CAS News

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CAS Senior Toast

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20160412_164142The third annual College of Arts & Sciences Senior toast was held on Founder’s Day, April 12th in St. Mary’s Lounge. Hosted by the Dean of CAS and the Student Leadership Advisory Council, CAS faculty and graduating seniors gathered to celebrate the Class of 2018’s journey.

Among the acknowledgements was the announcement of the first Kay Toran CAS Student Award for Excellence in Service, created in honor of 1964 CAS alum Kay Toran. Toran has been continuously living a life of service; she currently serves on the UP Board of Regents and is president of Volunteers for America, a non-profit organization that supports men, women, and children in various stages of transition, including the homeless, from New York to Portland. Three CAS students received this honor, representing the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, respectively.

Dean Andrews made the following remarks in presenting the awards to the honorees:

Ana Fonseca is an English major who exudes a habit of service that challenges and changes structures within the local community here in North Portland. Whether working with Youth and the Law or the Portland Police organization, or the Mayor’s office, Ana had devoted many hundreds of hours serving youth, including as a tutor at Roosevelt High School.  Ms. Fonseca epitomizes the kind of service towards structural change that reflects Kay Toran’s own passion. She will be joining Jesuit Volunteers Corps after graduation.

Gianna Carducci-Huchingson is a Psychology major who personifies a sense of service as mission, as envisioned by the Congregation of Holy Cross in which serving others means serving the compassionate Christ. In particular, Ms. Carducci has worked extensively with refugees from Congo, Ukraine, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan resettling in the City of Portland. Gianna is expecting to be placed next year with the Lutheran Community Services of as a director of Refugee Care Collective.

Noah Forrest is a Chemistry major who possesses a global and international sense of service that lovingly reflects Kate Regan’s own spirit. Mr. Forrest has worked extensively with issues from Rural Immersion in Yakima, WA; immigrant communities in Tucson, AR affected by harsh immigration policies; Friends of Trees here in Portland; and volunteers three hours every Friday with Spanish-speaking children in his capacity as a bilingual volunteer. Mr. Forrest was a Nicaraguan Immersion Coordinator for the Moreau Center and will be working with an organization called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos at an orphanage in Latin America next year.

Dean Andrews also recognized two retiring faculty with respect and gratitude, Dr. Robert Butler, a professor of Environmental Science, and Fr. Tom Hosinki, professor of Theology.  Graduating senior Ms. Jacqui Howard toasted Dr. Butler. Theology junior Mr. James Paul Gumataotao’s toasted Fr. Hosinki. Both men leave the UP community with contributions of outstanding service, scholarship, and a fantastic inspiration for knowledge.

Spring 2016 Butine Awards

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The Committee on Teaching and Scholarship (TAS) has determined award recipients for the 2015-2016 Butine Faculty Development Fund Spring cycle, according to committee chair Aaron Wootton, mathematics. This spring’s Butine award recipients are:

  • Curtis, William. American Philosophical Association 2016 Pacific Division Meeting, $1,330
  • Sanchez, Rene. College Theology Society Conference, $818
  • Warshawsky, Matthew. American Jewish Historical Society Biennial Scholars Conference, $1,326
  • Reyes-Giardiello, Giannina. XLI Congreso del ILLI Instituto Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana, $1,900
  • Gates, Alice. “Borders, Otherness, and Public Law,” ICON-S International Society of Public Law, $2,000
  • Astorga, Christina. Catholic Theological Society of America Conference & the College Theology Society Conference, $2,000 Weilhoefer, Christine. Annual Meeting of the Society of Wetland Scientists, $1,250
  • Ilosvay, Kimberly. Linguistic Approaches to Funniness, Amusement and Laughter 4th International Symposium, $1,996 Ralston, Nicole. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, $1,073
  • Mood, Laura. Western Institute of Nursing Conference in Anaheim, CA & the PacRim International Conference on Disability & Diversity, $1,963
  • Doughty, Tim. XII Society for Experimental Mechanics Int. Congress, $2,000
  • Parks, Bonnie. American Library Association Annual Conference, $1,430
  • Flann, Kyle. Experimental Biology Conference, $1,940
  • Mayer, Kala. Sigma Theta Tau 27th International Nursing Research Congress, $2,000
  • Vermeesch, Amber. Sigma Theta Tau 27th International Nursing Research Congress, $2,000
  • Krautscheid, Loretta. Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference, $615
  • Ahern-Rindell, Ami. Travel as part of the UP 2016 Pollentia Expedition, $2,000
  • Braband, Barbara. Sigma Theta Tau 27th International Nursing Research Congress, $2,000

For more information, contact Wootton at 7377 or tas@up.edu.

