UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

02-20-2023

Founders’ Day: A Celebration of Student Scholarship (Apr. 4)

The University’s annual Founders’ Day celebration will take place on Tuesday, April 4, and all UP community members are invited to take part. The University pauses on Founders’ Day to celebrate its rich past and its promising future: the past as we honor the bold leaders who dared to dream of a Catholic university overlooking the Willamette River and the future as we learn from our most outstanding seniors whose research as undergraduates portends great things. The University holds no classes during the event and instead opens its doors to celebrate and learn from UP students.  

Founders’ Day dates back to the origins of the University. It was revitalized in 2001 as a part of the University’s centennial celebration. This year, the day has been renamed and will be called, “Founders’ Day: A Celebration of Student Scholarship.” It includes an awards breakfast for graduating seniors, followed by presentations, panel discussions, recitals, and the Scholarship Luncheon, where students who receive financial aid from scholarships meet the benefactors whose generosity helped them attend the University. Classes scheduled to begin after 4 p.m. meet at their regularly scheduled times. 

For more information on last year’s program visit PilotsUP. 

Pilot Stories (Video Series)

Marketing & Communications and Admissions recently teamed up to launch an ongoing series of videos that capture students’ transformative experiences while attending UP. The short videos are in each student’s own words and highlight them engaging in some of their favorite activities on campus. Marketed on social media, the videos aim to help prospective students imagine themselves here, see the value of a UP education, and make connections that are relatable. 

The first three videos in the series can be viewed on our website, Instagram, or Facebook. Please feel free to share them on your social feeds as well! 

To view more Marketing & Communications videos, check out our YouTube.

Honors Reading Course Available to Faculty (Proposals Due by Feb. 27) 

Faculty members interested in offering an Honors Program reading course during the 2023–2024 academic year are invited to send a course proposal to program director Cara Hersh by Monday, February 27. Honors students, in their junior and senior years, take two one-credit reading courses. Courses are limited to 15 students and are offered pass/no pass. Team-taught courses are particularly welcome. Proposals should include a course title and brief description.  

For more information, or to submit a proposal, contact Cara Hersh at hersh@up.edu. 

Apply for Sabbaticals (by Jun. 15)

Applications for sabbaticals for the 2024–2025 academic year are due along with faculty development plans to faculty members’ respective deans by June 15, 2023. All materials including a letter from the Dean to the Provost are due to the Provost by September 1, 2023. Faculty eligible to apply for a sabbatical must have completed seven years of full-time teaching at the University of Portland or have completed at a minimum an additional seven years of full-time teaching since a previously funded University of Portland sabbatical. 

Sabbatical requests are coordinated with departmental planning as well as the individual faculty member’s annual development plan. With careful planning the academic units have been able to take into consideration the needs of both the individual faculty member and the department or school. Additional information about sabbatical leaves can be found in the Faculty Handbook.  

For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or staten@up.edu. 

2023 Excellence in Service Award–Call for Nominations (Due Feb. 24)

Each year an individual faculty member is recognized for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Recipients of the awards are honored in May at the Faculty Gala. 

The service award seeks to identify and recognize faculty members that enhance the UP community, professional communities, and/or the world community through their service and leadership work with students, colleagues, and community members. Examples of excellence in service include:  

  • A commitment to the University of Portland community  
  • Participating on department, School, College, and/or University committees  
  • Leading new initiatives within the department, School, College, and/or University  
  • Advising student clubs and working with students on non-course-related activities  
  • Volunteering and working with non-UP community organizations  
  • Working with professional societies and organizations  

Eligibility and selection criteria for the Excellence in Service award are established by the Academic Senate and can be found on the Senate’s website (see “Resources” and “C on C Faculty Awards Criteria and Submission Information”). The selection process includes a formal nomination, the submission of supporting materials by the nominees, final selection by the Committee on Committees, and announcement and presentation at the Faculty Gala.  

The deadline for nominations is February 24.  

The deadline for supporting materials by nominees is April 7. 

Please submit a nomination letter on the Service Award Moodle page.