Portland State is coming into its own
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/portland_state_coming_into_its.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/portland_state_coming_into_its.html
-
Hi Guest,
We've updated the site to combine all the forums that were part of the Big Sky Fans Network into one location. This will make it easier to navigate and participate in all the discussions for each school without having to have multiple accounts, etc. We are still working out some tweaks but please let us know if you notice anything.
With the migration, in some circumstances, your username could have been merged with one of your other usernames from the other forums. If this is the case, you can request to change your username in your account details page of your profile. -
Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!
-
Guest, do want an ad free experience on BigSkyFans.com among other benefits? Upgrade your account today!
Simply click your profile name > account upgrades > BigSky Club > choose between the year long subscription (two free months) or month to month
Thanks for the continued support. Cheers!
PSU is growing up
- Thread starter forestgreen
- Start date
New OHSU-joint master's in healthcare to start next term
New 72-credit program to put focus on healthcare administration
http://media.www.dailyvanguard.com/media/storage/paper941/news/2008/11/06/News/New-OhsuJoint.Masters.In.Healthcare.To.Start.Next.Term-3528811.shtml
New 72-credit program to put focus on healthcare administration
http://media.www.dailyvanguard.com/media/storage/paper941/news/2008/11/06/News/New-OhsuJoint.Masters.In.Healthcare.To.Start.Next.Term-3528811.shtml
Lincoln Hall to start $10 million fundraising campaign
Budget for improvements slated for new entrance, improved floorspace, visibility
http://media.www.dailyvanguard.com/media/storage/paper941/news/2008/11/12/News/Lincoln.Hall.To.Start.10.Million.Fundraising.Campaign-3538726.shtml
Portland State's School of Fine and Performing Arts is starting a fundraising campaign to raise approximately $10 million in funds for improvements to Lincoln Hall after the building was closed for renovations earlier this year.
Barbara Sestak, dean for the School of Fine and Performing Arts, said that the fundraising events will occur over the next several years. Approximately $10 million will be needed for the improvements, which cannot begin construction until current renovations to Lincoln Hall are completed.
State funds for the building's current renovation projects have designated to only be used for deferred maintenance projects, and cannot be spent on any improvements or additions to Lincoln Hall, according to PSU Facilities and Planning.
The majority of the budget for the building's improvements will go to adding a new entry to Lincoln Hall from Southwest Broadway Street, as well as a glass window bay that will bring additional square footage, Sestak said.
Aside from the new entry and a glass bay, improvements will also be made to the band room, and is expected to included improved access for disabled people, Sestak said.
The performance space in the basement will also be renovated, and Sestak said she hopes fundraising will bring new seats and mechanical systems.
As part of the proposed enhancements, Sestak said that there is an opportunity to take space below the basement and create a black box theater. The new theater will be used for student performances, as well as be accessible for community use.
Because of this, Sestak said that they will keep Lincoln as original as possible, which includes uncovering the skylights that are original to the building. Restoring the skylights will also likely gain the building a LEED certification point, rating the building as more sustainable than before, Sestak said.
The Vanguard previously reported in an article Feb. 19, that Lincoln Hall, the oldest building on campus, was going off-line to upgrade the building's interior design, heating and ventilation systems, as well as its seismic reinforcement. The project was expected to finish by 2010.
According to a May 2007 press release, the Oregon Legislature has appropriated $29 million to fix Lincoln Hall's, "sagging roof, corroded pipes, falling ceiling tiles and other infrastructure failures."
An additional $11.986 million has been provided from the State Energy Loan Program to help cover costs.
Requests to the Facilities and Planning department for a list of Lincoln Hall's necessary deferred maintenance projects were not answered by press time.
Sestak said it is important that Lincoln Hall, which was originally a high school, is a prominent part of Portland State.
"[It's a] real connector to the community," Sestak said. "[It] is usually the first PSU building people see since it is on Broadway."
