Strategic Planning

FUTURE IN FOCUS

2030 VISION: PSU thrives as Oregon’s urban research university where every student develops the knowledge and skills they need to successfully engage in careers and the world. We are a national leader for social mobility through higher education, a model for serving minoritized learners and a driving force for Portland’s success. PSU is a dynamic workplace that supports the professional development and well-being of all employees. We harness our academic excellence, innovative research, strategic partnerships and community engagement to address local, regional and global challenges.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES

1. CREATE CLEAR PATHWAYS FOR  OUR
REGION’S LEARNERS TO ACHIEVE THEIR EDUCATIONAL
GOALS AND PROVIDE A STRONG RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Ensure that academic pathways are clearly defined and tied to future employment, and that the costs of tuition and fees are clearly communicated.

Proactively recruit and prepare students from Oregon’s diverse high schools, community colleges and rural areas, fully leveraging Oregon’s funding model and ensuring PSU meets labor market needs.

Identify and invest in high-demand undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs that enhance the professional growth of mid-career and advanced learners.

Provide research-based and engaged learning experiences that equip our students to be the world’s future problem solvers. 

2. LEAD THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN
SERVING MINORITIZED STUDENTS AND
BOOSTING THE COLLEGE SUCCESS RATE

Provide students a culturally engaged academic experience through broad-based, high-impact and responsive practices that deliver quality education and create a sense of belonging.

Strategically recruit and retain diverse faculty, staff and graduate students.

Improve persistence, retention and graduation rates for low-income, first-generation and minoritized students. 

Apply data analytics to improve the effectiveness of student success and completion initiatives that focus on supporting underrepresented students.

3. SUPPORT AND EMPOWER OUR
EMPLOYEES AND OPERATIONS

Develop effective administrative structures that allow employees to focus on core job responsibilities that are in service to our students.

Invest in professional development and provide a competitive, comprehensive compensation plan for employees.

Apply data-informed assessment to improve academic, research and administrative functions.

Anchor decision-making in the values and humanity of those impacted by including them in the process and ensuring operational changes adhere to PSU’s Guiding Commitments.

4. DRIVE PORTLAND’S ECONOMIC, 
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RESURGENCE

Build robust, public impact-focused and interdisciplinary research partnerships with local and regional industries, entrepreneurs, communities, nonprofits and public agencies that tackle complex societal issues.

Provide students vital connections with regional employers through experiential learning, research opportunities and mentorship to open opportunities for career exploration and skill development, and emphasize the vital role of graduate education in driving our research enterprise.

Collaborate with local and regional arts and culture organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs to enhance PSU as a source of creativity and innovation. 

Provide expertise for and convene elected officials, civil servants and civic leaders to help solve Portland’s vexing social and economic problems, re-establishing the city as a model for urban renaissance.

Create vibrant and sustainable community spaces that foster connection, learning and well-being, strengthening PSU’s unique identity as an urban research university.

Position PSU as the gateway to Portland for talented individuals seeking a network and opportunity to grow meaningful careers in our beautiful, open and creative city in the Pacific Northwest.

Let Knowledge Serve the City 

OUR PURPOSE: Portland State University, Oregon’s most diverse and only urban public research university, was founded in 1946 to serve veterans returning from World War II.

PSU provides access to a top-tier education as a key driver of economic and social mobility, a source of growth for the diverse communities in the region and a catalyst for social progress. And this isn't just what we do – it’s who we are.

Much has changed in our world since 1946, and our communities face profound challenges. With our Future in Focus, we express our unwavering purpose: to support learners to follow their dreams and achieve their goals for a better life for their families and communities.

As we remember our institutional founding with pride, we embrace our future as an urban minority-serving research institution, inspiring each other to create new opportunities for our region and our world.