CUS Hosts Panel on Austerity and Oregon’s Budget

On January 21, 2026, PSU students, staff, and faculty were joined by members of the public for CUS’s first event of the year, Austerity and Its Alternatives: Oregon’s State Budget. The event featured Dr. Mary King, Emerita Professor of Economics at Portland State University, and Daniel Hauser, Deputy Director of the Oregon Center for Public Policy. Their talk covered the Oregon State revenue landscape, a deep dive into public higher education funding, the politics of revenue,  the current crisis in Oregon’s state budget, short-term solutions, longer-term solutions, and possible local options for alternative funding sources. They have made their slides available and can be viewed as a PDF here. Their presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session. After the close of the program attendees mingled to discuss possible campaigns, ideas, partnerships and collaborations. 

The Center for Urban Studies thanks all of the attendees and the speakers for kicking-off our 2026 event series with a bang. Information on future CUS events will be announced soon. Visit the CUS webpage for more information.