UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

02-17-2014

Teaching & Scholarship Faculty Award Winner Presentations, March 4

kolmesbutkusThe Teaching and Scholarship Committee invites all faculty and staff to presentations offered by the University’s 2013 teaching and scholarship faculty award winners. Lars Larson, winner of the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, will present “Dialectical Teaching in a Righteous Age,” and Russ Butkus and Steve Kolmes (pictured), winners of the Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship, will present “Children in Jeopardy: Anthropogenic Toxins and Childhood Exposure.” The presentations will take place on Tuesday, March 4, at 4:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. Coffee and cookies will be served. For more information contact Teaching and Scholarship Committee chair Lauretta Frederking at frederki@up.edu.

 

Jill Nelson Lecture, Feb. 24

Nelson_web2 copyJill Nelson, founder and CEO of Ruby Reception­ists, will speak on Monday, February 24, at 7:10 p.m., in Buckley Center Auditorium. The event, free and open to all, is sponsored by the Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation as part of their Leadership Speaker Series.

Founded by Nelson in 2003, Ruby Receptionists serves more than 2,600 small business professionals throughout North America. Nelson’s unique approach to business, “Practicing WOWism,” drives the company’s growth and has helped secure coveted awards, including back-to-back years in the top three on Fortune magazine’s Best Small Company to Work for in the U.S. list and six consecutive years as a fastest growing company in Oregon. In 2013, Portland’s Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) awarded Nelson its Entrepreneur of the Year award.

For more information, contact the Franz Center at 7769 or franzcenter@up.edu.

Congress To Campus Visit, Feb. 24

congressThe University of Portland will welcome former congressmen Gil Gutknecht (R-Minnesota) and Martin Lancaster (D-NC) on Monday, February 24, at 7 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons. The event is free and open to all. The former congressmen will discuss the important role that Congress plays in the American political system and the challenges it confronts in carrying out that role.

Gutknecht and Lancaster will be on campus for two days visiting classes and meeting with student leaders, clubs, and programs. The visit is made possible through the Congress to Campus program, created by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress in an effort to improve college students’ understanding of Congress and American government, and to encourage them to consider careers in public service. The program sends bipartisan pairs of former Members of Congress – one Democrat and one Republican – to visit college, university and community college campuses around the country.

For more information, contact Gary Malecha, political science, at malecha@up.edu or 7452. Information about the Congress to Campus program can be found at http://tinyurl.com/pqja64z.

President’s Service Honor Roll Submissions Due Feb. 28

prezLogoThe Moreau Center facilitates the University of Portland’s annual application for the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Corporation for National and Community Service created the Honor Roll in 2006 to identify, collect, and recognize the outstanding service taking place at higher education institutions across the nation.

To maintain its status on the honor roll, the University of Portland is required to submit three exemplary service projects and programs with measurable results that occurred from July 1, 2012 to July 30, 2013. Moreau center staff are asking for faculty and staff assistance in identifying exemplary service projects or programs to be included in the University’s application. Please go to http://up.edu/moreaucenter/ to complete a short form describing a program from your area. Submissions are due by Friday, February 28 to Dave Houglum (houglum@up.edu).

If you have any questions, please contact Houglum at houglum@up.edu or 8559.

Environmental Studies Public Screening of “Backyard,” Feb. 25, Clinton Street Theater

Backyard copyIn cooperation with PCC Sylvania, the University’s environmental studies program will host a public screening of Deia Schlosberg’s 27-minute film, “Backyard,” on Tuesday, February 25, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Clinton Street Theatre (2522 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202). Schlosberg’s film is a documentary about fracking (fracturing of rock by pressurized liquid to extract uranium, oil, etc.) and its effects on five people’s lives. Following stories in Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana, an eerie similarity emerges despite vast differences in geography and personal histories. “The Sky is Pink” will be screened In addition to “Backyard,” and Schlosberg has agreed to lead a discussion after the films. The movie is free of charge but donations will be requested at the door, to go to 350.org. For more information contact Steve Kolmes, environmental studies, at 7291 or kolmes@up.edu.

Diamond Dinner Rescheduled For March 1

Baker copy1The Pilot baseball team’s annual fund raiser, the Diamond Dinner, has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 1 due to inclement weather conditions over the weekend of February 8. The rescheduled event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Bauccio Commons, and will feature Major League Baseball manager Dusty Baker as guest speaker. Additional details will be posted at up.edu and PortlandPilots.com.

$4M Dundon-Berchtold RISE Campaign Gift

D-B 150The University of Portland has announced a RISE Campaign donation of $4 million from Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold ’63, to create an endowment for the Dundon-Berchtold Fund for Moral Development and Applied Ethics. The gift, which was announced at the recent annual retreat of the board of regents, will have a significant and lasting impact on the University, according to president-elect Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., who was instrumental in the creation of the fund. The gift will create an endowment, providing for sufficient operating funds and an endowed directorship.

The Berchtolds provided seed money two years ago to create an initiative that focuses on character formation and applied ethics. The initiative includes “The Character Project,” which offers a venue for students to engage in guided discussions as to how personal value systems and beliefs can influence moral character. Fr. Poorman created a similar program at the University of Notre Dame, where he previously team-taught a class with University regent Carolyn Woo. Amy Dundon-Berchtold is also a member of UP’s board of regents.

Amy Dundon-Berchtold became familiar with the Portland community and University of Portland largely through her husband, Jim Berchtold, a 1963 UP graduate. The couple met following the loss of both of their spouses. The couple began discussing the idea of moral formation and applied ethics during a University trip in 2011 that included several priests from the Congregation of Holy Cross. During discussions on that trip with Fr. Poorman and others, the couple made an on-the-spot exploratory gift of $25,000. Several months later, after the initial project was fine-tuned, the couple donated $500,000 to bring Fr. Poorman’s vision to reality.

The Dundon-Berchtold gift is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million by 2014. The campaign has raised more than $172 million to date and is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university. For more information contact the development office at 7395 or hanna@up.edu.

Juniors Set to Host Parents, Feb. 21-23

JPWThe Office of Student Activities and the Student Planning Committee are gearing up for the 17th Annual Junior Parents and Families Weekend, taking place on campus from February 21 to 23, according to Jeromy Koffler, student activities. Between 240 and 260 families are expected to participate, with approximately 750 overall attendees this year. Please join the junior class and student activities in welcoming our guests when they arrive. Information about various events can be found at up.edu/activities or by calling 7470.

Fr. James Heft Lecture Discussion Group, Feb. 21

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A faculty discussion group led by Michael Cameron, theology, will meet to discuss two of Fr. James Heft’s articles and their issues on Friday, February 21, from 3:30-5 p.m., in the Murphy Room in Franz Hall. The group discussion will be in preparation for Fr. Heft’s lecture on Thursday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. He will speak on “Bishops and Theologians: A Creative Tension?”  To obtain the two articles (“Spirituality and Religion: Challenges and Opportunities” and “Distinctively Catholic Keeping the Faith in Higher Education”) contact Jamie Powell, Garaventa Center, at 7702 or powell@up.edu. Refreshments, wine and cheese, will be served courtesy of the Garaventa Center.