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A groundbreaking ceremony for the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center took place on Friday, May 9, at the future site of the $23 million center, which will be constructed entirely from donor-supported funding. It is set to open in early fall 2015, thanks to the work of 360 Architecture, Dan Danielson and Soderstrom Architects, and SKANSKA. Renderings of the proposed building can be found at http://tinyurl.com/kurlp7z.

The building is expected to become a dynamic focal point on campus and will enhance the physical and mental health of students, faculty and staff. Designs call for a new, modern facility, which will feature state-of-the-art equipment and space to accommodate the growing University community. Gifts made to the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center were included in the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 with a goal of raising $175 million by the end of June 2014. The RISE Campaign is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university.

Fr. Beauchamp announced last year he is stepping down as president at the end of June 2014. He will be succeeded by president-elect Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., who was elected by the University’s Board of Regents in January. The University’s president since 2003, Beauchamp has been a strong supporter of the new center.

The center’s main level will have three gyms. The total space available for the three courts is 23,090 square feet – and another 2,830 square feet for locker rooms. This level also will have 1,480 square feet of administrative office space and an outdoor recreation and bike shop, with 1,520 square feet available. Overlooking the main floor will be treadmills and stationary bikes; suspended above all three recreational gyms will be a 10,130 square foot track designed so that eight laps equal one mile. The center will include a strength and weight training area and a 730 square foot rock wall for climbing.

For more information see the Beauchamp Wellness Center website at http://tinyurl.com/l5plm7t.

The University of Portland will host the iUrban Teen Tech STEM+Arts Summit on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Shiley Hall, the Bauccio Commons, and Franz Hall. The event, which is being organized by Deena Pierott of Mosaic Blueprint, is free and open to a target audience of African American, Latino, and Native American youth; however, the program is inclusive of all youth who fall within the Non-Traditional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Learners category. Teens who would like to attend should sign up as soon as possible at http://tinyurl.com/jwsbp87. Parents are welcome to attend as well, and a parents roundtable is scheduled for 10 a.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided free of charge.

The iUrban Teen Tech Summit brings together underserved and underrepresented teens in an all-day, immersive technology event that shares opportunities in a myriad of technical careers. The goal is to expose youth to cutting-edge technology and inspire them to become tomorrow’s technology leaders. Attendees will have the opportunity to increase awareness and knowledge of local, regional, and global technology trends and issues; and much more. Teens will experience a hands-on, fun filled day of workshops, thought-provoking discussions, and interaction with new people. The summit is an opportunity to network with industry professionals and have a great time exploring the fields of STEM and the arts, like gaming or animation.

The program received national recognition last year as a Rockefeller Innovation Award nominee, and was selected as a White House Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion in August 2013. The iUrban Teen organization is also aligned with President Barack Obama’s new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative. Since 2011, iUrban Teen has had more than 1,250 youth participate in programs in Portland, OR, and Vancouver, Kirkland, and Seattle, WA. Portland iUrban Teen Tech Summit sponsors include the Portland Development Commission, Microsoft, US Fish and Wildlife, University of Portland, Multnomah County, Knowledge Universe, Hitachi, and Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare.

For more information go to http://iurbanteen.org; for registration go to http://tinyurl.com/jwsbp87.

Thomas J. Nelson, who served as engineering dean for 19 years (1977 to 1996), passed away on May 6, 2014. A native of Budapest, Hungary, he was born Tamas Janos Neubauer; the family changed their last name to Nemenyi in 1939 to escape persecution by the Nazis, and changed that name to Nelson when they achieved U.S. citizenship in the 1950s. He earned bachelor and master of science degrees in electrical engineering from MIT and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1968. While working at RCA Laboratories he met and married Mary Baker in 1957. He taught at the University of Michigan before joining the UP engineering faculty in 1974. He began his tenure as dean on June 1, 1977, after being chosen from a field of 58 applicants.

