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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2009)
June 2009 FEATURES The Southwest Portland Post • 8 Naturopathic college looks to expand in South Portland rather than relocate By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post David Schleich, president of National College of Naturopathic Medicine, likes to quote this line from poet Rob- ert Browning: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” Schleich is reaching to create a cam- pus that will encompass the six square blocks bounded by Southwest Arthur and Woods streets, Kelly Avenue and Naito Parkway. He already has much of it in his grasp. Since 1998, the college has operated out of a former Portland Community College campus at 049 S.W. Porter St. In 2007 they acquired the old Oregon Public Broadcasting facility at 2828 S.W. Naito Parkway and moved their administrative offices, and Helfgott Research Institute, there. The college is currently turning a property on Southwest Woods Street into a large herb garden that will allow instructors to show their students what their medicines look like in nature. Last year the college acquired the Seemans Building on Southwest Porter Street from Andrew Davis; the college has begun converting it into a clinic that will replace an existing facility in Northwest Portland, and the college will have a “soft opening” in late summer. Additionally, the college owns a building on Southwest Porter Street and Naito Parkway that will some day have school uses; possibilities include a student center and cafeteria, library, research center and bookstore, or some combination of these. The college owns several other prop- erties and intends to acquire more as they become available. These will be used for student and faculty housing, and perhaps some retail services. The aim is to create “a more integrated campus,” Schleich told The Post. Mari- lyn Considine, public relations director, added that another aim is to allow “one stop shopping” for patients. Until two years ago, it was by no means certain that all this would take place here in Portland. The college considered 19 possible locations for a campus, one as far away as Ashland. “We loved it, but it was too expensive and too small,” Schleich said. One of the criteria for a site was creat- ing a campus that would be “minimally disruptive to our existing operations,” and this clearly favored the existing neighborhood. “There were a few things that finally, totally convinced me to stay here and grow,” Schleich said. One of these was the reaction of the surrounding neighborhood to their plans; NCNM wanted to be a college “well-grounded in its community.” “Our first meeting with the neighbor- hood [South Portland Neighborhood Association] was excellent,” Schleich said. “They were so welcoming.” Asked how the association felt about the school acquiring private housing, often a sore point between neighbor- hoods and institutions, the response was, “Keep it people-oriented, and we’re with you,” Schleich recalled. The school hopes to make its facilities available to its neighbors, and would like to involve students of the nearby Parker Realty, Inc. Cedarwood School in some way. “The neighborhood association is behind them 100 percent,” Love said of the col- lege’s current efforts. He cautioned that the association has not yet fully reviewed long-term plans, but said, “So far, they’ve been extremely great to work with.” David Schleich and Marilyn Considine at the construc- The college could use tion site of a new herb garden at the National College of the housing, Considine Naturopathic Medicine. (Post photo by Lee Perlman) said, for its students benefits of natural medicine have be- tend to be older than the average under- come more widely accepted,” Schleich graduate; they are independent, some said. are married, and a few have children. Considine noted that according to a The college recently held a “Take recent study, many patients use alterna- Your Munchkin To School” day, she tive medical treatment without telling recalled. their mainstream doctors they are doing The college’s current enrollment is it. In a way, the college has always been about 500 students, Considine said, and on the cutting edge of this trend. they hope to increase this to 800. The Founded in 1956, it is one of the old- college also hopes to increase its course est such institutions in North America, offerings in the area of nutrition, public and its graduates have gone on to create health and herbal arts. similar institutions elsewhere. “Port- National College of Naturopathic land is probably the richest city in the Medicine has already had collaborative country for natural medicine, and yet ventures with other institutions such as much of its citizenry is not aware of it,” Western States Chiropractic College, Schleich mused. That will change as he Oregon College of Oriental Medicine literally puts the school on the map. and Oregon Health and Sciences Uni- Of course, to do so will involve versity. money the school does not currently Work with this last, the state’s prin- have. “Creation of the vision will take cipal medical school, is an indicator of sizeable donations,” Considine admit- the degree to which traditional medical ted. “We’re reaching out to everyone we providers are accepting arts they once know. We definitely see this happening dismissed as akin to witchcraft. “The in the next five to ten years.” relationship has changed a lot as the West Hills/Hillsdale $747,500 Portland Heights $695,000 Garden Home $599,500 4 BR 2.5 BA w/ views. Vaulted formal living room, Family room w/ french doors to large deck. Master suite w/ built-ins & deck. Upgrades in kitchen & baths includ- ing, cherry cabinets, slab granite, marble & recessed lighting throughout. 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