News

(Portland, Ore.) Dec. 2, 2009 – Portland State University (PSU) has developed a white paper regarding the need for a new governance structure for PSU in order to continue providing a quality education for its students. The white paper is the beginning of an ongoing discussion between PSU and its sister institutions in the Oregon University System.

“Enrollment is increasing while state support is decreasing,” said Wim Wiewel, president of PSU. “It is clear to me that we need the flexibility and freedom of a new governance structure to accommodate our growth and provide a quality education.”

The paper states that the limiting factor for PSU is funding. State funding for PSU and its OUS peers has declined by 40 percent in real terms over the past 20 years.  At PSU, state funding now accounts for only 16 percent of the annual operating budget, which leaves the University without enough funds to, according to Wiewel, prepare students for the jobs of the future, recruit and retain excellent faculty, upgrade infrastructure, and develop collaborative initiatives with the community.

Wiewel goes on to note that the steady downward funding trend of the past 20 years, the economic climate and various funding pressures create significant challenges that will continue to limit the state’s ability to invest substantial new general fund dollars in PSU.

“We cannot afford to keep rolling the dice every two years hoping for a better outcome,” said Wiewel. “We’re not the Oregon Lottery System, we’re the Oregon University System.”

Wiewel’s six principles on which any governance change must be based are the establishment of: a state funding floor, authority to go directly to voters for funding support, ability to manage tuition, a student-based funding model for state allocations, ability to control capital expenditure decisions and issue bonds, and gain general operational flexibility.

He has also created committees of students, alumni, faculty and staff, and members of the PSU foundation in order to explore how a new governance structure will incorporate the six principles, as well as the necessary steps to move forward.

About PortlandStateUniversity

Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 28,000 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 PortlandState’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 213 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.

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