Portland State University PDXScholar University Archives: Campus Publications & Portland State Magazine Productions Spring 5-1-2015 Portland State Magazine Portland State University. Office of University Communications Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/psu_magazine Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Portland State University. Office of University Communications, "Portland State Magazine" (2015). Portland State Magazine. 12. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/psu_magazine/12 This Book is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Portland State Magazine by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. SPRING 2015 ILLUMINATING the PAST A Book of Hours story / 10 Clearing the fog / 12 Backyard Edens / 14 It’s never too late / 18 Creating Futures / 20 Teaming up on autism / 22 FEARLESS CODER Tesca Fitzgerald ’13—Computer Science Alum TEACHING ROBOTS TO THINK #FEARLESSPSU Page 27 CONTENTS Departments 2 FROM THE PRESIDENT 4 PARK BLOCKS Leveraging our strengths New Comics Studies Program Protected bike lanes Features 3 LETTERS Rebooting a career Inspired by RFK Describing core values 10 ILLUMINATING THE PAST Recalling brother’s contributions Demographics tell a story Exhibit tells the story of the Library’s Praise for the archivist Viking Pavilion partnership new Book of Hours. A football legacy Food from the past Tell us about your crowdfunding 12 CLEARING THE FOG experience Researchers receive world attention for e-cigarette study. 8 FANFARE Page 12 Singers make waves 14 BACKYARD EDENS Abstract glass How well do natural backyard Win an original print habitats encourage birds and bugs? New Works 18 IT’S NEVER TOO LATE Clearing the fog 24 ALUMNI Helping students go the last mile to Portraits of gay life get their degrees. Alumni in the news CREATING FUTURES 26 GIVING 20 Scholarship campaign changes Giving employees a leg up students’ lives. 27 ATHLETICS Vikings get new leadership 22 TEAMING UP ON AUTISM A chance meeting becomes a mission 29 LOOKING BACK to help autistic adults. College Bowl team put Portland State on the map ON THE COVER A 15th-century Book of Hours is now on display in the PSU Library. Photo by Kelly James. See story on page 10. Page 14 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015 VOL. 29 | NO. 2 SPRING 2015 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 1 FROM THE PRESIDENT SPRING 2015 / VOL. 29 NO. 2 EDITOR Kathryn Kirkland WRITERS Harry Esteve, Bess Pallares, Suzanne Pardington PHOTOGRAPHERS Leveraging our strengths Kelly James, Edis Jurcys, Peter Simon COPY EDITOR PORTLAND STATE plays a unique role • Equitable funding. Our research shows Martha Wagner in Oregon higher education. We are the that PSU receives much less funding DESIGN state’s urban research university, and we per student than our counterparts, even Brett Forman, Sean Martinez serve an incredibly diverse population of though we serve the most low-income students. We educate and help establish students. Making the state funding LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 810 Market Center Building careers for the most low-income, the most formula more equitable and responsive PO Box 751 minority, the most non-traditional students to academic outcomes would help PSU. Portland OR 97207-0751 in the state. This is something in which I The Higher Education Coordinating 503-725-4451, fax 503-725-4465 take a great deal of pride, and it’s part of Commission is working on this, and we [email protected] what makes PSU a special place. will continue to push them hard. ADDRESS CHANGES Our ability to maintain accessibility has Please email [email protected] been tested in recent years, however, as cuts • A culture of philanthropy. We have made or call 503-725-4948 in state funding required us to raise tuition great strides in recent years to increase the ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE and cut services. As you know, we are in level of donations to PSU, thanks to our Tom Bull, Executive Director Simon Benson House the middle of a legislative session and have generous alumni and community part- 1803 SW Park Ave. joined the other public universities in ask- ners. Response to our Creating Futures PO Box 751 ing lawmakers and our new governor, Kate campaign is allowing us to offer many Portland OR 97207-0751 Brown, to put Oregon higher education more scholarships to deserving students. 