Nelson was known as a tireless worker, and strove mightily to increase enrollment and excellence in the School of Engineering. On his watch the University chartered the Eta Kappa Nu national electrical engineering honor society; the Civil Engineering program was first accredited in 1980; an Engineering Management degree was inaugurated in 1983; a computer aided engineering laboratory was dedicated in Engineering (now Shiley) Hall in 1985; the University’s first fully endowed chair, the Edwin and Sharon Sweo Chair of Engineering, was established; and many other accomplishments. On his retirement ceremony in April 1996, University president Rev. David Tyson, C.S.C., said in part: “He provided stability, vision, and discipline to his school and so greatly advanced the University in the eyes of the city, state, and nation. He has also been an inspiring companion to many hundreds of members of this community, and we will remember him best as our friend Tom, who may stop being the Dean but will never stop being a memorable, diligent, and integral member of the University’s family.”

Survivors include his two sons, Peter and Theodore; Tom’s beloved Mary passed away in 2002. Services have been held. Our prayers and condolences to Tom’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Six Shiley School of Engineering students placed first in the for-profit business category of the University of Portland’s $100K Challenge Venture Competition, an expanded business plan competition hosted by the University’s Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. The winning engineering group, Dynamic Assistive Technologies, consisted of Jordan Schiemer, Audre Ramey, Caroline Pisani, Ann Truong, Mikah Bacon, and Matt Brown. The team created an assistive drinking cup for those who suffer from hand tremors.

Second place in the for-profit category was senior entrepreneurship and innovation major Connor Whan and his business, named FlavOils. Third place went to engineering students Sean O’Rourke, Peter Chamberlin, and Nick Mackinnon with their business, AutoPilot Medical Technologies. Junior entrepreneurship and innovation major Ari Morris took first place in the Social Venture track with his business, Youth Skate Movement.

The $100K Challenge Venture Competition provides students with opportunities to receive feedback from experts in the entrepreneurial community, win monetary prizes, and acquire legal services that will help advance their idea to the next stage. Finalists in the for-profit track will be eligible for an investment of up to $100,000 (half cash and half support services). The winner of the Social Venture track will be eligible for a $2,500 grant and $2,500 in professional services. Investment decisions will be made by the Launch Pad committee. Next year’s competition will be held Saturday, April 25, 2015.

For more information, contact Peter Rachor, Franz Center, at 7769 or rachor@up.edu.

Each year, the Maloney Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship invites University faculty and staff to nominate current full-time undergraduate students that are here for the 2014-15 school year who meet the following criteria as established by the donor:

• Academic achievement;
• Outstanding contribution to the University;
• Outstanding contribution to the community.

Over recent years, the scholarship fund has provided financial support to two students annually. Nominations should provide information about a student’s activities, involvement with campus projects, community service/volunteer efforts off-campus, and any awards or special recognition. Grade level is not specified, but preference will be given to seniors who plan to graduate in May or August of 2015.

Bob Maloney ’64 is a shareholder in the Portland law firm of Lane Powell. He served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Sciences and is past chair of the board of directors of the Oregon Indepen­dent College Foundation (OICF).

Please forward nominations in writing or by e-mail to Denise Stack, development, at stack@up.edu by the end of the day on Friday, May 16, 2014.

Cheryl Sorenson, a Portland native who has spent the past three years on The Bluff as an assistant coach, has been named head coach of the University of Portland women’s basketball program. Sorenson replaces long-time head coach Jim Sollars, who retired after 28 years at the helm of the Pilots. She is the fifth head coach in the program’s 34-year history. For more information contact athletics at 7117 or go to www.portlandpilots.com.

The University is preparing for a record number of graduates in its 2014 spring commencement exercises on Sunday, May 4, set for 1:30 p.m. , in the Chiles Center. University president Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., will confer an anticipated 818 bachelor’s degrees on Sunday. Also participating will be 111 students who expect to be awarded bachelor’s degrees at the end of the summer, for an all-time record 929 undergraduate students. Anne Thompson, NBC News’ Chief Environmental Affairs correspondent, will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate.

The University will hold a separate commencement ceremony for an anticipated 212 graduate students on Saturday, May 3, at 12:30 p.m., in the Chiles Center. Fr. Beauchamp will be the commencement speaker. No tickets are required for graduate commencement.

