by President Ann Cudd
November 3, 2023
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This Friday we’ll close the university in honor of Veterans Day, which falls on Saturday, November 11. The city will mark the day with the Portland Veterans Day Parade in Northeast Portland, but PSU will honor veterans throughout the week.
Veterans Day is an important holiday for us. During our first days as an institution we began our tradition of meeting students where they are by educating veterans who recently returned from World War II. This was 1946, when Portland State University was still known as the Vanport Extension Center — a brand new college operating out of a converted shopping mall.
Those first students were veterans in pursuit of a brighter future. Today PSU has close to 700 veteran and military-affiliated students who are enrolled for the same reason. As Veteran’s Day approaches, we honor those students and the 135 veterans working as faculty and staff at PSU for their sacrifices and service.
Under the leadership of Ron Mansolilli, our Veterans Resource Center (VRC) in Smith Memorial Student Union serves as a hub for student veterans and has been active this year in making sure all of our veterans find a welcome home and community at Portland State.
The VRC is celebrating Veterans Day all week with a number of events and announcements. Watch for veteran profiles on Instagram, establishment of a Veteran Hardship Fund, a food drive for the VRC food pantry, and the soft launch of the VRC’s own mind spa. The center is also celebrating a $83,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs which will fund further programs and enhancements of the center in Smith.
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis R. McDonough visited PSU’s campus last spring and when I read the account of his time talking to our veteran students I was struck by some words he shared: “There is no more hope-inspiring group of people than student vets.”
I’ll be meeting student veterans over coffee in the VRC on Wednesday. I look forward to hearing their ideas and hopes for the future and thanking them for their service. I hope all of you will find a way to honor our veterans on campus next week and throughout the year.