News

NOT LONG after school began this fall, one of the local television stations aired a story on the shortage of parking at Portland State University—a shortage of bicycle parking.

Whether it's students, faculty, and staff pedaling to campus, researchers investigating commuter patterns, or classes discussing the rise of the bicycle culture in Portland, sustainability permeates PSU.

How can sustainable practices be implemented not just locally, but in other urban and rapidly urbanizing areas around the world? What motivates people to utilize alternative transportation? What tools can be used to successfully measure and quantify sustainability in order to separate hype from fact? Students work closely with our faculty on these kinds of regionally relevant and globally consequential issues.

We are teaching sustainability in some degree programs where you might expect it, such as Environmental Sciences and Community Development, and in others where you might not. For example, in the Graduate School of Education, PSU students are teaching kids in Portland Public Schools about reading and writing—and reaping what they sow—through the Learning Gardens Laboratory program that promotes a more earth-friendly and sustainable means of growing food. In our School of Business Administration, MBA students assess supply chain management issues and case studies with an eye toward the triple bottom line of environmental, economic, and social equity. We also offer specialized graduate and professional certificates designed to augment the skill sets of working professionals.

With the recent $25 million matching grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, we have a tremendous opportunity to solidify our position as a leader, regionally and nationally, for teaching and research of sustainable processes and practices.

And as Portland State's reputation grows, students will increasingly be drawn to the University's shared commitment to learning about sustainability in the living laboratory that is Portland, Oregon.

We will continue to live our motto of "Let Knowledge Serve the City," extending our campus to the community, sharing our graduates, our expertise, and our resources to provide practical solutions to the economic, social, and environmental issues that will face the region as we move forward.

And yes, we're adding more bike parking.