Comment Response Summary

Second Comment Period: 

Introduction

The following summaries detail the key themes derived from the public comments received between May 14 - June 13, 2026, regarding Portland State University’s Provisional Plan, which is part of the academic retrenchment process (Article 22). Comments were received by current and emeriti faculty members, PSU staff, alumni, current students, community members, and organizations. The responses below reflect responses to general themes. More specifics about actions taken can be found in the Final Plan. 

Comment Responses by Department

University Studies (UNST)

Summary: Described by many commenters as the “heart” of PSU, concern was expressed that eliminating UNST will negatively impact the university’s academic identity. Additionally, commenters requested a delay in layoffs, noting that the UNST faculty should be retained as the university transitions to the new General Education model. Specific concern was raised over losing specialized expertise including the Director of Senior Inquiry, who manages high school dual-credit partnerships, and the Director of Assessment and Research, who is integral in maintaining educational standards.

President’s Response: University Studies is a treasured PSU department that has touched many student lives since its inception in 1994. However, UNST as a separate faculty unit will not have a role when the new general education is implemented. Transition and implementation planning that will take place over this summer and the upcoming academic year will determine what personnel are needed in the future for the transition and longer term.

Conflict Resolution

Summary: Supporters of the Conflict Resolution program urged the university to reconsider the elimination of the department, stating that its focus on preventing conflict and healing trauma are skills that are “desperately needed” at this time.

President’s Response: Conflict Resolution's societal value and mission alignment with PSU is high. However, enrollment in this program has decreased by 77% since 2020. The program’s core competencies and interdisciplinary skills can be preserved and integrated within a broader college structure to ensure student access to these essential learning outcomes. No funding was identified for an alternative recommendation.

The Portland Center

Summary: Commenters expressed concerns that replacing the sole faculty lead presents issues with compliance infrastructure with English language assessments required by the Department of State for hosting international scholars. However, the overall concern is that international students will not be as successful at PSU without a dedicated faculty member at the Portland Center to help them integrate socially and academically at the university.

President’s Response: The Portland Center is a welcoming place for international students coming to Portland State to study abroad. However, the center’s enrollments are too low at this time to justify full time dedicated teaching staff and no secure funding was identified in the alternative recommendation.

World Languages and Literatures (WLL)

Summary: This unit saw advocacy for several programs that would be impacted by faculty layoffs, including Persian, Latin/Classics, Italian and Linguistics. Commenters shared their personal stories, noting that they consider the programs to be valuable and the faculty irreplaceable.

President’s Response: All community feedback was considered and alternative recommendations were offered for some of the impacted areas as reflected in the Final Plan.

History

Summary: The American Historical Association and several students expressed concern that losing tenured faculty would diminish the depth of the history program and damage the university’s reputation. Additionally, students were concerned that fewer faculty would lead to a lack of available courses or the elimination of specialized research areas. Strong community backing and philanthropic support of the department was also noted.

President’s Response: History is one of the great strengths in the humanities and social sciences at PSU and the department faculty and curriculum fill many needs in the university in teaching, research, leadership, and community outreach. Details of alternative recommendations are covered in the Final Plan. 

Philosophy

Summary: The Philosophy department formally objected to the potential loss of four faculty members, stating that it functions as a "comprehensive service engine" for five key general education domains, including workforce ethics and quantitative literacy. Department leaders pointed out that Philosophy has a positive net contribution of approximately $470,000 annually and serves a high volume of students compared to other departments that faced no cuts. Additionally, department leaders noted that layoffs would eliminate specialized courses in queer, Latinx, and Indigenous philosophy, which are described as the department's primary areas of growth.

President’s Response: Philosophy does not meet the contribution margins expected of units at its current size. Enrollment declines necessitate the reduction of teaching capacity given the overall budget deficit. No alternative recommendation to meet the assigned budget reductions was offered by the department or was otherwise identified.

School of Earth, Environment, and Society (SEES)

Summary: Faculty expressed a sense of betrayal, noting that their STEM unit, that had already streamlined by combining into one school, was now being identified for reductions. Disappointment was expressed regarding the closure of the Complex Systems (Systems Science) Phd program, with commenters stating it is relevant to AI, data science, and public health.