Lincoln Hall timeline
October 2006
- Lincoln Hall suffers approximately $900,000 in flood damages due to a water leak from Cramer Hall.
January 2007
- Portland State President Daniel Bernstine appeals to the state Legislature for an additional $172 million in state deferred maintenance funds for renovations to Lincoln and other buildings on campus.
- Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski gives $29 million in capital construction funds for reparations to Lincoln's seismic instability, pending the state Legislature's $172 million capital construction for higher-education package.
February 2007
- State legislators, still considering passing the $172 million capital construction project, tour Lincoln Hall, getting a firsthand look at damage to the building's basement and roof areas.
April 2007
- Gov. Kulongoski visits PSU, taking a tour of Lincoln and other deferred maintenance projects on campus.
February 2008
- The music department relocates from Lincoln Hall to the Extended Studies Building in preparation for the building's closing.
August 2008
- Lincoln Hall is closed for renovations, and is not expected to re-open until 2010.
November 2008
- PSU's School of Fine and Performing Arts begins $10 million fundraiser campaign for improvements to Lincoln Hall, which is expected to take several years. Improvements cannot begin construction until current renovation projects are complete.
Budget for improvements slated for new entrance, improved floorspace, visibility
http://media.www.dailyvanguard.com/media/storage/paper941/news/2008/11/12/News/Lincoln.Hall.To.Start.10.Million.Fundraising.Campaign-3538726.shtml
Portland State's School of Fine and Performing Arts is starting a fundraising campaign to raise approximately $10 million in funds for improvements to Lincoln Hall after the building was closed for renovations earlier this year.
Barbara Sestak, dean for the School of Fine and Performing Arts, said that the fundraising events will occur over the next several years. Approximately $10 million will be needed for the improvements, which cannot begin construction until current renovations to Lincoln Hall are completed.
State funds for the building's current renovation projects have designated to only be used for deferred maintenance projects, and cannot be spent on any improvements or additions to Lincoln Hall, according to PSU Facilities and Planning.
The majority of the budget for the building's improvements will go to adding a new entry to Lincoln Hall from Southwest Broadway Street, as well as a glass window bay that will bring additional square footage, Sestak said.
Aside from the new entry and a glass bay, improvements will also be made to the band room, and is expected to included improved access for disabled people, Sestak said.
The performance space in the basement will also be renovated, and Sestak said she hopes fundraising will bring new seats and mechanical systems.
As part of the proposed enhancements, Sestak said that there is an opportunity to take space below the basement and create a black box theater. The new theater will be used for student performances, as well as be accessible for community use.
Because of this, Sestak said that they will keep Lincoln as original as possible, which includes uncovering the skylights that are original to the building. Restoring the skylights will also likely gain the building a LEED certification point, rating the building as more sustainable than before, Sestak said.
The Vanguard previously reported in an article Feb. 19, that Lincoln Hall, the oldest building on campus, was going off-line to upgrade the building's interior design, heating and ventilation systems, as well as its seismic reinforcement. The project was expected to finish by 2010.
According to a May 2007 press release, the Oregon Legislature has appropriated $29 million to fix Lincoln Hall's, "sagging roof, corroded pipes, falling ceiling tiles and other infrastructure failures."
An additional $11.986 million has been provided from the State Energy Loan Program to help cover costs.
Requests to the Facilities and Planning department for a list of Lincoln Hall's necessary deferred maintenance projects were not answered by press time.
Sestak said it is important that Lincoln Hall, which was originally a high school, is a prominent part of Portland State.
"[It's a] real connector to the community," Sestak said. "[It] is usually the first PSU building people see since it is on Broadway."
Lincoln Hall timeline
October 2006
- Lincoln Hall suffers approximately $900,000 in flood damages due to a water leak from Cramer Hall.
January 2007
- Portland State President Daniel Bernstine appeals to the state Legislature for an additional $172 million in state deferred maintenance funds for renovations to Lincoln and other buildings on campus.
- Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski gives $29 million in capital construction funds for reparations to Lincoln's seismic instability, pending the state Legislature's $172 million capital construction for higher-education package.
February 2007
- State legislators, still considering passing the $172 million capital construction project, tour Lincoln Hall, getting a firsthand look at damage to the building's basement and roof areas.
April 2007
- Gov. Kulongoski visits PSU, taking a tour of Lincoln and other deferred maintenance projects on campus.
February 2008
- The music department relocates from Lincoln Hall to the Extended Studies Building in preparation for the building's closing.
August 2008
- Lincoln Hall is closed for renovations, and is not expected to re-open until 2010.
November 2008
- PSU's School of Fine and Performing Arts begins $10 million fundraiser campaign for improvements to Lincoln Hall, which is expected to take several years. Improvements cannot begin construction until current renovation projects are complete.
To launch, city biotech needs labs
Portland Development Commission’s contribution to equip space at PSU still leaves gaps
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122653035988654100
The Portland Development Commission is about to spend $800,000 to outfit a Portland State University office building with scientific laboratory space – the latest attempt to jump-start a local bioscience industry that some industry watchers believe has never lived up to the promises made to justify previous public investments.
Six years ago, the state issued $200 million in bonds to help Oregon Health & Science University build a new biomedical research facility. Other state and city projects have been devoted to the idea of developing a bioscience industry in Portland that could provide jobs.
But the lack of lab space for startup bioscience companies has been frequently cited as a bottleneck for the industry. A number of Portland bioscience startups have left the city for available lab space in Washington County and in other states.
The new PDC investment is an attempt to stem that tide, but is fraught with the same difficulties that have led other, similar projects to fail.
Bioscience accelerators are buildings set up to provide scientific lab space and business assistance to young companies, which usually are formed after a university scientist has discovered a potentially marketable test or product.
Years of research and refinement are necessary before the test or product can come to market. And that research usually needs to take place in labs outside the university.
But building “wet lab” space, with special water supplies, sinks and ventilation systems, is expensive, and local developers haven’t seen enough profit in the labs to build the space themselves.
The $800,000 that the PDC is poised to spend will be only enough to convert about 2,000 square feet of leasable office space into lab space. The space would be available next summer.
In Portland and other cities, bioscience accelerators have faced an extremely high failure rate, according to Craig Reinhart of Cressa Partners, a local real estate broker who specializes in commercial lab space.
Reinhart said the problem is the “opposing motives” of such buildings, which are intended to encourage startups to succeed by offering low rents, but which need to get high enough rents to stay in business after having spent a great deal on constructing lab space.
“It’s just been next to impossible,” Reinhart said of finding a middle ground between the conflicting needs.
Size is an issue
Dan Dorsa, OHSU’s vice president for research, said OHSU has leased lab space to a few local companies in an attempt to keep them from moving away from Portland, but that as these companies grow, OHSU will not be able to accommodate them.
According to Dorsa, in other cities the solution has been publicly subsidized bioscience accelerators with large amounts of lab space available to startups at below market rate. And Portland has a longer-term solution in mind as well – a proposed $250 million Life Sciences Collaborative Complex at South Waterfront that would need state money to be built.
But, Dorsa said, so far a fix hasn’t been found for Portland. And as a result, many industry experts believe the city’s most successful bioscience companies may leave town.
The PDC’s investment in the PSU accelerator building is intended to provide shared lab space for just a handful of bioscience companies. And that would help, said Arundeep Pradhan, director of technology and research collaboration at OHSU.
“We’ve got companies that are busting at the seams,” Pradhan said. He estimates there may be between six and 12 small, local bioscience companies that could use the lab space the PSU accelerator would offer.
But even the new PSU lab space won’t be enough to provide the city’s most successful bioscience companies with what they say they need.
Executives at growing bioscience startups MolecularMD and Znomics, both based in Portland, have said they will need to expand into lab spaces more along the lines of 5,000 to 10,000 square feet, and local experts such as Elsenbach say that type of space simply does not exist in Portland right now.