503-725-4948 [email protected] back on roughly the same financial footing Read about its success on page 20. as before the Great Recession. The past PSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES several years have been tough on almost • Research. Our efforts to expand our Pete Nickerson, Chair Swati Adarkar everyone, including PSU. research and our strategic partnerships Erica Bestpitch MS ’12 Now, things are getting better. As many are paying off. The most recent example Gale Castillo MA ’74 other states have come to realize, investing is the $24 million grant from National Sho Dozono MS ’69 Maria Carolina Gonzalez-Prats in higher education is key to broadening Institutes of Health, our biggest ever. Maude Hines the prosperity that comes with a growing Thomas Imeson economy. We hope our state elected offi- • Local funding. I am exploring the Margaret Kirkpatrick Irving Levin cials feel the same and will act accordingly. possibility of reaching out to the region Fariborz Maseeh ’80, MS ’84 Additional dollars will help ensure that PSU serves to help stabilize our budget. Rick Miller MBA ’91 PSU remains a place where students from Stay tuned for more information. Peter Stott HD ’11 across the spectrum enjoy the opportunity Christine Vernier Wim Wiewel to get the education, advice and support These, and other ideas, give me a great they need to graduate. sense of optimism that the rise of PSU will Portland State Magazine is published We are not putting all our eggs in the continue well into the future. Thank you three times a year, during fall, winter and spring terms. Contents may be state-funding basket. With the disbanding for being a part of it. reprinted only by permission of the of the Oregon University System, PSU editor. The magazine is printed on has gained greater autonomy. We are now recycled paper. Portland State University is an affirmative action / equal governed by our own Board of Trustees, opportunity institution. and although I work closely with the six other public university presidents, I’m also looking at ways that PSU can leverage its Wim Wiewel strengths to become more financially stable. PRESIDENT, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY Among them: 2 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015 Portland State Magazine wants to hear from you. Email your comments to [email protected] or send them to Portland State Magazine, Office of University Communications, PO Letters Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. Inspired by RFK advertisements. Jim was a filmmaker. As a Portland State alumnus and He had a background in radio and the- former Viking football player, I hope FALL 2014 Your last issue with ater at Jefferson High School in Portland that Pokey’s legacy is never forgotten! I the cover photo of and the University of Oregon. agree that Pokey would have led a Pac-12 Robert Kennedy at His Portland State connection was program to a Rose Bowl victory. PSU for the article by way of voting in favor of a proposal in Portland State the lost tapes before the National Endowment for the Robin Pflugrad ’81 Voices from our past / 10 Magazine [“The Arts by Oregonian Sheldon Renan to Former head football coach, University of Lost Tapes,” Fall establish regional media centers. Portland Montana 2014] brought A strong Foundation / 17 Skyways to science / 18 Tales of grit & inspiration / 20 movable feast / 26 State was one of four in the USA that was Fall14_Mag-FINAL.indd 1 9/15/14 4:19 PM back many happy established with NEA support. Jim also and sad memories. I attended PSU from was a frequent speaker at PSU and may 1967 through the school year of 1970, well be on some of your tapes. which were probably the most exciting COME BACK TO CAMPUS FOR: and historical years in the history of Richard Blue ’62 the school. The list of speakers in your article is proof of just how incredible the times were back then. I remember attending those speeches Praise for the archivist October 22–31 of many of the speakers at PSU, which Archivist and head of the PSU Library can now again be heard on tape. I Special Collections Cris Paschild HIGHLIGHTS: especially recall waiting in line for over provided an outstanding service that will an hour to get into the PSU gym to hear bring enduring benefits for generations. Oct. 23 PDXTalks Bobby Kennedy speak and becoming so She discovered and facilitated the recov- inspired by him that I went downtown ery of recorded political speeches from Oct. 23 Portland State of Mind to his campaign office for the presidency tremulous times in the late ’60s. Now Concert to volunteer. Only weeks later, however, you can hear Bobby Kennedy address Oct. 24 Portland Farmers Market RFK was tragically shot dead in Los thousands in the PSU gym in 1968 just PSU Booth Angeles like his brother, JFK, five years weeks before his assassination. Paschild’s before. America has never recovered from gift of discovery may be listened to at Oct. 25 PSU Alumni Night with the the loss of these great leaders. pdxscholar.libary.pdx.edu/orspeakers. Portland Timbers Cris Paschild is to be heartily thanked and commended for her sharp and Ron Campbell ’69, MAT ’70 Oct.