Friends of PSU near and far, I’m excited for the academic year ahead—Portland State’s 75th year. On February 14, PSU celebrates Founder’s Day. Our 75th anniversary offers an occasion to recommit to our resilient roots and to celebrate our spirit of service.
After all, PSU has been resilient since our inception 75 years ago as an institution established to serve GIs returning from World War II. We were resilient in surviving and thriving in the aftermath of a flood that destroyed our first campus. We persevered through many other periods of turmoil and disruption in our history. And, we have been nothing if not resilient over the last six months in our continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and through our efforts to forge a pathway to eliminate racism and advance social justice on our campus.
My own understanding of resilience deepened when I collaborated with faculty and staff to build a new graduate degree program in Emergency Management and Community Resilience. Through that process, I learned that the term resilience carries with it two notions. Ideally, work in resilience begins when we plan an effective response to a disaster and, in the aftermath, rebuild to a stronger future. However, with COVID-19, PSU did not have that chance. Instead, we faced the pandemic head-on, adapting quickly to sustain student learning and to bring activities like research operations back to life.
PSU community members continue to demonstrate resilience in countless ways this year. They created remote learning from scratch. They found ways to give students personal attention and support, even if it could not be in person. They created a sense of community in a virtual environment. They called on leaders to reimagine campus public safety at PSU. And they urged us to address structural racial inequities here on campus.
I want to specifically name the burden that has been carried by our Black faculty, staff and students as they have continued to meet their academic and professional commitments despite the trauma and grief re-provoked by the latest incidents of racism and anti-Black violence. I am humbled by their resilience and fortitude.
Our next challenge is before us: How do we learn from the pandemic experience—pinpointing successful innovations as well as areas where remote operations are less effective—to plan for a stronger future? We must confront and eliminate racism. We must be aware of the harm caused to Indigenous Peoples and learn how their cultures and values provide knowledge to reform resilience. We must learn how remote learning experiences have impacted and may inform our long-term commitment to student success.
It is a tall order for our 75th year, but we have amazing talent, energy and dedication both on campus and among our alumni. And those key assets leave us well-positioned not just for this year, but for the next 75 years.
Sincerely,
Stephen Percy
President, Portland State University