Business school gets nod in worldwide survey
The Portland State School of Business Administration was ranked 22nd on the Beyond Grey Pinstripes Top 100 list for 2007-08, in recognition of the full-time Master’s of Business Administration at PSU.
Beyond Grey Pinstripes is a project that researches major full-time business programs from around the world.
The project publishes a list of the 100 most accessible and beneficial programs in a resource guide for business students and is managed by the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education. The report is published biannually.
PSU’s MBA+ program earned their high mark, according to the report, for their focus on economic, social and environmental stewardship.
The School of Business Administration graduated 98 students in 2004. Currently, more than 400 students are enrolled in the SBA.
–Robert Seitzinger
Professor speaks before U.S. Senate Committee
Portland State Professor Mark Kaplan spoke to a U.S. Senate Special Committee on aging in Washington D.C., Oct. 3, as part of his ongoing research on the subject.
Kaplan, who has been doing research on suicide risks and prevention since 1992, published a paper examining suicide among the veteran population in the U.S. aside other staff from PSU and Oregon Health and Science University. The paper was published summer 2006. This month, Kaplan was invited to present his findings to the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
Kaplan found that veterans are over twice as likely to commit suicide than their civilian counterparts. 75 percent of returning veterans do not seek out help from Veteran Affairs for counseling in times of need and most returning vets also purchase firearms within months of being home, according to Kaplan’s paper.
60 percent of male veteran suicides are committed with a firearm.
Kaplan said he plans to continue with research on the topic of suicide.
–Norman Dunn
Peace Corps to hold lecture on campus
For students interested in the Peace Corps, Portland State will be hosting a lecture on volunteering with the organization Wednesday.
The lecture is entitled “Peace Corps: Volunteerism in the Developing World,” and is presented by PSU’s international studies department and the college of liberal arts and sciences. Dr. Josephine Olsen, deputy director of the Peace Corps, will be the speaker.
Olsen was appointed deputy director of the Peace Corps in 2002. She has served the organization for over 35 years, beginning as a volunteer in Tunisia, and has traveled to more than 80 countries around the world.
The Peace Corps was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to promote world peace. Since its inception more than 500 Portland State graduates have joined the organization’s ranks, according to literature from the organization’s Seattle recruitment office.
The lecture will be held in room 296/298 of Smith Memorial Student Union Oct. 17 starting at 12:45 p.m.
–Eamon ffitch
New photo traffic lights scheduled for Portland
New camera traffic lights are being installed around Portland with the intent to reduce the number of traffic accidents in the downtown area, beginning with an installation at Southwest Jefferson and Fourth Avenue.
Cameras on the new traffic lights snap two photographs of any vehicle caught moving after a red light has been flashed. The test period for this new camera began on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. and ended at midnight on Monday, Oct. 15. The cost of a red light violation is $245.
During the test period, more than 400 drivers were caught running the red light at Fourth and Jefferson, including 226 within the first day and a half, said Cheryl Kuck, information representative for the Portland Office of Transportation. Drivers caught during that test period were not charged, Kuck said, but since the test period ended Monday morning, all violators are now subject to the $245 fine. 18 violators were charged as of press time, Kuck said.
Five more cameras will be placed across the city during the coming months, she said.
–Robert Seitzinger