News

Engineering alumni recently honored

Portland State’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science recently honored two alumni, including its namesake, by inducting them into its Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Recognized for success in their fields, service to their professions and the community, and achievements honoring the Maseeh College and PSU were Fariborz Maseeh ’80, MS ’84 and Ross Lisle ’70.

Maseeh is founder and president of The Massiah Foundation, which made an $8 million gift to the college—the largest gift in PSU history. With this gift the college has became the Fariborz Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. Maseeh is the founder and former president and CEO of IntelliSense Corp., which began the first custom design, development, and manufacture of next-generation micro-electro mechanical systems.

For the past 28 years, Lisle has taken positions of increased responsibility at NW Natural, leading to project manager of the Pipeline Integrity Project. He is active in numerous engineering organizations and is a founding member of the PSU Mechanical and Materials Engineering Advisory Board, where he was instrumental in a scholarship fund drive. Lisle advises seniors in the Capstone program, recruits new students, and mentors recent graduates.

Both Lisle and Maseeh serve on the Maseeh College Advisory Board.

Out-of-town receptions

With more than 100,000 alumni (and counting) around the world, the Alumni Association is taking to the road to stay connected with graduates. The association is hosting receptions for alumni and friends in the following cities this spring. Watch your mailbox or go to www.alumni.pdx.edu for more details.

• Bend: May 3
• Doha, Qatar: March 10
• Salem: April 6
• Seattle: April 26
• Washington, D.C.: spring.

Alumni enjoy travel to Italy and Croatia

Some 20 alumni and friends went on overseas trips through the Alumni Association this fall, including trips to Sicily and Croatia. Merrie Ziady ’80, MST ’82 and her husband, Jon, reported that the Sicily trip was their first organized tour, and that they “discovered a real benefit in having someone else take care of all the details.”

“It enabled us to see and do a lot in a short time—eliminating the time gobbled up in figuring out how and where to get tickets, bus schedules, etc.,” says Merrie.

From the terrace of their hotel, the Ziadys could see the red glow of lava from the erupting Mount Etna. “We wondered what was happening at home with Mount St. Helens,” says Merrie. The Alumni College in Sicily program included a day trip to Siracusa, a city founded in 734 B.C. by the Greeks. (The Ziadys are pictured on a side street.)

Other travelers, including Lloyd and Pauline Anderson, enjoyed the Croatia tour. They reported that the scenery along the Dalmatian Coast of the Adriatic was spectacular, and trip participants were impressed with the work that has been done to repair recent war damage. A dinner with a Croatian family was a highlight of the two-week tour.

For information about upcoming travel opportunities, go to the Alumni Association Web site or call Pat Squire, director of Alumni Relations, at 503-725-5072.

PSU Weekend a success

“Days of Discovery” was the theme for the Alumni Association’s 14th annual PSU Weekend held November 5-7. Dayton Duncan, a Lewis and Clark scholar and documentary filmmaker, was the keynote speaker.

The Weekend kicked off Friday with a reception at the renovated Oregon Historical Society, where sponsors socialized with Duncan and viewed two Lewis and Clark exhibits.

Saturday seminar speakers included cartoonist Jack Ohman of The Oregonian giving his perspective on the presidential election; Prof. Virginia Butler speaking on “Where Have Lewis and Clark’s Fish Gone?”; OPB’s Steve Amen discussing “Oregon’s Outback”; and Prof. Jesse Dillard addressing “Corporate Accountability in the Wake of Enron.”

Attendees were riveted by Duncan’s speech on “Lewis and Clark’s 10 Points of Leadership.” Following lunch were more seminars, including a talk on the what Lewis and Clark did not discover, by Native American artist Pat Gold.

Sunday was just as eventful with a tour through the Columbia River Gorge led by Charlie White and a talk by travel guru Rick Steves. The final event was a wine tour Nov. 14, led by geology professor Scott Burns.

How successful was the weekend?

“I am surprised I haven’t heard about PSU Weekend before this year,” said one person attending. “I am absolutely overwhelmed by the quality of the speakers. Without exception, they presented their information with authority and ease. I can’t believe the seminars are offered free of charge!”

Salute an outstanding alum or faculty member Nominations are sought for the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumni and Distinguished PSU Faculty Awards to be presented Thursday, May 12, at PSU Salutes. Nomination materials and a list of previous recipients are on the alumni Web site or you can call Alumni Relations at 503-725-4948. Deadline for materials is February 1.

What’s important to you?

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Please take a few minutes to reflect upon the events in your life that had an important, personal impact. Most of us think of marriage, the birth of a child, or a first job. But that list may include high school and college experiences as well. While attending college we make a start on our careers, but more importantly, we confront life-changing ideas. For many of us, college is the first time we exchange thoughts with people from other countries, exposing us to lifestyles and philosophies much different than our own. That experience is critically important in dealing with today’s world in both business and personal settings. I believe that at PSU we were well prepared to deal successfully with a wide variety of technical, philosophical, and social situations.

When I was invited to join the PSU Alumni Association and later to chair the PSU Advocates, I was delighted. I had a good experience at PSU and was ready to do what I could to ensure that future students would have that same opportunity. I had not volunteered before because I felt that with my busy travel schedule I would not be able to do an adequate job as a PSU supporter. However, I found that I could provide help on a sporadic basis without having to attend regular meetings. That is why I am inviting you to volunteer as a PSU Advocate, whether you can spare time each month or just once in a while.

What do the Advocates do? First, the Advocates support the University before the Oregon Legislature. Since we are independent from the University, we are free to pursue issues that PSU, as a part of the Oregon University System, cannot. Second, we ensure that the legislature and the community are aware of the great things that are happening at Portland State.

And what is happening at PSU? The list is long, but if you visit the campus (or the University’s Web site) you will see continual enhancements and additions; the campus is vibrant with activity. PSU has world-class academic programs with an expanding number of doctoral and master’s programs to meet student demand. The University has grown to 24,000 students and 100,000 alumni and recently received its largest-ever donation of $8 million from alumnus Fariborz Maseeh for the new engineering building and engineering scholarships. Furthermore, PSU’s curriculum was ranked, for the third year in a row, “among the best in the nation” according to US News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2005.

We have much to be proud of, so I invite you to join the PSU Advocates in spreading the word and helping to ensure PSU’s continued success.

Please call or email Pat Squire at 503-725-5072 (squirep@pdx.edu) or me at 503-224-8341 (angelawykoff@msn.com) to learn more. We look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes for a healthy and productive new year.

Angela Wykoff ’72, MS ’75, ’80
PSU Advocates chair