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SurveyMonkey is recruiting University of Portland students

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Meet the SurveyMonkey recruiter on Monday, April 15th in Career Services from 4:00-5:00 pm.

SurveyMonkey is the number one survey platform in the world. Their mission is to help their 14 million+ users make better and more educated decisions on a daily basis. Over 99% of the Fortune 500 use their platform and because of the overwhelming popularity of their products they are hiring talented new grads to join their Portland office.

Click here for an article about SurveyMonkey’s new Portland office

Job Description:

Customer Engagement Representatives are the conduit between SurveyMonkey’s customers and the rest of the company. Their role is to share their knowledge of SurveyMonkey’s products and services with the customer base to ensure that the platform is being used successfully. They will also collaborate with various teams on customer facing policies and directly affect changes to the core products. Customer engagement reps gain knowledge that prepares them for a career path in marketing, content management, sales, PR/Communications, and project management to name a few. Folks frequently start in this group and pick a career path internally.

The Perks:

SurveyMonkey is a start-up, but they’re a grown up start-up! With a recent $1.35B valuation and a core business that grows 30% year over year, they can give their “monkeys” the best perks around, including…

  • Responsible time off. Yes you read that right. They don’t tell you when to take vacation or how much. Take as much responsible vacation as you like. A rested monkey is a happy monkey.
  • Tuition reimbursement. If you want to take classes to be a smarter monkey, it’s on them!
  • Fully stocked kitchens, (and all the bananas you can eat)
  • Gym reimbursement. Great for burning off all the calories from the free snacks! (see above)
  • Competitive equity plan, 401K matching, amazing benefits, dedicated game room, free lunches, jeans and t-shirt environment, the list goes on…

Founder’s Day Presenter: Amanda Pilcher

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Studying and living at UP for four years has transformed senior Amanda Pilcher from a history buff to an aspiring history professor. Her love for the University has shaped her career goals.

“In ten years, I hope to have earned my Ph.D. in history and begun a job at a university much like UP,” Amanda said. “I want to teach at a school which emphasizes the importance both of research and ensuring strong student education.”

Amanda said she has been influenced heavily by the professors at UP, not only educationally, but personally as well. She has particularly appreciated the instruction of Patrick Murphy, a professor in the music department.

“Throughout my time at UP, he has shared with me his time, talent, and patience. As a result, he has allowed me to grow both as a student and an individual,” she said.

At Founders Day, Amanda will present her senior history thesis, which focuses on the American women’s rights movement in the 1860s. She will explain how the Civil War pushed American women to think about their roles in society.  She recently presented the same work to the Northwest Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference, which is the honor society for HIstory students.  At the Founder’s Day breakfast, Amanda was also awarded all three of the top student prizes for History, as well as an award from Fields Hall.

Inspired in part by her experience at UP, Amanda hopes to do a year of service work after graduating this May.

“Not only have I been challenged academically, but I have been called to think about my role in society and how I can work to improve our world,” Amanda said. “UP has prepared me not only to be successful in the working world, but as an individual in a global society.”

Founder’s Day Presenter: Tim Luethke

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Of his four years at UP, senior biology major Tim Luethke’s favorite experience was doing undergraduate research with crabs in what is known on campus as The Crab Lab. The Crab Lab, which was built by a team of students in summer 2011, has offered biology students like Tim an opportunity to get hands-on experience during their undergraduate years.

“Having the opportunity to do undergraduate research in behavioral biology was probably the most beneficial academic aspect of my time at UP,” Tim said.

His Founders Day presentation will focus on the research he did in The Crab Lab, which looked at how limb loss affects the dorsoventral righting reflex (the ability to flip over) in purple shore crabs. Tim tested crabs’ ability to turn over while missing certain assortments of limbs.

Tim said his professors, especially Dr. Tara Maginnis, helped him achieve his goals at UP.

“Dr. Maginnis offered a truly remarkable experience,” Tim said. “The Crab Lab was not a canned experience with research. I had free reign with my research, but she was there to guide me.”

Tim’s plan after graduating this May is to work with the national parks for a year. After that, he plans to go to grad school and study either entomology (which was his favorite class at UP), botany, or ecology. When he finishes grad school, Tim hopes to return to the national parks to be an ecologist.