Sourced from UPBeat.

Dean’s Welcome: Spring 2016

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Staff and faculty portraits
Staff and faculty portraits

Dear Friends of the College of Arts and Sciences,

As the anticipation of spring approaches and we near the conclusion of another successful school year, faculty and staff are recognized for their hard work and innovation, graduating seniors look forward to their future, and the University’s community continues to grow in size and spirit. While we are also in the beginning of the season of Lent, the coming of Easter provides University members a time for reflection and self-examination. During Lent and with the growth of a new year we are called to acknowledge the progress and enterprise of the College by commending several professors and accomplishments.

Congratulations to the seven CAS professors awarded tenure: Bradley Franco (HST), Jennette Lovejoy (CST), Tara Maginnis (BIO), Charles McCoy (MTH), Gregory Pulver (PFA), Mark Pitzer (PSY), and David Taylor (BIO).

Congratulations to the seven CAS faculty members granted sabbatical during one or both semesters of AY2017: Valerie Peterson (MTH), Kathleen McManus (THE) Hannah Callender (MTH), Jeff Gauthier (PHL), Patrick Murphy (PFA), Martin Monto (SOC), Lora Looney (ILC), Amy Beadles-Bohling (BIO), Eugene Urnezius (CHM), Mark Eifler (HST), Allie Hill (ILC), and Oz Bonfim (PHY).

CAS Faculty Recognition and Congratulations:

Martin Monto wins Hugo Beigel Award for Scholarly Excellence

University of Portland sociology professor Martin Monto has received the Hugo Beigel Award for Scholarly Excellence from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. The award goes to the best paper published in their Journal of Sex Research, and was chosen from a field of 70 papers. The award is designed to promote and reward research excellence in sexology. Monto wrote the paper with former UP student Anna Carey as co-author. The award will be presented at the society’s annual conference on Nov. 12-15 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Laura McLary named Oregon Professor of the Year

On Thursday, Nov. 19th, the national Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the international Council for the Advancement and Support of Education awarded University of Portland German professor Laura McLary for her innovation and dedication on teaching international languages, highlighting her leadership in growth of the University’s German language program.

Previous UP professors who have been recognized by the national organization include Kate Regan, who was named National Professor of the Year; Becky Houck, Terry Favero and Karen Eifler, who were all named Oregon Professor of the Year.

Difference Award:

Dr. Sarina Saturn, Department of Psychological Sciences

Dr. Mark Pitzer, Department of Psychological Sciences

Dr. David Turnbloom, Department of Theology

At the beginning of this semester, each senior and junior athlete-student was invited to nominate one professor for The 2015 Difference Award.  The main criterion for this award is that the faculty member embody whatever difference-making characteristic, idea or attitude students felt made a positive and substantial impact in their life as an undergraduate Pilot.  Professors Saturn, Pitzer, and Turnbloom were chosen by our athlete-scholars as key difference-makers at our University.  I know we are all excited that students have chosen to honor three of our colleagues who have touched the lives of undergraduate students and who continue to work hard to make athlete-students successful both in the classroom and on the field. Sarina, Mark, and David will be honored as Difference Award recipients at a public presentation during the UP Men’s Basketball game on Thursday the 18th of February.

I trust you will enjoy reading several stories about our talented students and faculty by catching-up with the most recent edition of the CAS Blog.  In the meantime, I look forward to welcoming you the next time you are on campus, especially if you are planning to celebrate UP Commencement in early May.