President’s Response: The School of Earth, Environment, and Society exemplifies interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching and research. The department presented an alternative recommendation that is covered in the Final Plan.

Educator Licensure (EL)

Summary: In this particular program, commenters’ concerns were whether the layoff protocols in the Collective Bargaining Agreement were being violated, and that the layoffs seemed to disproportionately affect BIPOC faculty within the School of Education.

President’s Response: The administration is following the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Article 22, Section 5 of the CBA, allows the President to modify the seniority order when it is necessary to adequately meet the needs of the department, including the need for various areas of specialization. 

Learning Leadership and Counseling (LLC) / PACE

Summary: Faculty stated that the PACE program (Postsecondary, Adult, and Continuing Education) is actually a revenue-generating unit, contributing over $200,000 annually beyond its instructional costs and is considered a cornerstone for professional development for PSU staff and higher education professionals across Oregon. Commenters proposed reimagining the program by condensing it into an inclusive Master’s specialization focused on first-generation students and community college partnerships.

President’s Response: The PACE program does not generate the required margin to be financially sustainable. Alternative recommendations are covered in the Final Plan.

Institutional-level Themes

Alternative Recommendations

Summary: Many of the commenters requested that President Cudd accept all of the alternative recommendations submitted by the affected departments and centers.

President’s Response: As presented in the Final Plan and multiple forums throughout the Winter and Spring terms, the financial condition necessitates significant cost reductions, including involuntary layoffs of faculty and staff. Alternative recommendations were accepted when truly budget neutral to the ongoing budget reductions outlined in the Provisional Plan. Where possible, the administration identified bridge funding from limited sustainability funds allocated by the Oregon State Legislature to achieve that budget neutrality.

Institutional Spending Priorities

Summary: A recurring theme is the perceived imbalance between academic cuts and non-instructional spending. Several commenters questioned why faculty positions were being eliminated while the university continues to fund athletics, new construction, and executive leadership salaries.

President’s Response: Capital funding is provided by the legislature completely separately from operational funding; they are not fungible sources and therefore turning down funding for capital projects will not create new funding for salaries. Athletics is of great benefit to the university, our student athletes, who pay tuition and excel in the classroom, and our community. Ending Athletics would be an immediate hit to enrollment and would create financial liabilities to exit long term agreements with the Big Sky Conference and scheduled guarantee games. Eliminating only some sports would create liabilities with Title IX and violate Big Sky eligibility rules. Executive leadership salaries are affected by market pressures, though executive pay has taken disproportionately larger cuts over the past three years. 

Risk of Further Enrollment Decline

Summary: Many commenters expressed concern that the retrenchment process, and cutting of unique and attractive programs is damaging to PSU’s reputation, making it harder for prospective students and partners to trust the institution. Additionally, there are criticisms that the university should have pursued corporate partnerships and marketed the university’s existing strengths as a way to grow revenue before resorting to layoffs.

President’s Response: Ensuring that the programs PSU offers meet the needs of our students and the industries in our region is essential to PSU’s reputation and its ability to continue to serve as Oregon’s Urban Research University. PSU has and will continue to pursue appropriate partnerships to create opportunities for students and faculty research and will invest in robust marketing to ensure that we are telling PSU’s many stories of positive impact. 

Attack on the Humanities

Summary: Several comments reflected on the importance of the humanities programs, and the skills students gain from them in the age of AI — skills including analytical thinking, verbal precision and argumentative skill found in history, philosophy and languages.

President’s Response: There is no question that the humanities teach valuable skills and there is no intention on my part to eliminate them from the curriculum. However, they attract fewer majors and therefore lower enrollments than in previous eras and the departments must be sized accordingly. Not to do so taxes our students for unfilled course sections and creates inequities in faculty workloads. 

Systemic Impact on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Summary: Beyond individual department concerns, there is a broader critique of how the layoff protocols (Article 22) interact with PSU’s stated equity goals. Commenters note that the “inverse order of seniority” system effectively targets diverse faculty who were hired more recently, hollowing out the university’s assurances to minoritized students that they “belong,” while laying off the mentors who foster that belonging.

