News

Revitalizing our urban campus

THIS FALL marks another year of vibrant growth and development at Portland State University.

Over the summer, we opened Electric Avenue, a block of parking on campus dedicated to charging stations for electric and hybrid cars as well as electric bicycles. This is a collaborative research project with Portland General Electric and the city of Portland and the first of its kind in Oregon. Car and bike owners pay to park, but the battery charging—from a variety of test stations—is free, thanks to renewable energy from PGE.

Casa Latina, a new academic and cultural support center for Latino students, is up and running in Smith Memorial Student Union. In addition to computers and study areas, the center features striking murals created by students from PSU and local high schools. A new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop opened in the Urban Center Plaza, which is giving job training to at-risk youth through an inspired partnership between Portland State and New Avenues for Youth.

In October, we unveil the Science Research and Teaching Center, a huge modernization project for Science Building 2 and a vital link in the chain of science education, advanced research, and workforce development for health care, manufacturing, biotech, and high-tech businesses.

We also are opening a new entrance and lobby for Lincoln Hall that faces Southwest Broadway. The historic building houses our theater, music, film, and dance classrooms and performance spaces. Solar panels being installed on the roof of Lincoln Hall will make it PSU’s first LEED Platinum building—status that was earned, in part, as a result of philanthropic support.

Also this fall, we extend our campus eastward by breaking ground on the Collaborative Life Sciences Building, a joint $110 million project with Oregon Health & Science University and Oregon State University along the South Waterfront. An architectural rendering of the building is included in this issue along with our College Station residence hall, which is quickly going up on the south end of campus. The feature “Prepared for Growth” visually lays out recent projects and proposed plans for the next two decades as Portland State expands to serve the growing number of students who make us Oregon’s largest and most diverse university.

I invite you to come to campus and see these many changes for yourself. The most frequent comment I hear from visitors is: “I’ve never seen the campus look this good!”

Wim Wiewel

President, Portland State University

Photo: President Wim Wiewel charges up an all-electric Tesla at the opening of the University’s new Electric Avenue.