UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

06-17-2019

Early Arrival Requests Due July 19

All departments that will be sponsoring students to arrive on campus prior to the standard move-in dates (August 22 for new students, August 24 for returning students) are asked to complete a Department Early Arrival Request, according to Ezequiel Delgado-Cervantes, housing coordinator for residence life.

For departments who need an excel template to submit their request, please email Ezequiel at delgadoc@up.edu. Departments will be charged $49 per person per night unless it is specified that the students’ accounts should be charged.

Students who are not arriving early for any department but wish to request an early arrival for themselves should submit a Petition Form to Modify Housing Contract to residence life.

For more information, please contact Ezequiel at delgadoc@up.edu.

New Director for Studies Abroad: Kallan Faith Picha

The Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion welcomes Kallan Faith Picha to campus as the new director of studies abroad. Kallan comes to The Bluff with 9 years of experience in international education and a deep commitment to student service, program development, and establishing collaborative partnerships. In her most recent role as director of global programs at Pepperdine University, Kallan managed over 50 partnerships and has seen the program flourish under her leadership. She brings considerable enthusiasm and humane interest in serving a wide array of students, faculty, and staff here at UP.

Many members of the UP community joined in the on-campus finalist interviews, including Amy Wruck in studies abroad and the search committee: Elisa Majors, Laurie McLary, Jamie Merritt, Lisa Reed, John Watzke, and Blair Woodard.

 

New Family Weekends Coming in 2019-2020

Inspired by the University’s Holy Cross values of hospitality and community, and in response to frequent requests from family members, the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations and the Office of Student Activities are partnering to expand opportunities for parents and family members to experience life on campus with their students. Traditionally this has been the focus of Junior Parents and Families weekend. Beginning with the 2019-2010 academic year, UP will offer Junior and Senior Family Weekend in the fall semester (November 1–3, 2019) and First-Year and Sophomore Family Weekend in the spring semester (February 14–16, 2020).

These weekends will feature unique programs and activities that will highlight the student experience on The Bluff. Learn more about this new program by using this link.

 

New Innovation Minor Director Announced: Salvador Orara

The University’s new campus-wide minor in innovation will be led by Salvador Orara, who will be hired as a Franz Center professor of practice and housed in the Shiley School of Engineering, according Shiley School dean Sharon Jones. Orara has a BFA in graphic design and a MFA in media design. His experience includes numerous UX (user experience design) roles including Jaguar Land Rover. He also has considerable teaching experience, most recently with Pacific Northwest College of Art. He is currently the AIGA Portland Chapter president (the professional association for design). Orara will begin in his new position on Thursday, August 15.

Orara’s new position is part of UP’s push to increase cross-disciplinary learning. Matthew Kuhn, incoming interim dean, says “Sal will add a new aspect to our students’ learning, by building upon their expertise and developing an interdisciplinary innovation mindset to solving complex problems that involve the human and societal dimensions.”

The new innovation minor will be offered campus wide and will be housed in the Shiley School of Engineering. Classes offered through the innovation minor include “Introduction to Design and Innovation,” “Sketching and Prototyping,” and “Empathy, Observational Research and Human-Centered Design.”

For more information contact the Shiley School at x7292 or engineering@up.edu.

Ami Ahern-Rindell National CUR Award

Biology professor Ami Ahern-Rindell has been awarded the Council on Undergraduate Research Biology Division Mentor Award (Advanced Career), a national award which honors biology mentors for their long-term efforts in supervising undergraduate research students.

The award committee recognized Ahern-Rindell’s extraordinary accomplishments and dedication to engaging undergraduate students in the creation of new biological knowledge. She has mentored more than 100 student collaborators during her 27-year career, resulting in a large, academically sound body of senior and honors theses, presentations at research conferences, and peer-reviewed publications with student co-authors. She was an early developer of student-centered, inquiry-based approaches in the teaching lab and classroom, with NSF-funded initiatives to her credit as early as 1994. As a result of many years of service on the Council on Undergraduate Research, Ahern-Rindell also made significant contributions to the national growth of undergraduate research. Student evaluations and recommendations demonstrate that she has thoughtfully created a highly effective mentoring process that focuses on the whole person.

