FEBRUARY MARKED a milestone for Portland State: our 75th anniversary. We must not let the occasion pass without acknowledging how far we have come as an institution. It’s been a sometimes exhilarating, sometimes exhausting journey. But we have succeeded in creating a unique urban research university appreciated across the state and beyond.
From our determined beginnings at Vanport, we have evolved while staying true to our mission. We remain a university of opportunity, where people come to improve themselves and their communities. This change is created through the dedicated instruction of students and comprehensive systems that support their academic journey. It is also bolstered by scholarship and creative endeavors that bring new ideas and new experiences that enrich the soul.
Since I became Interim President in 2019 and PSU’s 10th President in 2020, I have reflected on the core values that have guided us to today. Established on the streets of Vanport, these have adapted and endured over time:
- An abiding commitment to student learning
- A persistent effort to create social mobility for every student
- Active engagement with our community
- A belief that knowledge and artistic expression are key to making our community better
- An unmatched spirit of innovation
For 75 years, allegiance to these core values has enriched our academic and scholarly effort, sustained our spirit and guided us through the inevitable challenges of a young university. When we are successful, it is transformative.
We achieve one of our central tenets: creating social mobility.
Social mobility is a new phrase that describes what we’ve always done: offer a path to a more prosperous future open to opportunity and advancement. Seventy-five years ago, we did this with veterans returning from World War II. Today, we do this with Oregon’s most racially, ethnically and economically diverse students.
We haven’t always gotten it right. Importantly, we have fallen short of the mark in regard to creating and sustaining a racially just campus. Amazing faculty, staff and students are leading us forward. I call out and celebrate their work and leadership.
Still, our efforts to advance racial justice and equity, dismantle white supremacy, and decolonize ourselves and our approaches are incomplete. We have a moral imperative to lean into this work deeply now and over the long run.
Our charge is to root out policies and practices that discriminate, to advance the well-being and success of all in our diverse community, and to act with courage, much as our founders did 75 years ago.
Sincerely,
Stephen Percy
President, Portland State University