Bernstine leaving PSU for new job

Less than a week after he turned down a position in West Virginia, PSU President Daniel Bernstine has accepted a job as CEO and president of the Law School Admissions Council in Newtown, Pa.

Bernstine said Tuesday evening that he is looking forward to the new position. Working at Portland State has been a remarkable experience, he said, adding that students and staff have wished him well.

“It’s nice to see when people are disappointed that you are leaving,” he said. “There are tremendous people at PSU and I’ve been happy to be a part of the PSU family.”

Bernstine was one of three finalists for the presidential spot at West Virginia University but pulled out of the running on Friday, April 6. Only four days later, the Oregon University System announced that Bernstine will leave PSU on June 16.

Bernstine said the Law School Admissions Council contacted him a few months ago about the position. The council is a nonprofit group that administers the general Law School Admissions Test (the LSAT) to students who hope to attend one of the law school’s 200 member schools.

“It was a better fit and a good opportunity in terms of looking at getting back into my own profession,” said Bernstine, who started his career as a lawyer in the early 1970s. “The job presents a good opportunity to deal with issues of access in law and higher education in general.”

Di Saunders, director of communications at the Oregon University System, said a search committee to replace Bernstine will form within the next few weeks. The State Board of Higher Education, whose next meeting is on May 3 in Salem, must form the search committee.

Presidential search committees generally take five to six months for an extensive and fair process, Saunders said. If the search process lasts beyond June 16, when Bernstine leaves PSU, the Oregon University System could appoint an interim president.

Known for helping Portland State grow, Bernstine came to PSU in 1997 from the University of Wisconsin, where he was dean of the law school. During his tenure at PSU, Bernstine, 59, has helped the university grow by 7,000 students, completed the first comprehensive PSU fundraising campaign, and has helped foster the growth of the university in downtown Portland.

“I hope that the reputation of the university was enhanced and that we are now recognized as a major contributor to the metro area,” he said. “I hope PSU continues its upward swing.”

Bernstine will take the helm at the council on July 1. He is replacing Philip D. Shelton as the president of the law school council.

Student body President Courtney Morse was surprised to hear that Bernstine is leaving.

“It makes sense that he is making this move this late in his career,” Morse said. “I can only hope that the next person is as qualified and is very student-friendly.”

Oregon University System Chancellor George Pernsteiner, who at one time worked for Bernstine at PSU as the vice president of Finance and Administration, said in a written statement that he is happy that Bernstine has received this opportunity.

“On behalf of the State Board of Higher Education and the Chancellor’s Office, I must say that we are happy for President Bernstine, but saddened by the loss of such a strong, generous leader as Dan for Portland State, for the University System, and for the state,” said Pernsteiner in the statement. “The LSAC position is an exciting opportunity for Dan to use both his higher education and his law background and strengths.”

-Additional reporting by Owen Smith