UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

02-19-2018

TLC From The TLC: Do UP Students Know How to Fail?

Do UP students know how to fail? According to the New York Times, higher education administrators at elite schools have coined the term “failure deprived” to classify a new mental health concern: the inability of high achieving individuals to cope with inevitable experiences of failure. This week’s installment of the mental health series on the UP Teaching & Learning Community blog builds off the most recent Faith & Intellectual Life group discussion to explore how other universities are working to help students learn to fail, and to reflect on what faculty and academic staff might do here at UP.

Arrival: A Special Edition of “Bringing Eyes of Faith to Film,” Feb. 21

Join Garaventa Center co-directors Karen Eifler and Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., as they team up with Shannon Mayer, physics, and Jim Baillie, philosophy, to unpack surprising themes of grace and transcendence in the movie “Arrival.” The screening is on Wednesday, February 21, at 7:15 p.m., in Shiley Hall room 319. Free and open to all; thematic movie snacks will be served.

For ADA accommodations or more information contact the Garaventa Center at x7702 or garaventa@up.edu.

 

Exploring the World through Reading and STEM, Feb. 25

The University’s annual Reading Fair will take place on Sunday, February 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Chiles Center. “Exploring the World through Reading and STEM” will be a reading fair and family STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) day hosted by Kappa Delta Pi and the UP STEM Education and Outreach Center. The fair is open to all children from preschool through 8th grade.

There will be cultural crafts from around the world, a principal reading, hands on-experiments, and a robotics demonstration. In addition to these activities, there will also be fun games, opportunities to win prizes, and an airplane photo booth. Students will leave the event with a free book and gift from both organizations as thank you for attending.

This is a new combined event you do not want to miss. If you have any questions, please reach out to Reading Fair co-chairs, Melissa (stamaria19@up.edu) and Kayli (gribi19@up.edu) or STEM chair Tisha Morrell (morrell@up.edu). Please like the “University of Portland’s Reading Fair” FaceBook page for more updated information.

2018 Orientation Planning: Suggestions & Ideas Welcome

The planning process for Fall 2018 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), Cara Hersh, College of Arts and Sciences (hersh@up.edu), or Shazib Vijlee, Shiley School of Engineering (vijlee@up.edu), by Thursday, March 1.

 

 

Revision of Rank and Tenure Guide, Listening Sessions

The Committee on Rank and Tenure is in the process of updating the Guide to Tenure, Promotion, and Periodic Review. A summary of the changes and the full text are being sent to all regular faculty. The changes are mostly small housekeeping matters that confirm recent practice. Please note the revised wording for promotion to professor. The Committee plans to bring the Guide to the Senate for approval in March.

There will be two listening sessions for faculty: Tuesday, February 27, at 4 p.m., in Buckley Center room 102; and Wednesday, February 28, at 2:45 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. Comments may also be submitted to committee chair Michael Connolly (connolly@up.edu) or any member of the committee (Barbara Braband, James Carroll, Arjun Chatrath, Jeff Kerssen-Griep, Anissa Rogers, and Christine Weilhoefer).

Second Annual FIXIT UP, Feb. 22

The Ecology Club is hosting the second FIXIT UP on Thursday, February 22, from 5-7 p.m., on the quiet side of the Bauccio Commons. FIXIT UP is a free event and is open to all; experienced volunteers will come together to tune-up bikes, mend clothing, repair small appliances, sharpen knives, and more. Please feel free to take this opportunity to save money, get your stuff fixed, and join in the effort to reduce waste in our community.
For more information or ADA accommodations contact Marie Jobes at jobes18@up.edu.  

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Coming to UP

The University of Portland continues to pursue ways to improve the educational experience for students by participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), according to Elizabeth Lee, institutional research. The NSSE helps us better understand how our students spend time in and out of the classroom compared to the national sample.  Insights from the survey will guide decisions that will benefit students.

The NSSE is considered one of the most useful ways to measure students’ engagement and satisfaction with their college experience. A total of 587 colleges and universities along with 323,801 students participated in 2015; over 1,600 colleges and universities and 5 million students have participated since 2000.

First-year and senior students will receive survey invitations via campus email and see survey links in Moodle starting on February 22 until March 27.  More information is available at http://www.nsse.iub.edu.

Please support University of Portland’s investment in participating in this study by encouraging students in your area to respond.  If you have any questions about this project or how the results will be used, please feel free to contact Lee at leeel@up.edu.

Summer Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research: Applications Due Feb. 28

Faculty members are invited to apply on behalf of themselves and an undergraduate student researcher for stipend support for an intensive undergraduate research experience during summer 2018. Students are expected to work full-time (35 hours per week) for 6 weeks on the project or the equivalent of 6 weeks over the course of one or both summer sessions. Faculty members are expected to work with and mentor the students in a co-designed research project.

Students will be paid $2,500 for their work on the project. Faculty will be compensated $1,000 for mentoring the student in research. Up to five projects will be funded.

The application is available in the Undergraduate Research section of the PilotsUP Forms page. For more information and/or to request an application, contact the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement at ur@up.edu or x8264. Completed applications are due by February 28 at noon.

Clark Library Facebook Page: Come Visit!

We invite you to visit the newly launched Clark Library Facebook page. We’ll be posting about interesting resources, exhibits, events at UP and in the wider community, and more. There are also many interesting artifacts and stories to share from the University archives and museum. One of our first posts is a happy birthday to Wally Pilot, who just turned 70. Check it out, like, follow, share, and enjoy!