My vision is of a university so thoroughly engaged with its community... that people throughout the region refer to it as 'our university'.
-- Portland State President Dan Bernstine
Comprehensive universities in the 21st century interact in a global environment. Over 7,800 Portland State students, faculty and staff annually engage in community-university partnerships through academic courses, research and other service efforts worldwide. These partnership activities demonstrate Portland State's commitment to "let knowledge serve" our local, regional and world communities by practicing, testing and applying theories to address compelling social issues.
However, important partnerships often remain "invisible" outside of the specific course and community contexts. People and projects can remain disconnected and opportunities for collaboration and collective learning can be missed.
To help individuals and groups connect to larger-scale efforts, Portland State's Center for Academic Excellence and Office of International Affairs have developed this dynamic website, featuring regional, national and world maps that use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to display many of our community-university partnerships.
Please contact Kevin Kecskes, Director for Community-University Partnerships, with questions, comments and concerns about our community partnership map.