02-24-2014

Flexible Spending Account Grace Period

March 31, 2014

All current FSA Plan participants had through March 15, 2014 to complete eligible transactions for the 2013 plan year. Participants now have until March 31, 2014 to file all claims for reimbursement with Flex Plan. There will be no 2013 funds available beyond this grace period.

Beginning with the 2014 plan year, all savings under the plan must be used by December 31, 2014, with the exception of up to $500, which can be rolled into the 2015 plan year and used throughout 2015.

Questions regarding the plan years, grace periods, and carryovers may be directed to Andy Sherwood at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.

Deadlines For 2014-2015 Bulletin Revisions

March 24, 2014

Updates to the narrative section of the 2014-2015 University Bulletin (program descriptions, requirements, anything but the course descriptions section) were due to reviewers by Monday, March 17, according to Matt Baasten, associate provost.

While all schools and departments are set up differently, in most cases “reviewers” are deans or associate deans; updated bulletin sections are submitted to them by “editors,” who can be admin assistants, program specialists, department chairs, or whoever is tasked with bulletin updates in each program or office.

Reviewers must submit their sections for approval (approvers are Matt Baasten and Marc Covert, no need to submit separately) by Monday, March 31. The publication deadline for the online 2014-2015 Bulletin is Wednesday, May 14. A calendar with deadlines for bulletin updates through 2016-2017 can be found on the registrar’s webpage at http://www.up.edu/showimage/show.aspx?file=21431.

As in the past two academic years, all updates will be made through the Sitecore updating tool provided to UP by Smartcatalog. The Sitecore login page can be found at http://smartcatalogiq.com/sitecore/login. A user’s guide for bulletin updates is available at http://help.smartcatalogiq.com/en/iq-user-guide. There are also podcasts from the original Sitecore training sessions:

Day 1: http://tinyurl.com/77ckx8k
Day 2: http://tinyurl.com/kcdeqad
Admin Training: http://tinyurl.com/ljne7uq

For more information or help with updating your bulletin pages, please contact Marc Covert, marketing and communications, at 8132 or mcovert@up.edu.

TIAA-CREF Representative Visits, March 4-6

March 3, 2014

University employees’ TIAA-CREF investment counselor Yasemin Under will be on campus in March for individual financial counseling sessions. She will be on campus for one-on-one counseling sessions on Tuesday, March 4 and Wednesday, March 5. Go to www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow to schedule an appointment today. Call TIAA-CREF at (877) 842-2028 or Andy Sherwood at 8981 for more information.

Sr. Angela Hoffman, O.S.B., Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics

February 24, 2014

Sr. Angela Hoffman, O.S.B., chemistry, has been named the Oregon Academy of Science 2014 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics. Hoffman has helped undergraduate students with more than 150 projects involving the ingredient Paclitaxel and the anti-cancer drug Taxol (marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb). University of Portland environmental science professor Bob Butler was the recipient of the same award in 2013.

Paclitaxel is found originally in the rare and rapidly vanishing Yew tree, native to the Pacific Northwest. Taxol is used to treat ovarian cancer, breast cancer, the AIDS-related cancer Kaposi’s sarcoma, and other conditions. Hoffman currently has four patents from 1997, 2003, 2006, and 2010, all pertaining to recovering taxanes (including Taxol) from soil around yew trees and other plants that are grown to produce Taxol.

This past November, several dozen yew trees were planted on the University’s River Campus. Known as “Sr. Angela’s Yew Garden,” the garden is home to more than 10 different varieties of the yew tree, which Hoffman and her students will use for their research.

Hoffman was recognized in 2012 as an American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellow for her “outstanding achievements in and contributions to Science, the Profession, and the Society.” In 2007, Hoffman was chosen as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow in 2007.

The Oregon Academy of Science promotes scientific research and education in Oregon representing all areas of the natural sciences and social sciences. To see a video interview with Sr. Angela go to http://youtu.be/KbVC2xYcfVU. For more information, contact Steve Kolmes, environmental studies, at 7291 or kolmes@up.edu.