Collaboration might work
Industry boosters say the long-term solution for incubating local bioscience companies is the proposed building in South Waterfront.
Officials from the Oregon University System and OHSU have been lobbying for partial funding from the next legislative session – far from a sure thing given the economic downturn, according to Jay Kenton, vice chancellor for finance and administration with the Oregon University System.
Even if the OHSU building gets funded, however, it likely won’t be completed for at least five years, far too long for many local companies to wait.
The PDC’s investment would help plug that gap only in a small way. And already, at least one Portland bioscience company president, Steve Benight of Portland Bioscience Inc., has said he would like to rent space in the PSU accelerator building but likely won’t. Benight said that given what he has been told the rents are likely to be, he will not be able to afford it.
Benight said he was told in preliminary discussions that rent in the bioscience accelerator likely would be $30 to $35 a square foot. And that, he said, is no lower than market-rate wet lab space in the Portland metropolitan area – virtually all of it outside of Portland in Washington County, and Vancouver, Wash.
Portland Bioscience Inc. is developing diagnostic technology that could someday help physicians tailor treatments to patients’ individual genetic makeups.
Benight’s company uses 400 square feet of space in the PSU building’s basement as its lab. If it grows, Benight said he will consider moving elsewhere, possibly to Vancouver, Wash., where he says cheaper lab space and tax incentives for startups are available.
“It’s supposed to provide cheap rent for startups,” Benight said of the PSU accelerator building. “But if I can’t afford to rent it, what incentive is that?”
Tiered rates proposed
Broker Reinhart agreed with Benight. He said priority should be getting companies started and growing because eventually, they will leave the accelerator and build their own lab space, which might eventually become available to other companies. No Portland bioscience companies have reached that stage yet.
“I would rather see the rent below $20 (a square foot) for the early stage companies, not at $35,” Reinhart said.
Dana Bostrom, PSU’s director of innovation and industry alliances, said rents have not been set yet, but that they likely would need to approach market rate.
Finding a way to make the PSU building financially feasible and still affordable for startups is critical, according to Bob Lanier, executive director of the Oregon Bioscience Association.
Lanier said one possible solution would be tiered rates – some lab space at a lower rate for startups and other space renting for more from more established companies that could afford to pay more.
“If the accelerator can be made to work and eight companies come here, we’re going to be moving in the right direction,” Lanier said.
Portland Development Commission’s contribution to equip space at PSU still leaves gaps
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122653035988654100
The Portland Development Commission is about to spend $800,000 to outfit a Portland State University office building with scientific laboratory space – the latest attempt to jump-start a local bioscience industry that some industry watchers believe has never lived up to the promises made to justify previous public investments.
Six years ago, the state issued $200 million in bonds to help Oregon Health & Science University build a new biomedical research facility. Other state and city projects have been devoted to the idea of developing a bioscience industry in Portland that could provide jobs.
But the lack of lab space for startup bioscience companies has been frequently cited as a bottleneck for the industry. A number of Portland bioscience startups have left the city for available lab space in Washington County and in other states.
The new PDC investment is an attempt to stem that tide, but is fraught with the same difficulties that have led other, similar projects to fail.
Bioscience accelerators are buildings set up to provide scientific lab space and business assistance to young companies, which usually are formed after a university scientist has discovered a potentially marketable test or product.
Years of research and refinement are necessary before the test or product can come to market. And that research usually needs to take place in labs outside the university.
But building “wet lab” space, with special water supplies, sinks and ventilation systems, is expensive, and local developers haven’t seen enough profit in the labs to build the space themselves.
The $800,000 that the PDC is poised to spend will be only enough to convert about 2,000 square feet of leasable office space into lab space. The space would be available next summer.
In Portland and other cities, bioscience accelerators have faced an extremely high failure rate, according to Craig Reinhart of Cressa Partners, a local real estate broker who specializes in commercial lab space.
