Our MURP program is part of a great community of planners and people working in adjacent fields. Faculty collaborate often with planning professionals on community-based and professionally-oriented research. Students interact with planning professionals, in and out of the classroom, on field trips, and through the Oregon American Planning Association Chapter and the Emerging Professionals Group.
Our MURP graduates go on to great careers, in the Portland metro region and beyond. Many of them remain involved with our MURP program, by attending alumni events, speaking on panels, contributing to scholarships like the Portland Planning Diversity Award, mentoring current students, collaborating on research, and serving as clients on class projects. Alumni stay in touch via our LinkedIn (open to alumni and current students).
As examples of our community, Colin Cooper MURP ’99 is director of planning for Hillsboro, a city that has seen its population increase rapidly in recent years. Keeping Hillsboro’s small town flavor while absorbing growth is a goal that Cooper takes seriously. “As an urban planning student, you’re all about utopian visions,” Cooper says, remembering his days at PSU. “But one of my professors, Sy Adler, said something that totally changed my thinking: As an urban planner, you’re part of the whole development scheme. That one comment made me open up and decide to learn everything I could about the private sector. Being able to see and balance both sides—public and private concerns—has been a huge part of my success.”
Sometimes our MURPs even get elected to public office. In January 2019, Lynn Peterson, MURP ’99, became President of the Metro Council, Portland’s regional government. When awarded our College’s Urban Pioneer Award in 2016, Peterson gave an inspiring speech, highlighting lessons learned at PSU, including “The professional ethics of representing those in the room and those not able to be in the room. The single most important professional ethical code you must practice every day.”
Alumni Jai Raj Singh (MURP 2017) and Rebecca Stavenjord (MURP 2007) were elected in 2022 for the first time to city council positions in Tigard and Milwaukie, respectively.
Our alumni also have other important leadership roles. Dan Bower, MURP ’04, is the first full-time executive director of Portland Streetcar. He took the position after serving as the Division Manager of Active Transportation for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation.
See more recent updates about our community on the TSUSP homepage!