UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Provost's Office

Rank and Tenure: 2021 Tenure, Promotions

The provost’s office has announced the following promotions and grants of tenure, effective July 1, 2021:

  • SimonMary Aihiokhai, theology: Tenure, Promotion
  • Nicole E. Auxier, nursing: Tenure, Promotion
  • Louisa Egan Brad, psychology: Tenure, Promotion
  • Lizhong Hao, accounting: Tenure, Promotion
  • David Turnbloom, theology: Tenure, Promotion
  • Joshua Swidzinski, English: Tenure, Promotion
  • Cara J. Poor, civil engineering: Tenure, Promotion
  • Rev. Daniel J. Parrish, C.S.C., business: Tenure, Promotion
  • Patricia McShane, philosophy: Tenure, Promotion
  • Rachel Hutcheson, chemistry: Tenure, Promotion

Spring 2021 Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research Recipients: Summer Applications Due Feb. 15

Herbert MedinaThe Office of the Provost is pleased to announce recipients of the Spring 2021 Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research awards. These faculty members have been selected to collaborate with and mentor an undergraduate on a co-designed research experience during the 2021 spring semester:

  • Sherry Abbasi, engineering: “Brain imaging and psychological self-assessment correlation in PTSD patients” with Erik Liu
  • Andra Davis, nursing: “Integration of oncology nurse-led telephone support for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy using evidence-based symptom guides into clinical practice” with Cassandra Padgham and Dasha Efremov
  • Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi, political science: “Refugee Women’s Livelihoods in a Global Pandemic” with Trevor Riedmann
  • Cara Hersh, English: “No Curtains in Atonement: Early Modern Drama and the Postmodern Novel” with Siena Di Sera
  • Andrew Lafrenz, nursing: “The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental and Physical Health in College Students” with Brylee Kiminski
  • Jordy Wolfand, engineering: “Using machine learning to uncover patterns in water quality in the Los Angeles River Watershed” with Anna Tinoco

A reminder to faculty: applications for Summer 2021 Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research awards are available now in the Undergraduate Research section of PilotsUP. Applications for Summer 2021 are due February 15, 2021.

Undergraduate Research Awards: Applications Due Feb. 5

The Provost’s Office and the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement would like to remind people that self-nominations for the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award and Outstanding Graduating Senior in Undergraduate Research Award are accepted and request that faculty members make qualified students aware of this opportunity. Both awards are given on Founders’ Day.

Click on the link(s) below to learn more about the candidate profile for each award. Applications for both are due to ur@up.edu on February 5, 2021. All complete applications will be considered, regardless of whether a formal nomination was submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement office.

 

Seventh Annual ReadUP Book: “How to Be an Antiracist”

On behalf of the ReadUP Committee, please join in UP’s seventh annual ReadUP program. This year’s selection is How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, who will be speaking at a virtual event this spring, as part of this year’s annual Schoenfeldt Writers Series.

How to Be an Antiracist is a New York Times #1 bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, and The Washington Post, among many others. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research. He won a National Book Award in 2016 for his non-fiction book Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.

A limited number of print books will be available for those who are able to pick up the book on campus. More information on how to reserve one of these free copies will be communicated in the coming weeks. Or start reading online now, through the library!

Check back regularly at up.edu/readup for more information regarding upcoming book discussions and other highlights.

 

UP Pandemic Response: Looking Back, Looking Forward

It was not the fall semester that first-year students alongside sophomores, juniors and seniors hoped would happen just a few months ago. The same could also be said of faculty, staff, and even parents of students. But as final exams and a term gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic come to an end, leaders at UP have positive reflections and an optimistic outlook heading into the Christmas holidays and beyond.

The campus has been quiet since last March when the COVID-19 virus first exploded into a wave that sickened millions worldwide, and caused nearly 300,000 deaths in the United States alone. UP faculty and students pivoted to an entirely virtual curriculum; most staff began teleworking; and our beautiful campus emptied of nearly all activity. These challenges, though, triggered a response that University president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., says was inspiring.

