University of Portland School of Education

School of Education

For nearly two centuries, we have been preparing teachers and school leaders to educate the whole person, in the tradition of Holy Cross. As the premier program in the Portland metropolitan area, we partner with over 100 schools and 18 school systems, sharing the belief that education is a matter of justice, and that gaps in achievement and social opportunity can be addressed by skilled educators formed by mission.

The University of Portland was founded in September, 1901 by Portland Archbishop Alexander Christie, who had purchased property atop Waud's Bluff with financial assistance from the Congregation of Holy Cross in Sound Bend, Indiana. Archbishop Christie named the school " Columbia University" after the mighty river that flowed nearby, and when it opened its doors, it was staffed with priests from the archdiocese.

Columbia University achieved junior college status in 1922, and in 1925 the College of Arts and Sciences was founded. Four years later the first bachelor's degrees were awarded to a class of seven men. In the 1930s, the University's name was changed to the University of Portland, the St. Vincent Hospital School of Nursing became part of the University as the College of Nursing, and the School of Business were created. In 1948, the School of Engineering was created. The University established its Graduate School in 1950 and the School of Education in 1962. In 1967 the Congregation of Holy Cross and the University's Board of Regents transitioned to a shared governance structure. Today, the University continues to be guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross and governed by an independent board of directors.

Mission Statement

The University of Portland, an independently governed Catholic university guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross, addresses significant questions of human concern through disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies of the arts, sciences, and humanities and through studies in majors and professional programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a diverse community of scholars dedicated to excellence and innovation, we pursue teaching and learning, faith and formation, service and leadership in the classroom, residence halls, and the world. Because we value the development of the whole person, the University honors faith and reason as ways of knowing, promotes ethical reflection, and prepares people who respond to the needs of the world and its human family.

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