2014 Rank and Tenure Decisions

February 24, 2014

Effective July 1, 2014, the following professors will be promoted from assistant to associate professor and granted tenure, according to the provost’s office:

Tanya Crenshaw, Engineering
Andrew Golla, Performing and Fine Arts
Christin Hancock, History
Hillary Merk, Education
Patrick Murphy, Performing and Fine Arts
Craig Swinyard, Mathematics
Eugenijus Urnezius, Chemistry

For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or staten@up.edu.

The Many Sides of Peace, Feb. 24

February 24, 2014

Suzanne and Brayton Shanley will present “The Many Sides of Peace,” an exploration of living in an intentional and contemplative community in commitment to Christian nonviolence and sustainable living, on Monday, February 24, at 7 p.m., in the Holy Cross Lounge on the third floor of Franz Hall. Their talk is free and open to all.

In addition, Brayton Shanley will lead a discussion about post-graduate service opportunities in a lunchtime session that same day beginning at noon on the quiet side of the Bauccio Commons. Please inform your students who may be interested.

The Shanleys are co-founders of The Agape Community, a lay Catholic residential community in Ware, Massachusetts. For more information contact Jamie Powell, Garaventa Center, at 7702 or powell@up.edu.

New Printer Installation, Feb. 26-27

February 24, 2014

Printing services will be replacing one of their printers and will not be able to run large color print jobs on Wednesday, February 26 or Thursday, February 27, according to supervisor Linda Gill. Please plan print jobs for this week accordingly. For more information contact printing services at 7200 or lgill@up.edu.

Fr. James Heft Lecture, Feb. 27

February 24, 2014

Fr. James Heft, president of the Institute for Advanced Studies at USC, will present “Bishops and Theologians: A Creative Tension?” on Thursday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. Fr. Heft is the author of Catholic High Schools: Facing the New Realities (2011) and is currently working on a book that examines the mission of Catholic universities. Portland archbishop Most Rev. Alexander K. Sample will join the audience for Fr Heft’s lecture and subsequent conversation. For more information contact Jamie Powell, Garaventa Center, at 7702 or powell@up.edu.

Relay for Life at UP: Start Teams, Fundraising Now!

February 24, 2014

All faculty and staff are invited to take part in the 2014 Relay For Life of the University of Portland on Friday, March 28, in the Chiles Center, according to event chair Katelyn Griffin. The Relay For Life of the University of Portland is a student-led fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Relay’s goal is to raise money for cancer research, as well as honoring cancer survivors. Last year more than 600 students, faculty, staff, and UP community members came together and raised over $50,000. Visit the UP Relay for Life team online at www.relayforlife.org/upor. There you can click on “sign up” and find a team or create your own, and start fundraising. If you are a cancer survivor, or know a cancer survivor who would like to participate in this event, the UP Relay team invites you to join them for a survivor ceremony and dinner. Register online as a survivor at relayforlife.org/upor. For more information contact Griffin at uprelay@gmail.com.

PFA Presents “Woyzeck,” Feb. 26-March 1

February 24, 2014

The performing and fine arts department will present Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck on February 26-28 and March 1 in Mago Hunt Center Theater. All performances are at 7:30 p.m., with two performances set for Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. No Sunday matinee is scheduled for this performance. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. For reservations starting February 17, call the Hunt Center Box Office at 7287.

Woyzeck is an intriguing tale of an everyman being pushed and pulled in a world that tests and manipulates him in every way. Written in 1836, this gripping and engrossing story of one man’s struggle has been produced in many languages and countries, and this version has been adapted by the director especially for our time. The performance contains adult language and stage violence.

The cast, all University of Portland students, is made up of Michael Rexroat (Franz Woyzeck), Danielle Renella (Marie), Emily Biggs (Andrea), Jennifer Beierle (Margaret), Tyler Hunt (Karl the Idiot), Hope Dorman (Katey), Tim Dobson (Grandmother), Samantha Steele (Patient 1), Doug Blair (Patient 2), Jeffery Phillips (The Doctor), Logan Matthews (The Captain), Jacob Orr (The Major), Annie Ganousis (The Sergeant), and Peter Sotos (The Attendant).

For more information, contact the performing and fine arts department at 7228 or pfa@up.edu.