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Rahmat Shoureshi, a champion of collaborative learning, innovative research and community engagement, will lead Portland State University as its ninth president starting Aug. 14.
The PSU Board of Trustees unanimously approved Shoureshi, interim president of the New York Institute of Technology, to succeed Wim Wiewel, who is stepping down after nine years as president to join the faculty of the College of Urban and Public Affairs.
“I am humbled and honored to be chosen to lead this great university,” Shoureshi says. “PSU is a 21st century university that serves a vibrant urban region, champions access, diversity, and inclusiveness, conducts innovative research and dedicated to cutting-edge and collaborative learning – things that reflect my academic ideals and perspectives.”
A mechanical engineer, Shoureshi (pronounced Shu-RE-shi) has been a university administrator, researcher and academic for 38 years. Shoureshi joined the New York Institute of Technology in 2011 as its provost and vice president for academic affairs and was appointed its interim president in January 2017. He has overseen all aspects of operations, academic programs and faculty of NYIT, which has two campuses in New York, two medical schools, four global campuses and joint degree programs in eight countries.
“Dr. Shoureshi’s leadership experience and accomplishments at several prestigious universities will bring innovation, entrepreneurship and operational knowledge to take Portland State to the next level,” Board Chairman Pete Nickerson says. “He is an ideal fit for PSU because of his vision and initiatives to enhance research, increase educational and professional opportunities for students, develop community partnerships and boost philanthropy.”
Some of his goals for PSU include:
Increase the quality and diversity of incoming students;
Make PSU financially strong and academically rich;
Attract top-notch faculty;
Create an innovation ecosystem to develop art, science and technology incubators;
Expand partnerships with external organizations to provide greater opportunities for students;
Develop transdisciplinary institutes and research centers supported by government and industry;
Increase engagement with PSU alumni, friends and the community.
Prior to joining NYIT, Shoureshi served as the dean of the University of Denver’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, was a top administrator and Endowed Chair Professor of Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, and an administrator and professor of School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University.
An active researcher, Shoureshi earned advanced degrees in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a bachelor’s degree from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran, his native country. He holds nine U.S. patents for biomedical and engineering systems, sensors and devices.
From the Portland Oregonian:
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The Portland State University governing board appointed Rahmat Shoureshi to serve as the school's ninth president. Shoureshi will succeed Wim Wiewel, who will step down at the end of this school year but remain on the faculty. He arrived at the school in 2008.
"I'm just thrilled with the selection the board is making," Wiewel said, adding to Shoureshi, "I look forward to working with you, and I certainly pledge my full support. Shoureshi most recently served as the interim president of New York Institute of Technology.
In his new position, he will be paid a base salary of $599,988, comprising $260,700 paid by the university and $339,288 paid by the Portland State University Foundation. His five-year contract begins Aug. 14. Shoureshi said he wants to increase the school's focus on scholarly research and build specialties research centers that combine academic disciplines from various departments at the university.
He also drew attention from the school's Board of Trustees because of his previous experience raising money through philanthropy. "When I looked at at Portland State University, I saw the place where I really can make a difference," Shoureshi said. "I saw the opportunities."
His hiring comes as Portland State faces a $20 million budget shortfall as Gov. Kate Brown's proposed budget holds the higher education allocation flat. The university had hoped to make up much of the shortfall by raising tuition 9 percent, bringing full-time undergraduate tuition and fees to $9,030 a year.
A state board last week rejected that proposed increase, a move the university said will require $5 million in cuts. Shoureshi said he's sympathetic to students who are watching the price for their education climb. "I was a student that had loans I had to pay back," he said. "I feel what PSU students are going through."
But he said universities are facing rising costs from health care, recruiting faculty and staff and the cost of new technology. "You have to diversity your sources of funding," he said. "When you extinguish all your other sources of funding, really the last option is to look at the price of tuition."
The 64-year-old Shoureshi started as the provost and head of academics at the New York school in 2011 and was appointed to the interim role in January. Shoureshi worked as dean of the engineering and computer sciences school at the University of Denver for eight years before moving to New York. The engineer has a Ph.D. and master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is an expert in robotics and other engineering fields.
:clap: The really good news is that the UO and OSU are no longer receiving PSU money sent down to them. The days of the old OUS/OSSHE stealing/redirecting funds from PSU are finally over.