UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

05-20-2013

New “University Report” Tool

UPrept-1A new online portal designed for faculty use in recording their scholarly activity was launched on Monday, May 20, according to John Orr, assistant to the provost. The goal of the tool is to provide members of the University community with one site that can be used to record and save their scholarly activity during the year. The data captured there will be used to populate the new and improved Provost’s University of Portland Report, which will now be published at the beginning of the fall semester.

Faculty should start loading scholarly activity for the past academic year as soon as possible in order to see their information appear in the fall report. Data will be sent to the marketing and communications office on Saturday, June 15, so please load materials before then.

Faculty members will find their personal, secure access to the portal on PilotsUP (https://pilots.up.edu) under the “Academic” tab. Hover over the Academic tab with your mouse and then click on “Scholarly Activity.” Instructions on how to use the portal appear in the left side bar. For assistance contact Orr at orr@up.edu or 7857, or Michele Leasor at leasor@up.edu or 7857.

TIAA-CREF Counseling Sessions

University employees have a new TIAA CREF investment counselor, Yasemin Under, and there will be an increased number of dates and times for individual financial counseling sessions on campus. The summer 2013 dates will be Tuesday, June 4, Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6. To see available times and sign up, go to the HR website (http://www.up.edu/hr/) or go to www.tiaa-cref.org/ScheduleNow, or call TIAA CREF at 866-928-4221 (press 0) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointment times are going quickly. Be sure to sign-up today. For more information contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.

$250,000 Renda Gift For RISE

The University of Portland has announced a RISE Campaign gift of $250,000 from Larree M. Renda, an executive with Safeway Inc., based in Pleasanton, Calif., and a member of the University’s board of regents. The gift will help finance improvements of Joe Etzel Field, formerly Pilot Stadium, which was completed prior to the 1988 baseball season. The stadium was renamed in the summer of 2004 in honor of former Pilots athletic director and long-time head baseball coach Joe Etzel.

The first phase of the baseball stadium upgrades include installing artificial turf, in place of the natural grass field, stadium lights and outfield/perimeter fencing, according to athletic director Scott Leykam. Fundraising is continuing with the goal of completing the first phase immediately after the conclusion of the 2014 baseball season. Following the initial renovations, a second phase is being developed which will include new grandstands, improved concession and ticketing facilities and coaches offices.

As executive vice president for Safeway, Renda is responsible for all retail strategies and a broad range of administrative functions for one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. She began her Safeway career in 1974 at the age of 16. She progressed through Safeway’s retail ranks and earned the distinction of being the youngest store manager, district manager and retail operations manager in Safeway’s 86-year history. She was the first woman and youngest person promoted to senior vice president in 1994, and become Safeway’s first female executive vice president in 1999. Her son, Tommy Renda, graduated from the University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and earned an MBA at UP in 2013.

For more information contact the development office at 7395, or go to the RISE Campaign website at http://rise.up.edu.

Fiesta Fun For Faculty, Staff

reunion2012Faculty and staff members are encouraged to join the hundreds of alumni who return to campus to participate in the annual Alumni Reunion. Special faculty and staff RSVP cards are being sent via campus mail, and those who would like to attend are asked to fill out the card and return it to the alumni office by Friday, June 21.Reunion will take place on campus June 27-30.

Reunion is the largest alumni event of the year, annually drawing over a thousand alumni, faculty, staff, and friends to campus for a weekend of reconnection and reminiscing. This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the School of Education, as well as the milestone classes of 1963 and 1988. With more than 40 events spread over four days, there are a wide range of activities for everyone. The School of Education 50th Anniversary Gala dinner kicks off the weekend’s festivities on Thursday night, followed by Friday’s National Alumni Board Golf Tournament, a bus tour along the Hood River Fruit Loop, the Purple Flamingo Happy Hour reception, and the Late Night Talent Pub. Saturday features the Old Stomping Grounds 5K run, the 50 Year Club Mass and Lunch, a Men’s Basketball Alumni game, Saturday Academy classes for school-age kids, a bike tour of North Portland, a story session with Brian Doyle, receptions for the classes observing quinquennial anniversaries, and the signature event of the weekend, the Fiesta Forever Dinner and Dance. The weekend concludes on Sunday with the All-Alumni Mass and Brunch. For more information contact the alumni office at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.

