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Portland State University (or PSU) is a university located in downtown Portland, Oregon. PSU's official motto is doctrina urbi serviat: "Let knowledge serve the city."
History
The University was established as the Vanport Extension Center in 1946. (It became known as "the college that wouldn't die" because it refused to close after the Vanport Flood of 1948.) In 1952 the Center moved to downtown Portland and occupied the vacated buildings of Lincoln High School on SW Broadway street. In 1955, the Center changed its name to Portland State College to mark its maturation into a four-year degree-granting institution.
PSU struggled for the next couple of decades under the ruling that no university or college in Oregon could duplicate the programs offered by another, with grandfathered exclusions for the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. Nevertheless, graduate programs were added in 1961 and doctoral programs were added in 1968. The institution was granted university status by the Oregon State System of Higher Education in 1969. In 2003 PSU was approved to award degrees in Black Studies. That same year the university opened a center to support Native Americans studying at college.
PSU: A Commuter School
PSU differs from the other state schools in Oregon partially because it attracts a student body older (on average) than other universities. A significant percentage of PSU's classes are offered at night. Indeed, some programs only offer classes at night, notably the School of Business (http://www.sba.pdx.edu/). PSU also delayed the development of its campus for decades after its founding. The institution sold land in a neighboring block soon after its move to downtown Portland, and delayed the construction of student housing until the early 1970s.
While the mean age of students is within the mid to upper twenties, ambitious mixed-use building projects (commercial, educational, residential) in Portland, Oregon are purposed to attract younger students. These establishments preserve downtown shops and businesses while transforming Portland State University from a "commuter campus" to a mix between a commuter and a traditional campus. Current projects include the Steven Epler Hall and The Broadway.
Portland State University is served on Fifth and Sixth Avenues by TriMet bus lines, by the Portland Streetcar at three stops throughout campus, and by OHSU and Portland Community College Shuttles on SW Harrison Street at SW Broadway.
University Sports
Portland State's colors are dark green and silver and their nickname is the Vikings. Portland State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA for football) in the Big Sky Conference.
Masseeh Foundation
In 2004 Dr. Fariborz Maseeh donated, through The Massiah Foundation, 8 million dollars to the College of Engineering and Computer Science. This was the largest single donation to the University at the time. The College was renamed Fariborz Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science after this donation.
Enrollment
Portland State University is the largest public university in Oregon with an enrollment of about 23,000 students.
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