Think Out Loud

Willamette and Pacific Universities say merger will save money, serve students

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES ALIKE ARE FACING INCREASING FINANCIAL STRAIN WITH RISING COSTS, LIMITED FUNDING AND TUITION ALREADY UNAFFORDABLE FOR MANY. NOW TWO OF OREGON’S PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES HAVE DECIDED TO MERGE, IN LARGE PART TO SAVE MONEY. WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY AND PACIFIC UNIVERSITY ARE THE OLDEST COLLEGES IN OREGON AND THE ENTIRE WESTERN U.S., PREDATING OREGON STATEHOOD. LEADERS OF BOTH UNIVERSITIES SAY THEIR INSTITUTIONS’ MISSION AND VALUES ARE ALIGNED. THEY ALSO SAY THE MERGER WON’T JUST SAVE MONEY BUT WILL “EXPAND ACADEMIC OFFERINGS, BROADEN ACCESS, AND DEEPEN THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS ACROSS THE REGION.”    THE STRUCTURE WILLAMETTE AND PACIFIC ARE PURSUING IS WHAT’S KNOWN AS A COLLEGIATE MODEL, WHERE MULTIPLE UNIVERSITIES EXIST AS PART OF A LARGER INSTITUTION. THE TWO UNIVERSITIES WILL RETAIN THEIR NAMES AND CAMPUSES AS PART OF WHAT WILL LIKELY BE NAMED THE UNIVERSITY OF THE NORTHWEST. PACIFIC UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT JENNY COYLE AND WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT STEVE THORSETT JOIN US TO DISCUSS THE MERGER AND

OSP Tribal Liaison Glendon Smith on bridging the gap between tribal and state law enforcement

GLENDON SMITH IS THE INAUGURAL TRIBAL LIAISON FOR THE OREGON STATE POLICE. SINCE 2023, HE’S BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OREGON’S NINE FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES AND EDUCATING STATE TROOPERS ON HOW TO INTERACT WITH TRIBAL CITIZENS AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. HE RECENTLY RECEIVED [https://www.underscore.news/justice/oregon-state-police-tribal-liaison-talks-priorities/] A PUBLIC SERVICE AMBASSADOR AWARD FROM OREGON GOV. TINA KOTEK FOR HIS WORK.    Smith joins us to talk more about his role and the relationship between tribal and state law enforcement.

Oregon awarded $160M to expand the semiconductor industry and boost economic development

ABOUT 100 DIFFERENT INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND ACADEMIC ORGANIZATIONS ARE PART OF THE CONSORTIUM THAT WILL SPEND 160 MILLION OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS TO INCREASE RESEARCH ON AND PRODUCTION OF SEMICONDUCTORS. THESE COMPONENTS ARE VITAL TO VIRTUALLY EVERY ELECTRONIC DEVICE YOU ARE LIKELY TO USE, FROM MOBILE PHONES TO HOME APPLIANCES. INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS SAY IT’S VITAL THAT THE U.S. KEEP UP WITH DEMAND AND SUPPORT ITS SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION.    THAT’S THE INTENTION BEHIND THE FRONTIERS OF ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY, OR FAST, GRANT. OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY  IS COORDINATING THE CONSORTIUM’S EFFORTS. ROB STONE IS A PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL, INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING AT OSU, AND THE INTERIM CEO AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OF FAST. HE JOINS US TO SHARE MORE ABOUT HOW THE MONEY WILL BE USED AND ITS EFFECT ON OREGON’S ECONOMY.

Oregon musicians on why they perform in tribute bands

From Journey and the Grateful Dead, to The Strokes and Depeche Mode, Oregon has no shortage of tribute bands. But why perform the music of another artist?    Adam Corkery is a guitarist and vocalist for Brown Stallion [https://www.brownstallion.band/], a Ween tribute band based in Eugene and Portland. Renée Muzquiz is the lead vocalist and guitarist for Major Tomboys [http://www.majortomboys.com/], an all-femme David Bowie tribute based in Portland. She also represents Linda Ronstadt in Stone Phoneys [https://stonephoneys.com/], a tribute to Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.   They both join us to talk about the joys of performing familiar songs for die-hard fans.

Ladies Up Project announces expansion of community art program

Whether you like it or not, street art is a defining component of a city. However, street art has historically been a male-dominated field, which inspired the Portland Street Art Alliance’s Ladies Up Project. With allocated space and canvases, Ladies Up is rooted in empowering the creative expression of female street artists. We’ll hear from Executive Director Tiffany Conklin and artist Kyra Watkins about the program’s impact and recent expansion.