Northwest Regional History Conference

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Laura Frazier addresses Phi Alpha Theta Conference

The History Department and its Rho Pi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honors society, hosted the Northwest Regional
Conference on April 4-6.

The PAT Conference the largest regional conference in the country and included 140 student presenters from over 20 different schools around the region, including University of Idaho, Montana State University/Billings, Gonzaga University,Western Washington University, Portland State, and Linfield College. Eight students from UP presented their research at the conference, including: Joseph Frischmuth, Sarah Lynch, Elizabeth Tertadian, Justine Roades, Laura Frazier, Amanda Pilcher, Nicholas Chun, and Andrew Otton. The conference program can be found at http://sites.up.edu/history/files/2013/03/NWPAT-2013-Program-.pdf.

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Two Students Win Prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

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University of Portland students Claire Couch, of Oregon City, OR, and James Gaynor, of Vancouver, WA, have received prestigious scholarships from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Couch and Gaynor earned two of 271 scholarships that were awarded to undergraduate sophomores and juniors for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,107 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated nationwide. The one and two year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Couch is a sophomore biology major from Oregon City. Her career goals include getting her doctorate in virology and conducting research in virus ecology and viral evolution.

Gaynor is a junior chemistry major from Vancouver, Wash. He plans to pursue his doctorate in physical chemistry and masters in materials science as well as research nanomaterials for application in biomedicine and energy, and teach at the university level.

Past Goldwater Scholarship recipients from the University of Portland include Claire Clelland ’05 and Mitchell Myjak ’01. Truc-Vi Huynh Duong ’13 was an honorable mention for the award.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The scholarship program, honoring Senator Barry Goldwater, was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Since its first award, the foundation has bestowed more than 6,550 scholarships worth about $40 million. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 80 Rhodes Scholarships, 118 Marshall Awards, 110 Churchill Scholarships and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

Veronicca Solis Accepted into the Holy Cross Overseas Lay Ministry Program in Chile

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Veronicca Solis, a current Theology major and graduating senior, has been accepted into the Holy Cross Overseas Lay Ministry Program. She will be living and working in Chile for 17 months and is very excited to be a part of the program. She will be leaving for her mission sometime in July. The process was competitive; only 2-3 post-graduate applicants are accepted for Chile, and applicants must have a strong service record, be proficient in Spanish, and have a strong commitment to enhancing the three program pillars: prayer, mission, and community, among other criteria that was part of the application and review process.

Please join us in wishing Veronicca well as she prepares for her work with Holy Cross in Chile.

2013 First Avenue Career & Graduate School Expo

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Looking for a summer job, internship or full-time position? Are you thinking about attending graduate/professional school? Come to the 2013 First Avenue Career & Graduate School Expo on Friday, April 5 from 10 AM – 3 PM at the Chiles Center.

Event Program

  • 10 AM – 11 AM — Guest speaker shares tips and strategies for how to use social media in the job search! Located in the Hall of Fame Room in the Chiles Center
  • 11 AM – 3 PM — Meet recruiters and learn about summer jobs, internships, full-time opportunities and graduate school!
  • 1 pm – 2 pm — Link-In Live Networking, Real People, Real Conversations. Students have an opportunity to meet and connect with industry professionals, many of whom are alumni of liberal arts colleges and universities. These graduates will share their career paths since they graduated and tips for how to be a successful liberal arts grad with a job!
  • A sample of the Link-In Live Professionals:
    • Water and Wastewater Chemist, Siltronic Corporation
    • Footwear and Apparel Designer/Marketer, Nike, Inc.
    • Policy Development Specialist, Bonneville Power Administration
    • Energy Efficiency Program Manager, PacifiCorp
    • Website writer/content for A&E’s INKed

3 steps to make the 2013 Career & Grad. School Expo a great experience:
1. Register online in advance at http://www.olapcfirstavenue.org. A $10 registration fee applies
2. Attend a “How to Work a Job Fair” workshop in Career Services (see dates and times below)
3. Receive $10 back in cash when you attend the Expo on Friday, April 5th!

