UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

John Orr

Reading by Former U.S. Poet Laureate Louise Glück, Feb. 13

Louise Gluck copyThe University of Portland’s Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series will welcome former U.S. Poet Laureate Louise Glück to campus on Thursday, February 13, at 7 p.m., where she will read from her work in Buckley Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to faculty, staff, students, and the public.

Glück recently released Poems 1962-2012, a collection spanning her entire career. The collection was awarded the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The author of more than 10 books of poetry, Glück explores, as Donna Seaman noted, “the turmoil of family life; the fever, bliss, and misery of lust and love; the circular battle with the self; age and death.”

The Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series was founded in 1988 by Rev. Arthur Schoenfeldt, C.S.C., of the University’s Holy Cross community, and his sister, University regent Suzanne Schoen­feldt Fields, in honor of their late parents. The series is designed to honor and celebrate the art of writing by bringing some of the finest writers in the United States to the UP campus. For more information contact John Orr at 7857 or orr@up.edu.

UP Third in Fulbrights For 2013

flubright-13-14 copyThe University of Portland continues to be one of the top producers of Fulbright scholars in the nation, ranking third among “master’s universities,” according to a study released by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The University has been a leader among its peer institutions in producing Fulbright scholars for several years, ranking first nationally in 2012-13, 2011-12, 2010-11, and 2007-08 and second nationally in 2009-10, 2008-09, and 2006-07. Since 2001, UP students have earned 46 Fulbright grants.

The University had six alumni win the prestigious grants to work and study abroad for 2013-14. Four Fulbright student scholars are teaching in Germany: Petra Barton, philosophy, sociology, and German studies; Erin Burns, German studies and sociology; Martina Hagan, German studies and psychology; and Jonathan Parsons, global business and German studies. Two Fulbright student scholars are teaching in Spain: Joe Sleven, business administration and Spanish minor; and My Van Duong, who double majored in nursing and Spanish.

The United States Fulbright program began in 1946 after World War II to “assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and other countries of the world” through the exchange of students, scholars and professionals. The program operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

For more information contact John Orr at scholars@up.edu or 7857.

Honors Mentors Needed

Orr copyFaculty members are invited to serve as honors program mentors, according to honors program director John Orr, assistant to the provost. Faculty mentors assist with selecting the incoming honors class and are assigned two incoming honors student mentees and are encouraged to meet with them on a regular basis during their first two years at the University. Those who would like to learn more about being a mentor starting next fall are asked to contact John Orr at 7286 or orr@up.edu.

Fall 2013 Schoenfeldt Lecture

_1aDuncan150The Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series will welcome acclaimed novelist and essayist David James Duncan on Thursday, October 24, at 7 p.m., in Buckley Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Duncan is the author The River Why and The Brothers K, a New York Times Notable Book in 1992. He is also the author of three collections of essays; River Teeth, My Story As Told By Water, and God Laughs and Plays: Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right. He received an honorary doctorate from the University in 2004 for the “power, passion, and poetry of his work.” This event also marks the second time Duncan has been a Schoenfeldt speaker at the University.

The Schoenfeldt Writers Series was founded in 1988 by the late Rev. Art Schoenfeldt, C.S.C., and his late sister, University regent Sue Fields, with the assistance of retired UP English professor Louis Masson. Among its guests have been Barry Lopez, Peter Matthiessen, Ian Frazier, William Stafford, Ursula K. Le Guin. For more information contact Brian Doyle, marketing and communications, at 8225 or bdoyle@up.edu.

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.

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.

Fulbright Candidates Wanted

Faculty members are encouraged to send the names of ambitious and talented rising seniors who would benefit from applying for a Fulbright Grant next October to the fellowships and grants office, according to John Orr, assistant to the provost. Students will be contacted and given assistance in starting the application process over the summer so that their files can be finalized at the start of the fall semester. For more information or to pass along names, send an e-mail to scholars@up.edu or call 7857.

Fulbright Candidates Wanted

Faculty members are encouraged to send the names of ambitious and talented rising seniors who would benefit from applying for a Fulbright Grant next October to the fellowships and grants office, according to John Orr, assistant to the provost. Students will be contacted and given assistance in starting the application process over the summer so that their files can be finalized at the start of the fall semester. For more information or to pass along names, send an e-mail to scholars@up.edu or call 7857.

New “University Report” Tool

Beginning in early May, the process of gathering material for the annual University of Portland Report of scholarly activity will be online. The goal for moving the process online is to make the University Report a more accurate representation of all scholarship that occurs at UP and to make the it a celebration of that activity. Rather than releasing the report on Faculty Development Day as in years past, it will now be released at the Opening Convocation in the fall semester. Faculty members will be able to load their information once and then access it for the University Report, annual self-evaluations, and the UP Authors celebration. The online form will also feature an export process so that the data can be downloaded and used in updating curricula vitae. For more information, contact John Orr, assistant to the provost, at 7286 or orr@up.edu.

John Orr Lecture, New Location

John Orr will present a lecture, “Scenes of Reading, Sites of Contest: Listening to Henry Adams’s Marginalia,” as part of the Communi­cation Studies Colloquium Series, on Wednesday, March 27, from noon to 1 p.m., in Shiley Hall room 206 (moved from Buckley Center room 102). His talk is free and open to faculty, staff, students, and the public. Light snacks will be served and attendees are invited to bring their lunches. For more information contact C. Vail Fletcher, communication studies, at 503-943-7351 or fletcher@up.edu.