Reinhart said the problem is the “opposing motives” of such buildings, which are intended to encourage startups to succeed by offering low rents, but which need to get high enough rents to stay in business after having spent a great deal on constructing lab space.
“It’s just been next to impossible,” Reinhart said of finding a middle ground between the conflicting needs.
Size is an issue
Dan Dorsa, OHSU’s vice president for research, said OHSU has leased lab space to a few local companies in an attempt to keep them from moving away from Portland, but that as these companies grow, OHSU will not be able to accommodate them.
According to Dorsa, in other cities the solution has been publicly subsidized bioscience accelerators with large amounts of lab space available to startups at below market rate. And Portland has a longer-term solution in mind as well – a proposed $250 million Life Sciences Collaborative Complex at South Waterfront that would need state money to be built.
But, Dorsa said, so far a fix hasn’t been found for Portland. And as a result, many industry experts believe the city’s most successful bioscience companies may leave town.
The PDC’s investment in the PSU accelerator building is intended to provide shared lab space for just a handful of bioscience companies. And that would help, said Arundeep Pradhan, director of technology and research collaboration at OHSU.
“We’ve got companies that are busting at the seams,” Pradhan said. He estimates there may be between six and 12 small, local bioscience companies that could use the lab space the PSU accelerator would offer.
But even the new PSU lab space won’t be enough to provide the city’s most successful bioscience companies with what they say they need.
Executives at growing bioscience startups MolecularMD and Znomics, both based in Portland, have said they will need to expand into lab spaces more along the lines of 5,000 to 10,000 square feet, and local experts such as Elsenbach say that type of space simply does not exist in Portland right now.
Collaboration might work
Industry boosters say the long-term solution for incubating local bioscience companies is the proposed building in South Waterfront.
Officials from the Oregon University System and OHSU have been lobbying for partial funding from the next legislative session – far from a sure thing given the economic downturn, according to Jay Kenton, vice chancellor for finance and administration with the Oregon University System.
Even if the OHSU building gets funded, however, it likely won’t be completed for at least five years, far too long for many local companies to wait.
The PDC’s investment would help plug that gap only in a small way. And already, at least one Portland bioscience company president, Steve Benight of Portland Bioscience Inc., has said he would like to rent space in the PSU accelerator building but likely won’t. Benight said that given what he has been told the rents are likely to be, he will not be able to afford it.
Benight said he was told in preliminary discussions that rent in the bioscience accelerator likely would be $30 to $35 a square foot. And that, he said, is no lower than market-rate wet lab space in the Portland metropolitan area – virtually all of it outside of Portland in Washington County, and Vancouver, Wash.
Portland Bioscience Inc. is developing diagnostic technology that could someday help physicians tailor treatments to patients’ individual genetic makeups.
Benight’s company uses 400 square feet of space in the PSU building’s basement as its lab. If it grows, Benight said he will consider moving elsewhere, possibly to Vancouver, Wash., where he says cheaper lab space and tax incentives for startups are available.
“It’s supposed to provide cheap rent for startups,” Benight said of the PSU accelerator building. “But if I can’t afford to rent it, what incentive is that?”
Tiered rates proposed
Broker Reinhart agreed with Benight. He said priority should be getting companies started and growing because eventually, they will leave the accelerator and build their own lab space, which might eventually become available to other companies. No Portland bioscience companies have reached that stage yet.
“I would rather see the rent below $20 (a square foot) for the early stage companies, not at $35,” Reinhart said.
Dana Bostrom, PSU’s director of innovation and industry alliances, said rents have not been set yet, but that they likely would need to approach market rate.
Finding a way to make the PSU building financially feasible and still affordable for startups is critical, according to Bob Lanier, executive director of the Oregon Bioscience Association.
Lanier said one possible solution would be tiered rates – some lab space at a lower rate for startups and other space renting for more from more established companies that could afford to pay more.
“If the accelerator can be made to work and eight companies come here, we’re going to be moving in the right direction,” Lanier said.
