Portland State University begins its 2007–08 academic year today projecting a 12th straight year of enrollment growth and the highest number of entering freshman in the school’s history.

Current campus enrollment numbers are unofficial estimates based on year-to-year comparisons, applications, actual enrollments and continuing education students. The Oregon University System will release official fourth-week enrollment numbers for the 2007–08 academic year in November.

“We are beginning the 2007–08 academic year with great enthusiasm,” said Michael Reardon, interim president. “Portland State’s enrollment continues to grow. We will see the largest freshman class in PSU history and are welcoming another large group of international students. We begin this year with significant improvement in state support for which we are very grateful. This increased support will enable us to address some critical issues in faculty salaries, new faculty appointments, better support services for our students and some much needed upgrading of our physical infrastructure, as well as new facilities.”

Fall 2007 End-of-Term Enrollment Projections for Portland State University
* Projected enrollment: 26,032 (Fall 2006 end-of-term enrollment was 25,483);
* Estimated entering class: 4136 (1,655 first-time freshman, a 13 percent increase from 2006; 2,481 new transfers);
* Entering class ethnic make-up: 26 percent minorities; 2 percent international; 65 percent white; 7 percent unknown;
* Ph.D. students: 596

New Programs, Faculty and Honors
* New Ph.D.: New doctoral programs at Portland State this fall include a doctoral degree in Chemistry. The program responds to Portland’s needs for enhanced research and educational capabilities in the fundamental sciences, and will position PSU to enter new collaborative opportunities with OHSU and the Oregon Translational Research and Drug Discovery Institute.

Other new programs include a doctoral program in Sociology, the only one of its kind offered in the Pacific Northwest, and a graduate certificate in Urban Design.

* New Master’s: PSU will offer a new Master of Music in Jazz Studies.

* New Bachelor’s: Other new programs at Portland State this year include bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Engineering, and in film, the only one offered in Oregon.

* New Faculty: New instructional faculty members have joined every school and college within the PSU campus community. For a listing of faculty and other administrative staff positions announced at the 2007 PSU Convocation program, please see http://oaa.pdx.edu/NewsAndEvents.

* New Construction Projects: There are many new construction projects currently underway or starting in the 2007–08 academic year, including the new Academic and Student Recreation Center and remodel of Shattuck Hall. Planning has begun to renovate Lincoln Hall and Science Building II to create a Science Teaching and Research Center. Also, West Hall will be renamed in honor of the late Joseph Blumel, Portland State’s president from 1974 to 1986.

Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 120 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.