UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

University Relations

Faculty-Staff Giving Extended to Nov. 22

1aStaff Christmas150no2The Faculty-Staff Giving Committee is extending the campaign through Friday, November 22, and asks for your help and participation in setting a new record for faculty and staff giving. In this final week they are aiming for a new five-day giving record by asking an additional 80 employees to participate. The two donors who equal the record and break the record will each receive a Bob Appetit cake, perfect for the holidays.

On November 22, there will also be two sets of random drawings, with winners announced on Monday November 25. In the first, two donors making a gift between November 13 and 22 will be eligible for a Fred Meyer gift card; in the second, every donor to the campaign will be included in a drawing for one of six gifts, including:$25 Trader Joe’s gift cards, New Seasons gift cards, and a lovely flowering plant.

Last week’s random drawing recipients were Maribeth McGowan, education, and Leland Hansen from physical plant, who each received two bottles of wine. A third name was also drawn: congratulations to Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator, who receives a bottle of Prosecco Superiore! For more information contact Diane Dickey, development, at 8130 or dickey@up.edu.

U.S. Bank Pilots Kids Club

Kids_Club copyAll faculty and staff are invited to register for the U.S. Bank Pilots Kids Club! Benefits of signing up your child for the Pilots Kids Club include free admission to select soccer and basketball games, as well as free admission to all other sporting events hosted at the University of Portland. Each member will also get a Pilots Kids Club T-shirt and a chance to be a “Pilot for the Day” at home soccer games! Sign up at http://tinyurl.com/kqwfzd8.

New Pilots Experience Card

WallyWithPilotCard copyThe Pilot Experience card makes it easier to check out what the local area has to offer by allowing for discounts of up to 20 percent at participating restaurants, stores, service providers, and more. Check out the list of participating vendors at the Pilot Experience page and start saving! The cards are free to all active University of Portland students and $10 for all UP alummi, faculty, and staff, with 50 percent of proceeds going to the University of Portland Alumni Association. Currently you can purchase Pilot Experience cards at the UP alumni relations house at 6625 N. Portsmouth Ave. This program is provided by the University Park Business District. For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.

New Record for Faculty/Staff Rise Campaign

12 Staff Christmas-9567-300 DPI copyDiane Dickey would like to thank the 162 faculty and staff members who gave during the first nine days of the Faculty-Staff campaign.  That’s nearly twice the donors from the same period last year, not to mention a lot of folks who will be enjoying coffee, tea, or specialty drinks courtesy of Bon Appetit.

The goal this year is 70 percent participation; for a total of 492 participants. That means we need to add 330 more faculty and staff donors between now and November 18.  Remember:  the committee is asking for your participation, and a gift in any amount from $1 to $1,000 (or more, if you just won the lottery) counts toward that goal. Donors are free to give to the Recreation and Wellness Center or whatever is of the most interest to you on campus, whether it’s general giving to the  UP Fund, financial aid, campus ministry, performing and fine arts, athletics, or a favorite school or CAS department.

So far, no department has reached 100 percent, although a couple of the smaller departments are getting close. In the larger departments, Physical Plant leads the pack with 21 donors to date; Athletics is close behind with 17 donors; and CAS and the School of Education are leading the schools with 19 and 13 donors apiece. Word has it that the physical plant, which topped the charts last year with 78 percent participation, is thinking about issuing a challenge to other campus offices.  They aren’t kidding, so keep an eye on your inbox. For more information contact Diane Dickey, development, at 8130 or dickey@up.edu.

$2.2M Aquino Gift, Professorship

_1aShiley150The development office has announced a RISE Campaign gift of $2.2 million to create the Margaret M. and Vincent P. Aquino Endowed Professorship in Engineering, dedicated to undergraduate classroom instruction in the Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering. The fund was established by the late Vincent Aquino, who graduated from the University of Portland in 1957, in honor of his parents, neither of whom attended college but were determined to help their children do so. Vincent Aquino passed away in July, 2013. He spent most of his career at Argonne National Labs, where he served as director of quality assurance.

The faculty member who will receive the endowed professorship will be announced at the Faculty Awards Gala in May. The gift is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million by 2014. The RISE Campaign, which has raised more than $163 million to date, is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university. For more information, contact the development office at 7395.

Promotion For Bryce Strang

1aBryce150J. Bryce Strang has been promoted to senior associate vice president for development, effective immediately. He will also become a member of the President’s Leadership Cabinet.

Since 2003, Strang has been a vital member of the University of Portland and a critical and successful leader within the university relations division. He oversees the philanthropic endeavors of the University, including the $175 million Rise Campaign. Under his leadership annual giving, planned giving and major gifts have all experienced marked increases in success.

Prior to coming to UP, Strang’s career included eight years as executive director of the Arthritis Foundation, Oregon Chapter, and sixteen years with Providence Health and Services. Please congratulate Bryce on his well-deserved promotion. For more information contact the president’s office at 7101 or simek@up.edu.

Nondiscrimination Statement

_1aWallyHall150Among the many topics discussed by the regents and officers of the University during their recent meeting was the University’s legal nondiscrimination statement. As a statute of the University of Portland, the Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Policy may be changed or amended only if the proposed changes or amendments are presented and discussed at the previous board meeting. After reviewing proposed changes at their May meeting, the board of regents voted to change the Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Policy to read as follows:

“The University of Portland does not discriminate in its educational programs, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs, or employment on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The University expressly reserves its rights and obligations to maintain its commitment to its Catholic identity and the doctrines of the Catholic Church.”

The designated coordination point for University compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and for ADA is the executive vice president, Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., in coordination with the University Health Center, Human Resources, and the Office for University Events.

Jim Lyons Farewell Party

1aLyons150Please join the University Relations Division as we wish our friend and colleague Jim Lyons a fond farewell as he leaves his University of Portland family after an amazingly successful 16 years on the Bluff. His party will take place on Monday, October 7, from 3 to 4 p.m., in the Terrace Room. For more information contact marketing and communications at 7202 or mktg@up.edu.

Fr. Beauchamp Announces Last Year as President

1aBeauchamp150x150University president Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., has informed the University’s board of regents that he has decided that this will be his last year as president of the University.

“I have had the great fortune to serve this fine institution for the past eleven years, ten as your president,” he wrote to the campus community on Friday, September 27. “I look forward to working with you throughout this academic year and meeting our goals for the Rise Campaign which will conclude at the end of this fiscal year. My experience here at UP has been nothing short of extraordinary and I will always cherish my time here on the Bluff. It has been my good fortune and blessing to work with an incredible group of faculty and staff, and to share my time here with wonderfully gifted and talented students. Thank you for all you do for this wonderful place. I appreciate the gifts that each of you bring. Know that you continue to be in my prayers daily.”

For more information, contact the president’s office at 7101 or simek@up.edu.