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Portland State University (or '''PSU''') is a University located in downtown Portland, Oregon . It has the overall largest enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon . PSU's graduate school and business school have the the largest enrollments in Oregon. The current President is Daniel Bernstine, the former Dean of the Law School at the University Of Wisconsin-Madison . HISTORY The University was established as the Vanport Extension Center in 1946 . (It became known as "the college that wouldn't die" because it refused to close after the Vanport Flood of 1948 .) In 1952 the Center moved to downtown Portland and occupied the vacated buildings of Lincoln High School on SW Broadway street. In 1955 , the Center changed its name to '''Portland State College''' to mark its maturation into a four-year degree-granting institution. PSU struggled for the next couple of decades under the ruling that no university or college in Oregon could duplicate the programs offered by another, with Grandfathered exclusions for the University Of Oregon and Oregon State University . Nevertheless, graduate programs were added in 1961 and doctoral programs were added in 1968 . The institution was granted university status by the Oregon State System Of Higher Education in 1969 . In 1994 PSU did away with the traditional undergraduate distribution system and adopted a new interdisciplinary general education program known as University Studies. This program has been controversial both on and off campus, but one of the few programs at PSU that has garnered national attention. '' U.S. News & World Report '' has on multiple occasions listed University Studies as a "Program to Look For". In the most recent rankings, PSU has been recognized in five of the eight categories of "programs to Look For." PSU is one of only three public universities that was recognized in this number of categories (University of Michigan and University of Maryland being the others). In 2003 PSU was approved to award degrees in Black Studies . That same year the university opened a center to support Native American s studying at college. In 2004 Dr. Fariborz Maseeh donated, through The Masseeh Foundation, $8 million to the College of Engineering and Computer Science. This was the largest single donation to the University at the time. The college was renamed to the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. In May 2004, PSU announced a joint offering with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to offer the nation's first biomedical informatics program. In early 2005, State Representative Mitch Greenlick introduced legislation in the Oregon House Of Representatives that would have merged PSU and OHSU. The legislation was met with stiff resistance as it is opposed by the presidents of both universities. Consequently, the bill died in short order. PSU is currently the largest school in the Oregon University System and is its fastest growing. PSU is ranked a fourth tier university by ''U.S. News & World Report''. PSU has progressively been adding PhD programs as it evolves from its historic roots as a liberal arts undergraduate college towards a more broad based national research university. Recently, PhDs have been added in Mathematics, Biology, Computer Science and Applied Psychology. COLLEGES, SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS PSU is home to many colleges and programs that offer undergraduate, graduate, and certificate degrees. Below are the current offerings, as well as links to departmental websites. ;Colleges and schools
;General education ;Extended learning
;International programs STUDENT LIFE PSU differs from the other universities in Oregon partially because it attracts a student body older than other universities. A significant percentage of PSU's classes are offered at night and Saturdays. Indeed, some programs only offer classes at night. PSU also delayed the development of its campus for decades after its founding. The institution sold land in a neighboring block soon after its move to downtown Portland, and delayed the construction of student housing until the early 1970s . While the mean age of students is near the upper twenties, increasing traditional enrollment is bringing the average student age down. Ambitious mixed-use building projects (commercial, educational, residential) in Portland, Oregon are purposed to attract younger students. These establishments preserve downtown shops and businesses while transforming Portland State University from a "commuter campus" to a mix between a commuter and a traditional campus. Recently completed projects include the Stephen Epler Hall and The Broadway. Further steps toward increasing housing capacity--and university control over its own housing--are being taken with plans for further construction, and with PSU taking over management of the residence halls it currently owns. PSU also benefits from the 1.3 million volume Branford P. Millar library near the center of campus. The Student Government at PSU is the Associated Students Of Portland State University . The Student Newspaper at PSU is the '' Daily Vanguard '', a fully student-run newspaper established in 1946. The student run radio station is KPSU . Portland State University is served on Fifth and Sixth Avenues by TriMet bus lines, by the Portland Streetcar at three stops throughout campus, and by Oregon Health & Science University and Portland Community College Shuttles on SW Harrison Street at SW Broadway. ATHLETICS Portland State is a member of the Big Sky Conference , Pac-10 Conference in wrestling and the Pacific Coast Softball Conference . PSU competes at the NCAA Division I level in basketball, women's volleyball, golf and soccer, wrestling, softball, indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country. Football competes at the DI-AA level. Prior to joining Division I, the school had won NCAA Division II Championships in women's volleyball and wrestling. The school has also placed second in football and women's basketball at the Division II level. Portland State's colors are Forest Green and White , and its mascot is Victor E. Viking. The two most notable former PSU athletes are Freeman Williams and Neil Lomax . Freeman Williams was a Division I national men's basketball scoring leader for PSU in the 1970s. Neil Lomax was a record setting quarterback who went on to play for the then St. Louis Cardinals. Home games for football are held off-campus at PGE Park , and home games for basketball are held on-campus at the Peter W. Stott Center. NOTABLE ALUMNI
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