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Portland State University

Website:

www.pdx.edu/
Type:

Public research university
Location:

1825 SW Broadway

Portland, OR 97201
Formation:

1946

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Portland State University is a public research university located in Portland, Oregon. The school prides itself on the purportedly “innovative” nature of its programs, as it prioritizes collaborations between students and working professionals on projects that aim to develop real-world solutions to problems identified by academic scholars. 1

PSU houses the Center for Public Service, an academic research and consulting group that works with nonprofit organizations and local governments on government efficiency as well as on topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and climate action. Center for Public Service hosted the inaugural summit of the Election Science, Reform, and Administration Conference, an academic conference that holds discussions on left-coded topics such as election “misinformation” and the allegedly discriminatory nature of voter identification laws. 2 3 4 5

Background

Portland State University is a public research university located in Portland, Oregon. The school prides itself on the “innovative” nature of its programs, as they train students to find answers to “real world problems” through collaborations with working professionals including “local organizations and industry leaders.” It claims to combine education with “problem-solving” projects to serve as a “testbed for tomorrow.” 1

PSU was founded in 1946 as the “Vanport Extension Center” for some 220 students in Vanport, Oregon, a town founded to providing housing to shipyard workers in the World War II period. It eventually moved three times before settling on its location in downtown Portland, Oregon. 6

As of 2026, the top employers of PSU alumni included Intel, OHSU, Nike, Providence Health, Kaiser Permanente, the government offices of Multnomah County and the City of Portland, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Adidas, and Columbia Sportswear, among others. 1

As of 2026, PSU was offering over 200 degrees across the undergraduate and graduate levels. 7 8 6

DEI Commitments

Besides its commitment to innovation and affordability, PSU also purports to be “the most diverse research university in Oregon,” to be one of the “top 10 best LGBTQ-friendly colleges,” and to be “one of the nation’s most diverse universities.” 7 1 6

PSU has a “Queer Resource Center” on campus that serves as a lounge space for students as well as a provider of resources on “safer sex, trans care, and menstrual supplies” as well as “pronoun and identity pins.” PSU also runs a “Queer and Trans Student Support Fund” to provide financial assistance to students who identify as transgender or “queer.” 9

The university claims to be “dedicated to confronting and dismantling the foundational causes of disparities, such as racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination.” The school welcomes students to submit complains about “bias, discrimination, and harassment” incidents on campus through an online portal. 10

In August 2025, it was reported that PSU was dissolving its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office as part of internal reorganization efforts. University president Ann Cudd announced that programs under the school’s Global Diversity and Inclusion department, including “multicultural student services,” would be moved to the Office of Academic Affairs, and that the Office of Equity and Compliance would be reformed under a new Office of Equity, Compliance & Internal Audit. The school also created a “Chief Diversity Officer” position that would enforce DEI standards across campus. PSU administrators denied the reshuffling had anything to do with the second Trump administration’s threats to cut federal funding to schools practicing DEI initiatives, and reaffirmed its commitment to DEI, stating that the reorganization was rather triggered by financial problems the university was experiencing. 11 12

Center for Public Service

PSU houses the Center for Public Service, an academic research and consulting group that works with state nonprofit organizations and local governments on government efficiency as well as on topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and climate action. The Center also runs programs of its own, including the Institute for Tribal Government, the Initiative for Community and Disaster Resilience, and the Nonprofit Institute which offers a master’s degree in nonprofit management. 2 3 4 5

In 2017, the Center for Public Service co-organized the inaugural summit of the Election Science, Reform, and Administration Conference, an academic conference that holds discussions on left-coded topics such as election “misinformation.” The inaugural session was funded by several left-of-center organizations including the Democracy Fund, the National Science Foundation, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, and the Elections and Voting Information Center. Topics discussed included the “butterfly effect” of voter ID laws on voter turnout, reforms to promote youth voter turnout, automatic voter registration, and “e-democracy.” 13 2 3 14