For more information contact the biology department at x7123 or bio@up.edu.

Say Cheese Please!

Each month, the marketing office schedules a photographer to take a small number of head shots, available on a first-come, first-served basis, for our online directory. The next session is Tuesday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to noon. To schedule an appointment or for questions, please e-mail Suzanne Frey at freys@up.edu no later than 3 p.m. on Monday, June 24.

Photos will be taken in Clark Library’s Digital Lab, located on the second floor, Room 215. Only those with confirmed appointments may attend.  Please note: These appointments are limited to faculty and staff who currently do not have a professional headshot in the online directory.

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 28

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the patronal feast for the Priests of Holy Cross.  This year the Solemnity is celebrated on Friday, June 28, and the Holy Cross community at UP will mark this feast with a celebratory Mass in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 5 p.m.  The campus community, and all who are visiting campus during Reunion weekend, are cordially invited to join Holy Cross in celebrating this wonderful feast.

According to an entry on the Congregation of Holy Cross website, “As Holy Cross priests, we find our model of priestly charity in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that heart pierced on the cross by the soldier’s lance in the final proof that Jesus offered all for us. In imitation of Him, we, too, seek to offer all in laying down our lives in service of the People of God. Especially through ministering the Sacraments, we hope that the blood and the water that flowed from the pierced Heart of Christ continue to give life to our world.”

Fall 2019 Tuition Remission Application Deadline: June 20

Tuition remission requests for fall 2019 are due by Thursday, June 20, according to Laura Barnard, human resources. Please note, this date has been moved up to allow appropriate processing time by HR, financial aid, and student accounts. Forms can be found at the Human Resources Benefit Website. Remember, a tuition remission request form must be submitted every semester an employee or eligible dependent is intending to take courses. Please submit the requests by the following deadlines to avoid a late fee from student accounts:

  • Fall term: June 20
  • Spring term: November 5
  • Summer term: April 15

Please note, there are separate forms for undergraduate and graduate course work. Keep in mind, graduate level tuition remission benefits will be taxable to the employee on the value above $5,250 for attempted credits and subject to applicable withholdings. When an eligible spouse receives graduate level tuition remission, the entire tuition remission amount is taxable to the employee and subject to applicable withholdings. This taxable benefit will be reflected on the employee’s W-2 form of the tax year the remission was applied. Details regarding the taxable benefit can also be found on the Human Resources Benefit Website.

Grand Gold, Bronze Awards for UP Publications

The University of Portland was among institutions recognized for their work by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence awards. The hard-bound edition of Sweet Dreams, Storycatcher was a Grand Gold winner for book design, one of only 26 Grand Golds awarded. The book is a collection of essays written for Portland Magazine by the late Brian Doyle.

The Junior Viewbook earned a bronze award in the viewbook/prospectus category, out of 132 bronzes awarded, citing “The University of Portland’s viewbook beautifully conveys the university’s interest in the life of the mind, beginning with the cover statement, ‘when we wonder’…” It was one of four to be recognized in the viewbook/prospectus  category.

In total, CASE received 2,856 entries from 611 institutions in 20 countries – and out of these entries 400 bronze, silver, and gold were given.

While the marketing and communications office produces these publications, they are the result of collaborative efforts among a diverse team of UP departments.

For more information contact Rachel Barry-Arquit, director of marketing and communications, at rbarry@up.edu.

Retirement Party for Carol Bruce, June 20

After 22 years of exemplary cheerful service, Carol Bruce is retiring from her position as office manager and de facto den mother for the mathematics and communication studies office. A farewell party for Carol will take place on Thursday, June 20, from 3 to 5 p.m., in the Pilot House. All are invited to come by and wish Carol well and thank her for all she has done as a faithful University of Portland employee.

For more information contact Andrea Egger, College of Arts & Sciences, at x8310 or egger@up.edu.