UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

02-05-2024

The Flickering Universe: An Evening with Pattiann Rogers, Robert Michael Pyle, and University of Portland Scholars

In her most recent book, poet Pattiann Rogers offers a fresh metaphor for the ephemeral nature of experience, time, and the human soul—flickering. Informed by everything from the neuroscience of consciousness to campfires and “the beauty of bells,” Rogers’ flickering has a lot to teach us about art, science, and ourselves.

Join Pattiann Rogers and fellow naturalist and writer Robert Michael Pyle for a live online panel discussion about flickering and being. The panel will be moderated by University of Portland scholar Corey S. Pressman (Integrative Health and Wellness) and rounded out by Rachel Wheeler (Theology), and Shannon Mayer (Physics). A Q&A session will follow the panel discussion.

February 20, 6-7:15 p.m. PST

Join Zoom Webinar

Sponsored by the Garaventa Center, the Public Research Fellows, the School of Nursing and Health Innovations, and the University Core.

Career Education Center: Spring Programs and Daily Drop-In Hours

The Career Education Center will be offering a number of programs and events this spring to help students prepare for summer jobs, internships, and post-graduate pursuits including full-time opportunities and applying to graduate/professional school. Daily drop-in hours will also be available for students seeking feedback or career resources.

February Events and Information:

Thursday, February 8, 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m., Franz Hall 110, Internship Search Workshop: This workshop is for students thinking about gaining applied experience through an internship and want to learn how to start the search process.

Tuesday, February 13, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Franz Hall 110, Resume Workshop: This workshop is for students who need to create and/or update their resume. Students will learn how to curate their experiences to best tell their story when applying for summer jobs, internships, and full-time positions.

Daily Drop-In Hours: Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Students can get feedback on resumes and cover letters, ask about internships or job searches, prepare for an interview, get tips on using LinkedIn and Handshake, and more. Stop by to meet with a Career Peer Advisor for 15 minutes. No appointment is needed during Drop-In Hours, but they are first-come, first-served.

Register HERE on Handshake to attend.

Inclusive Description in the Clark Library Catalog

Did you know that even the way books are described can show historical bias? Our library catalog contains many of these examples, either through problematic descriptions of a book’s subject or the deliberate omission of historically marginalized topics, such as LGBTQIA+ themes.

Bonnie Parks(Collection Technology Librarian) recently completed a sabbatical project focused on researching and updating these terms to provide more equitable access and make our catalog more inclusive for faculty and student study and scholarship. This project has updated over 500 catalog records so far, and more are coming, to create a catalog that is truly reflective of our institution and values.

BetterMynd Teletherapy for Students

University of Portland has partnered with BetterMynd, an online therapy platform, to offer each active student access to 5 free teletherapy sessions from a diverse network of licensed mental health counselors.

Students have access to 50-minute live video sessions are private and confidential and can take place from the convenience of a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Teletherapy sessions are available during the day, at night, and on weekends, so students can get support that works with their schedules.

To get started, students can register at the UP Portal:

Register for BetterMynd

For flyers, PowerPoint slides, or any materials to easily share this information with your students, please reach out to: wellness@up.edu

If you have contact with students, make sure to share with them that this resource is available!

2024 Excellence in Service Award—Call for Nominations (Due Feb. 23)

Each year an individual faculty member is recognized for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Recipients of the awards are honored in May at the Faculty Gala. 

The service award seeks to identify and recognize faculty members that enhance the UP community, professional communities, and/or the world community through their service and leadership work with students, colleagues, and community members.

Examples of excellence in service include:   

  • A commitment to the University of Portland community  
  • Participating on department, School, College, and/or University committees  
  • Leading new initiatives within the department, School, College, and/or University  
  • Advising student clubs and working with students on non-course-related activities  
  • Volunteering and working with non-UP community organizations  
  • Working with professional societies and organizations   

Eligibility and selection criteria for the Excellence in Service award are established by the Academic Senate and can be found on the Senate’s website (see “Resources” and “C on C Faculty Awards Criteria and Submission Information”). The selection process includes a formal nomination, the submission of supporting materials by the nominees, final selection by the Committee on Committees, and announcement and presentation at the Faculty Gala.  

The deadline for nominations is February 23.  

The deadline for supporting materials by nominees is April 5. 

Please submit a nomination letter on the Service Award Moodle page.

Join the Alternative Grading Collaborative

Dear colleagues, how many of you have ever wondered if grading really, truly reflects student learning? How many of you have wondered if there is a better way? If the answers to these questions are ones you’d like to explore in a supportive community, please consider joining the nascent, grassroots, UP Alternative Grading Collaborative that sprung up in the summer of 2023, met this fall for lunch, and hosted a day-long workshop before the start of the spring 2024 semester.  We will continue our gatherings by hosting a series of casual, friendly, come-as-you-are lunch conversations meant to build a community interested in new adventures in “Grading for Growth.”  

The come-as-you-are conversations will be held in the Teske dining room with lunch provided (buffet in the Holy Cross Dining room) on: 

Feb 6, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

March 11, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

April 11, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Please RSVP at the link below for the events:

RSVP HERE

These conversations are sponsored by UP’s $500K, 5-year Howard Hughes Inclusive Excellence 3 Grant focused on supporting adoption of inclusive teaching practices. 

Questions? Contact vanhoomi@up.edu

Come to a Core Samples Lunch this Semester!

All staff and faculty are invited to attend one or both of this spring’s Core Samples Lunches, as guests of the Garaventa Center and Core Program. These have proven a terrific way for all of us to build our knowledge of what happens in UP’s Core Curriculum.

  • Wednesday, February 21, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., chemist Valerie Walters will offer a glimpse of her X-level CHEM 331X course called “Chemistry in Paintings.”
  • Tuesday, April 2, 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., English professor Lars Larson will offer “Literature: The Opposite of Escape,” taken from his English 112 Foundations course.

Both buffet lunches will be held in the Teske Room of the Commons.

Learning from gifted teachers over free food and without exams: could it be any better?

Seating is limited; please RSVP to Karen Eifler, eifler@up.edu.

Gratituesdays All Semester Long

Is one of your goals in the New Year to notice and appreciate the amazing people in your life? The Garaventa Center (Franz 330) will be open from 12-1 p.m. every Tuesday until Finals Week for you to write a short note of gratitude or appreciation to someone you’d like to thank.

Cards, pens ,and stamps are provided; feel free to bring your lunch. All staff and faculty are welcome!

UP to Host 2024 Oregon Science Olympiad

University of Portland is hosting the annual Oregon Science Olympiad again this year. On March 16, 2024, our campus will host hundreds of middle school and high school students collaborating and competing in STEM activities.

More information is available here: https://oregonscienceolympiad.org/ 

If you, your family, or your colleagues are interested in getting involved, we are still seeking volunteers.

No prior experience necessary! Contact Molly Matty (matty@up.edu) with questions.