Controversies

Historical Protests

Portland State University boasts that it shares with the city of Portland “a rich history of activism and protest.” It claims that, historically, its faculty and students have “stood up against local, regional and global injustices” and “clamored for environmentally friendly practices.” 15

PSU traces its tradition of “protest and advocacy” to 1970, one year after PSU was accredited as a four-year university and officially recognized by the state of Oregon. That year, the school’s Black Studies Department was founded, its first Earth Day events were held, student-parents held a sit-in to demand campus child-care services from the university, the school’s “Gay Liberation Front” was created, and a women’s union was launched. The women’s union evolved into the school’s Women’s Resource Center and its Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department. 15

The student body also participated in a strike and protest on May 11, 1970 over the news of the National Guard shooting at Kent State University, and engaged in various demonstrations against the Vietnam War. In May 2022, the university held an official ceremony of PSU’s “legendary protest” of the Kent State killing. The ceremony included an unveiling of a plaque commemorating the protestors, who PSU said were “violently attacked” by the city’s riot police. 15 16

Andy Ngo

In 2017, Andy Ngo, an American journalist known for his coverage of Antifa and other far-left riot groups, was studying political science at the PSU at the graduate level and worked for its school newspaper, the Portland Vanguard, as its multimedia editor. In April 2017, Ngo was dismissed from his role for tweeting about comments made by a Muslim attendant of an “interfaith panel discussion” at PSU. Specifically, Ngo filmed the participant saying that being an “infidel” in Muslim countries governed by Islamic law would be considered a crime, punishable by exile and, as the participant had implied but not directly said, potentially death. Ngo’s caption for the clip stated that the student had said non-Muslims would be killed or banished in a state following Islamic law. 17 18

Four days later, he was summoned to the office of the Portland Vanguard’s editor-in-chief, where the managing editor was also present, and was questioned about his knowledge of a Breitbart News article which used his tweet and video to report on the event. Ngo professed ignorance of the article and had posted in his capacity as a private person and not that of a Vanguard reporter. The Vanguard editor-in-chief called him “predatory” and “reckless” and accused him of putting the lives of the Muslim student and his family at risk. Ngo claimed that he had shared the post with the editor and a reporter after posting it, and they had no problems with it; it was only after the right-of-center Breitbart News covered the story that they became angry. 17 18

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Protests

In November 2025, Portland State University lecturer Alexander Reid Ross, whose research concerns “far-right” political movements and who wrote a book titled Against the Fascist Creep, blamed the violence and “volatility” that resulted from protests by far-left activists in front of a Portland U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on so-called “counterprotesters.” Ross characterized the citizens who opposed the ICE protestors as predictable of the counterprotester type, namely as people who pose as “heroes and vigilantes” but who in fact, Ross alleged, “increase the lawlessness” of a situation that would “otherwise be under control.” 19

Riley Gaines Protest

In May 2026, Riley Gaines, a former NCAA All-American swimmer who had become an outspoken critic of natal males competing on women’s sports teams, visited the campus of Portland State University. Her event was met by student protests, at which five people (all but one of whom were above the age of 22) were arrested by the Portland Police after campus police phoned them in for help with crowd control. According to a flyer that read, “PSU, Stop Promoting Transphobia! Rally to Kick Riley Gaines off Campus! Defend Trans Rights!,” multiple far-left activist groups were involved in the protests, including Portland Students for a Democratic Society (Portland SDS), PSU Student Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (PSU SCHRP), Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), and Portland State University Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (PSU SUPER). 20

Palestinian Activism

Library Occupation

In late April and early May 2024, protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza erupted on PSU’s campus, with dozens of demonstrators barricading the entrances of the school’s Millar Library from within for days on end. When the protestors were finally cleared out of the building after a stand-off with university authorities and law enforcement, the library was left with extensive damage, including a “staggering amount of graffiti,” vandalized windows and furniture, a broken alarm system, piles of trash, and dismounted flatscreen televisions and computer monitors. One graffiti tag read, “blood on your hands,” which was sprayed in red across the spines of a row of library books. More than twenty protestors were arrested in the aftermath; arrested demonstrators included both students and non-students. 21 22 23