“I have deep admiration for how our community members responded when unprecedented difficulties redefined our University’s operations,” said Fr. Mark. “Despite the challenges we faced, a spirit of perseverance, optimism and shared responsibility arose within the UP community.  We focused energy and resources on all that we could accomplish, rather than the obstacles that stood in our way. Our successes are the result of working together and caring for one another. We’ll use all that we’ve learned as we prepare for what we anticipate will be a slightly more normal spring term. I’m deeply grateful to our students, faculty, staff, and families for their flexibility, creativity, and dedication to our University and its mission.”

UP is preparing to welcome more than 900 undergraduate students to its residence halls in late January with a tightly-managed arrival schedule. Classes for the entire enrollment of more than 4,000 students will still be primarily virtual, but some in-person courses taught by dozens of faculty members who volunteered to teach on campus will be offered to first-year students.

Robust COVID-19 prevention efforts are in place, including a campus health awareness campaign, screenings, surveillance testing, and contact tracing.  UP campus operations are reconfigured to meet federal guidelines, and state and local mandates for pandemic safety. Separate residence hall spaces have also been set aside for any isolation or quarantine needs.

“We have a lot of momentum coming out of this successful fall term and that sets the stage for an even more successful – and at the same time more challenging – spring semester.  Our faculty members are embracing this direction, and returning students are excited,” said University provost Herbert Medina. “Certainly, we would have preferred to have a more normal campus experience for all enrolled students regardless of academic classification. But several hundred first-year students will finally get a small taste of what a true collegiate experience is like.”

Many success stories surfaced this fall, especially faculty members who maximized technology and virtual instruction with their own creative ideas.  The lack of mass numbers of students living on campus along with no in-person fall classes recalibrated virtually all administrative and operational roles. But thanks to collaboration among essential and furloughed employees, UP maintained near-optimum daily campus functions, which has proven vital to all planning for next year.

Examples of some of the academic successes include:

  • Eric Anctil, School of Education: Applauded by students for unique ways that he generated a sense of connection and community among students, especially during the adjustments of being separated and trying to learn from remote locations.
  • Jordyn Wolfand, Shiley School of Engineering: Praised by students in an Introduction to Engineering class for creating at-home kits to build simple things and understand basic engineering concepts through hands-on learning.
  • David Turnbloom, theology: Received high marks from theology students for leveraging VoiceThread multimedia technology to engage and gather student reflections and share diverse perspectives.
  • Lora Looney, international languages & cultures: Developed especially effective methods for teaching Spanish courses remotely by sourcing ideas from national Spanish-language organizations to use with a project-based approach to the curriculum.

UP will close administrative operations for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays from December 24 through January 1. Classes for the Spring 2021 term will begin on Monday, January 25.

2021 Commencement Honorees: Nominations Welcome

The University of Portland invites nominations for the 2021 Commencement speaker(s), Christus Magister Medal recipient, and honorary degree recipients. All nominations should be emailed to University Provost Herbert Medina (medinah@up.edu) and Evan Leadem, President’s Office (leadem@up.edu) and should contain the following information:

  • Name of nominee.
  • A paragraph or two answering the following questions:
    • If a nominee for Commencement Speaker: Why would this nominee be an exceptional Commencement Speaker? What sort of message would this nominee deliver to the graduates of the University and their families?
    • If a nominee for Christus Magister Medal: How has this nominee evinced a vigorous spiritual life and an accomplished professional career in service to others? How has this nominee been a source of inspiration and consolation to the world? How has this nominee illustrated and enhanced the mission of the University of Portland?
    • If a nominee for Honorary Degree: How has this nominee contributed to the University’s values of teaching and learning, faith and formation, and service and leadership? What impact has this person had on his/her local community and/or the world? Is this a person that the University would like for its students and faculty to imitate in their own lives?
  • Any contact information for the nominee (if possible).
  • Any connection between the nominee and the University of Portland (if applicable).

For a list of past honorees, please use this link.

