UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

09-17-2018

Music at Midweek: Rebecca Hays, Susan McDaniel

This week’s Music at Midweek performance features Rebecca Hays, soprano, accompanied by Susan McDaniel, performing and fine arts, on piano on Wednesday, September 26, at 12:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. The performance is free and open to all.

Hays is an award-winning opera singer who has received the prestigious Gerda Lissner Foundation Award twice. She has performed around the world in Europe and venues across the United States. She is a member of the faculty at Texas Tech University, and her repertoire includes “Carmen,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” “The Magic Flute,” “La Bohème,” and many others.

Susan McDaniel has appeared widely as a soloist and chamber musician, including recitals in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. She has been the resident pianist on All Classical’s Thursdays@Three live radio broadcast, a member of the music staff at Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, and Utah Festival Opera, and has worked as music director and pianist for the San Diego Opera Ensemble, Off-Center Opera (Seattle), and Puget Sound Concert Opera. She teaches and accompanies at the University of Portland and Linfield College.

For more information contact performing and fine arts at x7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Elsie Franz Finley Memorial Service, Sept. 18

Businesswoman and philanthropist Elsie Franz Finley, sister of the late Robert “Bob” Franz, passed away on August 14 at the age of 97. There will be a Memorial Mass for her on Tuesday, September 18, at 2:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. A reception will follow in the Bauccio Commons Boardroom. University president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., will be the presider and Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., president emeritus, will be the homilist.

Elsie, a lifelong resident of Portland and Vancouver, Washington, was preceded in death by her husband Don Finley, her brother Bob, and by her parents Joseph Franz and Elizabeth Streib Franz.

“Elsie was a very humble woman, but one whose generosity over her lifetime has left a lasting legacy for the University of Portland community,” said Fr. Poorman. “She was a dear friend and we will deeply miss her.”

Elsie grew up in the Laurelhurst neighborhood and later moved to Milwaukie. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in business administration, she went to work for the family-owned First State Bank of Milwaukie alongside her brother, Bob Franz, and her husband, Don Finley. In 1982 Pacific Western Bank merged its subsidiary banks to form PacWest Bancorp and a merger with KeyCorp followed in the mid 1980s.

As generous contributors, Elsie and her brother Bob had an enormous impact throughout Oregon and Washington, especially at the University of Portland and Providence Health & Services. A Life Regent of the University, she is remembered as a quietly dedicated philanthropist whose focus on Catholic causes left an indelible legacy on our campus and in the City of Portland.

In 1995, Elsie and Bob gave a gift that enabled Franz Hall to be built, which transformed academics at the University of Portland. They later established the Franz Chair in Entrepreneurship and the Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Their intent, as Bob said, was to help make the University “one of the major educational institutions on the West Coast. In order to do that, somebody had to step forward.”

Most recently, Elsie Franz Finley’s generosity furthered the support her brother’s estate had established for the Franz Campus and enabled the School of Nursing to make much-needed renovations to its lab and simulation spaces.

Our prayers and condolences to Elsie’s family and friends and many admirers.

Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi To Be Honored by UN, Sept. 22: Come Watch!

Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi, political science, will join a group of more than 40 United Nations Global Fellows from 33 countries who are being featured at a Global Summit at the UN and recognized for their work in their communities on Saturday, September 22. Golesorkhi will be attending the event at the UN that day, but her colleague Anne Santiago, political science, will oversee a livestream for students, faculty, and staff to watch that day from 9 t0 11 a.m. in Franz Hall room 120. All are welcome to attend and learn more about Golesorkhi’s work helping Muslim women refugees in Europe.

In 2016 Golesorkhi founded a non-profit in her native Germany to help refugee Muslim women enter the workforce and to fight discrimination by potential employers. The questions about whether women can wear hijabs or other types of veils has been a contentious one in Germany. Golesorkhi’s NGO, which is all-volunteer operated, educates women refugees in basic job search skills, from creating a resume to job interview skills. They also do workshops on diversity for employers and awareness campaigns for the general public.

For more information contact Santiago at santiago@up.edu.

