UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

11-13-2017

Save The Date for Staff Holiday Luncheon: Dec. 18

Please mark your calendars for the annual Staff Christmas Luncheon, which will be held on Monday, December 18. The social opens at 11:30 a.m., seating starts at 12:15 p.m., and the formal program begins at 12:45 p.m. This year’s luncheon will be held in the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center.
All staff members are invited to connect with old friends and new, enjoy a delicious holiday buffet, enter for a chance to win prizes, and celebrate achievements of coworkers. This year there will be a slideshow during the event with photos of departments and staff. Please send any favorite photos to santa@up.edu. Christmas-themed photos are especially welcome.
For more information contact HR at santa@up.edu.

Columbia Sportswear Employee Store Offer: Nov. 3-26

All University employees are invited to shop at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store from November 3 to November 26. Each employee can bring four guests to shop and can use the invitation multiple times during the date range listed above. The invitation can be found at this link.

The store features employee pricing, and discounts can vary. Items include all brands in the Columbia Sportswear family, such as Columbia Sportswear, SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, and prAna. Bring the invitation with you to the store reception desk, or show to the receptionist on your mobile phone. UP employee ID is required as well. The invitation is non-transferable, but UP employees can bring up to four family and friends per visit. Online access is not available, but there is no limit to the number of times UP employee may visit the store.

The store is located at 14100 NW Science Park Drive, Portland OR 97229, phone number 503.985.4125, and store hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Holiday hours start on November 6 and are listed on the invitation.  

Pamplin School MBA Named to “Princeton Review’s Best” List

The Pamplin School of Business’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has been named to the Princeton Review’s list of Best Business Schools 2018. One of 267 on-campus MBA programs included nationally, the Pamplin School was selected based on academic excellence and additional institutional data. The Pamplin School of Business was also one of four Oregon university business schools named to the Princeton Review’s list of Best Business Schools (West) 2018. Full rankings are available online.

Student-Athletes Shine in Latest NCAA Graduation Success Rates

University of Portland posted a combined 97 percent student-athlete graduation success rate (GSR) in the latest data released by the NCAA, the highest rate in program history. The GSR and federal graduation rate (FGR) report was publicly released for student-athletes who entered college in 2010 among all Division I institutions as part of the annual NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program.

Portland’s baseball, men’s cross country and track, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track, women’s soccer, and volleyball programs each posted perfect scores, while three of Portland’s remaining four sports reported scores that were higher than the national average.

The 2010-11 Federal Graduation Rate for Pilot student-athletes matched that of the University’s general student body of 82 percent. The Graduation Success Rate measures graduation rates for the most recent six-year graduating class of students and student-athletes who entered as freshmen in 2010-11.

The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative as a better measure of student-athlete academic success. The rate holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the Federal Graduation Rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.

For more information contact athletics at x7117 or go to www.portlandpilots.com.

Open Enrollment Ends Friday, Nov. 17

The Open Enrollment period for UP benefited employees ends this Friday, November 17, at 4:30 p.m. All benefited employees are required to confirm or change their healthcare benefits before the Open Enrollment period closes. Remember, to continue with a Flex Spending Account or Share the Savings, you will need to submit a new enrollment form. Details regarding Open Enrollment and links to forms can be found on the benefits section of the HR website.

Please contact benefits@up.edu with questions or contact Laura Barnard, human resources, directly at x8752.

Reading By Leni Zumas, Nov. 15

Author Leni Zumas will read from her work on Wednesday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m., in the Pilot House bookstore. Zumas is the author of the story collection Farewell Navigator and the novel The Listeners, which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. She teaches in the MFA program at Portland State University. Her forthcoming novel, Red Clocks, was selected for Publishers Weekly’s “Top 10 Literary Fiction” list and has been described by Maggie Nelson as “funny, mordant, political, poetic, alarming, and inspiring—not to mention a way forward for fiction now.”

For details follow this link to the English department’s list of readers or contact Lars Larson, English, at larson@up.edu. Please note: Leni Zumas is substituting for the previously scheduled Carmen Maria Machado.

 

Brown Bag Session on Student Mental Health, Nov. 15

How would you respond to a student who told you during an office hours visit that they were feeling suicidal? What would you do if you noticed major changes in a student’s demeanor in class, but they didn’t seem inclined to talk to you, even when prompted? UP faculty want to have the knowledge and skills to navigate these troubling waters and also understand their own limits. The Teaching and Learning Collaborative invites you to a brown bag session on Wednesday, November 15, 11:25-12:20 p.m., in Buckley Center room 215. Facilitators Andrew Guest, psychological sciences, and Eliot Altschul, Health & Counseling Center, will walk participants through vignettes such as these, illuminate how support services on campus for mental wellness have expanded in the past year, and field questions related to faculty members’ roles in student mental health. We hope this type of brown bag conversation will recur, so suggestions for future sessions will be solicited.

“Experiencing India: A Film Introduction,” Nov. 14

Molly Hiro and Lars Larson, English, will present “Experiencing India: A Film Introduction” on Tuesday, November 14, at 4:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 102. The presentation begins with a brief overview of their experiences while teaching abroad as Fulbright scholars, along with a quick introduction to some facts about the nation of India. The 30-minute kaleidoscopic film gives viewers an impressionistic sense of sights, sounds, music, and experiences of living abroad in that country. The presentation is free and open to all.

Core Curriculum Panels: Nov. 15, 28

Faculty and staff are invited to attend our final two panels focused on the skills, values, and content of an excellent undergraduate education. The next panel includes a discussion with public sector leaders this Wednesday, November 15, 6:30-8 p.m. The final panel, with University leaders from across the country, will be on Tuesday, November 28, 6:30-8 p.m. Please RSVP here for any and all of the panels.

For more information, please call Lauretta Frederking at x7848 or email frederki@up.edu.

Truman Scholarship Nominees Needed

Faculty are requested to nominate students for Truman Scholarships. The awards, up to $30,000 for graduate school, provide scholarships to current juniors who plan to pursue a career in public service (academia, government, military, or nonprofit service). The awards are based on merit and are made to students who have a track record of working to impact social change. An understanding of how the student leads others is an important criterion in the evaluation process.

An institutional endorsement is required for students to apply for this award and nominations are due as soon as possible. To submit a nomination or for more information contact the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement at scholars@up.edu.