PSU reportedly spent $1.2 million fixing damage to the library. 24

In January 2025, six defendants in cases related to the illegal occupation of the PSU library by pro-Palestinian activist groups had their charges dismissed because prosecutors had reportedly failed to turn over video evidence, which violated the law. This was discovered after a defendants’ attorney subpoenaed the city of Portland for records and received a substantial amount of footage in return, which had been set aside for unknown reasons. 25

Boeing

In April 2024, student activists pressured PSU president Ann Cudd to cut the school’s ties with aircraft manufacturer Boeing due to its status as a defense contractor and the role its products played in the Israel-Hamas war. After receiving a letter from the student activists, Cudd sent a university-wide message indicating that the school would “pause seeking or accepting any further gifts or grants from the Boeing Company” until further notice. The message also reiterated that PSU “has no investments in Boeing but accepts philanthropic gifts from the company and, given that Boeing is a major employer in the region, many of our alumni work there,” in reference to the fact that Boeing’s largest manufacturing plant is in Everett, Washington. 26

Boeing had donated $150,000 to the university that year to name a classroom and had an annual grant of $28,000 directed to the school for scholarships and emergency funds. In March 2024, Cudd had said at a press conference that she had not “seen any logical reason to rethink this relationship with Boeing.” The Guardian noted that Cudd’s decision to distance the school from Boeing was one of the first instances in which activist pressure groups were successful in convincing a school administration to cut ties with a defense contractor. 26

Labor Protests

In October 2024, the PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) organized a picket of a PSU administration building in response to notifications of possible layoffs of roughly 100 non-tenure track faculty who were members of the union. Members of other PSU unions, such as the local chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), were also present. 27

Biden Administration Investigation

In October 2024, the Biden administration’s Department of Education began a civil rights investigation into Portland State University to determine whether it had done enough to address anti-Palestinian sentiment on campus after flyers appeared in university buildings over the summer that were reportedly “incredibly racist towards Palestinians” according to a PSU professor. “The contents of the fliers were derogatory and vile,” said then-university president Ann Cudd, “The responsible individual was identified and the university took appropriate action to address the misconduct.” 28

Trump Administration Investigation

In February 2025, the Trump administration launched a civil rights investigation into Portland State University as part of President Donald Trump’s executive order to all federal agencies to find ways to curtail antisemitism in 60 days. PSU was one of only five universities to get directly targeted by Trump’s Department of Education at the time. The principal reason that PSU was targeted was the library occupation that had occurred in April and May 2024, as well as various campus-wide discussions on antisemitism, Israel, and the Palestinian territories in the months that followed. 29

In January 2026, the Trump administration dropped its DEI lawsuit against PSU. Various spokespeople of the university claimed they were in compliance with federal laws and court decisions regarding diversity and discrimination. 30

City Council Criticism

In April 2025, left-of-center Portland City Councilor Mitch Green threatened to slash funding for PSU due to the school administration’s alleged “crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices.” In a speech at a National Day of Action for Higher Ed rally, Green likened PSU’s so-called prosecution of student protestors to “Trump-era authoritarianism.” According to Green’s communications team, the rally was held in response to the Trump administration’s broad efforts to confront pro-Palestinian radicalism on college campuses, including the detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. Green, who graduated from PSU and previously taught there, condemned PSU’s alleged austerity measures such as its intention to remove so-called core education classes and conduct layoffs of its “non-tenured teaching staff” to address budget shortfalls. Green criticized the “moral” element behind these plans and brought up the proposed $850 million performing arts complex the school wanted to build using municipal funds.  21