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Applications due Sept. 15, 2020

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers hundreds of awards each year to teach, research and conduct professional projects internationally. University faculty members and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, and independent scholars are all eligible to apply. Awards vary in duration from two weeks for the International Education Administrator programs to a year for some research and teaching placements. View the Awards Catalog to determine if there is a good fit for your professional interests.

All eligibility criteria must be met at the time of grant application. Basic eligibility criteria are included below, but specific countries may have additional requirements.

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Two years since the date of completion of a prior Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant
  • Residing outside the U.S. for no more than one year in the six-year period preceding application submission
  • Generally, a Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree is required
  • Foreign language proficiency may be required depending on the country, type of grant activity (teaching or research), and the nature of the proposed project. English is sufficient for teaching activities in many areas of the world.

Contact John Orr, orr@up.edu, if you plan to submit an application this year.

Farewell Birthday Brain Teaser for Provost Emeritus Tom Greene

University of Portland provost emeritus Tom Greene officially retired on June 30, and as a token of his esteem, Aziz Inan, Shiley School of Engineering, put together the following farewell birthday trivia brain teaser to thank him for his leadership and friendship:

  1. Multiply the left and right halves of Tom’s birth year Y1Y2Y3Y4 to obtain the number X. Then, look up the Xth prime number. Next, subtract the Xth prime number from the reverse of Tom’s birth year, namely Y4Y3Y2Y1 and read the result backwards. Surprise!
  2. Further, if Tom’s full birthday M1M2/D1D2/ Y1Y2Y3Y4 is split into M1M2, D1D2, Y1Y2, and Y3Y4, interestingly, half of the sum of M1M2 and D1D2 yields Y1Y2, and twice the difference of M1M2 and D1D2 results in Y3Y4.
  3. Tom’s birthday this year (2020) is numerically special: double the sum of the squares of the month and day numbers of his birthday. What comes out?
  4. The reverse of the difference of the squares of the digits of Tom’s new age this year equals the sum of the letter numbers of his last name, Greene.
  5. Tom’s 75th birthday will be special since the reverse of 75, namely 57, equals the sum of the letter numbers of his middle name, George.
  6. Tom’s 76th birthday will also be special since 76 equals the sum of the letter numbers of Thomas. Additionally, the rightmost two digits of that year equals the difference of the month and day numbers of his birthday.
  7. Tom’s 83rd birthday will be special too since 83 equals the sum of the reverses of the month and day numbers of his birthday, namely (M2M1 + D2D1).
  8. Tom’s 89th birthday will be a five-digit palindrome date. Also, 89 is the 24th prime number (see item # 6).
  9. His 90th birthday will be special too since Y3Y4 = M1M2 + D1D2.
  10. Tom’s 100th birthday expressed as M1M2/D1D2/ Y1Y2Y3Y4 has a special property: Y1Y2Y3Y4 = 2(M1+M2+D1+D2).
  11. Tom’s 153rd birthday in the year Y1Y2Y3Y4 will also be special: Y1Y2Y3Y4 = M1M2D1D2 + D2D1M2M1. Moreover, count the number of days left in the year after Tom’s birthday.
  12. Tom’s 189th birthday will be a seven-digit palindrome date.
  13. Lastly, Tom’s 508th birthday contains every whole number from 0 to 7, each appearing once.

For more information or to commission your own brain teaser, contact Inan at ainan@up.edu.

 

 

 

A Message to the UP Community: Following Up On Town Hall, Committing to Action

The following message was sent via email to the University community on Friday, June 12:

Dear Members of the University of Portland Community,

We hope that this email finds you and your loved ones safe and well.

As UP’s leaders, we write to you today in follow-up to our message of Monday, June 1. In the weeks that have followed the death of George Floyd on a street in Minneapolis, we have listened to the voices of many who have shared their experiences of pain, trauma, and discrimination. We have listened to the voices of people who boldly proclaim that Black Lives Matter amidst a stream of structures and systems that emphatically signal to them that they do not. We have listened to the voices of people in our own UP community – especially the voices of African Americans and other people of color – as they have shared their dismay, anguish, and exhaustion with a lived experience in which their God-given human dignity is denied. We have heard these voices.