Tickets are required for all undergraduate commencement events. Please visit this site (http://tinyurl.com/axmryjw) for ticket information. For those unable to attend, the University will be providing a free live web stream of both Saturday’s and Sunday’s ceremonies at www.up.edu/commencement/video.

Receiving the University’s highest honor, the Christus Magister Medal, is Carolyn Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which reaches some 130 million people in nearly 100 countries annually with its relief and development work. Before joining CRS in 2012, Woo was dean and professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business, and a vice president and professor at Purdue University.

Receiving honorary doctorates at the University’s May 4 commencement: Anne Thompson, NBC environmental affairs correspondent since 2007. She has traveled the world in that capacity, reporting on pollution, alternative fuels, global warming, land usage and new technologies, among many other topics. She began her broadcasting career at WNDU-TV in Indiana after her graduation from the University of Notre Dame.

John Beckman, of the Class of 1942, was instrumental in the invention of the photo-finish camera. Beckman, along with his wife Patricia, is a noted philanthropist to musical, historical, communal and educational causes in Oregon. He and Patricia are the founders of the University’s Humor Project, a multi-disciplinary effort to study and foment humor as a “spiritual and revolutionary energy in every field of endeavor, from business to politics to the arts and beyond.”

James Popham, of the Class of 1953, is a professor of education emeritus at UCLA, an internationally renowned scholar on testing methods and efficacy, and the author of many books. UCLA has honored him as one of its best 20 professors of the 20th century. Popham has been president of the American Educational Research Association, is the founding editor of the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and is a popular speaker who is often in demand for his humor as much as for his expertise in educational evaluation and measurement.

Ed Ray, president of Oregon State University since 2003, has directed a remarkable era at one of the state’s largest public universities. During his tenure, the school has raised more than $1 billion for students and faculty, developed a national reputation for research in science, opened and expanded the Oregon State U/Cascades campus in Bend, and successfully grappled with declining public funding.

Most Reverend Alexander Sample, the eleventh Archbishop of Portland in Oregon, was twice appointed a bishop by Pope Benedict XVI – first to the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, in 2005, and then to Portland in 2013, succeeding Most Reverend John Vlazny.

For more information contact university events at 7523 or events@up.edu.

The University has announced a RISE Campaign gift of $50,000 from Donald T. Galarneau, a 1949 University graduate who worked at General Electric Company for 35 years as a field engineer. The gift will be divided equally for the Shiley School of Engineering and the Donald T. Galarneau Endowed Scholarship.

A Portland resident, Galarneau earned a degree in physics at the University and served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. His interests at the University of Portland include the engineering and science programs and the Mini Baja Project. He often attends University reunions and events and is involved with the local Catholic radio station KBVM.

The Galarneau gift is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million by 2014. The RISE Campaign, which has raised more than $172 million to date, is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university. For more information contact the development office at hanna@up.edu.

All faculty and staff are invited to a lecture honoring the career of Thompson Faller, philosophy, who will retire from his long, colorful career on The Bluff at the end of the spring semester. The lecture will be “The Use of Philosophical Principles in Modern Catholic Social Teaching” by Rev. Joseph W. Koterski, S.J., associate professor at Fordham University, on Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons boardroom. A reception will follow, and no RSVP is required.

Sponsors include the philosophy department, theology department, the McNerney-Hanson Endowed Chair in Ethics, and The Garaventa Center. For more information contact Andrew Eshleman, philosophy, at 7317 or aseshleman@up.edu.

University offices will be closed and no classes will be held on Friday, April 18, 2014, in observance of Good Friday, according to Tom Greene, provost. The closing actually begins at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 17; no classes should continue beyond that time, and other events, apart from those connected with the religious observance of Holy Week, should not be scheduled from that time through Monday, April 21. Even though classes are not scheduled for Easter Monday, University offices will be open as usual.

The early closing on Holy Thursday is intended to allow students, faculty, and staff to attend the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 4:30 p.m. The University’s custom of closing on Good Friday is in acknowledgment of the special religious character of the day. In Catholic tradition, Good Friday has always been recognized as one of three important days (the Sacred Triduum) of religious observance: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

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