About | Portland State University

About Academic Affairs

Who We Are

Academic Affairs is the central administrative office, with responsibility for the institutional academic mission, programming and policy implementation, support programs for academic personnel and students, academic fiscal management, and collective bargaining with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-PSU Chapter), the Portland State University Faculty Association (PSUFA), and the Graduate Employee Union (GEU).

Academic Affairs is guided by the Provost who serves as chief academic officer of the university. Working with deans and other administrators, the Provost collaborates with the campus and external communities to achieve the academic mission and vision of the University.

The Vice Provosts in Academic Affairs bring a range of skills and expertise.

Academic Affairs is the administrative home for all academic units. See our organizational chart.

For individual Academic Affairs units, please refer to the Academic and Student Affairs Unit Contact Information. To review Portland State's administrative organization, see the university organizational chart.

Contact our Academic Affairs Office for more information.

Portland State University Mission

We serve and sustain a vibrant urban region through our creativity, collective knowledge and expertise. We are dedicated to collaborative learning, innovative research, sustainability and community engagement. We educate a diverse community of lifelong learners. Our research and teaching have global impact. Learn more about Portland State's mission, values, and position.

Shelly Chabon, Ph.D.

Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

Biography

MEET THE VICE PROVOSTS

Amy Mulkerin, Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning

Michele Toppe, Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Chris Monsere

Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Success
monsere@pdx.edu | 503.725.9746

Chris Monsere, has served Portland State University since 2003. Before serving as Associate Dean in MCECS, he was chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2014 to 2021 and has served in many departmental, college, and university roles, including as a member of multiple bargaining teams and as a faculty senator. He received his doctorate and master’s in civil engineering from Iowa State University and a bachelor of civil engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Oregon, and before joining Portland State University, he held engineering positions at the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Amy Mulkerin

Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning
amulk2@pdx.edu | 503.725.2277

Amy Mulkerin joined PSU in February 2021 as Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning. Amy has spent her career providing strategic financial leadership in a mission-driven context. She enjoys developing processes that align the use of financial resources with the delivery of the strategy and mission of the university. As Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning, she oversees the strategic budget management of the units within Academic Affairs.

Michele Toppe

Vice Provost for Student Affairs
toppem@pdx.edu | 503.725.5100

Michele Toppe, Ed.D., has worked in higher education for over 30 years and has been at Portland State University since 1995. While at PSU, Michele created resource centers for veterans and students with children, installed and overseen the residence life program, advised student government and fee committee, planned major events such as New and Transfer Orientation, commencement and Party in the Park and managed numerous complex student issues, including student conduct, academic appeals, and student crises. As Vice Provost for Student Affairs in OAA, she oversees Student Affairs, which includes the Center for Student Health and Counseling, Campus Recreation, Student Activities and Leadership Programs, University Housing and Residence Life, and the Office of the Dean of Student Life (DOSL). DOSL includes a portfolio of campus life programs, including the Basic Needs Hub, Queer Student Services, Services for Students with Children, Women's Resource Center, Student Conduct, and the C.A.R.E. team, PSU's behavioral intervention, and crisis response. Michele completed her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in Higher Education Management in the spring of 2017.

Erin Shortlidge

Interim Vice Provost for Student Success
eshortlidge@pdx.edu | 503.725.9305

Erin Shortlidge, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education in the Department of Biology at Portland State University and is looking forward to her role as Interim Vice Provost for Student Success. Shortlidge is dedicated to engaging in leadership, teaching and researching in responsive, evidence-based ways. Shortlidge leads an active research group which aims to understand best practices in teaching and learning science and to democratize quality education for all students. She develops and hosts professional development for graduate students and faculty as they move towards integrating inclusive pedagogies and perspectives into their teaching and programming. Shortlidge works across disciplines, departments, colleges and universities multiple NSF and HHMI funded-programs, which largely aim to build training and capacity for inclusive STEM education.

Erin oversees Advising and Career Services, the Learning Center, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Student Success. To see the scope of Erin's leadership in Student Success, view the Student Success Organization Chart.