BACKGROUND

History/Location: Portland State University is Oregon's urban public university. Founded in 1946 as Vanport Extension Center of the Oregon State System of Higher Education (OSSHE), it became Portland State College, a separate degree-granting institution, in 1955, and was re-named Portland State University in 1969. Portland State University is currently classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral-Granting University II. The 36-acre campus adjoins the central business district of Portland, Oregon, a city of 503,000. The Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1.6 million.

Academic Schools and Colleges, Programs and Degrees: The University comprises the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Urban and Public Affairs; Schools of Business Administration, Education, Engineering and Applied Science, Fine and Performing Arts, the Graduate School of Social Work, and Extended Studies. During the 1996-97 academic year 1,884 bachelor's degrees, 983 master's degrees, and 34 doctoral degrees were awarded. The University offers bachelor's degrees in 52 fields, certificate programs in nine areas at the undergraduate level and two at the graduate level, master's degrees in 49 fields, and doctoral degrees in seven fields. In 1996-97 doctoral degrees were awarded in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Resources, Social Work, Public Administration and Policy, Systems Science, and Urban Studies.

Faculty: In 1996-97 there were 496 budgeted instructional faculty FTE positions (including 38 FTE Graduate Assistants). The student/faculty ratio was 20.3:1. More than 66% of full-time instructional faculty are tenured, and 81% hold the doctorate or terminal professional degree in their field. Average 1996-97 AAUP instructional faculty salaries are $55,790 for full professors and $39,810 for all ranks (after 12-month salaries were converted to nine-month equivalents).

Enrollment: Fall 1996 headcount enrollment excluding extension students was 14,768 (10,553 FTE) including 10,368 undergraduate students (8,089 FTE), and 4,400 graduate students (2,464 FTE). Sixty-one percent (6,363) of undergraduate students and 38% percent (1,690) of graduate students were enrolled full time. Fifty-two percent of undergraduate students and 56% of graduate students were female. Six percent of students pay out-of-state tuition. Eighteen percent of undergraduate students and 10% of graduate students are members of protected minority groups. Overall, 16% of PSU students who are citizens or permanent residents of the US are members of protected minority groups (9% are Asian, 3% African-American, 3% Hispanic, and 1% Native American). An additional 5% of the student body are international students, representing 69 nations. In addition to the students enumerated above, nearly 11,000 individuals each year enroll in credit-bearing courses offered through PSU's School of Extended Studies. Approximately 11% of PSU students live in campus housing, which is operated by College Housing Northwest, a private non-profit corporation.

Admissions/Retention: In Fall 1996 PSU enrolled 910 new freshmen and 1,727 new undergraduate transfer students. Eighty-six percent of freshmen applicants were accepted, and 63% of accepted applicants enrolled. The average SAT score for new freshmen was 1015. Sixty percent of Fall 1995 freshmen returned for their sophomore year; 28.5% of Fall 1990 freshmen had graduated within six years.

Costs: Annual tuition for full-time undergraduate students who were Oregon residents was $3,342 in 1996-97; non-resident full-time undergraduate tuition was $10,608. Tuition for Oregon resident full-time graduate students was $5,700; for full-time non-resident graduate students, tuition was $9,795.

Budget: For 1996-97, Total Current Funds Revenues were $174,016,129. Actual Expenditures for Instruction and General Services Funds totaled $89,988,490. Actual Research Expenditures were $1,524,710.

Institutional Affiliations: PSU is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. It is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) and the Association of Urban Universities. In athletics, PSU moved from NCAA Division II to Division I in 1996-97 and is a member of the Big Sky Conference.

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