Constitution Day Presentation, Sept. 17

William Curtis and Gary Malecha, political science, will present the 2018 Constitution Day Lecture, “Supreme Court Nominations in a New Political Order,” on Monday, September 17, at 7 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. The lecture is free and open to all.

For more information contact political science at x7274 or mackinno@up.edu.

 

Banner 9 Transitioning on October 1

Information services will fully transition to Banner 9 effective Monday October 1.  Access to Banner INB will be turned off on that date. Those who use Banner are encouraged to start using Banner 9 as soon as possible so that any potential issues can be discovered and dealt with prior to the end of September. Please note, access to Self Serve Banner (SSB) for grades, timesheets, etc. will not be impacted by this change.

Many departments have already forged ahead with Banner 9, with 86 percent of all Banner pages accessed in the last three weeks being Banner 9 pages. During that time, the following departments have used Banner 9 almost exclusively:

  • Development
  • Financial Aid
  • Graduate School
  • Moreau Center
  • Registrar
  • Residence Life
  • Student Accounts

You can access Banner 9 in via PilotsUP or My Apps (http://myapps.up.edu)

Please contact Lisel Stancil, information services, at stancil@up.edu for additional support or training for making this transition.

Don’t Miss the First Thirst Friday of the Year, Sept. 21

Come toast the start of the year with campus neighbors at the Garaventa Center, Franz 330, on Friday, September 21, from 4-6 p.m. Expect lively conversation, tasty treats and beverages for all palates, and plenty of “orange food” – the first theme in this year’s eclectic tasting menu! (Think Cheetos, Tang, Circus Peanuts, need we say more?) Come for 10 minutes or stay until last call, and extra credit if you bring along someone new to the UP community. Questions? Contact Karen Eifler at eifler@up.edu.

UP Makes US News Top 10 for 24th Consecutive Year

For the 24th consecutive year, the University of Portland has received a top-ten ranking by U.S. News & World Report, according to its 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. The University is 6th out of 127 institutions listed in the “Regional Universities – West” classification. The full rankings can be seen on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges website.

The University was also ranked 3rd in the “Regional Universities – West” classification for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.”

Among notable measures in the U.S. News methodology was the University’s remarkable 90% first-year retention rate and an annual graduation rate of 82%.

In addition, the University’s Shiley School of Engineering’s reputation for excellence continues to rise. This year the Shiley School was ranked 26th nationally, three spots higher than a year ago, among engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s.

Announcing Monthly(ish) Joy of Teaching Lunches

If you’ve taught for more than eleven minutes, according to Heather Dillon, engineering, you know that teaching is not for the faint of heart. It is important for professors to rekindle their flames from time to time, and to share the ups, downs, joys, and puzzles of their shared mission. A small grant from Collegium has allowed UP to host catered discussion lunches over the course of the fall term which will allow faculty to touch base colleagues from across campus about all the contradictions they confront when they walk into their classrooms. The hoped-for outcome is simply a booster shot of commitment to their shared vocation of teaching.

The first Joy of Teaching lunch will take place on Tuesday, September 18, at noon. Seating is limited, so to participate in any or all Joy of Teaching lunches, contact Dillon at dillon@up.edu.

 

TLC From The TLC: “Why English?”

Why do all UP students take an English course, regardless of their professional aims? This week on the Teaching & Learning Blog, English chair Lars Erik Larson details how ENG 112 works within UP’s Core program. This is the second essay in Core Matters, a year-long series started by Andrew Guest that offer a discipline-by-discipline explanation of our University’s existing core curriculum.

2018 Red Mass, Sept. 19

The Garaventa Center invites all faculty and staff to this year’s Red Mass, which invokes the gifts of the Spirit upon those entrusted with the law in our nation, on Wednesday, September 19, at 5:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The Mass is also open to the public. Archbishop Alexander K. Sample will be the principal celebrant and Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., will offer the homily.

What is the Red Mass? The annual Red Mass invokes gifts of the Holy Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel and fortitude – upon the members of the legal profession to aid them in carrying out their profound responsibility to administer justice with mercy. The Mass takes its name from the red vestments worn by the clergy, representing the tongues of fire associated with the Holy Spirit, and from the scarlet robes that were traditionally worn by judges. The first documented Red Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Paris in the year 1245.

For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or x7702.