UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

09-09-2019

Constitution Day Lecture, Sept. 17: Nick Buccola

The political science department will present its annual Constitution Day Lecture on Tuesday, September 17, 5 to 6:30 p.m., in Dundon-Berchtold room 004. Professor Nick Buccola of the Linfield College political science department will give a talk about Frederick Douglass’s constitutional theory. Frederick Douglass, of course, is the 19th century American statesman and political thinker who escaped slavery to become a key abolitionist and proponent of racial justice. Buccola is the author of The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass and of a new book, The Fire is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate Over Race in America. He is also the director of the Frederick Douglass Forum on Law, Rights, and Justice at Linfield.

For more information contact Bill Curtis, political science, at curtisw@up.edu.

Become a Docent for The Saint John’s Bible

One of UP’s great treasures is our Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, the first hand calligraphed and illuminated bible text crafted in over 500 years. It serves as a tremendous resource for courses and prayer experiences on campus. If you would like to receive training in the proper handling of the texts, an overview of the whole manuscript and digital access to the 100-plus illuminations, you are welcome to attend one of two training sessions: Tuesday, October 1, at 4 p.m., or Monday, October 7, at 9:30 a.m. Both will be held in the Clark Library classroom, and the material in both sessions will be the same.

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) in the Garaventa Center.

Explore Other Realities at Thirst Friday, Sept. 20

Get a taste of the future at the first Thirst Friday of the year! All staff and faculty are warmly welcomed to the Garaventa Center, Franz 330, on September 20 from 4-6 p.m. to mingle with campus neighbors and enjoy great food, conversation and libations…and to try an Oculus virtual reality headset, courtesy of unapologetic technerd Eric Anctil, education. Extra credit for bringing along someone new to UP: first dibs on the headsets!

For more information, contact Karen Eifler at eifler@up.edu.

U.S. News & World Report: We’re No. 2!

University of Portland is now ranked second out of 113 institutions listed in the “Regional Universities – West” classification – its highest ranking to date – according to U.S. News & World Report. In the 2018 and 2019 rankings, the University placed sixth in the same “Regional Universities – West” category. This ranking marks the 25th consecutive year the University has received a Top 10 ranking. The full rankings can be seen on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges website.

Among notable measures in the U.S. News & World Report methodology was the University’s 90 percent first-year retention rate and annual graduation rate of 82 percent. In addition, the University’s Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering’s reputation for excellence continues to rise. This year, the engineering program was ranked 26th nationally among engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s – up from last year’s ranking of 29th nationally.

According to U.S. News & World Report, regional institutions are those that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs, but few – if any – doctoral programs. The universities in this category are not ranked nationally but rather against peers in one of four regions – North, South, Midwest and West – because they tend to draw students primarily from surrounding states.

U.S. News & World Report’s methodology for this category weighs heavily on student retention rates, peer assessment and faculty resources; as well as on student selectivity, financial resources earmarked for educational purposes and the alumni giving rate.

University of Portland’s commitment to its mission of teaching and learning, faith and formation, and service and leadership has been successfully proven through its graduates. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the University of Portland ranks among the highest in the nation alongside peer institutions for the number of students and alumni earning Fulbright grants for several consecutive years.

Earlier this summer, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked University of Portland as the top university in Oregon in an annual ranking of “Best College Values: Private Universities.” Forbes.com listed the University 18th nationally in its “The Top 25 STEM Colleges of 2018” rankings. STEM is an acronym used to identify fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The University of Portland was one of only five universities in the west to make the STEM list, and the only university in Oregon or the Pacific Northwest.

Women In Leadership Forum Guest Speaker: Stephanie Salomone, Sept. 10

The Women in Leadership Forum welcomes UP mathematics professor and STEM Center director Stephanie Salomon on Tuesday, September 10, at 6 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. The Women in Leadership Forum connects students, faculty, and staff with dynamic women who are leaders in the Portland community. The Forum is a place for sharing stories, building connections, and supporting the development of women in leadership. Salomone will share her experiences as a woman leader in STEM and academia, as well as insights she’s gained around inclusion, equity, and mentorship.

For more information contact Claire Moore, business, at moorec@up.edu.

Marilynne Robinson to offer Zahm Lecture, Sept. 11

Renowned author and Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson will present the 2019 Zahm Lecture, “Wisdom and Knowledge,” on Wednesday, September 11, at 7:15 p.m., in the Chiles Center. Robinson will touch upon the roles of wonder, grace, and imagination to explore intersections and disconnects between knowledge and wisdom in this lecture that is free and open to all. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. with first-come, first-served seating. Additional parking available in the Franz river campus lot, with frequent shuttles up to the Chiles Center.

