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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
Page 12 The Skanner MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE EDITION September 21, 2016 MBE 2016 Special Business Edition Business Briefs U.S. News Ranks PSU as Top 10 ‘Most Innovative’ U.S. News & World Report has ranked Portland State University among the top 10 “most innovative” national uni- versities in its Best Colleges 2016 rank- ings, released online last week. In the U.S. News “most innovative” rankings, Portland State moved up to No. 9 from No. 16 on the second annu- al list of schools to watch for making “cutting-edge changes.” PSU tied with Purdue University–West Lafayette and University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and bested universities such as Har- vard, Duke, Cornell and UC Berkeley. U.S. News asked top academics to name campuses that are “making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.” A school had to receive multiple nomina- tions to be listed. The 2017 rankings also recognize PSU’s senior capstone, service learn- ing and undergraduate business pro- grams. PSU also is a top pick of high school counselors. PSU’s innovations include: • A growing strategic alliance with Oregon Health & Science University, including a new joint School of Pub- lic Health and the Collaborative Life Sciences Building on the South Wa- terfront, a state-of-the-art home for health and science programs. • ReTHINK PSU, a push to help stu- dents stay on course and graduate • • • • • sooner using innovative curriculum, community engagement and ef ec- tive technology. Projects include cre- ating a better mathematics lab, new online mentoring, targeted academic advising, l exible degrees for return- ing adults and redesigned student services. The Four-Year Degree Guarantee, a pledge that students who follow a de- gree path will graduate in four years — or they can i nish for free. Expansion of the Urban Honors Col- lege to provide intense research op- portunities and academic challenges for highly motivated students. BUILD EXITO, a partnership with OHSU and community colleges fund- ed with a $24 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to cre- ate career pathways in biomedical research for diverse students. The Institute for Sustainable Solu- tions, a center for sustainable re- search, curriculum, and community engagement at PSU that administers a 10-year, $25 million challenge grant from the James F. and Marion L. Mill- er Foundation. “Building a Better Student Experi- ence,” a project funded in part by grants from the Gates Foundation and Association of Public and Land- grant Universities to enhance advis- ing, develop a personalized student web portal and interactive degree maps, and better coordinate student services across campus. U.S. News ranks colleges annually from indicators of academic excel- lence, including surveys of adminis- trators at peer institutions, student retention and graduation rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, i nancial resources and alumni giving. More information and full rankings are at www.usnews.com/colleges. SBA Now Accepting 2017 National Small Business Week Awards Nominations The U.S. Small Business Administra- tion is now accepting nominations for its 2017 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has rec- ognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communi- ties, and to our nation’s economy. The dedicated website www.sba.gov/ nsbw/awards provides forms, criteria and guidelines for submitting a nomi- nation. SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week, April 30 – May 6, 2017, include the following: • Small Business Person of the Year o One from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. • Exporter of the Year • Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recov- ery o Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery o Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recov- ery, Public Oi cial o Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recov- ery, Volunteer • Federal Procurement Awards o Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year o Small Business Subcontractor of the Year o Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence (for large prime con- tractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors) o 8(a) Graduate of the Year • Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year • Small Business Investment Company of the Year • Awards to SBA Resource Partners o Small Business Development Cen- ter (SBDC) Excellence and Innova- tion Center Award o Women’s Business Center of Excel- lence Award o Veterans Business Outreach Cen- ter of the Year All nominations must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. EST, Monday, Jan. 10, 2017. SBA will no longer be using the Small Business Week online portal. All nomination packages may only be hand delivered or mailed to an SBA Of- i ce. Email submissions of SBA Awards forms will not be accepted as they con- tain personally identii able informa- tion (PII). For contact information and other District Oi ce information visit online at http://www.sba.gov/districtoi ces. See BRIEFS on page 10 FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY PCC CASCADE CAMPUS LIBRARY RENOVATION