March 30, 2009

Campus to read ‘best teacher' book

What makes a great teacher great? Who are the professors students remember long after graduation? This spring, a unique campus reading group will tackle questions such as these by reading What the Best College Teachers Do, by Ken Bain. A planning meeting is scheduled Friday, April 10, at 11 a.m. in 307 Cramer Hall. To register, e-mail caestaff@pdx.edu or call 5-5642.

What the Best College Teachers Do won the Harvard University Press Virginia and Warren Stone Prize for outstanding handling of education and society issues. The book represents the conclusion of a 15-year study of nearly 100 college teachers from a wide variety of universities and fields.

Limited copies of this book are available from the PSU Center for Academic Excellence, 303 Cramer Hall, for loan or purchase at the discounted price of $16.

Finalists named for Carter Foundation awards

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter will honor four faculty representing three campus-community partnerships at the University's annual Simon Benson Award Dinner, April 7. Carter Partnership Foundation awards are going to Lynn Fox for Stoke Camp Northwest, Dilafruz Williams and Ramin Farahmandpur for the Portland Public Schools Migrant Education Program, and Lena Koessler for the Community English as a Second Language Project.

The foundation selected the three projects out of 26 applications from PSU faculty, departments, and interdepartmental teams. One of the three teams will receive first place and a $10,000 check from the Carter Foundation. The two second-place teams will receive $5,000 each. This is the foundation's first-ever campus-wide community university partnership award competition.

Carter is the keynote speaker for the Simon Benson Award Dinner, which honors Oregon philanthropists. This year's recipient is Fariborz Maseeh ’80, MS ’84. In celebration of the event's 10th anniversary, the evening will also feature a retrospective of all previous honorees.

Bringing the freshest ideas to market

Buy local. Eat sustainably. Oregon farms, dairies, and meat producers stand to benefit from these trends—if they can get their wares to market. That's why these industries turn to professor Mellie Pullman. Her research, examining food supply chains and companies like Country Natural Beef and Hot Lips Pizza, is helping foster sustainable and successful business practices. Read more >

Science building receives federal funding

The Science Research and Teaching Complex, currently Science Building 2, received an appropriation of $333,000 when President Barack Obama signed the U.S. budget into law March 11. The PSU project is also receiving Oregon economic stimulus funds.

The Science Complex calls for renovations to the building that include earthquake bracing, new ventilation, and an addition for labs handling hazardous waste. IDC Architects, an international firm that specializes in science and technology building, also hopes to lighten the interior of the 1971 building, which houses classrooms, offices, and labs for chemistry, biology, physics, and environmental sciences.

New lecture series honors inauguration

Teaching, architecture, and help for troubled youth are a few of the topics featured in PSU's Inaugural Celebration Lecture Series April 13 through April 24. The lectures lead up to events planned for April 30 and May 1 celebrating the inauguration of President Wim Wiewel as the University's eighth president.

The Inaugural Celebration Lecture Series kicks off with three lectures the week of April 13 from Randy Hitz, dean of the Graduate School of Education; Kevin Reynolds, professor and chair of chemistry; and New York architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. See the complete list of Inaugural Celebration Lectures >

Funding received for new green building lab

Portland State and Oregon State universities are collaborating to spend $1.6 million to create green building research programs at both universities, reports the Portland Business Journal in a recent news article.

A $651,000 total investment at PSU will establish a laboratory where researchers from industry and other Oregon public universities can use a suite of infrared cameras and thermal characterization equipment to test everything from green roofs and window glazing to interior moisture levels and a building's surface temperature. Read more in the Portland Business Journal >

Wrestling program discontinued

On March 18, PSU Athletics announced that it will discontinue its wrestling program as an NCAA Division I competitor. The decision comes after two months of review by a University Task Force.

"This is a sad day," said Torre Chisholm, PSU director of Athletics. "PSU has a tremendous tradition in wrestling. Unfortunately, circumstances have changed in such a way that PSU can no longer field a program commensurate with the University's expectation for excellence." Read more > 

For March 2009

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