Service oriented

Community service plays a role in every Portland State student’s education—from capstones to internships.
Ever wondered how that came about?

Miles Sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF

JUDITH RAMALEY, a former PSU president, was instrumental in the university’s shift toward emphasizing community service.

This year, PSU students will have the opportunity to learn from former PSU President Judith Ramaley, one of the architects of the university’s shift toward community service.

“Ramaley was PSU’s president when the university restructured its curriculum to focus very clearly on our connections with the community,” current PSU President Wim Wiewel said.

Ramaley, an avid advocate for higher education reform, will be a professor this year at the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. Given the title of president emerita, Ramaley has been praised for her distinguished work as PSU’s leader from 1990–97 and for her earlier work as president of the University of Vermont and Winona State University.

Ramaley said her ideal community is one full of healthy people who respect their environment, function sustainably and work together toward progress—a lot like Portland.

“Portland never left me,” Ramaley said.

She also believes that a university’s role is to serve its community. Ramaley feels that PSU has always been better than other institutions at using its resources to fully educate its students.

“PSU embodies everything I care about.”

The feeling is mutual—Wiewel is delighted to have one of the institution’s former leaders on staff.

“It’s wonderful to have President Ramaley back in Portland, at PSU and in the classroom,” Wiewel said.

Ramaley said she has a passion for improving higher education that stems from her years of mentoring students. Every story or experience that a student has shared has added to her own view of the world.

The first change Ramaley believes needs to occur in higher education is the redefinition of what education is.

“Knowledge takes on meaning when it is put to good use,” Ramaley said. Being educated is not only about acquiring knowledge and skill but also about taking what you have learned, interpreting it and then applying it in a way that enhances that knowledge.

Ramaley would like to see that kind of hands-on learning integrated into all classes. Campus and community internships, jobs and volunteer work all help fill in the gaps in a student’s education and “create a better picture of the world.”

On tap is a fall class called “Role of Social Institution,” a winter class, “Role of Individuals,” and spring class, “Ethical Leadership.”

Sherril Gelmon, chair of the public administration division of the Hatfield School, believes that Ramaley’s wealth of experience from years as a leader at universities “gives her a breadth of understanding and insight that will definitely influence both the content of her classes and the style in which she teaches them.”

Ramaley said she truly enjoys being a mentor. She looks forward to meeting more students this year, as they “hold our future and shape our university.”