In celebration of the University of Portland School of Nursing’s 85th Anniversary, guest speaker Joan Gurvis will be visiting campus on Tuesday, February 18, to discuss the topic of leadership. All faculty, staff, students, and the public are invited to join the School of Nursing for Gurvis’ presentation as she works with senior nursing students on “Learning Agility: Maximizing your student experience and beyond” in Buckley Center Auditorium from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. No RSVP is required.
Gurvis’ work in her private practice as a leadership and organizational development consultant focuses on working with clients to deliver leadership solutions at the team and organizational level, with an emphasis on senior team development, shaping culture, and organizational transformation. In her role as a senior faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), she is building capability within CCL to advance the center’s organizational leadership practice, and facilitates programs focused on the C-Suite. At CCL, she is one of the lead faculty for “Leadership at the Peak,” CCL’s offering for C level executives.
There will be a community reception that evening to honor Gurvis and her work. You will hear 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 Terrace Room, Bauccio Commons. Please RSVP for the reception here.
For more information use this link or contact Steven Arends, nursing, at arends@up.edu.
The annual Mazzocco Lecture on Distributive Justice will take place on Thursday, February 6, at 5 p.m., in the Brian Doyle Lecture Hall (DB 004). This year’s lecture, “American Hate: Survivors Speak Out,” will be delivered by Arjun Sethi, a human rights lawyer, author, and law professor based in Washington, DC. He works closely with Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and Sikh communities and advocates for racial justice, equity, and social change at the local and national levels. He holds faculty appointments at Georgetown University Law Center and Vanderbilt University Law School, and presently co-chairs the American Bar Association’s National Committee on Homeland Security, Terrorism, and Treatment of Enemy Combatants.
“The Undertaking,” part of the Rev. Claude Pomerleau Memorial Concert Series, will take place on Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m., in Hunt Center Recital Hall. A reception will follow.
The next meeting of the Faith and Intellectual Life Discussion Group will be Friday, January 31, 3:30 to 5 p.m., in the Murphy Room. We will discuss Thomas Merton’s essay “Rain and Rhinoceros,” Andrew Guest’s essay in Oregon Humanities, “Pursuing a Science of Happiness,” and the poem “Happiness,” by Jane Kenyon. All readings are available 
The University of Portland community lost one of its most treasured colleagues, Rowena Bramlette, former associate vice president for budgeting and a member of the UP class of 1988, the night of January 23, after an extended battle with cancer.
Celebrate all things Canadian at the next Thirst Friday, February 7, from 4-6 p.m., in the Garaventa Center (Franz 330). All faculty and staff are invited to enjoy Canadian-themed treats along with a generous selection of additional appetizers and goodies as you mingle with campus neighbors. Bonus: the first 18 people will qualify for an authentic Canadian beverage! For more information, contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at 
In the fog of the current semester, we all can use some small teaching interventions to refresh our work with students. Join Lars Larson and Jeffrey White at this TLC brown bag event on Wednesday, February 12, 11:30-12:15 p.m., in the Murphy Room as they present ten suggestions for intentional teaching drawn from a variety of practitioners and researchers in teaching and learning.
If students wanting or needing to turn in late work adds to your stress, consider offering a “Make-Up Work Day:” one 24-hour period, late in the semester, when students can turn in any assignment(s) they have missed, for up to full credit. This lets you off the hook for judging the truthiness of excuses, negotiations for partial credit, and keeping track of all versions of academic “late fees.” You decide the day, announce it in class and the syllabus, and that is the end of your commitment. Scheduling Make-Up Work Day late in the semester (e.g. two weeks before finals works well), helps avoid getting overwhelmed responding to both late work and on-time assignments.