In response to the first Miller Gift Request for Proposals, issued in October 2008, we received 99 requests, totaling $7,282,945 in funding. This enthusiastic response from the campus community reflects both the
broad range of sustainability related activities already underway at PSU and the potential for meaningful, multidisciplinary collaboration as we move forward.

The proposals addressed the full range of opportunities related to enhancing the student experience, enriching faculty research and curricular development, and community engagement.

To assist in the decision-making process, we enlisted a team of 11 internal and external reviewers, including a Sustainability Director from an Ivy League university, representatives from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and senior leadership from local governmental agencies, regional private sector firms, and Portland State University.

Our reviewers indicated that they were impressed with the scope and standard of quality reflected in these proposals, as well as the potential impact of Portland State’s sustainability programs at regional, national, and even international levels.

As outlined in the RFP, in evaluating how best to invest the Miller funds this year the review panel considered two primary criteria:

• Evidence of existing activity and leadership;
• Ability to generate external support.

Proposals were also assessed against these criteria:

• Fostering multidisciplinary activities;
• Advancing community engagement;
• Replicability and impact;
• Visibility and near-term results;
• Unique intellectual contribution.

In determining the first-round awards, we took into account the reviewers’ evaluations and recommendations, while factoring in other key logistical considerations relative to the stated mission of the Miller grant and to its funding structure.

For example, we worked to assemble a portfolio of funded projects that would incorporate the Miller Foundation gift’s three core areas of support: student experience, curricular and research development, and community engagement.

We were also interested, particularly during this initial award phase, in proposals with the ability to leverage additional funding sources.

Some of the first-round proposals will trigger additional funds from outside sources, which then count toward the $2.5 million that the University must generate each year in external funding to meet the
Miller Foundation challenge—the $25 million is as much an investment as a gift. Other proposals will help to build capacity in critical areas that will serve as a foundation for future projects, such as curricular
assessment and development, and infrastructure support for research that positions Portland State for new funding opportunities.

While the list of worthy projects surpasses the $1.5 million set aside for this RFP, the awards announced today are for slightly less than that full amount. We have held back some funding in order to more fully
explore the synergies between several additional top-rated proposals to determine whether combining those proposals would make more effective and strategic use of the Miller funds available this year.

There are also clear opportunities to develop more strategic clusters of activities among those proposals that we are not able to fund in this round. In January 2009 we will convene a number of ad hoc working groups to determine how we best approach the following topics, inter alia:

• social sustainability;
• living laboratory opportunities related to climate change, water, and other urban sustainability issues;
• energy;
• international activities;
• development of departmental sustainability
  strategies.

Our goal is to more effectively organize faculty expertise and involvement around these topics to generate the greatest strategic impact on the institution and the community and to help focus the development of proposals for funding in subsequent RFP rounds.

Speaking of which…another Miller RFP round will take place later this winter, focused on funding needs for the 2009-2010 academic year and beyond; deadlines will be announced in early winter 2009. Proposals
awarded in the current round with funding needs beyond June 30, 2009, must reapply during that subsequent round for continued funding.

On a personal note, this process has validated for me this university’s enormous potential to effect positive change for this community and beyond. Faculty from different disciplines are coming together to find
solutions in collaboration beyond departmental barriers, and it is my hope that through activities like this RFP we will be able to continue to find new ways to work together to maximize Portland State’s impact in
this area.

The following 16 projects have been designated for funding for a total of approximately $1.4 million through the first round of the Miller Foundation Gift’s request for proposals. Final award amounts will be
posted pending resolution of outstanding PIAF and budget questions. In addition, we will be following up with the PIs prior to confirming the final grant amount to discuss opportunities for collaboration between
projects and for engagement in broader campus initiatives related to
their proposals.

Official award letters will be sent to the PI by the first week of January. Please contact me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for additional information regarding the awards.

Funded Projects:

Bertini, “Development of a Transportation Sustainability Roadmap”

Dewey, “Rural Community Support of Columbia River Sub-Basin Salmon Plans”

Dusicka, “Sustainability in Engineering Curriculum Development”

Ervin, “Ecosystem Services and Sustainability: Analyzing Changes from the Marmot Dam Removal”

Fish, “Innovative Teaching Laboratory for Sustainable Water Quality Systems”

Gerwing, “Mapping and Expanding Sustainability Course Offerings in the University Studies Curriculum”

Jay, “The Columbia River Basin Sustainable Water Resources, Energy and
Climate Initiative”

Karavanic, “Sustainable High Performance Computing: Integrating Power and Cooling Data with Application and System Performance for Linux Clusters”

Kocaoglu, “Planning Grant for Research Institute for Sustainable Energy”

McBride, “Building Capacity for Sustainability Through Faculty Development”

McKeown, “Weaving Sustainability into the Secondary Graduate Teacher Education Program”

Medovoi, “The Humanities Sustainability Research Project”

Moradkhani, “Toward Sustainable Water Resources Management Under the Stress of Climate Change/Variability”

Reynolds, “Renewable Clean Petroleum Fuels”

Sailor, “Green Building Research Laboratory Infrastructure”

Shinn, “Smart Grid Research Seminar”