UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Campus Services

Digital Lab: June Workshops

Start your summer with some new skills! Sign up for the Clark Library’s introductory Zoom workshops covering iMovie, Podcasting, Graphic Design, Canva, Microsoft Sway, and Lightworks. Workshops run from June 14 through June 25 and are free and open to current students, faculty, and staff. Visit the Digital Lab’s site to see the full schedule and registration links.

University of Portland Board of Regents Announces Provost Dr. Herbert A. Medina As Acting President Beginning July 1

The UP Board of Regents has chosen Provost Dr. Herbert A. Medina as Acting President effective July 1, succeeding Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., who announced in February that he would conclude his tenure at UP after 10 years on campus – the last seven as UP’s 20th  president.

Consistent with University bylaws, the appointment of Provost Medina as Acting President reaches within UP’s internal ranks while plans are developed for a national search to hire a permanent successor to Fr. Poorman.

“We are grateful that Dr. Medina has accepted this acting presidency as enthusiastically prepare to resume an active campus life and a normal academic year this fall,” said Tom Arndorfer, Board of Regents chair.  “Dr. Medina is an exemplary scholar, teacher, administrator and chief academic officer for our UP community.  He will be a superb leader of the UP mission.”

“I am humbled and excited that the Board trusts me to lead the University in this crucial transition phase,” said Dr. Medina. “I will continue to listen to our community and follow our Catholic and Holy Cross mission. There’s much work to do as we come out of the pandemic, and I am looking forward to collaborating with students, staff, faculty, university leadership and Board members to make sure we emerge a stronger institution from these very challenging times.”

Dr. Medina’s appointment as Provost began July 1, 2020, after serving as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and as Professor of Mathematics since 2018.  His leadership of CAS was driven by a devotion to student wellbeing and success; dedication to faculty support and development; and unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.  These same attributes have also become foundational underpinnings to Dr. Medina’s service as provost and chief academic officer.  In addition to guiding UP’s Academic Division through the pandemic ensuring that students are able to thrive and graduate in a modified academic environment, he has been a champion of continued experiential learning opportunities, and has played an important role in ensuring that issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are front and center in faculty and staff searches at the University.

An exemplary teacher-scholar, Dr. Medina has earned widespread recognition for his research in functional analysis, wavelets, and polynomial approximations as well as his work in diversifying and broadening access in STEM.  He is deeply committed to the University’s Catholic and Holy Cross mission and its call for community members to be engaged in the work of social justice, radical hospitality, and advancement of the Catholic intellectual tradition.  As an academic leader and a colleague, Dr. Medina’s style is communicative, transparent, collaborative, compassionate, passionate and humbly confident.

Prior to joining UP, Dr. Medina enjoyed a highly successful 26-year career as a professor and administrative leader at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.  He was Associate Dean of LMU’s Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering before his appointment as CAS Dean at UP. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics/Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Medina was born in El Salvador; came to the United States at the age of eight along with his family; and is a proud first-generation college student. He is passionate about increasing higher education participation among underrepresented groups. Among his many accomplishments and awards, Dr. Medina was recognized by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science with the 2014 Distinguished Undergraduate Institution Mentor Award.

New “New to The Bluff” Section!

Introducing the “New to The Bluff” section of UPbeat! Send over information about your new hires to upbeat@up.edu to introduce your new teammate to the University community.

In your “New to The Bluff” email, please include information:

  • Person’s Name
  • Their new role and department
  • Their previous employment before joining UP
  • Submitted photo for the post

Questions? Send an email to upbeat@up.edu.

Museum Blog Post: 2021 Retiring Faculty

Congratulations to our retiring faculty!  The University Archives and Museum announces a new post on our blog recognizing these eight members of the University faculty for their many years of service.  Visit this site for a slideshow of the honored retirees and see how they’ve changed over the years:  https://sites.up.edu/museum/2021-retiring-faculty-2/

For more information, contact Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator, at piatz@up.edu

UPbeat Summer Schedule

During the summer, UPbeat will go to an “every-other-week” schedule.

Summer Issue dates:

June 7
June 21
July 6
July 19
August 2
August 16

UPbeat will return to a weekly publication schedule starting with the August 23 issue.

Please submit information to be included in UPbeat to upbeat@up.edu. Submission deadline is noon the Thursday prior to publication and may be edited for clarity, consistency, brevity, or style.

Faculty and Staff, Please Report Your Vaccination

Faculty and staff who have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations (1 dose for Johnson & Johnson; 2 doses for Moderna or Pfizer) are asked to share documentation that they are in compliance with UP’s vaccination requirement for Fall 2021. Reminder that all faculty and staff should be vaccinated by August 1.

Please upload your proof of vaccination here.

Vermont Hills Family Life Center Information

Vermont Hills Family Life Center (VHFLC) Certified Family Care Home is located on the UP campus, and is part of a network of child development centers, school age care and preschools across the Portland area.

VHFLC offers a play-based curriculum, has an enclosed outdoor play space, and provides morning and afternoon snack (Vegan, Organic/Non-GMO whenever possible). VHFLC has been caring for children since 1979.

Parents can contact site director Adina Walls for more information about VHFLC at adinaw@vhflc.com

 

Writing Assistance Available for Summer Classes

Summer faculty who assign writing: the virtual Writing Center is open and ready to help your students with their papers-in-process. Rather than using our online scheduler, in the summer, students can email writing@up.edu to book appointments, which will be held on Zoom.

Please visit the Writing Center website for more information and for online writing resources, or email Writing Center director Molly Hiro, hiro@up.edu, with any questions.

Museum Blog Post: Baseball-Fever Every Spring

In the school-room, spring-fever is that longing and dream we have stuck inside, looking out with the stirring to escape.  Recess, games, sport are our excuse to run out onto the grass and burn and shine in the glow of spring-time.  Baseball has belonged to spring on the Bluff, and across the United States, since before the University’s founding.  We dug through the museum’s athletic collection for some vintage baseball artifacts and uncovered this Reach Baseball Glove, ca1908.   Follow our link to the Museum and Archives blog to learn more about this glove and where it fits in baseball equipment history:  https://sites.up.edu/museum/baseball-fever-every-spring/

For more information, contact Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator, at piatz@up.edu