March 30, 2026

Student Success is welcoming back our new and returning students through Welcome Week tabling and extended drop-in advising!

The Welcome Table will be offered today and tomorrow (Monday-Tuesday), March 30-31, at the following locations:

Extended Drop-In Advising will be offered today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., and will resume to regular drop-in hours for the remainder of the week. View the flyer for pathway advising locations.

Please invite new and ongoing graduate students to the Graduate School Spring Welcome this Tuesday, March 31 from noon - 2 p.m. in the Millar Library (4th floor). There will be food, games and community connections. Registration is encouraged, but not required.

The process for submitting your Early Alerts this term will look a bit different, as they have transitioned to a new system.

OIT has prepared user guides for the new system. Please review when you are ready to begin submitting Early Alerts:

These resources are available on the Slate Project Website and on the Early Alerts website. If you experience any issues using the system, email help-crm@pdx.edu.

PSU President Ann Cudd held a Town Hall on March 18 where she spoke about her vision for PSU’s future, outlined a growth strategy and took questions from the audience. A recording of the Town Hall and the text of the President’s speech are available on her webpage.

PSU’s second InnovAIte Symposium is next week! InnovAIte brings together Portland State University faculty, staff, and community partners to explore how artificial intelligence is shaping higher education. Participants will showcase their AI projects through poster sessions, lightning presentations, and table demonstrations. The event will include a panel, a guest speaker, and networking with campus stakeholders interested in AI.

Wednesday, April 8
9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Smith Ballroom

More information is available on the InnovAIte Academy website, and questions about the Symposium can be sent to innovaite@pdx.edu.

Next week, the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health launches its Public Health Grand Rounds — a new speaker series — featuring Oregon Health Authority Director Dr. Sejal Hathi. As communities across the state face ongoing health and policy challenges, Dr. Hathi will share her perspective on the future of public health in Oregon. Today is the deadline to RSVP.

Tuesday, April 7
12 - 1 p.m.
Roberson Life Sciences Building
Paid parking Information

Join the newly formed Digital Accessibility Liaison (DAL) Group, a welcoming community of PSU employees committed to advancing digital accessibility through collaboration, shared learning, and connection. No prior accessibility expertise is required, just curiosity and a desire to learn!

As a DAL, you’ll explore practical ways to make digital resources more accessible, exchange ideas with peers, and support inclusive digital practices across campus. The DAL Group will meet monthly, with their first session on April 21.

Request DAL Membership through the PSU Help Center to become part of a community that learns and grows together.

Faculty and staff are invited to a weekly seminar series this term on Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Health, featuring experts in the field. Topics include food and land; policy, Medicaid, and insurance; sex, relationships, and community; Black and Indigenous health and futures; gender-affirming care; and more. Sessions take place Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:40 p.m., with in-person and Zoom attendance options, followed by an optional community hour. Location details and the Zoom link will be shared upon RSVP.

Join the 2026 Energy Challenge from April 1-30! Hosted by the Energy Trust of Oregon and open to all PSU students, faculty, and staff, this friendly competition encourages everyone to take small, daily energy-saving actions at work or home. By tracking your habits online, you can help build a more sustainable future for our campus and community. Plus, the winning team receives a free lunch sponsored by the Energy Trust of Oregon! To participate, use the password SEM2026 on the Energy Challenge website and join the team "Portland State University – Planning, Sustainability & Logistics”.

April is Financial Literacy Month and the Financial Wellness Center (FWC) is hosting events all month to strengthen financial literacy among our campus community. The month kicks off with a presentation from School of Business and PSU alum Dr. Melody Bell, titled, Master Your Financial Wellbeing.

Tuesday, April 7
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Smith 294

All PSU employees and students are welcome. Please share this information with students, including the link for RSVP. Completing the RSVP is not required for attendance but will help organizers with planning.

The Mentoring Training Academy aims to accelerate mentor development by offering an intellectual framework, opportunities to explore methods, and a peer-supported forum for solving mentoring challenges. The mentoring competencies are divided into four modules and are based on CIMER’s Entering Mentoring curricula which was designed to address the new NIGMS guidelines regarding the preparation of mentors involved in training grants.

Workshops are held in person on Fridays from 2 - 4 p.m. in the Vanport Building, Room 515. Modules are listed below:

The Office of Academic Affairs has posted the webpage for the Retirement Transition Programs, available to PSU-AAUP faculty and academic professionals. The template for the application and agreement is posted. Applications for retirements occurring in 2026-2029 are due to department chairs/supervisors by April 15, 2026.

The first round of applications are due by Wednesday, April 1 for the Faculty Conference Fund (FCF). The fund is intended to supplement resources to support members’ participation in academic and professional conferences, symposia, workshops, exhibitions, and other events related to their fields of study. Note that the FCF committee has set the maximum funding per member at $2,200.

PSU’s School of Social Work Dean Evaon Wong has built her career around a simple belief: helping people is its own reward. Inside Portland State’s Ruben Gill Herrera sat down with her to hear about the path that brought her from Hong Kong to Portland, the patients who shaped her, and the advice she has for students still figuring out their own way.

Professor of Political Science Josh Eastin joined KGW’s Straight Talk to talk about rising tensions in the Iran war; Catherine McNeur, professor of environmental history, was featured on OPB’s Oregon Field Guide about efforts to save the historic Bagby Hot Springs; Professor of History Marc Rodriguez spoke with KPTV about the impact of allegations against Cesar Chavez and addressing the news in Chicanx and Latinx studies; and OPB’s All Science. No Fiction. highlighted research conducted by Arash Khosravifar and Diane Moug, associate professors in Civil and Environmental Engineering, into liquefaction and mitigating impacts of the Cascadia earthquakes.

All week

Mapping Familiar Territories, Charting New Paths

Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize Exhibition

Monday, March 30

Lenore Nash Presents Her Debut Thriller, “She Fell Away”

Biology Seminar Series: Deciphering What Influences Competitive and Cooperative Social Interactions

Tuesday, March 31

Graduate Student Spring Welcome

Wednesday, April 1

Food & Land: A Panel Discussion | Two Spirit & LGTBQ+ Health Seminar Series

Thursday, April 2

Create an Accessible Syllabus | In-Person Workshop

Friday, April 3

Music @ Midday: Percussion Area

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

People
Heejun Chang, Steven Fuller, Cristina Herrera, Shirley A. Jackson, Moriah McSharry McGrath, Catherine McNeur, Aaron Rousseau, Ken Ruoff, Emily Shafer, Jeremy Spoon

Presented
Berrin Erdogan, Susan Kirtley, Anne McClanan, Moriah McSharry McGrath, Catherine McNeur, Lauren Vega O'Neil

Published/Exhibited
Jingjing Chen, Andrés Holz, Daniel Jaffee, Jing Zhao

Grants
Steven Fuller

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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.