News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
The Diversity and Inclusion Programs will team with Portland Magazine to bring New York Times writer and UP alumnus Walter Thompson-Hernández to campus through a virtual presentation on Thursday, October 8, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The event will consist of an hour-long presentation, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session. The talk will be free and open to faculty, staff, students, and the public. Members of the public can register using this link.
The Beauchamp Center reopened to faculty and staff on Friday, October 2, according to Brian Dezzani, recreational services. Hours will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Social distancing and mask protocols will be in place. No guests are allowed. Towels and showers will not be available.
Waivers are required for all users using this link. Reservations can be made for the weight room and climbing center using this link.
For more information contact recreational services at 503-943-7177 or dezzani@up.edu.
Online registration for The Making of a T1 University (Take II) is still open, according to Stephanie Salomone, mathematics. On Saturday, October 31 from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Pacific Time, we welcome you to join faculty and administrators to share your personal innovations in student-centered teaching. Topics will include evidence-based instructional practices, formative assessment, teaching with technology, equity and diversity, and creativity and cognitive demand. You can contribute to concurrent sessions that will be 10, 20, or 40 minutes long.
The conference is free and virtual via Zoom. Registration closes on October 9.
Questions? Email Salomone (salomone@up.edu) or Tara Prestholdt (holdt@up.edu). Also see more information at this link.
Your teaching matters. Make it matter more.
On Friday, October 2, from 3:15-4:30 p.m., the Health and Counseling Center is offering a QPR suicide prevention workshop to navigate ways to help others in crisis during these challenging times of remote instruction and advising. Whether you have already been a part of the Academic Mental Health Network (AMHN) or hope to become a new member, please click this hyperlink to fill out a very brief survey to indicate your interest in joining the AMHN this school year and/or to sign up for a QPR training. If you have any questions, please email amhn@up.edu.
Faculty and staff who would like to use the University’s tuition exchange benefit (TES or CCCTE) for dependent children for the fall 2021 semester need to visit the HR website and fill out a request for approval, according to Jason McDonald, Dean of Admissions. The deadline is December 1.
For more information contact Jason at x7751 or mcdonaja@up.edu.
The Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion (with diversity and inclusion programs) will offer free DEI workshops and trainings for students (Racial Healing, Identity/Bias, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, etc.) this semester. To sign up and see what will be offered please use this link. While many of the workshops are currently open only to QTBIPOC student leaders and student workers, any QTBIPOC student is invited to attend Resiliency and Restoration: Collectively Healing from Our Racialized Experiences and can RSVP via Engage.
For more information contact Rebecca Seibert, International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion, at x7838 or seibert@up.edu.
The University of Portland is now ranked second out of 127 institutions listed in the “Regional Universities – West” classification according to U.S. News & World Report magazine. The University also placed second in the 2020 rankings – its highest ranking to date. In the 2018 and 2019 rankings, the University placed sixth in the same “Regional Universities – West” category. This ranking marks the 26th consecutive year the University has received a Top 10 ranking. The full rankings can be seen on the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges website.
Among notable measures in the U.S. News & World Report methodology is the University’s 90% average first-year-to-second-year retention rate for the past several years and six-year graduation rates of 82% and 84% for the last two student cohorts. 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 33rd nationally among engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s.
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.
For anyone who missed last week’s Zahm Lecture, or would like to see it again or share with their classes, the video is available at this link. Gintaras Duda of Creighton University offered a tour de force of art, Star Trek, theology, and particle physics in his talk entitled “From The Big Bang to The Saint John’s Bible: The Role of Astonishment in a Scientist’s Journey to Integrate Faith and Reason.”
For more information contact the Garaventa Center at garaventa@up.edu.
The Volunteer Tax Assistance Program sponsored by MFS/CashOregon (https://cashoregon.org/) provides UP students the opportunity to give back to their community consistent with the UP mission to “pursue teaching and learning, faith and formation, service and leadership in the classroom, residence halls, and the world.”
Students volunteer at Cash Oregon, local organizer of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) & Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs. VITA and TCE are IRS-sponsored programs that provide free filing assistance in underserved communities for low-to-moderate income families, the elderly, the disabled, and those who speak very little English.
All UP students as well as faculty and staff are welcome to train to become volunteers. Next week Cash Oregon will be coming to speak at a virtual meeting of UP’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (International Honor Society for Accounting, Finance, and Information System Students). We would like to extend an invitation to the entire UP community to learn more about this service opportunity during the information session on Tuesday, September 22, at 6 p.m. using this link.
Last year we had 24 student volunteers. Participants commit to volunteering 4 hours a week. For additional information, please contact Teri Grimmer, Pamplin School of Business, at grimmer@up.edu.
Each year on September 15, the Holy Cross US Province of Priests and Brothers names recipients of the Spirit of Holy Cross Award. UP’s own Brenda Greiner was among the eleven people named for this award this year. The Spirit of Holy Cross Award acknowledges the critical importance lay collaborators play in living out the vision and mission of Holy Cross founder Blessed Basil Moreau to make God known, loved, and served through education, parish and mission settings. The annual announcement of the recipients of this award happens on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows – the patronal feast day for all members of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The press release naming Brenda as an award recipient noted: “Woven through all that she has done is Brenda’s willingness to bring her wit, intensity and care to bear on helping students engage fully the opportunities that UP presents, and helping them to navigate the many challenges that come up along the way. Brenda cares deeply for the good of the students and the whole of the UP community and in this has become a key contributor to the mission of the University of Portland.”
Please congratulate Brenda on her most well-deserved award!