2013 Faculty Awards

The University’s 2013 Faculty Awards were presented on Tuesday, May 7, at the Faculty Awards Dinner, with the following results:

The James Culligan Award, established in 1953 in memory of a dedicated servant of the University and presented annually to a faculty member in recognition of distinguished service, was presented to John Orr, English, who also serves as assistant to the provost, and director of honors and fellowships and grants. Winners of the Culligan Award wear the medal with their academic regalia, as a sign of the University’s highest faculty honor.

The Deans’ Award for Faculty Leadership, presented annually to a tenured faculty member who exemplifies, in an extraordinary way, the qualities of teaching and scholarship described in the University’s Articles of Administration for appointment, advancement in rank, and tenure, was presented to the effervescent, exuberant, and ebullient Kate Regan, Spanish professor extraordinaire with the international languages and cultures department.

The Outstanding Teaching Award, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who is a particular exemplar of the University’s commitment to superb teaching, was presented to Lars Erik Larson of the English department.

The Outstanding Scholarship Award, presented annually by the University’s Committee on Teaching and Scholarship to a faculty member who presents unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship during the past two academic years, and whose work substantively enhances the effectiveness of his or her classroom teaching, was presented to the incomparable team of Steve Kolmes, biology and environmental science, and Russell Butkus, theology.

For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or robb@up.edu.

Howard Vollum’s 100th Birthday Celebration

vollum_howard_1The Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering will celebrate the 100th birthday of Charles Howard Vollum, co-founder of Tektronix, on Friday, May 31, from 3 to 5 p.m., in Shiley Hall, according to Aziz Inan, engineering. The celebration will include an invocation by Rev. David Sherrer, C.S.C., welcoming remarks by engineering dean Sharon Jones, a biography by Aziz Inan, presentations by former Tektronix employees and Vollum’s sons, Don and James Vollum, and the unveiling of an extremely rare, vintage Tektronix 511 Oscilliscope found recently in storage in Shiley Hall. All faculty and staff are invited; please RSVP to Jamie Strohecker, engineering, at 7292 or stroheck@up.edu by Tuesday, May 28.

Beacon Awards Keep Rolling In

The University’s student-run weekly newspaper, The Beacon, won 27 awards—including first place for General Excellence— at the statewide collegiate awards ceremony of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association on May 11, according to Nancy Copic, student activities. The citation for first place reads: “The Beacon is an excellent student newspaper. It has a strong mix of stories and columns, extraordinarily good design, and a quality of journalism that is very high. One issue covered thoroughly a campus discussion of the university’s nondiscrimination policy and did so ably. Even though the paper’s position was clear, it was not a rant. In fact, it was professionally handled. Students are shown everywhere in the paper, as a good student newspaper should. There is clearly no fear in taking on issues that could be controversial on campus. The Beacon is impressive.”

For more information contact Copic at 7470 or copic@up.edu.

An Open Invitation

University president Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., invites the University community to nominate candidates for the University’s annual presentation of honorary doctorates. Such men and women have in a remarkable way encapsulated the three central tenets of the University’s mission— teaching, faith, and service— and are notable in their professions and/or communities for dedication, commitment, creativity, service, and the manner in which they have turned their talents to the common good. Notes of nomination should be sent to John Soisson, special assistant to the president, at soisson@up.edu, or Tom Greene, provost, at greene@up.edu, by the end of June. Names should be accompanied by a short explanation of the candidate’s life and work.

Time For A Workout?

Here’s a quick test, courtesy of Brian Dezzani, recreational services: Do you remember your locker combination? If not, you should probably visit Howard Hall for a workout. Summer hours have been expanded from the initial announcement and Howard Hall will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, at least through June 30. Howard Hall is closed on weekends over the summer. For more information or motivation contact recreational services at 8755 or visit http://www.up.edu/recservices.

Library Instruction For Summer

Librarians are here on campus during the summer and can work with faculty to tailor library instruction sessions for their students’ research needs. Classes meet in the library classroom (Franz 330), which have laptops that students can use to gain hands-on experience. For classes larger than 30, library staff will reserve other computer classrooms on campus. To schedule instruction, contact Stephanie Michel at 7418 or michel@up.edu.