Let there be no doubt about where we stand as a Catholic, Holy Cross institution. At the University of Portland, we affirm that Black Lives Matter, we stand in solidarity with our Black community members, and we commit ourselves to the cause of anti-racism. To do anything less would be to shirk our responsibilities and betray our calling as people of faith.

Many in our community rightly demand action. As an institution of higher education, we wield some of the most powerful tools in the fight against racism, discrimination, and bigotry. We believe with deep conviction that true, lasting change comes from teaching, research, service, and formation – endeavors at which UP excels. We also believe with deep conviction that such true, lasting change cannot merely be “top down.” Indeed, it is incumbent upon each one of us, whether we are an administrative leader, a faculty member, a staff member, or a student, to examine our positionality, consider our privilege, take stock of our talents, and leverage them to bring about a more just, peaceful, and compassionate world.

Members of our community rightly ask, “what can we do?” At an institutional level, we invite you to explore this PilotsUP website and the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion website which provide useful resources and address many of the steps that UP has taken, and continues to take, to combat systemic racism. We list representative examples of ongoing initiatives and announce some new initiatives here:

  • We will redouble our efforts to establish a major and minor in Ethnic Studies within three to five years and will resume our national search for an Ethnic Studies faculty member.
  • We will implement training modules on issues of institutional racism and implicit bias that will be mandatory for all students, faculty, and staff.
  • We will strengthen efforts to recruit and retain faculty, staff, and students from underrepresented groups. Such efforts will include the continued implementation of industry best practices when it comes to faculty search committees, outreach to high schools and organizations that serve prospective students from underrepresented backgrounds, and enhancements to on-campus services that promote the well-being and success of community members of color.
  • We will further empower the President’s Advisory Commission on Inclusion to collaborate with the Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion on initiatives, programming, and events that will center the voices and lived experiences of people of color, and support such efforts with increased funding.
  • We will implement the University’s revitalized Core Curriculum beginning in 2021. This new curriculum features two “habits of heart and mind,” Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and the Common Good and Global and Historical Consciousness, that have a clear nexus to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding. We commit to issuing additional grants for innovative course development within these habits.
  • We will place renewed focus on scholarship programs that widen access to UP among underrepresented groups, such as the Davis Scholars, SHE-CAN, and the various scholarships established by UP community members.
  • We will use the coming year’s ReadUP program as a platform for all students, faculty, and staff to read and discuss a literary work that addresses issues of racism.
  • We will continue to invest in and promote existing University organizations that promote inter-cultural awareness, engagement, and empathy, such as the Collaborative for International Studies & Global Outreach (CISGO).
  • We commit to strengthening the University’s relationships with community organizations at the vanguard of advocacy for historically marginalized populations, such as the NAACP, Urban League, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
  • We will continue to sponsor signature events that present our community with the chance to engage deeply in issues of racism, inclusion, and cultural humility, such as MLK Day ON, Faculty Development Day, and Staff Development Day.
While these efforts will help us to live out our ideals, we acknowledge that they won’t, in and of themselves, be sufficient. Your perspectives, insights, and recommendations as UP community members are valued and appreciated. Please direct them to the Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion at oiedi@up.edu.
Healing the wounds of our broken world won’t happen overnight. However, with intentionality and full community buy-in, UP can live more deeply into its aspiration of being a beacon of hope from The Bluff. We thank you in advance for your contributions as individuals and as members of the UP community to these efforts.
Sincerely,
Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., Ph.D., President
Thomas G. Greene, Ed.D., Provost
Herbert A. Medina, Ph.D., Incoming Provost
Eduardo R. Contreras, Ed.D., Assistant Provost for International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion

 

2020-2021 University Bulletin Online

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce that the 2020-2021 online University Bulletin is now available. You may access the Bulletin on the registrar’s website, or directly at “University Catalog: The Bulletin.” Smartphone users can also access the Bulletin using its mobile site.

For more information contact Jericho Knight, associate provost’s office, at x7848 or knight@up.edu.