On May 22, 2025, students, staff, and faculty from Portland State University (PSU) gathered at the Oregon State Capitol to witness a momentous occasion for their institution. Over 100 members of the PSU community journeyed to Salem to celebrate the successful passage of House Bill 2556 (HB 2556).
The bill received overwhelming support, passing with 28 votes in favor and only 2 excused. The achievement led to a joyous wave of hands from the Senate gallery, as PSU advocates silently celebrated their hard-earned victory.
Following the vote, participants broke for lunch at the Willamette Heritage Center, situated just blocks from the Capitol, where they refueled before diving into advocacy efforts. During lunch, Secretary of State Tobias Read addressed the audience, congratulating them on the bill’s passage and offering strategic lobbying advice.
Equipped with newfound encouragement, the PSU teams headed back to the Capitol to meet with their state representatives. Organizing themselves efficiently, students discussed key issues such as state investments in higher education, downtown revitalization, and addressing workforce shortages.
One PSU community member passionately advocated for legislative support in the office of Oregon State Representative Rob Nosse, emphasizing the necessity of maintaining the University Fund, which serves as the primary source of state funding for all seven public universities in Oregon.
“ I firmly believe that I wouldn’t have taken an entire day of my life to come down here to tell you [Nosse] that we need to keep that University Fund up there,” the community member stated, encapsulating the determination felt among the PSU advocates.
The presence of PSU supporters filled the Oregon State Capitol building, with participants sporting matching green “Let Knowledge Serve Oregon” t-shirts, making their presence known across multiple floors.
The successful designation of PSU as an Urban Research University holds significant implications for the institution. It solidifies PSU’s role as a prominent higher education resource within an urban setting and emphasizes its commitment to addressing the needs of diverse student populations.
According to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, such institutions are pivotal in addressing community-driven missions and tackling socioeconomic barriers to academic success. Urban research universities typically serve a larger proportion of historically underserved populations, including low-income, minority, and first-generation students.
This designation can bolster PSU’s public image, aligning its core values with the urban environment it inhabits. Furthermore, it enhances the university’s prospects for attracting new enrollments and securing essential grants.
Senator Kate Leiber, representing the district that includes PSU, lauded the dedicated efforts of the university staff. “The dedicated staff at PSU go above and beyond to train our future workforce, address our most pressing issues with cutting-edge research, and build partnerships between the university and the community,” she said while presenting the bill on the Senate floor prior to the vote.
With the official status of an Urban Research University now secured, PSU stands to significantly enhance its engagement with the state and local communities, reaffirming its commitment to service and innovation in education.
image source from：https://psuvanguard.com/psu-goes-to-the-oregon-state-capitol/
