The Office of Alumni Relations cordially invites all UP employees who are also UP alumni to attend the 8th Annual UP Alumni Employee Luncheon on Thursday, December 4, from 11:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Terrace room. Please RSVP to alumni@up.edu or 7328 by Monday December 1. All degreed and non-degreed UP alumni are welcome.
Alumni relations
New Alumni Relations Director
Craig Swinyard has been selected as the director of alumni relations, according to Laurie Kelley, VP for university relations.
Swinyard has a long association with the University which began in 1994, his freshman year. He graduated from the University with a bachelor of arts in mathematics in 1998. As a student, he was a member of the Honors Program and lived in Villa Maria all four years, serving as a resident assistant his junior and senior years.
After graduation he worked in the Office of Residence Life as an assistant hall director in Corrado Hall from 1999-2001. Swinyard earned a master of science in teaching mathematics in 2002 and his Ph.D. in mathematics education in 2008, both from Portland State University. He joined the University’s mathematics faculty as an assistant professor in 2008. In 2014, he received tenure and was promoted to associate professor. He and his wife Shoshawna reside in the University Park neighborhood and are the proud parents of a daughter, Mia.
Swinyard has been a leader in developing networking and engagement opportunities for Villa Maria alumni. Earlier this year, he and other University leaders brought back the tradition now known as Anchors Away (formerly Blowout on The Bluff), bringing together more than 1,400 students, faculty, and staff.
Because of his current academic responsibilities, Swinyard will continue to teach students through the end of the fall semester. He will begin working in the alumni office on a part-time basis, moving to full-time when the spring semester commences.
For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.
Send a Bluff Box, Make Someone Smile
The alumni relations office invites all alumni faculty and staff to send a Bluff Box (a small care package) to their old dorm rooms, according to Katie Mitchell, alumni relations. A pre-made Bluff Box can be ordered online at www.bluffbox.com. The cost is $10 and orders need to be placed by October 10. You can also create your own care package and send it to the alumni office at MSC 157 and they will make sure it gets to the right room.
Contact Mitchell at mitchelk@up.edu or 8696 with any questions, or go to http://tinyurl.com/q2mv8kd.
Thanks For Years of Dedicated Service
Carmen Gaston, who has led the University’s alumni relations office for the past 8 and one-half years, has informed University relations vice president Laurie Kelley of her decision to resign her position as the assistant vice president of alumni relations, effective July 14. Gaston, who earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the University in 1996, joined the UP staff in the fall of 2005 as a major gifts officer in the development office. She was promoted to alumni relations director six months later.
The Office of Alumni Relations has shepherded numerous efforts under her direction, including the foundation of the popular Navigator Series, the 50th anniversary celebration of the Salzburg Program, lectures and alumni visits in numerous cities across the nation, and a very successful and widely attended Reunion Weekend in June 2014. Prior to returning to UP, Carmen worked in product management at John Deere and Polaris Industries. She also has a law degree from the Creighton School of Law.
Carmen is looking forward to spending some time focusing on her family as she transitions from her work here at UP. A farewell reception is planned from 3-4 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, at the Events House on N. Portsmouth Ave. Please join the University relations division in thanking Carmen for her many years of dedicated service here on The Bluff and wishing Carmen and her family all the best. For more information contact Laurie Kelley, university relations, at 8332 or kelleyl@up.edu.
Faculty, Staff Invited To Reunion Weekend, June 26-29
Faculty and staff members are encouraged to join the hundreds of alumni who return to campus to participate in the annual Alumni Reunion. A special registration form for faculty and staff is available online, and those who would like to attend are asked to fill out the form as soon as possible. Reunion will take place on campus June 26-39. The faculty/staff registration form is available at http://tinyurl.com/lzsdzma. Most events are free for faculty and staff, as indicated on the registration form. The following events are not free and require payment: Farm to Fork dinner, Alumni Golf Tournament, and the Mount St. Helens bus tour. To register for these paid events, please contact the alumni office directly.
Reunion is the largest alumni event of the year, annually drawing more than 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 Salzburg Study Abroad Program, as well as the milestone classes of 1964 and 1989. A Farm to Fork dinner kicks off the weekend’s festivities on Thursday night, followed by Friday’s National Alumni Board Golf Tournament, a bus tour with professors Bob Butler and Steve Kolmes to Mount St. Helens, the Bierstube on The Bluff welcoming reception, and the Late Night Gasthaus Talent Pub and Euro-Discotheque. Saturday features the Old Stomping Grounds 5K run, the 50 Year Club Mass and Lunch, a Men’s Basketball Alumni game, River Campus tours, 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 Welcome Home BBQ 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.
Pilots Experience Card Free to Faculty, Staff Through August
For the past year now the Pilots Experience card has made it easier for students, faculty, staff, and alumni 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. The cards are free to all active University of Portland students and are now free for all UP alummi, faculty, and staff through the month of August. After August, faculty, staff, and alumni can buy the cards for $10, with 50 percent of proceeds going to the University of Portland Alumni Association.
Currently you can obtain Pilots Experience cards at the UP alumni relations house at 6625 N. Portsmouth Ave., or at CopyPilot (4784 N. Lombard St, Ste #B). Check out the list of over 50 participating vendors, which includes Burgerville, the T-Room, Green Zebra, Ace Hardware, It’s A Dog’s Life, and many others, at the Pilot Experience page and start saving!
This program is provided by the University Park Business District. For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu, or contact Darrell Grenz of Darrell Grenz Insurance at 503-206-6736 or darrellgrenz@gmail.com.
Caitlin’s Farewell Party, March 19
A collective gasp of disbelief was heard around campus at the news of Caitlin MacMillen, alumni relations, accepting a position as client services associate at First Republic Bank in downtown Portland. MacMillen worked in both admissions and alumni relations as a student worker, earned both her bachelor’s and MBA degrees from UP, and most recently serves as assistant director of strategic planning in alumni relations. Her institutional knowledge as well as her can-do attitude will be missed by all.
The alumni office will host a farewell party for Caitlin at the Alumni House on Wednesday, March 19, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Please come by to say farewell and share your favorite stories about Caitlin. For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.
Networking 1o1: Making Career Connections, Feb. 20
All are welcome to join the alumni relations office for a social gathering that doubles as a networking opportunity, according to Caitlin MacMillan, alumni relations. “Networking 101: Making Career Connections” will take place on Thursday, February 20, at 5:30 p.m., at Nossa Familia Coffee (1319 NW Johnson St. Portland, OR 97209). Staff from Career Services will share networking strategies, and there will be free appetizers and a no-host bar. The event is also hosted by Nossa Familia owner Augusto Carneiro ’01 (pictured). RSVP to alumni@up.edu or 7328.
Salzburger Alumni Special For Pepperdine Game, Feb. 15
The Office of Alumni Relations is hosting a pregame social for Salzburgers on Saturday, February 15, from 11:30 am to 1 p.m., at the Deck (Chiles Center). Tip-off against Pepperdine is at 1 p.m. Cost is $15 per adult, and $5 per child (childcare provided). Prices include food and a ticket to the game. RSVP to alumni@up.edu or 7328.
Pilots Watch Parties at Buffalo Wild Wings
Join fellow Pilot fans at the official Pilots Watch Parties to be held at Buffalo Wild Wings, located in the Lloyd District at 1200 NE Broadway Street. Pilots Watch Parties will be held for all men’s basketball road games starting Thursday, January 16. These parties are free and open to all Pilots fans. Dates and times are available here. For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.