UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Alumni

A Fond Farewell Fête For Ken Hallênius, Feb. 29

kennethPlease join the alumni relations staff on Monday, February 29, at 3:30 p.m., in Franz Hall Room 120 to thank Ken Hallenius for 15 years of devoted service to the University of Portland. Hallenius has accepted a position at the University of Notre Dame as communications specialist for the Center for Ethics and Culture.

Ken joined the University in August of 2001, serving in residence life for six years before joining alumni relations in 2007. His quick wit and encyclopedic knowledge of UP alumni will be sorely missed. He often remarks that his career with UP has been “three of the happiest years of my life.”

For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.

Home Sweet Home Workshop: Feb 24

home sweet home DTThinking of buying your first home? UP staff, faculty, students, and alumni are invited to join the Office of Alumni Relations on Wednesday, February 24, at 6 p.m., in Franz Hall Room 120 for the Home Sweet Home: Rent vs. Buy workshop. This free workshop will feature advice for first-time home buyers who are ready to begin the house-hunting process. RSVP at this link.

UP Ranked No. 1 in Oregon For Annual Alumni Earnings

waldschmidt150The University of Portland has been ranked the no. 1 university in the state of Oregon among all four-year institutions whose alumni “go on to earn the most money” by the news website Business Insider in a January 2016 survey. University of Portland alumni averaged a median salary of $51,700 ten years after enrolling in classes.

Business Insider’s rankings were based on a recent report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report used the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard to highlight the median earnings of students over ten years from over 1,400 colleges nationwide. The survey also listed the costs to annually attend each top school as comparison data. In that cost was tuition, required fees, as well as room and board. University of Portland’s annual tuition was listed as $52,152.

The complete list of rankings state by state are available online at this link.

UP Alumnus Appointed Bishop of Hoima, Uganda

kiraboPope Francis appointed Rev. Vincent Kirabo, a professor at St. Mary’s Major Seminary in Ggaba, as the new Bishop of Hoima, Uganda, on Nov. 30, 2015. Bishop-elect Kirabo earned a master’s in education degree at the University of Portland in 1990.

Vincent Kirabo was born in Kyanaisoke, Uganda in 1955 and began philosophical studies at the Uganda Martyrs’ National Major Seminary Aloculum in Gulu. After completing theological studies at St. Mary’s National Seminar, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Hoima in 1979. The bishop-elect has served as a teacher and rector at St. John Bosco Minor Seminary, Hoima; director of the Diocesan Commission for Vocations; vicar at Muhorro Parish; pastor at a number of western Uganda parishes; and more. In addition to his University of Portland degree, he holds a Licentiate in Biblical Theology from the Urban University in Rome (2007). He replaces the late Bishop Deogratias Muganwa Byabazaire, who died in February 2014. The western Uganda district of Hoima covers an area of 17,200 sq. miles, with a population of 2,084,214, (1,075,812 Catholics), 131 priests, and 130 religious.

Nominate Students For 2016 Gerhardt Award

gerhardt copyThe Office of Alumni Relations is accepting nominations for the 2016 Thomas A. Gerhardt Award for Student Leadership. Criteria for selection:

  • Student must be a graduating senior;
  • Student must have demonstrated leadership throughout his or her undergraduate career;
  • Student must demonstrate consistent dedication to the University and the community through service to God and neighbor.

Nominations are due to Ken Hallenius, alumni relations, by Friday, December 4. Please attach a letter of recommendation detailing reasons for nomination. View a list of previous winners at this link. For more information, contact Hallenius at x8326 or halleniu@up.edu.

Nominate Now For 2016 Alumni Awards

oddoTomNominations for the 2016 Alumni Awards are now open. Each year, the University of Portland presents awards to alumni for their outstanding contributions to their professional fields, for their dedication to volunteer endeavors, and for their ongoing support of the University and its mission. Alumni may be nominated in three categories:

  • Distinguished Alumni Award: Established in 1960 and renamed in 1982, the Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions their professions on a local and national level.
  • Rev. Thomas C. Oddo, C.S.C., Outstanding Service Award: Established in 1983 and rededicated in 1991 to honor the late University president, Rev. Thomas C. Oddo, C.S.C. (pictured), the Outstanding Service Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated the University’s mission through volunteerism.
  • Contemporary Alumni Award: Established in 1995, the Contemporary Alumni Award recognizes alumni graduates of the past 15 years for significant professional contributions to the community and support of the University.

Awards will be presented at the annual State of UP luncheon on March 1, 2016. Nominations are due by Friday, December 4, at this link.

A Successful Launch for UP Switchboard

operator copySince its launch in late July, the alumni office’s UP Switchboard has grown to over 650 users, which is a record launch, according to Switchboard founder Mara Zepeda. UP Switchboard is an online networking platform where University of Portland students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents can go to offer what they have and ask for what they need. More information about Switchboard and the alumni office’s decision to partner with the Portland-based startup is available at switchboardhq.com/blog/up. Sign up for UP Switchboard at up.edu/Switchboard.

Send a new student a Bluff Box!

BluffBox_New.JPGCalling all UP faculty and staff alumni. It’s time to send a Bluff Box to students in your old dorm room.

Bluff Boxes include half a dozen freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, UP stickers and pins, and a note from you – an alumnus who was once a new Pilot too. The small care package is $10 and can be ordered online here. Deadline to order is Friday, August 28.

For more information, please contact Katie Mitchell Franz, alumni relations, at mitchellk@up.edu.

Ask For What You Need or Offer What You Have: UP Switchboard

operator copyThe Office of Alumni Relations has officially launched UP Switchboard, a new community building social network for members of the UP community. Switchboard will give students, alumni, faculty, and staff a place to connect online about everything for career advice to travel tips. It is designed to work like a combination of LinkedIn and Craigslist, where community members can ask for what they need and offer what they have.

Joining Switchboard takes less than a minute. Go to www.up.edu/switchboard to sign up, or go to this link for more information.

Questions? Contact Katie Mitchell Franz, alumni relations, at mitchelk@up.edu.

Alumni Relations Moving To New House

alumnihouseThe Office of Alumni Relations will be in the process of moving to a new house starting Wednesday, July 29, according to Nancy Nofziger, alumni relations. The current alumni house is slated for demolition to make way for the new student dormitory. The new house is located at 5618 N. Strong Street, but the office’s mailing address and phone numbers will remain the same.

For more information contact alumni relations at alumni@up.edu.