President’s Response: This is an admitted problem with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, yet it is our legal requirement to adhere to it.

Advocacy and State-Level Leadership

Summary: There continues to be a request from commenters for the President and Board of Trustees to do more lobbying of the Oregon Governor and State Legislature for "Education Stability Funds” and other revenue options. Several commenters requested a “temporary bridge,” using unrestricted Foundation reserves and a two-year recovery plan to protect the academic core until state funding or enrollment stabilizes.

President’s Response: We (the President and the Government Relations team, in particular) spend significant time and effort lobbying elected officials to explain our important role and mission and our needs for greater funding, and we will continue to do so. The recent emergency funding allocated to Southern Oregon University came with significant loss of autonomy and demanded severe budget cutting, which we intend to avoid through our Bridge to the Future 2.0 plan.

Impact on Community and Lifelong Learning

Summary: The Senior Adult Learning Center and other community members reported concerns that reduction of certain programs would diminish PSU’s identity as a civic anchor for all of Portland, not just degree-seeking students. Older learners, they say, enrich the experience for undergraduates when they are taking part in diverse classes like Italian or Persian.

President’s Response: SALC is a wonderful outreach program and will continue to be of great benefit to our community. 

First Comment Period: 

Introduction

During the First Comment Period (March 17-April 15), students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners submitted a total of 273 individual comments via email or the online comment form. Each of those comments were reviewed by President Cudd and other campus leaders and were taken into consideration as part of the decision making process. Several themes emerged, and are organized below along with a response to each theme, prioritizing feedback on the departments that were listed on March 9 for possible elimination. 

The comments made an impact, changing our approach regarding the following decisions: 

• Rather than closing the Portland Center, we are making one faculty reduction and pursuing new revenue opportunities. 

• As a result of input from the campus community and changes in the department needs,  the following departments have been removed from the list of potentially affected departments that was shared campus community on March 9th: 

• Criminology and Criminal Justice

• Public Administration

• Politics and Global Affairs

• Economics

• Sociology 

• Physics

• English

• School of Art + Art History + Design 

• School of Public Health

• Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 

The comments also included articulate and impassioned advocacy for nearly every department that was named in our March 9 announcement. There is no doubt that the difficult decisions that we are navigating to ensure the future of Portland State and restore our financial sustainability will result in losses that will be painful to navigate. Unfortunately, we must take action to ensure a thriving future for Portland State.

Comment Responses by Theme 

Financial condition of the university

Common themes: Some commenters suggest that PSU does not need to implement Article 22. The commenters suggest ample reserves and point out that the Primary Reserve Ratio (0.44) remains above the Board’s aspirational 0.40 threshold. Critics argue the administration relies on an "E&G-only" frame while ignoring institutional-wide capacity. Some commenters also referred to a history of "pessimistic budgeting" where actual balances are consistently more favorable than projections. Many commenters also acknowledged the seriousness of PSU’s financial situation and the difficult decisions that PSU must make at this time. 

Response: PSU’s reserves are rapidly decreasing and the structural E&G deficit is a recurring multi-year problem that reserves (one-time funds) cannot permanently fix. E&G expenditures are our largest budget category, and if we do not take decisive action now, we risk creating a “fiscal cliff” that would require unplanned, emergency cuts — a scenario we are determined to avoid. While the University is committed to improving enrollment by pursuing retention and recruitment strategies, until we see sustained, verifiable growth taking root in our actual enrollment numbers, our responsibility is to manage the university for the enrollment reality we face today.  In the current fiscal year, we are already drawing down more than $12 million from our reserves to cover operational costs. While previous interventions slowed our reserve spending, they did not stop it. Our reserves are not unlimited. Our current path leads us directly into a violation of the Board-mandated 25% reserve policy by the end of this fiscal year. We must take action. 

University Studies

Common themes: Some commenters describe University Studies (UNST) as the "heart" of PSU, emphasizing that UNST provides essential relational support through the Peer Mentor Program. The encouraging results of the first-year FRINQ Student Success Pilot was also highlighted, noting that the UNST curriculum played a key role in student retention. Faculty warn that dismantling UNST before establishing a new General Education model risks losing decades of expertise in first-year retention and equity-minded pedagogy. Suggestions include merging UNST with Student Success rather than total elimination.

