First day at CLSB

This morning marked the first day of classes for the fall 2014 term.  As in the past, I volunteered to work at one of our PSU welcome tables, but today was different in that I was among the first to welcome our students to the new Collaborative Life Sciences Building (CLSB).

My blog today is mostly pictures taken on iPhones by either Jason Podrabsky (Chair of Biology) or me.  It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.  The streetcars this morning were packed with eager students.  Students streamed into Gwen Shusterman’s chemistry lecture (some in

time for the 8:45am start and some a little later).  

We passed out handfuls of chocolates to students on their way into the lecture hall and labs.  Nicholas Running from Enrollment Management and Student Affairs had the welcome desk setup and staffed.  Faculty were there to greet students. It was clear that students were excited about this new space and the start of the academic year. 

An unintended consequence of the morning was when a former PSU student, now an OHSU dentistry student, came up to Jason Podrabsky to say hello.  He let Jason know how much he had learned at PSU and how great it was that PSU students and faculty were in the CLSB.  I caught a picture of them reconnecting and exchanging contact information.  Jason let me know that he has run into a number of our PSU grads at CLSB who are OHSU medical or dentistry students or OSU pharmacy students.

The faculty and staff in Chemistry and Biology, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean’s office, staff in Finance and Administration and in Enrollment Management and Student Affairs all deserve a tremendous amount of thanks for all their work these past few years in taking a concept and making it happen.  Our students will benefit for a long time from these efforts.

I encourage faculty teaching in the CLSB to use this space to comment on how the facilities are changing the nature of the way they teach and how our students learn.

NOTE: In the CLSB PSU has three new research labs, 17 teaching labs, work stations, offices and our biggest lecture hall.  Our freshman majoring in biology, chemistry or physics and our non-science majors working on their general education requirement will take classes in this building.