Enrollment at Oregon universities hits record high
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/enrollment_at_oregon_universit.html
Portland State University students pack into a History of Rock music class Thursday morning as it was announced that PSU was still Oregon's largest university with a record enrollment. The Oregon Board of Higher Education announced record enrollment at all seven public universities, the biggest is Portland State University with 27,000 students.
A record 86,546 students enrolled in Oregon's seven public universities this fall, including the largest freshman class in state history, officials announced Thursday.
University leaders say the surge of 5.2 percent more students over last year is linked to the slow economy, a boost in state funding for higher education and more outreach to students who didn't think they could go to college.
"When the state invests in the community colleges and the universities, Oregonians have hope that the state intends to invest in them and their futures," said Chancellor George Pernsteiner. "Once they believe that, they come."
Enrollment is up at all seven universities, with Portland State University and the University of Oregon getting the most new students.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/enrollment_at_oregon_universit.html
Portland State University students pack into a History of Rock music class Thursday morning as it was announced that PSU was still Oregon's largest university with a record enrollment. The Oregon Board of Higher Education announced record enrollment at all seven public universities, the biggest is Portland State University with 27,000 students.
A record 86,546 students enrolled in Oregon's seven public universities this fall, including the largest freshman class in state history, officials announced Thursday.
University leaders say the surge of 5.2 percent more students over last year is linked to the slow economy, a boost in state funding for higher education and more outreach to students who didn't think they could go to college.
"When the state invests in the community colleges and the universities, Oregonians have hope that the state intends to invest in them and their futures," said Chancellor George Pernsteiner. "Once they believe that, they come."
Enrollment is up at all seven universities, with Portland State University and the University of Oregon getting the most new students.
ManOfVision
Active member
Looks like SB2 is in for a makeover. I just wish they could throw in a little extra cash to make the rest of the exterior blend with the new part.
http://www.idcarchitects.com/portfolio/rd-labs/psu-science-building.asp
http://www.idcarchitects.com/portfolio/rd-labs/psu-science-building.asp
I saw this over on the O-live forum, I hope it becomes a reality.
Business school design unveiled
Building at Park Avenue and Market Street would sit at intersection of business, sustainability
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2008/07/23/Business-school-design-unveiled-Building-at-Park-Avenue-and-Market-Street-would-sit-at-intersection-
Business school design unveiled
Building at Park Avenue and Market Street would sit at intersection of business, sustainability
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2008/07/23/Business-school-design-unveiled-Building-at-Park-Avenue-and-Market-Street-would-sit-at-intersection-
New student housing building approved
Space will include 600–800 beds, possible retail space, classrooms
http://www.dailyvanguard.com/new_student_housing_building_approved
As Portland State’s enrollment has ballooned to more than 27,000 students, the university is struggling to find adequate housing for students and is sending many students off campus for boarding.
However, the university has a plan in place to combat the housing crunch. The proposed building will have between 600 and 800 beds, will possibly lease retail space on the ground floor and hold additional classrooms. Much of this depends on who wins the contract to operate the building.
TriMet is building a new MAX line turnaround at the corner of Southwest College Street and Sixth Avenue. The transportation group purchased most of the land parcels surrounding the turnaround for the express purpose of selling it to PSU.
“We would build above the tracks, and we also own some of the surrounding buildings where we can build as well,” PSU President Wim Wiewel said, explaining some of the proposed plans for the new land use.
The State Board of Higher Education’s winter meeting approved an $8 million bond increase for PSU to purchase land from TriMet for the project.
“The board, at the last meeting, approved authority for us to go forward and acquire it [the land] from TriMet,” Wiewel said.
The university initially requested increased budgeting for this land acquisition in November 2006, when it initiated plans for construction of the recreation center.
This project is unique from other building projects the university has undertaken in the past. According to Mark Gregory, associate vice president for the Office of Finance and Administration, the new housing building will actually be privately owned and operated in close cooperation with PSU.