Robinson was the recipient of a 2012 National Humanities Medal, awarded by former President Barack Obama, for “her grace and intelligence in writing.” In 2016 she was awarded the Library of Congress Lifetime Achievement Award in American Fiction, as well as the Dayton Peace Prize’s Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. In 2013, she was awarded South Korea’s Pak Kyong-ni Prize for her contribution to international literature. She is the author of Gilead, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award; Home, winner of the Orange Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and Lila, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her first novel, Housekeeping, won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Robinson’s nonfiction books include The Givenness of Things, When I Was a Child I Read Books, and Mother Country, which was nominated for a National Book Award. Robinson, professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, taught at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop for 25 years.

The Zahm Lecture, which annually launches the academic year, addresses important issues confronting American Catholic higher education, and honors Fr. John Zahm, C.S.C., an eminent Holy Cross priest and scientist of the late 19th and early 20th century, who was one of University of Portland’s founders.

For ADA accommodations or further information, please contact the Garaventa Center at 503-943-7702 or garaventa@up.edu.

TLC Teaching Tip of the Week: A Treasure Trove!

UP has a stupendously talented and generous faculty, with lots to teach one another about effective, engaging teaching. Over the summer, the Teaching& Learning website (up.edu/tl)  was overhauled to be more user-friendly. This week’s TLC teaching tip is to point us all to the amazing treasure trove of Teaching Tips of the Week from the past four years of upbeat, gathered for the first time into one place, at this link. Enjoy a cup of your favorite beverage as you scroll through 64 titles covering everything from the upside of failure to making groupwork work. Each title is linked to a brief (1-2 pages, tops) practical article or video shared by faculty all over campus.

For more information contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu.

Submit Butine Proposals and Reports through Moodle

The Committee on Teaching and Scholarship invites all regular faculty to submit proposals to receive funding from the Arthur Butine Faculty Development Fund. Faculty can download Butine application materials, review selection criteria, and consult the timeline for applications by visiting this link. Submissions of post-Butine reports, new Butine applications, and all supporting letters are now done through the Teaching and Scholarship Moodle site at this link. The deadline for submission through Moodle, and to the applicant’s dean and chair (if CAS), is no later than noon on Friday, October 4, 2019. Please note that applicants must discuss their Butine proposals with their respective deans (and chairs, for CAS applicants) prior to submitting applications for consideration.

The Committee on Teaching and Scholarship will host two workshops to provide more information on the application process: Wednesday, Sept. 4, 10 -11 a.m. and Friday, Sept. 6, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Both workshops will take place in BC 215.

A final reminder: All interim or completed project reports for previously funded proposals are due to the Teaching and Scholarship Committee through Moodle, as well as the appropriate Dean, no later than October 1. Report forms can be downloaded from the Moodle site listed above.

Please contact Hannah Highlander (TAS@up.edu) for further information.

Creative Writers Coming to UP this Fall

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to learn about the poets, novelists, essayists, and biographers coming to campus for free readings this semester, according to Lars Larson, English: Pulitzer-winner Marilynne Robinson (this week!), five-time Oregon Book Award winner Tracy Daugherty, Lakota poet and musician Trevino L. Brings Plenty, and the fall Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writer Luis Alberto Urrea.

In anticipation of Urrea’s November 7 visit, the Schoenfeld series is offering his latest novel for free: House of Broken Angels, a humorous and heartfelt exploration of life and identity told through a sprawling San Diego family gathering in the borderlands between a birthday and a funeral. Email Schoenfeldt@up.edu to reserve your free copy. For details email Larson at larson@up.edu.

Human Resouces: Mandatory Professional Development Session on Oct. 14

The University will present professional development opportunities for all staff during the week of fall break (October 14-18, 2019), according to Sandy Chung, Human Resources. All sessions on Monday, October 14 are mandatory for staff. Exceptions to this requirement are as follows:

  • Certain departments due to operational necessity, as pre-approved by the University
  • Staff with a vacation day or other off-campus day, as pre-approved by the supervisor
  • Staff with an absence related to sick time related reasons or a HR-approved leave of absence.

Faculty members are welcome to attend as well.

Human resources will provide more information about the presentations on October 14, as well as other workshops available that week, via email.

Please email hr@up.edu if you have any questions. Also, an Outlook save-the-date which you can copy to your Outlook calendar is available to download at this link.