Author: Benjamin Ricker

Portland State conflict resolution graduate student Erica Bestpitch opened her account with Wells Fargo two years ago while living in San Francisco and has had only kind words for the bank and its customer service ever since. The day she visited to close her account was no exception.

Anticipating bigger crowds on Saturday, Nov. 5—designated as the national Bank Transfer Day by the L.A.-based non-profit Move Your Money Project—Bestpitch decided to visit her local Wells Fargo branch on Friday, Nov. 4, instead.

The office of Research and Strategic Partnerships is devoted to growing PSU’s public-private partnerships and helping its researchers attain funding by facilitating the grant process. Led by Jonathan Fink, the office is relatively new to the university; its creation in a time of economic uncertainty marks it as a sign of PSU’s long-term goals.

Portland State Weekend, the university’s open house, got an early start Friday afternoon with a celebration commemorating the newly renovated Science Research and Teaching Center (originally the Science Building 2 since 1971). A crowd of approximately 250 people comprised of students, faculty, administrators, partners and donors congregated in the building’s lobby to mark the occasion.

Ooligan Press is a key component of the curriculum in Portland State’s graduate publishing program. Dennis Stovall, who founded the nonprofit, student-run publishing house, coordinated both Ooligan and the publishing program for 10 years; he retired Oct. 1.

Already one month in office, Monica Rimai is PSU’s new vice president of finance and administration (FADM).

“I’ve known about Portland State for a long time,” Rimai said. “It’s an amazing place and I’m very attracted to this part of the world. So, when the opportunity came up, I applied.”