The light rail turnaround is just one of the options for this sort of housing project, modeled after the housing Arizona State University has adopted in recent years. Gregory reported that PSU also owns the land that the University Place Hotel sits on, and that it may be developed in the future as well.
“Our overall goal is to meet housing demand and serve a growing campus. We also want to increase the percentage of campus resident students to make the campus district a more vibrant and active place,” Gregory said in an e-mail.
While the university knows where it will build, the question of whom will build it remains.
“We are in the process of indentifying a developer to build more student housing,” Wiewel said.
The problems in the housing market have left many developers out of work, and according to Wiewel, this has contributed to the number of high quality applicants bidding for the contract.
“We are pleased with the quality of the responses we’ve received,” Wiewel said, “We’ve narrowed it down to four finalists for development that we’re interviewing.”
With the downturn in the economy, however, the building will likely not be completed by next fall. At this point, though, there is enough housing for the rest of winter and spring.
“Now we just have to wait to see how many applications we get to see what measure we need to take by next fall,” Wiewel said.
Space will include 600–800 beds, possible retail space, classrooms
http://www.dailyvanguard.com/new_student_housing_building_approved
As Portland State’s enrollment has ballooned to more than 27,000 students, the university is struggling to find adequate housing for students and is sending many students off campus for boarding.
However, the university has a plan in place to combat the housing crunch. The proposed building will have between 600 and 800 beds, will possibly lease retail space on the ground floor and hold additional classrooms. Much of this depends on who wins the contract to operate the building.
TriMet is building a new MAX line turnaround at the corner of Southwest College Street and Sixth Avenue. The transportation group purchased most of the land parcels surrounding the turnaround for the express purpose of selling it to PSU.
“We would build above the tracks, and we also own some of the surrounding buildings where we can build as well,” PSU President Wim Wiewel said, explaining some of the proposed plans for the new land use.
The State Board of Higher Education’s winter meeting approved an $8 million bond increase for PSU to purchase land from TriMet for the project.
“The board, at the last meeting, approved authority for us to go forward and acquire it [the land] from TriMet,” Wiewel said.
The university initially requested increased budgeting for this land acquisition in November 2006, when it initiated plans for construction of the recreation center.
This project is unique from other building projects the university has undertaken in the past. According to Mark Gregory, associate vice president for the Office of Finance and Administration, the new housing building will actually be privately owned and operated in close cooperation with PSU.
The light rail turnaround is just one of the options for this sort of housing project, modeled after the housing Arizona State University has adopted in recent years. Gregory reported that PSU also owns the land that the University Place Hotel sits on, and that it may be developed in the future as well.
“Our overall goal is to meet housing demand and serve a growing campus. We also want to increase the percentage of campus resident students to make the campus district a more vibrant and active place,” Gregory said in an e-mail.
While the university knows where it will build, the question of whom will build it remains.
“We are in the process of indentifying a developer to build more student housing,” Wiewel said.
The problems in the housing market have left many developers out of work, and according to Wiewel, this has contributed to the number of high quality applicants bidding for the contract.
“We are pleased with the quality of the responses we’ve received,” Wiewel said, “We’ve narrowed it down to four finalists for development that we’re interviewing.”
With the downturn in the economy, however, the building will likely not be completed by next fall. At this point, though, there is enough housing for the rest of winter and spring.
“Now we just have to wait to see how many applications we get to see what measure we need to take by next fall,” Wiewel said.
PortlandStater
Active member
Two thoughts:
1. Good news. Another step away from commuter school.
2.
1. Good news. Another step away from commuter school.
2.
Ouch! And this in a college newspaper...
PortlandStater
Active member
One more: http://pdx.edu/news/23151/
Nightime glow sounds cool...
Nightime glow sounds cool...
ManOfVision
Active member
PortlandStater said:
I don't remember where it was posted, but I saw a sketch of what the new Science II entrance would look like. There was lots of glass. I remember observing that it would have been better if the rest of the exterior were updated to match it. Maybe this article signals a change in the plans that would address this issue.
