News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
We are excited to introduce the Pilot Family Portal, an online platform launching this month. This portal will replace the monthly UP Parent & Family Newsletter and will continue to provide valuable resources including campus updates, information on upcoming events, and other timely information to enhance the Pilot Family experience.
Faculty or staff members who wish to join the Pilot Family Portal are welcome to set up an account.
Gina Amato Yazzolino ’96 has been named director of alumni and parent relations effective April 12. Yazzolino succeeds Craig Swinyard, Ph.D. ’98, who stepped away from the position last December to resume teaching as an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics.
“Our University of Portland community will benefit from Gina’s strong non-profit experience and her zeal for relationship-building,” said Bryce Strang, vice president for University relations. “At a time when we are hopeful to return to some sense of normalcy, Gina joins a collaborative, University–wide effort to connect and provide meaningful engagement opportunities with our alumni and parent population.”
Yazzolino comes to UP from the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Oregon where she was development manager since 2015 with a special focus on major gifts and planned giving. Her career also features other successful nonprofit assignments, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Archbishop Howard School at St. Rose.
“It is an honor and privilege to be joining the University of Portland community as director of alumni and parent telations,” said Yazzolino. “As a proud alumna returning to The Bluff, I look forward to strengthening connections and engagement with the alumni and parent communities through service, leadership, advocacy and faith rooted in our Holy Cross education.”
The alumni and parent relations office has reached the difficult decision to cancel Alumni Reunion Weekend for 2020. While current reports from the CDC suggest that June 25–28 may be safe for large gatherings, we asked ourselves, “What is the best way to serve our alumni in the coming months?” Our decision to cancel this weekend was made not only out of concern for everyone’s health and safety, but also because we recognize that, for many of you, large milestones are currently being celebrated or mourned through screens and phone calls rather than in-person gatherings: weddings, births, passing of loved ones, anniversaries, retirements, and graduations.
This cancellation is assuredly an acknowledgement of the important opportunity for this summer to be one where you can reconnect with your friends, your family, your neighbors, and your local community. We appreciate that financial uncertainty may be weighing on you as well.
Your UP community is always here for you. And we look forward, now more than ever, to bringing everyone together for an exuberant celebration of Pilots at Reunion 2021. Our gathering as a community will be that much sweeter.
For more information contact alumni and parent relations at alumni@up.edu.
Spring will be here before you know it, and we want to let you know about a great deal for University of Portland alumni, faculty, staff, and friends currently being offered at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store. The invite only runs from now to March 15, so sign up today using this link.
The offer features a Columbia Sportswear employee discount, with items marked at 40 to 50 percent off regular retail pricing, on all of the latest product from the Columbia Sportswear Company family, including SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, prAna, and more.
For more information contact the alumni and parent relations office at alumni@up.edu.
The Office of Alumni & Parent Relations is accepting nominations for the 2020 Thomas A. Gerhardt Award for Student Leadership. Criteria for selection include:
Nominations are due by Monday, March 2. Complete a nomination form using this link.
For more information contact Craig Swinyard, alumni & parent relations, at swinyard@up.edu.
The University will soon welcome approximately 800 participants in the inaugural Family Weekend for first-year and sophomore students. Parents and family members will arrive on Friday afternoon, February 14, complete their registration at the UP bookstore, and are welcome to attend a full slate of academic showcases and social events throughout the weekend.
This weekend provides a special opportunity for families to spend time together learning, exploring, and experiencing the true sense of our community here on The Bluff. The complete schedule of events can be found at this link. For questions or concerns, please contact Kathryn Seccombe at the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at x7328 or Jeromy Koffler, student activities, at x7470.
All UP employees are welcome to stock up on winter outdoor gear and potential Christmas presents at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store from now until Sunday, December 1. Be sure to register here in order to be sent the official invitation and further instructions. Brought to you by the alumni and parent relations office and Pilot athletics.
University employees will have the opportunity to shop in the Nike Company Store in Beaverton during one visit between November 18–December 15. You must be signed up by 4 p.m. on Friday, November 15 in order to access the store during this period. Register here for your pass and more information. Brought to you by the alumni and parent relations office and Pilot athletics.
The University of Portland’s mission centers on teaching and learning, faith and formation, service and leadership. Through the annual Alumni Awards, we honor those individuals who embody this mission in their life and work, and demonstrate the power of the University to prepare people who respond to the needs of the world and its human family.The deadline for submitting a nomination for the 2020 Alumni Awards is October 15, 2019. If your nominee is selected as a finalist, members of the National Alumni Board will contact you to obtain more information about the individual you have recommended. Honorees will be chosen this fall, and will be celebrated at the President’s Alumni Awards Gala during Alumni Reunion Weekend in June 2020.
Inspired by the University’s Holy Cross values of hospitality and community, and in response to frequent requests from family members, the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations and the Office of Student Activities are partnering to expand opportunities for parents and family members to experience life on campus with their students. Traditionally this has been the focus of Junior Parents and Families weekend. Beginning with the 2019-2010 academic year, UP will offer Junior and Senior Family Weekend in the fall semester (November 1–3, 2019) and First-Year and Sophomore Family Weekend in the spring semester (February 14–16, 2020).
These weekends will feature unique programs and activities that will highlight the student experience on The Bluff. Learn more about this new program by using this link.