Dec. 2, 1997 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 PORTLAND--The National Architecture Accrediting Board has granted full accreditation to the University of Oregon's Portland architecture program. The board's action recognizes that the Portland facility is an integral part of the accredited professional program in architecture at the UO main campus in Eugene, making it possible for Portland-area students to complete an accredited master's degree program without leaving home. "This is wonderful news," says Robert Z. Melnick, UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts dean. "This is formal recognition of the quality of the program." The accreditation team report paid special attention to the close working relationship between UO faculty and students in Portland and the larger Portland architectural community. "The Portland program benefits from a strong professional link which generates a high level of support and involvement from the local professionals," the accrediting team concluded in their report. The UO offers a master of architecture degree in Portland. Many students in the architecture degree programs on the Eugene campus also enroll in studios that meet in Portland. The accreditation means students who have completed undergraduate pre-professional degrees in architecture and who have adequate course work now may complete the entire master of architecture professional degree in Portland. The Portland architecture program recently moved into the UO Portland Center, 722 S.W. 2nd Ave. The new quarters are located on the fourth floor and include the space formerly occupied by several UO offices and by McKeever-Morris, Inc., a landscape architecture and planning firm. Fifty students are currently enrolled at the UO's Portland program. Enrollment is expected to increase in the spring. -30- #O-6028/Local,OrDailies,PDX,Architecture,OrBUS