In response to Green’s characterizations, a PSU spokesperson told a local news station that it stood by its decision to prosecute students involved in the destruction of its library, but emphasized that the prosecutions were not due to the political nature of the students’ activism. “PSU fully supports free speech and freedom of expression and inquiry,” the spokesperson said in reference to Palestinian demonstrations. The spokesperson also disputed various elements of Green’s claims about its budgetary plans. 21

Professor Suspension

In June 2025, it was reported that PSU had placed a professor (later identified as Arabic language and literature professor Yasmeen Hanoosh) on administrative leave after footage surfaced in which the instructor had voiced support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. The video recorded an interlocutor asking, “Do you know Hamas?” to which the professor answered, “I am Hamas,” and, gesturing to a group of protestors, continued, “we are all Hamas.” The president of PSU at the time, Ann Cudd, stated that the comments were “absolutely unacceptable” and was quick to deny responsibility, claiming that the event was independently organized and was not held on the PSU campus. Local media noted that the university was already being investigated by the Trump administration for alleged antisemitism, implying that it influenced the university administration’s response. At that time, the school was actively engaged with reconciling its past troubles to protect Jewish students on campus by providing a free course on antisemitism, which only roughly 100 students were attending. 31 24

Financials

In 2023, Portland State University Foundation, a charitable organization that handles private donations to the university, reported total revenue of roughly $40.7 million, total expenses of roughly $27.6 million, and net assets of roughly $187.6 million. 32

In September 2025, Portland State University projected a budget deficit of $35 million by 2027. In January 2026, that projected figure rose to more than $40 million. In response, the university’s administration as well as Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission began discussing hypothetical plans to deal with the shortfall, including “controversial” mergers and degree program audits. A two percent decline in enrollment was cited as the driving factor behind PSU’s financial troubles, as the school’s revenue relies on tuition. There was a particularly sizeable drop of about nine percent among out-of-state students who pay more in tuition. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, almost all of Oregon’s public universities were facing deficits at the time due to declining enrollment as well as rising employee compensation costs and lack of support from the state legislature. 33

