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Research Centers and Institutes

Institute on Aging

470 Urban Center
503-725-3018
https://www.pdx.edu/institute-on-aging

The Institute on Aging (IOA), in the College of Urban and Public Affairs, is a multidisciplinary research and educational organization. Established in 1969, the IOA was one of the first centers in the United States to focus on the social, psychological, and economic issues related to aging. Our research is funded by federal, state, and private sources, with projects designed to advance knowledge that serves an aging society, and that are community engaged.

Our Mission

Institute on Aging faculty, staff, and students are dedicated to enhancing understanding of aging and facilitating opportunities for elders, families, and communities to thrive.

Research

Institute on Aging faculty specialize in research on a variety of topics, including:

Educational Opportunities for Students Interested in Aging Studies

Students who complete gerontology coursework will be prepared for fields that care for and support aging adults in a variety of contexts, including working in health and community based organizations that promote positive quality of life for older adults.

Lifelong Learning 

The Senior Adult Learning Center (SALC) provides opportunities for continuous intellectual enrichment and personal growth of older adults. Oregon residents aged 65 and older can register through the SALC to audit Portland State University courses on any topic with no tuition costs on a space-available basis.

Community Service and Partnerships

Through partnerships with a wide variety of organizations that serve older adults locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, faculty and students at the Institute on Aging seek to build capacity for organizations and communities to address the needs and strengths of older people living near and far. These efforts aim to enhance the lives of older persons who lack adequate resources in the United States and enhance the quality of long-term and community-based care programs.

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies

780 Urban Center

www.pdx.edu/metropolitan-studies

 

The Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies (IMS) at Portland State University is designed to be a trusted public partner for local governments and community leaders across the Portland region. By creating collaborative spaces for dialogue and decision-making, IMS helps the region tackle complex policy challenges and build shared understanding around long-term goals. Our core belief is that when local leaders align around a clear vision and a shared understanding of what implementation means, it is easier to navigate the difficult trade-offs and negotiations that are part of any policymaking process. IMS aims to strengthen this alignment—turning bold ideas into inclusive, actionable policy.

Each year, IMS selects one to three pressing policy topics, based on input from local officials and community stakeholders. For each, IMS will support PSU-led research to clarify the problem, explore policy options, and assess potential impacts. We will then convene key partners—elected leaders, civil servants, community, philanthropic, and business leaders—to discuss the findings, weigh solutions, and build consensus on the most viable paths forward. Our goal is to help greater Portland communities move from ideas to action with more clarity, confidence, and collaboration.

Population Research Center

780 Urban Center

503-725-3922

www.pdx.edu/prc

Through demographic research and teaching, the Population Research Center (PRC) serves the people of Oregon by addressing the causes and implications of demographic change for communities across the state. PRC is a center of training and knowledge for solutions to problems in applied demography, including population estimates, projections, geospatial analysis, and census-taking.

Activities

PRC publishes annual population estimates of Oregon’s cities and counties, and regular long run population projections for counties and urban growth boundary (UGB) areas. These data inform state and local government policies tied to population or housing, including: equitable distribution of tax revenue; land use planning; appropriations for various state and federal program funds, and for other public policy priorities including affordable housing, criminal justice, education, and public health.

PRC faculty additionally engage in activities including special population estimates, local area censuses, and population projections or studies of demographic trends for school, library, utility, and other special districts. PRC also provides technical assistance to state and local governments for redistricting after each US census.

The center also operates as the Oregon State Data Center (SDC), a cooperative program with the U.S. Census Bureau that makes demographic and socio-economic data and information accessible to state, regional, local, and tribal governments and the public through a network of local experts. SDC collaborates with the Census Bureau to improve the quality of Oregon's data by supporting the decennial census, geographic updates, and other outreach and engagement programs.

As a member of the Federal-State Cooperatives for Population Estimates (FSCPE) and Projections (FSCPP), the PRC is a state liaison with the U.S. Census Bureau for issues related to population estimates, projections, and the decennial census of housing and population. The center houses historical and current data and maps which are available to faculty, students, and the general public.

Graduate Training

Selected courses in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning (USP) offer specialized training in demographics and population statistics. Students learn about theories of population change, methodologies used to study population processes, and important data sources including vital statistics, surveys, and the US census. The courses can be integrated into a plan of study in any graduate program at PSU.