For the 23rd consecutive year, the University of Portland has received a top-ten ranking by U.S. News & World Report, which recently released its 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. The University is 6th out of 126 institutions listed in the “Regional Universities – West” classification. The full rankings can be seen on the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking website.
Among notable measures in the U.S. News methodology was the University’s remarkable 90% first-year retention rate and an annual graduation rate of 78%.
In addition, the University’s Shiley School of Engineering’s reputation for excellence continues to rise nationally. This year the Shiley School appeared in the top 30 nationwide for the first time, with a ranking of 29th among engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s.
Per U.S. News & World Report, regional institutions are those that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs, but few, if any, doctoral programs. The 659 universities in this category are not ranked nationally but rather against peers in one of four regions – North, South, Midwest and West – because they tend to draw students most heavily from surrounding states.
U.S. News’ methodology for this category weighs heavily on student retention rates, peer assessment, and faculty resources, as well as on student selectivity, financial resources earmarked for educational purposes, and the alumni giving rate.
Last month, The Princeton Review ranked the University of Portland fifth in the nation among colleges and universities whose students are making a positive impact in their communities through volunteer service, on-campus engagement, and other meaningful contributions.
The University has consistently been the top Oregon school in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Forbes Magazine in their annual rankings of best values in universities.
All University faculty, staff, and students are invited to the groundbreaking ceremony for our new academic center, Dundon-Berchtold Hall, on Thursday, September 21, at 6 p.m., on the Eastside Quad near Waldschmidt Hall. There will be a short program in which we will also recognize the generous lead benefactors of the new building, Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold ’63. If you have any questions about the ceremony or need an accommodation to attend, please contact Hannah Pick in the Office of University Relations at x7397 or 
Each month, the marketing office schedules a photographer to take a small number of head shots, available on a first-come, first-served basis, for the University’s online directory. The September session is Tuesday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. To set up an appointment, please e-mail Suzanne Frey at 
The first meeting of the Faith and Intellectual Life Discussion Group for the 2017-18 year will be Friday, September 29, at 3:30 p.m., in the Franz Hall Murphy Conference Room. The group will discuss the article “The Free Banquet: The Case for Universal Basic Income” by George Scialabba and the poem “To be of use” by Marge Piercy. Readings can be found on the Garaventa Center 
Portland State University professor emerita Mary Kogen will be the featured guest for Music at Midweek on Wednesday, September 20, at 12:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center recital hall. Kogan will teach TakeTiNa, an approach to learning through rhythm and movement. “TaKeTiNa clears and frees the mind to focus. It is a meditative process that integrates mind and body, super-charging our abilities for learning, thinking and creativity.” Free and open to all. For more information go to 
The Office of Academic Technology Services & Innovation is hosting a number of Teaching with Technology Workshops this September. Topics will include:
The 2017 Constitution Day presentation will take place on Tuesday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Bill Curtis, political science, will be speaking about significant constitutional cases that are up for consideration by the Supreme Court. The title will be “Travel Bans, Cell Phone Searches, and Wedding Cakes: The Supreme Court’s Upcoming Cases.” All are welcome and light refreshments will be served. For more information contact political science at x7274 or 
The Committee on Teaching and Scholarship invites all regular faculty to submit proposals to receive funding from the Arthur Butine Faculty Development Fund. Faculty can download Butine application materials, review selection criteria, and consult the timeline for applications by visiting this 
This year the Teaching and Learning Collaborative is hoping to add some information to its usual good fare about ways faculty and staff on the academic side of the University can attend to student mental health. As an opening foray, Andrew Guest (chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences) writes on the