Portland State board committee recommends presidential appointment for Percy

Members of the Portland State University Executive and Audit Committee met last week and unanimously recommended that the full Board of Trustees appoint Interim President Stephen Percy as president of PSU. 

Trustees on the committee reviewed Percy’s performance as interim president over the past year and determined that it warranted a recommendation for the permanent position. 

“In the last 12 months, a series of events have occurred that would test any leader. Dr. Percy has shown strong leadership in response to challenges to campus safety, a dip in enrollment, and especially in recent months with the impact on the university from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Greg Hinkley, chair of the PSU Board of Trustees in a message to campus Monday. “His work guiding PSU's transition to a virtual campus in such a short time period is the latest example of his effectiveness and dedication leading this campus.”

Percy was chosen as interim president by the trustees last June. Prior to that appointment he served as dean of the PSU College of Urban & Public Affairs. He arrived in Portland to take that job in 2014, coming from the University of Baltimore, where he was founding dean of the College of Public Affairs and a professor of public and international affairs.

The PSU Board of Trustees is collecting feedback from the PSU campus community about Percy before making a final decision about his appointment. Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to provide feedback via a survey on the trustees website or email them directly. 

The board will vote on the presidential appointment at a public virtual meeting of the PSU Board of Trustees. The date of that meeting will be set in the coming weeks.