian.

Jonathan Fink, a national leader in the development of interdisciplinary research initiatives, is joining Portland State in the newly-created position of vice president for research and strategic partnerships. Fink comes from Arizona State University (ASU) where, as VP for research, he oversaw the tripling of external funding, the launching of internationally recognized institutes in sustainability and biodesign, and stronger ties between academic research and regional economic development.

The appointment of Jilma Meneses as chief diversity officer was recently announced. This is a new position created to build a more inclusive, diverse community at PSU. Meneses has over 18 years of administrative and business experience, including 10 years at Oregon Health & Science University. She currently serves as director of risk management at OHSU and was the university's director of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity.

For August  2010

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