Portland State University Trustee and President Emerita Judith A. Ramaley passed away last week leaving a legacy of fierce leadership, academic innovation and a deep love for students.
Shortly before her passing Ramaley shared a memory with her son, Andrew Ramaley, of a rickety little bench outside of her PSU office where she would eat lunch during her tenure as PSU’s president from 1990 to 1997.
When a student would walk by, she would ask them to join her for lunch and would proceed to find out what barriers they were facing, what struggles they were having with the system and any way she could make it easier for them to get their degree.
“She would start every student conversation with the same question she says to every one of her grandkids: ‘Tell me a story!’” Andrew Ramaley said. “PSU meant so much to mom.”
And Judith Ramaley, author of PSU’s motto — Let Knowledge Serve the City — meant a tremendous amount to Portland State.
Viking Yearbook spread in 1990 introducing Judith Ramaley as PSU's President
The Ramaley Presidency
“Dr. Judith Ramaley was Portland State University’s one and only President Emerita,” said PSU President Ann Cudd. “She was a truly transformational leader who put Portland State University on the map as an innovative, community-engaged urban serving university with a commitment to access, academic excellence and public impact research.”
Ramaley was named President of PSU in 1990 when she became the first woman to helm a public university in Oregon. She came to PSU at a particularly difficult moment for public higher education in Oregon, with the passage of Measure 5 dramatically reducing state support and creating significant financial pressure for the university.
As president, Ramaley not only had to contend with budget cuts and restructuring challenges, but had to defend PSU’s programs at a statewide level.
1995 PSU Magazine cover featuring President Ramaley, President Clinton and Vice President Gore
But there were also some happier moments, such as when President Ramaley played host to President Clinton and Vice President Gore in 1995. The occasion was the Pacific Rim Economic Conference, which saw cabinet members and business leaders gathering at Smith Memorial Student Union, an extraordinary example of PSU’s role as Portland’s urban university during a period when Portland itself was gaining considerable national attention.
Ramaley also oversaw a fundamental shift in academics of Portland State with the formation of a new model for general education that emphasized interdisciplinary learning, community connection and diversity and multiculturalism — academic hallmarks that continue to live on at PSU.
A pioneering leader in pedagogy and curriculum development, Ramaley championed problem-based learning, active pedagogies, and students learning together from each other rather than by listening to sage professors teaching from the lectern.
“Judith thought that the city was a great classroom and that in letting knowledge serve the city, PSU would also be providing our students with the best environment for developing their capacities for problem solving, integrative thinking, and team work,” President Cudd said.
Enduring Service
Ramaley stepped away from PSU to become president of the University of Vermont in 1997 and later served as Assistant Director of Education and Human Resources at the National Science Foundation, from 2001-2004. At the NSF Ramaley oversaw a $900 million budget and campaigned for more participation of women and minorities in the sciences. She also brilliantly changed the agency’s SMET acronym to the now-familiar STEM — for science, technology, engineering and math.
Judith Ramaley in 1990
She ended her full-time academic career as president of Winona State University in Minnesota and in 2012 she returned to Portland State as a Distinguished Professor of Public Service in the Hatfield School of Government and she joined the PSU Board of Trustees in 2019.
As a Trustee, Ramaley has provided hours of sage advice, guidance and encouragement to PSU leadership and served on the hiring committee when the university started searching for its 11th president.
During the search she became reacquainted with Ann Cudd, who had been a Philosophy professor at the University of Kansas, where Ramaley had been Executive Vice Chancellor prior to coming to PSU.
“Since meeting her at KU, Judith has been a role model for me,” President Cudd said. “I was so delighted to know that she was on PSU’S Board of Trustees. Every administrative position I have taken, there has been a sign from the cosmos that it was the right move. Judith being on the hiring committee was certainly my sign for PSU.”
Proud Legacy
Ramaley's commitment to Portland State extended beyond her leadership and mentorship to include generous philanthropic support for the university she loved. Her philanthropy primarily supported the College of the Arts, the College of Urban & Public Affairs, and the President's Fund for PSU.
She also made a significant contribution to the new home for the Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design, where her generosity will be recognized with a named space — a student commons — in the new building opening this fall.
She was also honored last week with the inaugural Judith A. Ramaley Award for Extraordinary Trustee Service. Going forward, this award will be reserved for Trustees who, like Ramaley, have made an extraordinary impact on Portland State and on the lives of our students, staff and faculty.
In addition, President Cudd announced that the President’s Conference Room on the 8th floor of the Richard & Maurine Neuberger Center will be renamed the new Judith A. Ramaley Conference Room, graced by her portrait and a plaque extolling her impact on Portland State.
The Portland State community will gather to celebrate Ramaley’s life, legacy and impact at a special event this fall.