The planning process for Fall 2020 new student orientation programs and activities is underway, according to Jeromy Koffler, student activities. Any suggestions, recommendations, proposals, requests, or other “we should really do that!” ideas will be gratefully accepted by Koffler (koffler@up.edu); Brad Franco, history (franco@up.edu); or Shazib Vijlee, Shiley School of Engineering (vijlee@up.edu), by Thursday, February 13.
01-20-2020
UP Writing Center and Integrated Writing Program: At Your Service
The Integrated Writing Program and the Writing Center are gearing up to serve the UP community in spring 2020. The Writing Center (BC 163) is a completely free resource, staffed with trained writing assistants who can help students at all levels, from all disciplines, at all stages of the writing process. The center opens for the spring semester on Tuesday, January 21 (open daily except Saturdays). Please visit the Writing Center website at this link to learn more and make appointments.
One of the best means of getting students to bring their work-in-progress to the Writing Center is for faculty themselves to encourage them to do so (some professors require at least one visit; some give extra credit to students for using our services). When talking to your students about the UP Writing Center, you might keep in mind the following:
- Our goal is not just to inspire better papers, but create better writers. This means we don’t “fix” papers; we work with students to improve their overall writing skills for this and future tasks.
- Writing assistance isn’t just for students with major grammar or mechanical problems. Instead, we focus on higher-order concepts such as argument, organization, development, and other areas. Even accomplished writers can make progress on their work in a half-hour session.
- While our Writing Assistants represent most majors as well as the professional schools, they are trained in a semester-long course to work with students from any discipline.
- When a student meets with a Writing Assistant to discuss a paper for your course, you’ll get a copy of the conference report—a brief summary of what the student and Writing Assistant worked on (This is an easy way of keeping track of who visited the WC for assigning extra credit, e.g.).
- An effective way to familiarize your students with the Writing Center and to demonstrate your support for our services is to invite a Writing Assistant to visit your classroom with a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email our hotline at writing@up.edu with the day and time of the class you’d like a Writing Assistant to visit and we’ll get back to you shortly.
- Lastly, all Moodle pages now have a link to the Writing Center—see the top left corner, under “Learning Resources.”
To foster student writing integrity at UP, consider using the Turnitin function through your class Moodle page. Instructions for using this paper-authentication software can be found here.
All of your students should possess The Pocket Cengage Handbook as it’s required in their two writing-embedded courses. The Cengage Handbook helps keep our campus on the same page when it comes to grammar, punctuation, citation styles, and basic expectations for essay writing across the university. If you need a desk copy of this reference, please contact the Writing Center director by the second week of the semester.
Finally, as director of the Integrated Writing Program and the Writing Center, Molly Hiro is happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester. Need insight on crafting better writing prompts? Resources for integrating writing instruction into your class-time? Help with language to use when evaluating student writing? Hiro may not have all the answers, but feel free to ask at hiro@up.edu or x8031.
Happy 100th Birthday, Donald Shiley!
January 19, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Donald Pearce Shiley (pictured at left with his wife, regent Darlene Shiley), namesake and benefactor of the Shiley School of Engineering. Donald Shiley was a 1951 University of Portland alumnus who studied mechanical engineering. He went on to great success as the inventor of the Bjork-Shiley tilting-disk artificial heart valve. In his honor, Aziz Inan, Shiley School of Egineering, has prepared the following mathematical curiosities to celebrate Shiley’s life and to express appreciation for his genius and generosity:
- If Donald Shiley’s 100th birthday expressed as 1/19/20 is split as 1, 19, and 20, 1 plus 19 equals 20.
- Half of 100 equals the sum of the letter numbers of Donald.
- The prime factors of the reverse of Mr. Shiley’s birth year, namely 0291, add up to 3+97=100.
- The sum of the letter numbers of Donald Pearce Shiley equals 174. The number of days in any leap year (e.g., 2020) from Mr. Shiley’s birthday onwards equals twice 174.
- Additionally, Mr. Shiley’s 100th birthday expressed as 01/19/2020 is split as 01, 19, and 2020, the sum of 01 and 19 multiplied by the sum of the reverses of 01 and 19, namely 10 and 91, equals 2020.
- Moreover, if Mr. Shiley’s 100th birthday expressed as 01/19/2020 is split as 0119 and 2020, one third of their sum yields 713 and the reverse of 713 is 317. Note that 317 interpreted in the day/month format as 31 July is the day Mr. Shiley died in 2010.
- The sum of the prime factors of July 31 expressed as 731 equals 17+43=60 and 60 equals the sum of the letter numbers of Donald Shiley’s wife Darlene Shiley’s maiden name, Loran.
- Lastly, if 01/19/2020 is split as 01, 19, 20, and 20, the sum of these numbers yields 60 too.
