UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

02-02-2015

ReadUP Community Reading Initiative: You’re Invited!

9781250058324 copyAuthor and Johns Hopkins humanities professor Alice McDermott will be on campus on February 26, 2015, as a guest of the University’s Schoenfeldt Visiting Writers Series. In preparation for her arrival, the provost’s office has announced the annual ReadUP community reading initiative. All University community members—students, faculty, staff—are invited to read McDermott’s novel, Charming Billy, which won the National Book Award in 1999. The Barnes and Noble Bookstore in the Pilot House will have an array of McDermott’s books for sale at the Schoenfeldt Series book signing on February 26.

All community members will be invited to book discussions facilitated by Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., Garaventa Center, in the Clark Library conference room:

  • Wednesday, February 11, 3:30 to 5 p.m.
  • Thursday, February 19, noon to 1:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, February 24, noon to 1:30 p.m.

Schoenfeldt Series events will include an author’s reception on Thursday, February 26, from 5 to 6 p.m.; a public lecture by McDermott that night in Buckley Center Auditorium at 7 p.m.; and a book signing immediately following the lecture. ReadUP is sponsored by the provost’s office, the Garaventa Center, the Clark Library, student affairs, residence life, and University relations.

Visit the ReadUp WordPress site at sites.up.edu/readup for information and starter questions for the book discussions.

2015 Mazzocco Lecture, Feb. 2

abbas150Hassan Abbas will present the 2015 William J. Mazzocco Lecture in Distributive Justice on Monday, February 2, at 7 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Theater. His talk, titled “The Idea of Justice in Islam: Traditional & Contemporary Debates within Islamic Communities,” is free and open to all.

Abbas is professor and chair of the Department of Regional and Analytical Studies at National Defense University’s College of International Security Affairs in Washington, DC. He is also a senior adviser at the Asia Society. Previously, he served as the distinguished Quaid i Azam chair professor at Columbia University and a senior adviser at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. His latest book, The Taliban Revival (Yale University Press, June 2014), chronicles the Taliban’s survival and resurgence after 2001, through firsthand research and interviews in the area.

The William J. Mazzocco Lecture in Distributive Justice was established at the University in 2006 to honor 1937 graduate Bill Mazzocco, who had a long, distinguished career in military intelligence with various World War II assignments at diplomatic posts, and made significant contributions to the Marshall Plan. He credited his years at UP with giving him a solid moral foundation that guided his steadfast belief in the principles of equitable and fair distribution of wealth.

For more information contact political science at 7274 or polisci@up.edu.

Commencement Regalia Ordering

tam-copyFaculty and students planning to participate in the 2015 Commencement ceremonies may order their caps, gowns, and personalized graduate announcements at the Jostens ordering event in the Pilot House lounge on February 10, 11, and 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Orders may also be submitted online from February 10 through March 19.

Please note: any orders received after March 19 will incur a special-handling fee of $15.

Questions? Contact University events at 7523 or events@up.edu.

Upcoming Math Colloquia

1aMath1501Over the course of the next few weeks, the mathematics department is offering a number of colloquia on a variety of topics. The speakers are candidates for new University mathematics faculty positions beginning in fall 2015.

Faculty members are asked to consider announcing upcoming talks in their classes, especially those with students who may be considering math majors or minors.

• Julie Simons: Monday, February 2, from 4-5 p.m., Buckley Center room 310

• Scott Cook: Thursday, February 5, from 4:30-5:30 p.m., Buckley Center room 111

• Emek Kose: Thursday, February 12, from 4-5 p.m., Buckley Center room 111.

For more information contact the mathematics department at 7166 or bruce@up.edu.

Parents Night Out, Feb. 6

KidssleepingUniversity parents are invited to take the opportunity to enjoy four hours of free time with their significant others while the UP onsite daycare watches their children on Parents Night Out, Friday, February 6, from 6-10 p.m. This service is provided by Vermont Hills Family Life Center daycare/preschool. The cost is $40 per child and $50 for two children and includes dinner for the kids. Proceeds benefit the UP daycare/preschool house. For more information or to sign your kids up contact Cala Richman, director, at (503) 283-9688 or calar@vhflc.com.

Saint John’s Bible Print Display, Feb. 10 to March 6

saint johns bibleTen large prints of The Saint John’s Bible will be on display in Buckley Center gallery from Tuesday, February 10, to Friday, March 6. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, February 17, at 6:30 p.m., followed by a talk with Rev. Eric Hollas, O.S.B, at 7:15 p.m. in the Board Room of the Bauccio Commons. The gallery exhibit and reception are free and open to all.

In 1998, the monks of Saint John’s Abbey in Minnesota commissioned renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce the first hand-written and illuminated Bible in 500 years. Following production, the University of Portland received a Heritage Edition as a generous gift from Allen and Kathleen Lund. The Saint John’s Bible is on permanent display in the Clark Library.

For more information contact Karen Eifler at 8014 or eifler@up.edu

Retirement Brown Bag Session, Feb. 10

retirement150 2The Office of Human Resources has been coordinating a five-part series focusing on developing a holistic approach to retirement readiness, geared towards faculty and staff who are 55 years of age or older. The final session, presented by TIAA-CREF, will talk about how to be as tax efficient as possible for retirement and estate planning. It will take place on Tuesday, February 10, noon to 1 p.m., in the Terrace Room. Please feel free to bring your spouse or significant other. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information about this educational series, visit the HR website (http://www.up.edu/hr/) or contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.

TLC from the TLC

vlcThis week’s teaching resource is about the Virtual Learning Center. Academic Technology Services has put dozens of well-indexed, brief instructional videos for subjects including online tutorials, workshops, webinars and online courses that cover every technological tool available to support excellent teaching. Use your coffee coupon and take ten minutes to scroll through the offerings.

For more information on VLC, please contact Sam Williams (williasa@up.edu); for coffee coupons or information about the Teaching & Learning Collaborative, contact Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu).

Lecture from International Languages and Cultures department

738 copyPamela Cappas-Toro will present “Pelo Rebelde”: Race, Dominicanidad, and the Contested History of Natural Hair on Monday, February 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the Holy Cross Lounge on the third floor of Franz Hall.

Cappas-Toro, a candidate for the position of Assistant Professor of Spanish, scholarship explores the historical legacies of blackness and national belonging through the contested meanings of hair in the Dominican Republic, from the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961) to the present. “Pelo Rebelde” argues that hair has been a central element in the construction of anti-black aesthetics and ideologies that inform Dominican national identity.

Call for Entries: Clark Library Juried Photography Exhibit

schloesser2013 copyThe Clark Library seeks photographs from current students, faculty and staff for our biennial photography exhibit. The exhibit showcases the University community’s experiences and connections through fine art photography. The inaugural 2013 exhibit has been on display on the upper floor since the building reopened. We look forward to refreshing the exhibit and displaying your work. Entries are due by March 2, 2015. Learn more about the requirements and guidelines.