PSU welcomes Christopher Broderick

The Oregonian‘s former education and politics editor, Christopher Broderick, was recently hired as the assistant communications and marketing vice president for Portland State. He will officially begin his new role on May 3.

According to a press release from University Communications, PSU President Wim Wiewel said the administration “had several great candidates for this position.”

Ultimately, the administration chose Broderick because he “has the perfect background to help us tell the PSU story to a broader global audience,” Wiewel said.

“[I’m excited] to get the opportunity at this point in my career,” Broderick said. “What draws me to PSU is the urban mission versus some of the other research universities: It’s right in downtown Portland, where the motto is ‘Let knowledge serve the city.'”

Scott Gallagher, director of communications at PSU, said Broderick began working at The Oregonian 12 years ago in 1998. As the education and politics editor, he supervised a team of reporters that covered issues of politics, schools, higher education, social services and the environment. Broderick said he covered many issues that directly concern PSU, such as economic development, retention rates, the quality of higher education and teaching and sustainability.

According to Gallagher, Broderick’s “team has won dozens of national and regional journalism awards” and their stories led to new laws and regulations which, among other things, “protect school children from abusive teachers and create more aggressive oversight of Oregon’s College Savings Plan.”

In the press release, The Oregonian‘s editor Peter Bhatia said that Broderick’s work contributed to better stories and “defined excellence in our coverage of education and politics.”

“Our readers have benefitted mightily from his efforts, as have all of us,” he said.

In an article published on March 18 in the Portland Mercury, contributor Matt Davis speculated that Broderick’s resignation from The Oregonian, which occurred only a week after the resignation of graphic artist Steve Cowden, resulted from his political disagreements with The Oregonian‘s “new right-wing publisher, N. Christian Anderson III.”

In a comment to Davis’ post, Broderick said, “I am leaving to pursue a great opportunity at [PSU], not because I’m unhappy with the publisher or the direction of [The Oregonian].”

Broderick also said in his response, “[The staff of The Oregonian has] been setting the public agenda in this state for years, and they will continue to do so long after I’m gone.”

Broderick has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Humboldt State University in California and a master’s degree in legal studies from Yale Law School, Gallagher said.

According to a press release, Broderick had an extensive newspaper background before joining The Oregonian: He worked for newspapers in Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas where he covered issues ranging from education to urban affairs.

 “[Portland State] is a vital and growing campus in the heart of a dynamic, twenty-first century city,” Broderick said in a press release.

He appreciates PSU’s civic engagement, community partnerships and the increasing diversity of the student body.

“I’m excited about all the opportunities at Portland State,” Broderick said.