This is the final edition of Currently for Winter term 2026. Publication resumes on Monday, March 30. Submit to Currently.

March 16, 2026

PSU President Ann Cudd will host a Town Hall on campus this Wednesday. During her presentation, the president will address:

This event is in-person only. A recording will be shared following the Town Hall.

Wednesday, March 18
12:45 - 1:45 p.m.
Smith Ballroom (3rd floor)

The third and final candidate for the position of Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment & Student Engagement will visit campus this week. Faculty and staff are invited to an Open Forum with the candidate on Friday, March 20 from 2 - 2:45 p.m. in ASRC 515. The CV for the candidate will be posted on the position search page 24 hours prior to their visit. Feedback forms can also be found on that page and should be completed within 72 hours of the candidate's visit.

Originally there were four candidates, but one withdrew from consideration last week.

Between March 17 and April 3, CPSO and OIT will migrate to a new access control system for badge-controlled doors. As part of this migration, door card readers will be manually “cut-over” causing a short, one-time outage at each location. CPSO Access Control will be onsite with keys to facilitate entrance during an outage. Refer to this projected plan for a list of buildings up next and already completed. For urgent concerns and/or access needs, call Access Control directly at (503) 725-9345.

PSU’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) recently conducted a comprehensive review of our peer group institutions — universities that are suitable comparisons for PSU. It is the first time the list was updated since 1998. The goal was to determine which of PSU’s existing peers remain suitable comparisons as well as identify new peers based on current institutional measures and attributes. To conduct this review, OIRP collaborated with analysts from the Graduate School, Enrollment Management, OIT’s Business Intelligence Team, and the Office of Academic Affairs. They analyzed data from Carnegie Classifications and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

OIRP has posted an updated peer institutions list as well as details about its methodology on the Resources section of its website.

Are you or a family member receiving an employee tuition discount at PSU or one of Oregon’s other public universities? The PSU deadline to submit your Staff Fee form to the HR Uploader is two days before the start of Spring term — Saturday, March 28. Other universities may have different deadlines so check their websites.

Happy studying!

The lights on the Morrison Bridge will be green and white tonight, in honor of one of the best seasons in the history of the Vikings men's basketball program. PSU is celebrating some big honors:

Portland State University is partnering with the Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism (IUAPR) to host a virtual workshop entitled, “Recognizing Anti-Palestinian Racism and Creating an Environment of Understanding.”

This 90-minute interactive workshop is specifically created for PSU faculty and staff. The workshop is designed to help participants identify anti-Palestinian racism and understand how these patterns of exclusion harm the integrity of the entire community.

Friday, April 24
12 (noon) - 1:30 p.m.

Please take a few minutes to fill out a completely anonymous pre-workshop survey.

Portland State's Judaic Studies Program launched a successful one-credit, self-paced mini-course last year on the history and evolution of antisemitism. In response to campus interest, Judaic Studies is offering a non-credit version specifically for PSU faculty and staff, starting this Spring term.

This professional development resource is designed for busy schedules, offering an introduction to Jewish identity, a brief history of antisemitism, the relationship between antisemitism and other forms of racism, and modern manifestations. Participants will move through four modules at their own speed to gain a foundational understanding of this complex topic.

Each year, University Communications features stories about PSU graduates — and they are seeking nominations for their 2026 storytelling. Graduates may be featured in profiles on the PDX.edu website, on social media, in marketing materials and in pitches to the media. Here is just one of the ways our nominated graduates were recognized in 2025.

If you know a student who should be considered, please fill out the nomination form linked below. The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 30.

Do you know a thoughtful, inspirational speaker who has a message to share with the class of 2026? Applications are open for student speakers for all schools and colleges. Please encourage students to apply by April 15 by sharing the info page linked below.

The Outdoor Program is offering an amazing deal on rental gear over Spring Break. Rent gear for 11 days for the price of four — from Friday through Monday (March 20-30) over the Spring Break closure! Any additional days will be charged the standard rate.

A new term means a new Career Week, thanks to the University Career Center! Career Week is a high-impact series of events each term that brings together panels, workshops, employer meetups and classroom-aligned programming to support students’ career readiness. This spring’s event is April 20-24 with the Spring Career Fair on April 23.

Faculty and staff are invited to:

The Spring Career Week events catalog is coming soon! Contact Giovanna DiFalco, Employer Relations Manager at the University Career Center, at gdifalco@pdx.edu with your questions or ideas.

Suresh Singh, a professor of computer science, and Shankar Rananavare, a research associate professor of chemistry, have been named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors. They join a cohort of 230 emerging inventors nationwide who have successfully produced, patented and commercialized technologies with tangible societal impact.

All week

Mapping Familiar Territories, Charting New Paths

Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize Exhibition

Monday, March 16

Create an Accessible Syllabus

Cinematic Sound Showcase

Friends of Chamber Music: Pavel Haas Quartet

Tuesday, March 17

Instructional Accessibility Drop-In Support

WTF is Going On? Join PGA for an Information Conversation about Politics and Current Events

Friends of Chamber Music: Pavel Haas Quartet

Wednesday, March 18

President’s Town Hall

Thursday, March 19

No events

Friday, March 20

Viks Softball v. N. Dakota

Saturday, March 21

Exhibition Tour

Sunday, March 22

Portland Piano International: Filippo Gorini

Find more events at: PSU Events, OAI Events, Viks Athletics

People
April Aster

Presented
William Comer, Ted Khoury, John S. Ott, JJP Veerman

Published/Exhibited
Melissa Haeffner, Joleen Mena, Will Parnell, Lynn Santelmann

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CURRENTLY is a weekly newsletter for the employees of Portland State University, published by University Communications. News items, events and accolades should be sent to currently@pdx.edu. Deadline is noon, the Tuesday before publication. See the Currently website for submission guidelines and schedule.