To register for the event and see a list of participating organizations, visit http://www.olapcfirstavenue.org. Day of registration is $10 for students.

Need help preparing? Career Services is here!

“How to Work a Job Fair” workshops in Career Services
Tuesday, March 26, 1 & 4 PM
Wednesday, March 27, 1 & 4 PM
Tuesday, April 2, 1 & 4 PM
Wednesday, April 3, 1 & 4 PM
Thursday, April 4, 1 & 4 PM

Daily Drop-In Hours for resume review
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 2 PM- 4 PM
Thursday and Friday, 10 AM – 12 PM

Extended Drop-In Hours
Wednesday, March 27,  9 AM – 2 PM
Thursday, March 28, 12 PM – 4 PM
Tuesday, April 2, 10 AM – 4 PM
Wednesday, April 3, 10 AM – 4 PM
Thursday, April 4, 10 AM – 4PM

Departments and Career Services Step Up for CAS

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From THE BEACON

Former UP English majors spoke at a panel about how to enter into the job market with a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.

After four and a half years as an undergraduate at Cabrillo College and the University of Portland, senior Alex Foy will enter the real world with with an English degree. The prospect of entering the job market leaves him with mixed feelings. “It’s exciting and daunting at the same time,” Foy said. “I’m scared to see if the skills I’ve learned as an English major are applicable to a job.” Foy is worried that his major isn’t the pathway to a steady job. “I don’t regret my major, but I am a little bit jealous of business or engineering, where their degree will translate directly into a job,” Foy said. “They’re more of a puzzle piece that fits into a company, whereas I’m not exactly sure where English majors fit.”

With rising concern over getting a post-graduation job with a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), individual departments and the office of the dean of CAS are providing more resources for students. The office of Career Services also hired an academic internship coordinator to help connect grads with opportunities. [Read more…] about Departments and Career Services Step Up for CAS

Engineering + Science Fair

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The Engineering + Science Fair will take place on Friday, February 22nd, 1:00pm-4:00pm in Shiley Hall.

The following companies are recruiting mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology students in addition to engineering students for internships and job opportunities at the fair:

  • Cooper Zietz Engineers  (specific majors to be announced)
  • Garmin (specific majors to be announced)
  • Fast Enterprises – Mathematics majors
  • Expeditors – Mathematics majors
  • Oregon Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Survey (specific majors to be announced)
  • Portland General Electric – Mathematics majors
  • Nalco – Chemistry majors
  • Rentrak – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics majors
  • Clean Water Services (specific majors to be announced)
  • Cvent (specific majors to be announced)
  • US Army Corps of Engineers – Mathematics majors
  • Intel Corporation – Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics majors
  • United States Marine Corps Officer Programs – all majors
  • Siltronic (specific majors to be announced)

Career Services is helping students to prepare for the event via their “How to Work a Job Fair” workshops. These will take place on Wednesday, February 20th and Thursday, February 21st at 1:00pm and 4:00pm. Students are encouraged to go learn some tips and tools for attending the career fair. All workshops are 30 minutes and conducted in the Career Services office, lower level of Orrico Hall.

In addition, Career Services is offering extended drop-in hours (10:00am-4:00pm) for resume review on Wednesday (2/20) and Thursday (2/21). No appointment is necessary and free resume paper is available.

 

UP Students at Human Development Conference

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Sophomore Ruby Machado (Political Science) presented a paper at the annual student-led Human Development Conference in Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, February 8-9, 2013.

This year’s conference theme was “In the Field: Cultivating Collaboration and Innovation” and both undergraduate and graduate students from dozens of universities across the US participated.  Ruby’s paper was entitled Growing Opportunities in Education for Girls in Africa, and focused on best practices for improving educational opportunities in three countries. Each participant presented their research findings for about 15 minutes, and this was followed by audience questions. Students received feedback from a faculty moderator and were able to network and discuss their work with their peers throughout the conference.

Junior Julia Sheets (Engineering) also presented a paper entitled Time of Travel Study on Water Collection in Rural Honduras, and Junior Andrea Merrill (Sociology/Psychology) attended the conference as an observer.