Response: It is clear that University Studies is a treasured PSU department that has touched many student lives since its inception in 1994. That said, UNST does not and was not designed to provide a specific degree pathway, but rather it is a particular model for staffing General Education courses in a student’s first two years, along with overseeing capstones in the senior year. An alternative model for teaching the same curriculum would be for faculty in the degree-granting programs to teach these courses and oversee capstones. Given our structural budget shortfall, we must either eliminate UNST or further reduce degree-granting program faculty. The latter option is more likely to reduce student choice and degree options and therefore enrollment. It would also reduce PSU’s research capacity.

The decision to restructure General Education is driven by the need for a modern program that better serves our students — that decision is independent from the proposal to eliminate UNST. To be clear, the actual curriculum of General Education is the purview of the faculty. We are committed to integrating UNST’s proven high-impact practices, including peer mentoring, embedded support, and culturally responsive pedagogy, into the new curricular structure. Any transition will allow for institutional knowledge to be  transferred, not lost. In addition, the recent reorganization in the Office of Academic Affairs will have both General Education and Student Success reporting to the same Vice Provost, which will permit development of continuing partnerships. All of the Student Success retention initiatives that were active in University Studies will transfer to the reformed General Education program. We also intend to retain our successful Higher Education in Prison program.

There is an important distinction to be made between the curricular redesign of general education and the decision to eliminate University Studies for budgetary reasons.  These are two separate actions that require two different processes. The curricular process for redesigning general education is a faculty-led process. The elimination of University Studies as an academic department for budgetary reasons is governed by the Article 22 process we are engaged in now.

Conflict Resolution

Common themes: Some commenters argue that conflict resolution skills are "desperately needed" in today’s polarized climate and that the department has a unique beneficial influence on the city. The program is seen as central to PSU's mission of preparing students to navigate a changing world.

Response: It is true that Conflict Resolution's societal value and mission alignment with PSU is high. However, enrollment in this program has decreased by 77% since 2020. In addition, the program’s core competencies and interdisciplinary skills can be preserved and integrated within a broader college structure to ensure student access to these essential learning outcomes.

Portland Center 

Common themes: Some comments identify the Portland Center as a revenue-positive program (they cite a $438,420 total revenue vs. $220,000 cost) with a lean 1.5 FTE staff. It oversees the prestigious 30-year Waseda University partnership, which serves as a "seal of approval" for PSU’s international standing. Elimination is viewed as short-sighted "liquidation of diplomatic capital" that would damage recruitment from Japan and South Korea.

Response: In consideration of supportive comments and a suggestion to reduce the faculty but retain the Center, the Provisional Plan proposes a faculty reduction and other administrative changes rather than elimination of the Portland Center.

General: Other Affected Departments 

Common themes: Some concerns centered on targeting high-performing units such as Criminology & Criminal Justice, which was cited as the 9th most productive program with a $4.56M net contribution. Faculty note that department reductions (such as in History and Physics) may save on salaries but forfeit significant revenue by failing to meet student demand for service courses. Some commenters voiced concern about the potentially impacted departments having already taken steps toward efficiency (such as the School of Earth, Environment and Society) and being central to PSU’s mission (such as Economics and Public Administration). Some commenters also expressed frustration related to what they perceive as administrative growth versus academic cuts.

Response: Comments supporting individual departments were comprehensive and heartfelt.  Unfortunately, our financial condition requires us to make difficult decisions. Fortunately, through retirements and other cost savings, we’ve been able to remove Criminology and Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Politics and Global Affairs, Economics, Sociology, Physics, English, School of Art + Art History + Design, School of Public Health, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the list of potentially affected departments. However the remaining departments (Educator Licensure; Leadership, Learning, and Counseling; History; Philosophy; School of Earth, Environment, and Society; and World Languages and Literatures) have staffing levels that are not aligned with current needs and may be reduced. The data for those departments are outlined in the Provisional Plan. Cuts to administrative functions at PSU are outside of the Article 22 process. 