References

  1. “About Portland State University.” Portland State University. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/about-portland-state-university.
  2. Portland State University, Center for Public Service. Centers and Units. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/center-for-public-service/centers-and-units.
  3. Portland State University, Center for Public Service. About. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/center-for-public-service/about.
  4. “Local Government Services & Resources.” Center for Public Service. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/center-for-public-service/local-government-services-resources-0.
  5. Portland State University, Center for Public Service. CPS 10 Year Report: A Decade Dedicated to Public Service Excellence, 2009-2019. Portland State University, 2019. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/center-for-public-service/sites/centerforpublicservice.web.wdt.pdx.edu/files/2021-01/CPS_10_Year_Report.pdf.
  6. “Portland State University History.” Portland State University. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/portland-state-university-history.
  7. “Homepage.” Portland State University. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/.
  8. “Explore Programs.” Portland State University. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/academic-programs/a-z.
  9. “The Queer Resource Center.” Portland State University. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/queer-resource-center/.
  10. “Equity & Compliance.” Portland State University. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/equity-audit-compliance/equity-compliance.
  11. McDonald, Patrick. “Portland State shutters DEI office, plans restructure while reaffirming commitment to ‘equity.’” Campus Reform, August 8, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.campusreform.org/article/portland-state-shutters-dei-office-plans-restructure-reaffirming-commitment-equity/28427.
  12. Verrigni, Emma. “Amid DEI cuts nationwide, Portland State U. to create Chief Diversity Officer post.” The College Fix, August 28, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.thecollegefix.com/amid-dei-cuts-nationwide-portland-state-u-to-create-chief-diversity-officer-post/.
  13. 2017 Conference. Election Sciences, Reform, and Administration (ESRA). Accessed March 17, 2026. https://esra-conference.org/2017-conference.
  14. “Conference Agenda w/ Linked Presented Materials.” Election Sciences Reform and Administration Conference, July 2017. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://esra-conference.org/files/election-science-conference/files/esra_2017_conference_papers_for_attendees.pdf.
  15. “Protest History PSU.” Portland State University. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/free-speech/protest-history-psu.
  16. “Remembering May 11, 1970 And Moving Forward.” Portland State University. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.pdx.edu/history/remembering-may-11-1970-and-moving-forward.
  17. Ngo, Andy. “Fired for Reporting the Truth.” National Review, May 12, 2017. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/05/free-speech-islam-portland-state-vanguard-editor-fired-tweets/.
  18. Burley, Shane. “We’re Being Played.” Commune Mag, Winter 2020. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://communemag.com/were-being-played/.
  19. Zarkhin, Fedor. “Charges against ICE protestors have changed dramatically, records show.” The Oregonian, November 1, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2025/11/charges-against-ice-protesters-have-changed-dramatically-records-show.html.
  20. FOX 12 Staff. “Arrests made at PSU as students protest Riley Gaines.” Fox 12 Oregon, May 5, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.kptv.com/2025/05/06/arrests-made-psu-students-protest-riley-gaines/.
  21. Bourgeois, Michaela. “City councilor threatens Portland State University funds over ‘crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices.’” KOIN 6, April 24, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.koin.com/news/portland/city-councilor-threatens-portland-state-university-funds-over-crackdown-on-pro-palestinian-voices/.
  22. Ferrara, John Ross. “Video: Extensive look at the destruction left inside the PSU library.” KOIN 6, May 3, 2024. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.koin.com/news/protests/video-extensive-look-at-the-destruction-left-inside-the-psu-library/.
  23. “Police clear library at Portland State University, arrest protesters.” NBC News, May 3, 2024. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/video/police-clear-library-at-portland-state-university-arrest-protesters-210181189570.
  24. Silverman, Julia. “At Portland State, decision to place faculty member on leave over Hamas comments adds to charged campus climate.” The Oregonian, June 10, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2025/06/at-portland-state-decision-to-place-faculty-member-on-leave-over-hamas-comments-adds-to-charged-campus-climate.html.
  25. Brynelson, Troy. “Multiple criminal cases against PSU protesters dropped after attorneys discover footage.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, February 21, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/21/portland-state-university-library-protest-war-gaza-palestine-israel-police-lawsuit/.
  26. Aratani, Lauren. “Portland State University ‘pauses’ Boeing donations amid student protests.” The Guardian, April 29, 2024. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/29/portland-state-university-protest-boeing-donation.
  27. Camhi, Tiffany. “Rallies return to Portland State University as faculty and students make demands of leaders.” KLCC via Oregon Public Broadcasting, October 24, 2024. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.klcc.org/education/2024-10-25/rallies-return-to-portland-state-university-as-faculty-and-students-make-demands-of-leaders.
  28. Camhi, Tiffany. “Portland State University faces federal investigation for possible civil rights violation.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, October 23, 2024. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/23/portland-state-university-psu-federal-investigation-title-vi-civil-rights-violation-gaza-israel/.
  29. Camhi, Tiffany. “Trump administration targets Portland State for alleged antisemitism.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, February 3, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/03/trump-administration-portland-state-university-antisemitism-student-protests-israel-gaza-war/.
  30. “Trump administration drops ‘DEI’ lawsuit against Portland State University.” KGW8, January 30, 2026. Accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.kgw.com/video/news/local/trump-administration-drops-dei-lawsuit-against-portland-state-university/283-45bf9b88-943d-483d-9747-393971ecd119.
  31. Manning, Rob. “Portland State University suspends professor for video appearing to support Hamas.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, June 9, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/09/portland-state-university-suspends-professor-video-support-hamas/.
  32. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Portland State University Foundation. 2023. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
  33. Camhi, Tiffany. “Portland State University restructuring moves forward as budget shortfall widens.” Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), January 29, 2026. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/29/portland-state-university-restructuring-budget/.
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