A Better Campus Community through Participation

Recent events had me thinking about PSU’s level of internal community engagement. In the past few weeks, I attended a first anniversary session for faculty, the monthly College of Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Research Brown-Bag, Second Thursday Social Club, my monthly Drop-in Provost Sessions, the Administrative Briefing, a “First Thursday” at a Pearl District Gallery featuring work of faculty in the Arts, and our Winter Symposium.

While a number of faculty and staff participated in these events, attendance was minimal. Even the Second Thursday Social Club that attracts about 100 faculty and staff each month reflects a small percentage of our total PSU faculty and staff.

Highlighting Three PSU Cultural/Scientific Events

Soochow University Art Troupe visited PSU last week to help celebrate the 11th anniversary of our Confucius Institute. PSU’s connections with Soochow University run deep. Soochow is Portland State’s sister university, located in Suzhou, China. The partnership supports two PSU students a year to study Chinese and culture at Soochow University. Over 300 guests attended the performance and filled the Peter W. Stott Center, including three consular officials from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco.