Charter
Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies

School of Urban and Public Affairs

Portland State University

August 1, 1997

SUMMARY

The Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies is an independent and neutral organization through which community issues can be addressed by higher education. As a part of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University, and in conjunction with Oregon Health Sciences University, the Institute will be able to bring the resources of the academic community to bear on present and future problems in the five-county Portland metropolitan area.

BACKGROUND

Local communities in Oregon today face enormous challenges. Measures 5 and 50 will reduce revenues which, in the near term, seem to have no substitutes. Growth brings forward issues that transcend traditional boundaries, issues such as transportation planning, crime, waste management, and environmental degradation. Who should do what becomes less clear when historical patterns no longer feel appropriate or adequate.

Discussions around and resolution of some of these issues are often contentious and fraught with political and organizational self-interest. What is needed is an unbiased partner to the discussions who can bring to bear objective data for decision making but who has no stake in the decisions. The Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies is such a partner.

The goals of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies are:

• To identify the most pressing regional needs that University assistance can meet

• To bring academic resources at PSU, OHSU, and other institutions of higher education together with local and state organizations to address regional challenges.

• To provide a neutral forum for public officials, business and civic leaders, and citizens to discuss policy issues

• To facilitate the exchange of information and the transfer of technology

• To sponsor and fund public service research

The Institute will reach these goals through:

• Public Service Research - Through the Institute's governing Board, specific issues will be identified that have substantial benefit to the area. External funding to support the efforts will be solicited, and teams of researchers from Oregon institutions will be assembled to conduct the studies. A multiple-year study program will be developed through consensus of the Board, and all issues addressed will have regional significance.

• Communications - The identification and resolution of community issues, and the effective connection of university resources to community issues requires effective and consistent vehicles for communication among faculty members, between faculty and community, and between communities themselves. The Institute, as perhaps the only civic organization in the metropolitan area with an explicit metropolitan span of interest, can make a unique contribution towards enabling the flow of information and ideas in this region.

Communications projects can include but are not limited to forums, newsletters and publications, directories, the application of telecommunications technologies to metropolitan communication networks, and the provision of a neutral table, where issues and ideas can be discussed in an atmosphere promising no repercussions.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Role of Portland State University

The Institute is a research unit housed within the College of Urban and Public Affairs, and hence bound by all policies and procedures of the University and the Oregon State System of Higher Education. The President of the University will appoint members of the governing board of the Institute as well as its Director. Administratively, the Director will report to the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs. The University also provides operational support to the Institute.

Role of Other Institutions of Higher Education

Oregon Health Sciences University is a founding partner with PSU in the Institute and has a direct voice in the policy of the Institute through a dedicated position on the board.

Other institutions of higher education will participate in the Institute through their faculty who will be included on a resource list at the Institute and who may be solicited to contribute their expertise to the Institute.

As a granting agency, the Institute may contract with faculty at other institutions to conduct research commissioned by the Board. In addition, faculty at these institutions can propose for Board consideration research for funding that has regional significance.

Role of Regional and Local Government

Regional and local government will have input into the study agenda of the Institute through the Director and the Board. The Board is composed of elected officials from the region and has other members chosen to reflect regional interests. It is through the Board process that consensus will be reached on the study program. Regional and local governments also have an opportunity to become financial contributors to the Institute. As a contributor, the relationship of regional and local governments to the Institute will not be one of client to consultant. That is, contributors cannot identify a specific study they would like funded. Rather, as a contributor, regional and local governments will join with others to pool their resources to form a critical mass of research funding that might otherwise be unavailable to them, will suggest areas of study that reflect regional problems of significance to them, and provide input to the long-term research program of the Institute.

GOVERNANCE OF THE INSTITUTE

Board Role

The Board of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies represents a broad cross-section of interests and ideas in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. The Board seeks to develop links between the Institute, the University, and the metropolitan community. The Board ensures that the Institute serves as a catalyst for addressing critical issues facing the metropolitan region and its communities.

Board Membership

The Board of the Institute shall consist of 23 voting members, with the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs serving as Ex-Officio. Voting members are appointed by the President of Portland State University based on the recommendation of the Board. The formula to be utilized in the selection of the membership is 7-10-6. The first 7 members are to be elected officials drawn from the 6 counties of Clackamas, Clark, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill, and from METRO. Members from the 6 counties should represent a broad constituency, and as a result, at any given time, those 6 members must come from a large city, a county government, a medium-size city, and a small city. The large cities are defined to include: Beaverton, Gresham, Vancouver, and Portland. The second 10-member group consists of private citizens drawn from the 6 counties in a way that guarantees a fair balance of geographic representation. The last 6-member group consists of individuals selected at large to benefit from a specialized expertise. At all times, the board must be representative on matters of race, gender and ethnic background. At first, staggered terms of 1, 2, or 3 years will be assigned. Subsequently, members of the Board will serve for 3 years. Terms of office will begin on January 1st.

