Futures

The FUTURES initiative is designed to prepare our diverse community of Maseeh College students to help design a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future. With a range of specialized clusters, we’re committed to nurturing talent, promoting inclusivity, and providing transformative experiences that propel students toward their professional and personal goals. This multi-phase initiative will incorporate cohort experiences for different focus areas and student interests.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

SPARK for incoming freshmen and new transfer students
This program provides a supportive foundation to students new to engineering and computer science at PSU. This specialized program serves students in their first two terms in the Maseeh College and is specifically committed to the educational success and professional development of historically underrepresented students. SPARK aims to

Support students academically with interactive workshops and mentoring
Promote community and fortify students’ personal and STEM identities
Cultivate the development of student leaders
Increase student exposure to career paths through site visits and faculty networking

Sloan Center for Systemic Change for PhD students
Doctoral education at Portland State University is reimagined through systemic change in recruitment, admissions, student support, and mentorship. The project focuses recruiting and retaining Black, Indigenous, and Latine students to engineering and physical science PhD programs at PSU. The project will pilot interdisciplinary cohorts of PhD students by Fall 2025.

ACCELERATE for students in the final two years
Students from historically marginalized backgrounds in the final years of their programs are supported as they prepare to enter the tech workforce. The program focuses on career mentorship between students and professionals. Our Department of Computer Science is partnering with PDX Women in Tech (PDXWIT) and the student group We in Computer Science (WiCs) for the pilot launch; the program will soon expand to other departments within the Maseeh College. ACCELERATE’s goal is to

Connect students with mentors and stipends
Provide students with a larger network of tech professionals in Portland and beyond
Provide students with the tools and resources to build confidence in their job seeking skills

FUTURE PROGRAMS

PROPEL for pre-college students
Anyone can enter the fields of engineering and computer science when given the right tools. We aim to give more students these
tools early in their education with intensive educational experience for high school students from

Industry Mentors are an important part to helping our students grow as leaders, connect to careers, and learn about industries. The FUTURES initiative works with all levels of students, from brand new freshmen all the way to PhD students and everyone in between. We know your perspective will be helpful regardless of if you're early, mid, or late career (or even retired!) professional. We're especially interested in recruiting mentors from backgrounds historically underrepresented in STEM backgrounds. We have specialized mentoring programs for the different students with whom we work, and we'll work with you to find the right fit based on your career field, you availability, and the type of student with whom you would like to engage. Fill out our Industry Mentor Interest Form, and we'll be in touch.