Warm regards,

Dr. Michael F. Andrews
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences and
McNerney-Hanson University Endowed Chair in Ethics

Martin Monto Receives The Becky Houck Award for Excellence in Advising

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Dean Andrews and Martin MontoThe Becky Houck Award for Excellence in Advising presented to Dr. Martin Monto at All-College Celebration, February 24, 2016

“This annual Award is named in honor of our beloved CAS faculty colleague, Becky Houck. The Award honors and recognizes an individual who has committed a large part of his or her faculty work to mentoring and advising students — something that doesn’t typically show up on a vitae.   Like past recipients, this year’s award winner exemplifies Becky’s indefatigable spirit and love for helping prepare undergraduate students to live a life of integrity, compassion, and service. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Martin Monto of the Sociology Department as this year’s Becky Houck Award recipient.

Several former students note:

“Dr. Monto helps students find direction and often assists them to creatively pursue double majors or to customize their programs to individual goals and interests. “

“His creativity in advising serves the mission of the University in developing the whole person, which is only successful if we take the time to learn their individual goals and needs. In this regard, Dr. Monto is a rock star.”

“I transferred into the major late from Engineering. Not only did Dr. Monto help me to draw up a plan of classes to help me graduate on time, he also made it possible for me to add a minor in Education and take extra classes my senior year!   After I graduated, my sister (then a sophomore at UP) was having difficulty scheduling classes without much assistance from her assigned advisor. All it took was a single email to Dr. Monto and he immediately took my sister under his supervision as an academic advisor. Professor Monto eased much of my sister’s stress and she actually graduated on time.”

Over the last many years Martin has been a long-term mentor on advising issues for other faculty members in his own department, in CAS, and across the university. Here are several peer comments:

“I regularly discuss advising issues with Monto and routinely solicit his advice on how to best help and mentor students during advising sessions.   . . . I have worked with him to become a better advisor using methods that he has developed over the past two decades.”

“Several years ago, Martin served on the College’s first Advising Consortium. As a member of the consortium, he took an active role in building the initial advising website for the College of Arts and Sciences. He also helped to design and lead an early session focused on advising at the University of Portland on Faculty Development Day. “Dr. Monto has spearheaded several surveys of graduating seniors, each time taking the data received seriously and implementing changes [to the major that would] that help students improve internship experiences and better prepare them for graduate studies.

Martin has been a faculty model in helping further develop the advisor’s role from “course scheduler” to “mentor” or even “life coach.” In his role as mentor to undergraduates, Martin’s good influence reaches beyond simple scheduling and career advice, as he has also sponsored undergraduate research, even publishing an award-winning article with a former student, for which he received the Hugo Beigel Award for Scholarly Excellence for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

An extension of Martin’s advising / mentoring role to students is clearly evident in his taking the lead on the Green Dot initiative, a university-wide mentoring effort to educate students about violence. Through traditional and non-traditional advising, Martin’s efforts as a respected faculty advisor to students inspires students to live the kind of life of service to one another that represents the highest goal of the College’s educational mission.

I am very pleased to present this year’s 2016 Becky Houck Award for Excellence in Advising to Dr. Martin Monto.”

-Dean Micheal F. Andrews

Brad Franco

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FrancoBrad Franco, history, co-edited The World of St. Francis of Assisi: Essays in Honor of William R. Cook, published by Brill Academic Publishers as part of their series, “The Medieval Franciscans.” Franco also contributed an article to the book, entitled “The Functions of Early Franciscan Art.”

 

Sourced from UpBeat.

Larry Larsen

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Staff and faculty portraits
Staff and faculty portraits

Larry Larsen, performing and fine arts, moderated a roundtable discussion of current challenges facing MFA theater graduate programs at the NAST (National Association of Schools of Theatre) Conference in New Orleans. He was also elected to serve a three year term on the NAST Commission for Accreditation. NAST is a national arts accrediting organization that includes 180 universities around the country and the University has been a member since 2000, when it met accreditation standards for theater degree programs.

 

Sourced from UpBeat.

Six Students Awarded Fulbright Grants

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Six University of Portland students have been awarded prestigious Fulbright grants to work and study abroad. Four of the Fulbrights are for English teaching positions in Germany, one is for an English teaching position in Turkey, and the other is for an English teaching position in Mexico.