Alternative Cost Saving Ideas

Common themes: Some commenters proposed cutting PSU Athletics, which receives a recurring $2 million E&G subsidy. Other ideas include: voluntary administrative pay cuts, mandatory furloughs, and a permanent Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) modeled after the California State University system to allow for dignified exits and long-term savings.

Response: Athletics was put through the NAAR review and determined to be in the “restructure” category. Efforts are currently underway to return the share of the student fee revenue, which has dropped by $1M due to an outdated formula, and to raise the revenue produced by ticket sales and media revenue. Eliminating Athletics would result in an immediate loss of approximately $6M one time funds as well as $1.9M in annual tuition revenue from student athletes who attend PSU because they can play their sport at the Division 1 level.

Our unclassified unrepresented employees will not receive automatic salary increases this year (otherwise known as COLAs) with an expected savings of $1.5M for fiscal year 2027.  In addition, subsidies for cell phones are being cut, as well as the auto subsidy for the president. This reduces the need for approximately 10 faculty layoffs. 

We recently completed negotiations with PSU-AAUP for a Retirement Transition Program. This program has some elements of the CSU FERP system, as one option is for faculty to agree to retire and have a three-year transition at a reduced FTE (0.75 or 0.50). The one-year redistribution of effort in the transition year is also available.

Alternative revenue ideas

Common themes: Suggestions include expanding the Portland Center’s partnership model into Eastern Europe and South America. Others propose actively lobbying the Governor for educational stability funds and closing state tax loopholes. One proposal suggested instituting “off-cycle" sequences for high-demand core courses (e.g., Physics 201-203) to make them available to more students. 

Response: Portland Center will be preserved and ideas for new international student recruitment are being considered. 

The state’s Education Stability Fund is a constitutional mechanism that requires a three-fifths vote in each chamber in addition to one of the following factors: (a) a final biennium forecast showing a 3% decline in revenue for the next biennium, or (b) payroll employment is down for two consecutive quarters, or (c) revenue forecast in current biennium is down 2% from the close-of session estimate, or (d) the Governor declares an emergency. We are watching the triggers closely, and will continue to advocate to protect funding for the Public University Support Fund and PSU more broadly. Last session, legislators did not need to activate the Education Stability Fund to protect education funding. We expect they may need to utilize the fund to protect university funding in 2027, and will advocate for the funding as necessary.

The Office of Student Success and the Registrar actively monitor wait lists and work with chairs and deans to increase capacity to classes that students need to progress, as long as an expanded class size is not pedagogically prohibited. The Registrar's Office is working on two critical software implementations: Ad Astra scheduling software and, in the next year, UAchieve degree planner, to ensure that we have better information about what quarters students are most likely to need critical classes and provide unified dashboards to track current and historical enrollment trends. This will help us schedule classes more efficiently and reduce wait lists and delays in student progression. 

Decision-making process/ Transparency and communications

Common Themes: Commenters described the PIVOT process as "opaque," "inhumane," and a "veneer of participation" for pre-determined decisions. The communication invoking Article 22 is criticized as having insufficient detail about ultimate decisions, and commenters claimed that deans were not informed in advance. Some departments noted data errors in Gray DI reports. 

Response: A central commitment of PIVOT was that the process would be transparent, consultative, and grounded in the core principles. The PIVOT 2025-26 report includes a detailed description of the many engagement activities that occurred throughout the initiative, the governance structures that informed decision-making, and the communication channels used to keep the campus community involved. 

Article 22 of the PSU-AAUP collective bargaining agreement lays out a detailed and prescriptive process. A critical requirement of the process is that the AAUP, faculty senate, and other members of the PSU community have an opportunity to comment before final decisions are made, and that the president consider the feedback before deciding whether to declare that retrenchment is necessary and developing a Provisional Plan. It would have been premature to make decisions before working through the Article 22 process. Deans were informed in advance of the Article 22 letter being sent to PSU-AAUP. 

It is true that the Gray DI reports were from the previous academic year and departments that made changes this year would not see that reflected in the data, however these reports were only one data point considered in the PIVOT process.