News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
In the spirit of the holidays as well as planning ahead, the human resources office has finalized the date of Thursday, December 18, for the 2014 Staff Christmas Luncheon. All staff members will be treated to a delicious meal, raffle prizes, employee awards, and more. For more information contact HR at 8981 or hr@up.edu.
All students, staff, faculty, and friends are invited to visit the Crab Lab during its open house on Friday, October 3, from noon to 5 p.m., in Swindells 139 and 128, according to Tara Maginnis, biology. With over 500 gallons of saltwater and six species of crabs, there is plenty to explore. Maginnis and her biology research students will be there explaining how the lab works and what kind of research goes on there (and no, they don’t eat the crabs and neither can you).
For more information contact Maginnis at maginnis@up.edu.
Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., will be inaugurated as University of Portland’s 20th president on September 26, 2014. The Inauguration Mass at 11:45 a.m. and the ceremony at 3 p.m. in the Chiles Center will cap two days of public celebration honoring the new president. All University of Portland community members are invited to celebrate this historic event.
Fr. Poorman was selected as the 20th president by the University of Portland Board of Regents in January 2014. He also served as executive vice president since 2011.
Inauguration events will include:
For more information contact Jamie Berger at 7397 or bergerj@up.edu.
Please join the University community in officially welcoming Fr. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., as our 20th president on Wednesday, September 24, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons dining room and patio. This casual reception will feature light snacks (including some of Fr. Mark’s favorites), an assortment of hors d’oeuvres, full bar, and soft drinks.
Please send regrets only to university events at events@up.edu.
Faculty and staff who would like to use the University’s tuition exchange benefit for dependent children for the fall 2015 semester need to visit the HR website and fill out a request for approval by December 1, 2014, according to Jason McDonald, admissions. The link is http://tinyurl.com/nnuvj6k.
For more information contact McDonald at 7751 or mcdonaja@up.edu.
Author Dan DeWeese will read from his work as the first 2014-2015 guest of the English department’s Readings & Lectures Series on Monday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. His reading is free and open to faculty, staff, students, and the public.
DeWeese is the author of a novel, You Don’t Love This Man, and a story collection titled Disorder. He is also founding editor of Propeller, a web magazine of books, film, art, and culture, and of Propeller Books, the magazine’s publishing imprint. He teaches writing and film courses at Portland State University.
For more information contact Genevieve Brassard, English, at 7543 or brassard@up.edu.
Faculty are invited to nominate students for Goldwater Scholarships, according to John Orr, assistant provost. The awards, up to $5,000 per year, are intended to provide scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students who plan to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. The awards are based on merit and made to students who will be juniors or seniors during the 2015-2016 academic year. Experience in research is an important criterion in the evaluation process. There will be a pre-application process to determine nominees with a deadline of November 24, 2014.
For more information, or to suggest an individual, contact John Orr (orr@up.edu), or visit the Goldwater web site at https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/.
For the 20th consecutive year, the University has received a top-ten ranking by U.S. News & World Report, which released its “2015 America’s Best Colleges” publication last week. The University is ranked eighth out of 114 institutions listed in the “Regional Universities – West” classification. The full rankings can be seen on U.S. News & World Report’s website at http://tinyurl.com/nevnny. U.S. News’ methodology includes peer assessment, student retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources earmarked for educational purposes, and an institution’s annual bachelor’s degree alumni giving rate.
Additionally, the University of Portland ranked 12th among 114 western regional universities in “Great Schools at Great Prices,” a listing of schools that offer the best value as determined by a formula that relates a school’s academic quality to the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of financial aid. The Shiley School of Engineering ranked 47th nationwide among schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s.
For more information contact marketing and communications at 7202.
Bob Butler, environmental science, has been selected to receive the Fred Fox Distinguished Service to Science Education Award from the Oregon Science Teachers Association. The award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to mentoring and developing new teachers, and is based on career longevity, breadth of influence, enthusiasm for science and the profession of science education, and the demonstrated ability to motivate.
Butler has been a professor of geophysics at the University since 2004. He teaches Earth System Science, Natural Hazards, and Oceanography, but is probably best known as an expert in the field of earthquakes and earthquake preparedness. Butler is also the project director of Teachers on the Leading Edge (TOTLE), a K-12 Earth Science teacher professional development program featuring Pacific Northwest geology and geological hazards.
Butler was a professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona from 1974 to 2001, and was recognized as Distinguished Professor of Geosciences there from 2001 to 2004. Among his many awards, Butler was named the Oregon Academy of Science 2013 Outstanding Higher Education Teacher in Science and Mathematics. This award will be presented during the annual Oregon Science Teachers Association conference on Friday, October 10, at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel (1919 NE 181st, Portland, OR 97230).
For more information contact the environmental science department at 8342 or inanb@up.edu.
The Beacon, the University of Portland’s weekly student-produced newspaper, is a finalist for the national College Media Association’s Pinnacle Award for Weekly College Newspaper of the Year. Newspapers from Vanderbilt University, DePaul University, and Texas Woman’s University are also finalists for the national award. The Pinnacle Awards honor the best college media organizations and student individual work. The winners will be honored at the National College Media Convention in Philadelphia Oct. 29 – Nov. 2. For more information contact Nancy Copic, student activities, at 7470 or copic@up.edu.