UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

09-28-2015

Parents Night Out, This Friday

sallyARGHUniversity parents are invited to take the opportunity to enjoy four hours of free time with their significant others while the UP onsite daycare watches their children on Parents Night Out, Friday, February 5, from 6-10 p.m. This service is provided by Vermont Hills Family Life Center daycare/preschool. The cost is $30 for one child or $40 for two kids or more, and includes dinner for the little ones.

Parents Night Out takes place during the academic year on the first Friday of each month. For more information or to sign your kids up, contact Cala Richman, director, at (503) 283-9688 or calar@vhflc.com.

UP Wellness: Emotional Intelligence, Oct. 7

hennessyThe human resources office will sponsor a workshop titled “Emotional Intelligence,” by Mary Hennessy of Cascade Centers, on Wednesday, October 7, from noon to 1 p.m., in the Clark Library conference room (no. 222). Hennessy’s talk is part of the HR office’s UP Wellness Events program. Hennessy’s one-hour workshop will define emotional intelligence, and discuss its importance in the workplace. Emotional competence will be explored, and participants will be provided a survey to examine their current level of emotional intelligence as well as resources for further information.

For more information contact HR at 8981 or hr@up.edu.

Pre-Play Panel and Reception For “The Clean House,” Oct. 10

Grapes-wine-cheese-b.jpgAll ticketholders for the Saturday, October 10 performance of “The Clean House” are invited to enjoy a wine and cheese reception and pre-play panel, compliments of the Garaventa Center. Doors for the reception in Mago Hunt lobby open at 6:30 p.m., and at 6:45, a panel of three UP faculty members will take the recital hall stage, each getting exactly 8 minutes to illuminate a particular dimension of the play, enhancing the audience’s experience of the 7:30 p.m. show.

For more information, contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu. For tickets to the play, contact the Mago Hunt box office at 7287.

UP Theater Program Presents “The Clean House,” Oct. 7-11

comedydramaThe performing and fine arts department’s theater program will present its fall mainstage production, “The Clean House” by Sarah Ruhl, from October 7-11, at 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. Sunday), in Mago Hunt Center recital hall.

While in search of the funniest joke in the world, Matilde the housekeeper (who hates to clean) hatches a deal with her employer’s sister (who loves to clean) for an arrangement too good to last in this poignant comedy that considers what’s really important in life.

For tickets, contact the Hunt Center box office at 7287. For more information, contact performing and fine arts at 7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Major Dundon-Berchtold Gift Announced

dundonberchtolds

University of Portland president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., announced a $15 million commitment from board of regents member Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold ’63. The donation will fund the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Formation and Applied Ethics and serve as a lead gift towards the construction of a new academic center which will be the future home of the Dundon-Berchtold Institute and be named Dundon-Berchtold Hall.

Dundon-Berchtold Hall, as the new academic center, will also house classrooms, faculty offices, selected key programs, and a gathering space. The University will now be seeking additional gifts to complete the academic building, expected to cost $30 million.

In recent years the Dundon-Berchtolds made a commitment to create an endowment to fund the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Development and Applied Ethics. The initiative includes the Character Project, an ethics class where students engage in guided discussions as to how personal value systems and beliefs can influence moral character; the Dundon-Berchtold Applied Ethics Program, which pair students with faculty to conduct research projects related to professional and applied ethics in a variety of academic disciplines; and bringing renowned speakers to campus, including Meg Jay and David Brooks.

For more information contact the development office at hanna@up.edu.

University Launches New Promotional Campaign

BellTower1WEB copyThe University of Portland is launching a new set of promotional television spots, with a goal of raising awareness of the University and its mission. Continuing the “Rise” theme from the University’s first-ever promotional campaign in 2010, the spots highlight UP’s excellence in academics; its programs that support leadership, innovation, and ethics; and its commitment – guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross – to educating the hearts, the hands and the mind.

The spots were created by the University’s small in-house team and will be aired locally on KGW, regionally on select NBC programming, and nationally on Portland Pilot athletics broadcasts. They will also be shared on the University’s popular social media outlets so they are available worldwide for all current and former Pilots as well as prospective students and their families.

See the new UP promotional spots at http://tinyurl.com/oj5obg6 and http://tinyurl.com/ngpnwd5.

For more information contact the marketing and communications office at 7202 or mktg@up.edu.

Music At Midweek, Sept. 30

neumans copyThe next Music at Midweek performance will feature early music specialists Phil and Gayle Neuman, who will provide a lecture-demonstration on renaissance music and instruments, on Wednesday, September 30, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., in Hunt Center recital hall. The event is free and open to all. The Neumans combine expertise in music history and performance with their many years of instrument building experience. They have performed at the Smithsonian Institution, The Getty Center, Cleveland Museum of Art, Rice University, Amman Conservatory in Jordan, and more.

For more information contact performing and fine arts at 7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Michael McGregor Reading, Oct. 6

WebMichael_McGregorMichael McGregor, a professor English and creative writing at Portland State University, will read from his new book, Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax, in a free reading on Tuesday, October 6, in the Pilot House bookstore. Faculty, staff, students, and the public are welcome.

McGregor’s book unfolds the life of Robert Lax, a poet and close friend of Thomas Merton, as well as his own spiritual awakening. A minimalist poet who embraced simplicity, humility, and the idea of life as a pure act, Robert Lax influenced the work and lives of Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac, William Maxwell, and many other writers, artists, and ordinary people.

In his new biography, McGregor tells the story of Lax’s inspiring life—from his early career as a promising New York writer to his adventures traveling with the circus and living among immigrants in post-war Marseilles, his wide-reaching exploration of spirituality and philosophy, and his lifelong pursuit of peace, joy, and love in their purest forms.

The reading is sponsored by the Garaventa Center and the English department. For more information, contact Sarah Nuxoll, Garaventa Center, at nuxolls@up.edu or 7702.

UP Authors’ Reception, Oct. 15

Homer copyThe Clark Library invites faculty and staff to the Seventh Annual UP Authors’ Reception this Thursday, October 15, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., on the library’s upper floor. The UP Authors’ Reception is a celebration of works published by 100 faculty and staff authors in the previous year. Drop by the reception to mingle with colleagues, see their publications, and enjoy refreshments.

For more information contact Diane Romero at 7775 or romero@up.edu.

A Successful Launch for UP Switchboard

operator copySince its launch in late July, the alumni office’s UP Switchboard has grown to over 650 users, which is a record launch, according to Switchboard founder Mara Zepeda. UP Switchboard is an online networking platform where University of Portland students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents can go to offer what they have and ask for what they need. More information about Switchboard and the alumni office’s decision to partner with the Portland-based startup is available at switchboardhq.com/blog/up. Sign up for UP Switchboard at up.edu/Switchboard.