Into the belly of the beast
Campus Recreation gives students a hard hat tour of the new recreation center
http://www.dailyvanguard.com/into_the_belly_of_the_beast-1.1318960
Campus Recreation gives students a hard hat tour of the new recreation center
http://www.dailyvanguard.com/into_the_belly_of_the_beast-1.1318960
ManOfVision
Active member
forestgreen said:
Man, I wish that had been open when I was a student there!
PortlandStater
Active member
If you live in the area, you can get an alumni membership, as far as I know.
PortlandStater
Active member
http://www.pdx.edu/cecs
Go Vikings!
Go Vikings!
PSU, OSU get $1.6 million for lab equipment
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/12368247137730.xml&coll=7
Oregon BEST, a state-funded technology research center, will announce today a $1.6 million investment in lab equipment at Portland State and Oregon State universities that could help generate new companies making eco-friendly building products.
The money will buy equipment for researchers to develop products that architects and designers can use for energy-efficient buildings made of more environmentally friendly materials.
"Others are doing research in green building, but no one's as holistic as we are in Oregon," said David Kenney, executive director of the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center.
The PSU lab will help design more effective green roofs and more energy-efficient windows, as well as other green building techniques. The OSU lab is improving building beams made of fast-growing, Oregon-produced hybrid poplar that might one day replace steel.
Oregon BEST is providing $700,000 of the money, with PSU's Miller foundation grant and some smaller university grants making up the rest.
Initially, the new lab equipment can help PSU and OSU researchers win federal grants, which could grow if the Obama administration makes good on promises to invest in green building research.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/12368247137730.xml&coll=7
Oregon BEST, a state-funded technology research center, will announce today a $1.6 million investment in lab equipment at Portland State and Oregon State universities that could help generate new companies making eco-friendly building products.
The money will buy equipment for researchers to develop products that architects and designers can use for energy-efficient buildings made of more environmentally friendly materials.
"Others are doing research in green building, but no one's as holistic as we are in Oregon," said David Kenney, executive director of the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center.
The PSU lab will help design more effective green roofs and more energy-efficient windows, as well as other green building techniques. The OSU lab is improving building beams made of fast-growing, Oregon-produced hybrid poplar that might one day replace steel.
Oregon BEST is providing $700,000 of the money, with PSU's Miller foundation grant and some smaller university grants making up the rest.
Initially, the new lab equipment can help PSU and OSU researchers win federal grants, which could grow if the Obama administration makes good on promises to invest in green building research.
ManOfVision
Active member
forestgreen said:
That's cool. This is a good example of a fairly small amount of money potentially translating into even more money (potential future research grants) and tangible results (better eco-roofs and energy-efficient windows).
All of the above is wonderful stuff. But while we're building all these boxes for high tech science, business, dorms and the like I see no mention of plain classrooms! I suppose it's great that we're the largest school in the system, pushing 28,000 and going for more. But listen, I teach in the history department. Next term my classes are over-booked. One is in the Clay Building, a new one opposite the post office on Clay, Did we rent this one last year, desperate for class space? At this rate we'll be butting up next to the Schnitz. My other class is 10 blocks in the other direction, in the Engineering Building no less, on Fourth next to the freeway. Still more to the point, the department has been notified that one of my summer classes and one of a colleague's are questionable because they can't find a classroom for them!
Believe it or not, most of those 28,000 students major in CLAS, not engineering or business. And they desperately need class space. How about putting up a generic classroom building?!
Believe it or not, most of those 28,000 students major in CLAS, not engineering or business. And they desperately need class space. How about putting up a generic classroom building?!
ManOfVision
Active member
pdxfan said:
I completely agree with you about the need for a generic classroom building. In my opinion, the open area between the Stott Community Field and the Science building would be an ideal location. This is the kind of basic infrastructure project that the state legislature should be funding.