Clark Library Digital Lab: Spring Workshops
Those who would like to start the new decade with some new skills are encouraged to sign up for the Clark Library’s introductory workshops on using iMovie, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, or 3D Printing. There are also new workshops on Podcasting and Canva. Workshops run from January 28 to February 7 and are free and open to current students, faculty, and staff. Visit the Digital Lab’s site to see the detailed schedule and to register online.
Undergraduate Research Protocol Reminder
The provost’s office would like to remind all faculty members who will be conducting collaborative research with undergraduates this semester that the Deans Council has approved a uniform, University-wide protocol for all undergraduate research projects. A list of the items required each semester as part of the protocol can always be found in the Undergraduate Research section of the PilotsUP Forms page by following this link. The same information is listed below. Any student receiving a stipend or credit for an undergraduate research project at UP is expected to complete the protocol and faculty members are responsible for informing students of this expectation.
- Learning Agreement: This form is completed by both the faculty member and student and needs to be completed only once for each project. The faculty member must complete their portion of this online form first and the student will be sent an email notifying them to complete their portion.
- Responsible Conduct in Research Training: New users will need to create a CITI account and affiliate with University of Portland during the registration process to access the course. After creating an account the user must select the appropriate Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) course from the UP course selection menu. Both faculty members and students must complete CITIs RCR course, if they have not done so at a previous time.
- Pre-Experience Survey: To be completed by the student during the first week of the project. Only one Pre-Experience Survey is needed for the duration of the project, even if it spans multiple semesters.
- Post-Experience Survey: To be completed by the student during the last week of the project each semester.
- Post-Experience Evaluation: To be completed by the faculty member at the conclusion of the project each semester.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact John Orr (orr@up.edu) in the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement.
An Evening with Susan Sygall, Feb. 3: Please RSVP
The Dundon-Berchtold Institute will welcome Susan Sygall for an Ethics Week Conversation on Monday, February 3, at 7:15 p.m., in the Brian Doyle Auditorium. Sygall is a world-renowned disability rights and leadership advocate, a MacArthur Fellow, and an honorary doctorate recipient at the University’s May 2019 commencement.
While the event is free and open to all, the Dundon-Berchtold Institute asks that attendees please RSVP using this link.
Sygall is CEO and co-founder of Mobility International USA, a non-profit organization advancing disability rights and leadership globally. She has co-authored numerous publications and lectured throughout the world on a variety of topics related to inclusive international development, women’s leadership, and disability rights. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum, and also received the President’s Award from President Bill Clinton at the White House for her active role throughout our country and the world in empowering people with disabilities.
For more information, contact Hannah Pick, Dundon-Berchtold Institute, at x7825 or pick@up.edu.
TLC From The TLC: Welcome To The Study
When students come to the Learning Commons for content tutoring, they often could use more work on how to study in general as well as the content area. How one approaches studying in one discipline varies from other disciplines, and how one approaches studying often impacts the grade earned by a student. The Learning Commons is launching a new pilot program to support students’ metacognitive approaches to studying. You can learn more about the program at this link.
Time To Review Your W-2
The payroll office is in the process of producing W-2 forms, to ensure accuracy employees are encouraged to carefully review their personal information, such as legal name, W-2 mailing address, and social security number.
For fastest delivery of your 2019 W2, please sign up for electronic delivery. Log in to Self-Serve Banner, click on the Employee tab in the left hand corner, then select Tax Forms and Electronic W-2 Consent. This remains in effect each year so you only must sign up once!
W-2’s will be available by January 31, 2020.
Mindfulness With Teri Pipe, Jan. 23: All Welcome
In celebration of the University of Portland School of Nursing’s 85th anniversary, our next guest speaker, Dr. Teri Pipe, will be visiting campus on Thursday, January 23, 2020, to discuss the topic of mindfulness. Pipe is the chief well-being officer at Arizona State University and the founding director of ASU’s Center for Mindfulness, Compassion, and Resilience. She is an expert on mindfulness, which is a skill set to increase the ability to experience being fully present, focused, and alive.
We invite you to join us for her presentation as she works with our senior nursing students on “Mindfulness and Resilience: Practicing Presence in the Academic Environment.” The presentation will take place in Buckley Center Auditorium from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, January, 23, 2020. No RSVP is required.
All are invited to a community reception that evening to honor Pipe and her work. She will present reflections of her visit and have the opportunity to engage in conversation over light hors d’oeuvres from 6 to 8 p.m. in the President’s Boardroom, Bauccio Commons. Please RSVP for the reception here.
If you have any questions, please email Steven Arends at arends@up.edu.
Learning Lab: Steps To A Successful Career Change with Shari Dunn
Join the Pamplin School of Business on Wednesday, January 22, at 5 p.m., in Franz Hall room 426 for the first Learning Lab of the year. Shari Dunn (executive director of Dress of Success Oregon and UP adjunct instructor) will lead you through her process of change. Learning Labs are free two-hour workshop sessions that deep dive into an area of leadership and management.
For more information contact Claire Moore, Pamplin School of Business, at moorec@up.edu.