Functions and Responsibilities of the Board

• To guide the Institute in fulfilling its mission and reaching its goals;

• To establish policy and oversee the operations of the Institute, which is managed by a Director;

• To validate a list of critical regional issues and the research questions examined by the Institute;

• To identify and cultivate appropriate funding sources, public and private;

• To develop an annual operating plan for the Institute;

• To evaluate the direction of the Institute’s activities;

• To evaluate, in conjunction with the Dean, the performance of the Director;

• To create, sponsor, and promote an Annual Symposium to convene civic, business, and elected leaders in the region;

• To help disseminate findings generated by the Institute’s activities;

• To approve the award of research grants to appropriate teams from Oregon institutions of higher education;Organization and Meetings of the Board

The Board shall meet as a whole no less than quarterly. The Board shall name an Executive Committee, consisting of the Chair, Chair-elect, immediate past-Chair, and two members of the Board nominated by the Chair and confirmed by the membership annually at its June meeting. The Chair shall seek to balance the membership of the Executive Committee with respect to geographic, racial/ethnic, and gender diversity, taking into account availability for meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet regularly to review Institute activities and provide the Director with advice and counsel.

Quarterly meetings of the Board will review the actions of the Executive Committee, receive reports on the activities of staff towards fulfilling core functions, review the financial status of the Institute, and discuss other issues of metropolitan significance as deemed important by the membership. Annually, at the June meeting, the Board will receive and discuss the operating plan for the Institute for the coming fiscal year. The operating plan will address the mission statement for the Institute, identify core functions, identify resources to be applied to carrying out core functions, and generally address timing and phasing of activities and projects. At the September meeting in odd-numbered years, the Institute Board will elect a Chair-elect from among its members, and the present Chair-elect will assume the role of Chair.

The Board may form committees to undertake specific projects, including the Annual Symposium. These project committees must include at least three Board members, but can also include an unlimited number of participants from outside the Board. Any project committee created by the Board shall have a definite starting and ending date, a Chair designated from among the Board members serving on the committee, and shall report regularly to the Executive Committee and to the Board as a whole during the course of the project.

Institute Director

The Institute shall have a minimal permanent staff, using faculty from Portland State University and other institutions of higher education as they are needed to conduct sponsored activities. The ongoing affairs of the Institute will be managed by a Director. The Director will be appointed by the President of Portland State University upon recommendation by the Governing Board and the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs. The Director shall possess relevant academic qualifications and prior successful experience in public service programs and community relations. Administratively, the Director will report to the Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs; programmatically, s/he will report to the Board.

The functions and responsibilities of the Director are to:

• manage the day-to-day operation of the Institute, establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with the public and private sector;

• develop and promote an interest in and financial support of the Institute;

• identify the academic resources within higher education that can contribute expertise to the Institute's study program;

• manage the budget of the Institute and, with authorization from the Board, disburse and manage Institute funds that are dedicated to research;

• coordinate and monitor any ongoing public service research sponsored by the Institute;

• assemble teams of experts from Oregon institutions of higher education who can translate the priorities of the Board into researchable questions;

• help the Board identify regional issues that require attention;

• staff all regular and special Board meetings;

• organize any projects, policy seminars, or events sponsored by the Institute;

• solicit requests for proposals from faculty at Oregon institutions of higher education that respond to the Board's research agenda, to convene a scientific peer review panel to evaluate these proposals, and to recommend funding priorities among the proposals to the Board;

• maintain an environment that is conducive to creative work and one that encourages the development of research interests;

• maintain overall responsibility for recruitment, appointment, and management of the Institute staff;

• assemble, at his/her discretion, a Technical Advisory Committee made up of city and county managers, who can validate the importance of the research projects being proposed, and who can reflect on the feasibility of any recommendations that may flow from research.

FINANCES

The Institute shall have three sources of support.

University Support

Portland State University shall commit ongoing core support to the Institute; i.e., the salaries of a Director and Administrative Assistant as well as office space, utilities, equipment and supplies.

Regional and Local Government Support

As a collaborative effort between local governments and higher education, the Institute shall solicit financial support from regional and local government. Contributions will be voluntary and monies received will be dedicated to the support of the Institute's programs; i.e., public service research, information exchange and technology transfer, and policy forums.

Private and Corporate Support

Private and corporate support will be solicited with a goal of building an endowment over 5 years. It is expected that as the size of the endowment grows and income from it increases, the pressure on local governments to support the Institute will diminish.

In addition, the Institute shall solicit external funding from foundations to support its programs, research, and special projects.