The University was ranked first nationally among its peers for Fulbright recipients in 2012- 13, 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2007-08, and second nationally in 2009-10, 2008-09 and 2006-07. Since 2001, 54 students from University of Portland have earned Fulbright grants. Recipients of the German teaching grants are Megan Lester, an English and German studies double-major from Veradale,Wash.; Erin Petersen, an organizational communication and German studies double-major from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Mikayla Posey, a communication and German studies double-major from Kingman, Ariz.; and Michelle Wilcox, a history and German studies double-major from Folsom, Calif. The recipient of the Turkish teaching grant is Rebecca Parks, an English major from Pittsburgh, Pa., and the recipient of the Mexican teaching grant is Megan Fitzgerald, an elementary education major from Hillsboro, Ore.

The United States Fulbright program began in 1946 after World War II to “assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and other countries of the world”through the exchange of students, scholars and professionals. The program operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

For more information contact John Orr, assistant to the provost, at x7286 or orr@up.edu.

Sourced from UpBeat.

Lecture: Women and Transitional Justice in Guatemala

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Human rights lawyer Gabriela Rivera will present “Women and Transitional Justice in Guatemala” on Thursday, April 16, from 4 to 5 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. Her talk is free and open to all. Rivera works with the Association of Women Transforming the World, part of the Alliance for Breaking the Silence and Ending Impunity. She has a long history of working with women survivors of sexual violence and other forms of deprivation of freedom for women.

Her talk is sponsored by the departments of international languages and cultures and philosophy. For more information contact Maria Echenique, international languages and cultures, at echeniq@up.edu.

Northwest Undergraduate Conference for Literature (NUCL)

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NUCLSaturday, March 19, 2016

The Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature creates a professional atmosphere to promote student criticism and challenge student critics. NUCL gives undergraduate and advanced high school students an opportunity to present their own scholarly papers or creative works in organized panels of their peers. Students are able to share and discuss their knowledge through these presentations, and are encouraged to participate in the discussion of fellow NUCL papers. Aside from presenting their papers, and listening to papers written by their peers, students are invited to attend NUCL’s keynote speakers, who are noted academics and writers in the field of literature.

Overview:

  • NUCL is open to college and university students and honors or advanced-placement high school students.
  • Conference sessions include 3-4 papers, plus student respondents facilitating discussion.
  • NUCL invites 15-18 minute papers embodying your own, fresh response to an English or foreign language literary text, or texts (we will not accept papers longer than 10 pages in length and papers must be written in English). Consult “Submission Information” for more details.
  • NUCL invites panel proposals: submit to us 3-4 related papers from your group.
  • While the primary emphasis of NUCL is on critical/scholarly writing, NUCL also invites student poets and essayists to submit 1 essay, or 5-7 poems.  Those chosen will read their work in a few sessions reserved for original poetry and personal essays.
  • On behalf of NUCL, The University of Portland offers prizes and a scholarship for the best papers and works submitted, including the “Brass NUCL Award” for the hardest-hitting paper.
  • All whose work is chosen for NUCL will receive official record of their participation.

Keynote Speaker:Deresiewicz

Dr. William Deresiewicz is an award-winning essayist and critic, a frequent college speaker, and the best-selling author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life.  He taught English at Yale for ten years and at Columbia for five.  His essay “The Disadvantages of an Elite Education” has been viewed over one million times.  Deresiewicz is a Contributing Writer for The Nation and a Contributing Editor for The American Scholar.  His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper’s, The New Republic, The London Review of Books, and elsewhere.  He has won the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, the Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, and is a three-time National Magazine Award nominee.

Come back to this website frequently for up-to-date information about NUCL, the conference speaker, deadlines, and registration.  Or please contact conference chair Molly Hiro at nucl@up.edu.

NUCL is sponsored by the Department of English; the Provost’s Office, the College of Arts & Sciences; and the Dean of Admissions, all of the University of Portland  

“To talk in public, to think in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire, and to answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar.” —Samuel Johnson, Chapter VIII, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

Theology Thursday Lecture

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UniversitDavid Turnbloomy of Portland theology professor Dave Turnbloom will present “The Sacraments: God’s Life in our Lives,” February 25, 2016, 7;30-8:30pm in Franz Hall 120. It is a pleasure to introduce the newest member of the Theology Department in the first of two Theology Thursday Events for Spring 2016. We hope you can join us.

For more information contact the theology department at (503) 943-7274 or theo@up.edu.