UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Office of the Provost

Faculty & Staff Autumn Retreat (Nov. 8)

The Mission Committee, the Office of the Provost, and Human Resources invite all faculty and staff to attend a day-long spiritual retreat on Friday, November 8, 2024. The retreat will be held on campus from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and will highlight themes of Catholic Social Teaching. Retreat leaders are Dr. Jordan Skornik, Executive Director of the Borland Free Clinic & Adjunct Faculty in Theology and Fr. Peter Walsh, CSC, Co-Director of the Garaventa Center.

The goal of the retreat is to provide a time for individual and communal spiritual reflection and renewal, to deepen faculty and staff connections to one another and to the University’s Catholic, Holy Cross mission and identity, and to invite staff and faculty to reflect on and embrace their vital contributions to our shared mission.

For more information and the retreat schedule, visit the link below. 

AUTUMN RETREAT

Please note that participation in the day-retreat will be considered a regular workday for staff, per supervisory approval.

To sign up for the retreat, please send an RSVP to Shannon Mayer, Co-Director of the Garaventa Center, at mayers@up.edu. You can also contact Shannon with any questions about schedule, participation, accommodations, etc.

Introducing New 2023-24 Faculty Members

Franz Hall

The Office of the Provost will be introducing this year’s new faculty members to the UP community, highlighting a few of our new colleagues each week. This week, we are pleased to introduce: 

  • Esther Gravis, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing & Health Innovations 
  • Gary Laustsen, Professor, School of Nursing & Health Innovations 
  • Amanda Orcutt, Visiting Instructor, School of Nursing & Health Innovations 
  • Ibette Valle, Instructor, Psychological Sciences 

Visit the 2023 New Faculty Highlights page and get to know all our new faculty members. 

Summer 2023 Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research Recipients

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce recipients of the Summer 2023 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 summer.  

  • Kali Abel, Environmental Science: “Last Ascents: climate change and the changing face of mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest” with Charlie DeKlotz 
  • Anita Gooding, Social Work: “Exploring diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and programs in social work education: Successes and Challenges” with TBD 
  • Rebekah Hanson, Performing and Fine Arts: “Chamber Music by Women and BIPOC Composers” with Tyler Lawrence 
  • Molly Matty, Biology: “Effects of complex microbiota on C. elegans sensory integration behavior” with Annika Engebretson 
  • Layla Garrigues and Kala Mayer, Nursing: “Educational Outcomes of Community Academic Partnerships (CAP) in Nursing Education” with Fiona Xu 

Introducing 2022-2023 New Faculty Members

This week, the Office of the Provost is pleased to introduce the following new faculty members: 

Visit the 2022 New Faculty Highlights page and get to know all our new faculty members. 

Introducing 2022–23 New Faculty Members

The Office of the Provost will be introducing this year’s new faculty members to the UP community, highlighting a few of our new colleagues in each issue. We are pleased to introduce:

Visit the 2022 New Faculty Highlights page and get to know all of our new faculty members.

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.

 

Latest Academic Update Available Now

Were course evaluations higher or lower this semester? How did grades turn out for this semester? With and without P/NP? How many degree candidates took part in virtual Commencement?

If you are interested in these questions and other information, read the latest Academic Update at this link.

For more information contact the provost’s office at staten@up.edu.

2020 Commencement Information

Commencement weekend takes place from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3, 2020. This note provides important information for faculty and staff as our community prepares for this important academic event.

Commencement Website: You are invited to visit the Commencement Website at this link, where you can access comprehensive information about the event, including schedules, regalia ordering information, FAQs, and more.

Schedule Highlights:

  • Friday, May 1, 2020: ROTC Joint Commissioning Ceremony – 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 2, 2020: Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony, noon; Baccalaureate Mass, 5 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 3, 2020: Commencement I, 10 a.m., Chiles Center–College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education. Commencement II,  3 p.m., Chiles Center–Pamplin School of Business, Shiley School of Engineering, and School of Nursing

Academic regalia for faculty and staff may be rented online now through Jostens. Select the option “Graduation Caps & Gowns.” Estimated costs are $56 for complete master’s regalia and $21 for hood only, and $63 for complete doctorate regalia or $24 for hood only. The last day to order rental regalia without incurring a $15 late-order fee is Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

Academic regalia may also be purchased online by selecting the “Fine Quality Regalia” option. The master package is $349, Sussex doctor package is $539, and Windsor doctor package is $799.

Please contact us at commencement@up.edu if you have additional questions about Commencement.

 

University Club. Feb. 28: Come One, Come All!

The University Club (the event, not the place, stresses Thomas Greene, provost) returns on Friday, February 28, beginning at 4 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Board Room. Please mark your calendars now to join in an almost-Spring celebration of community.

For more information contact Kathleen Staten, provost’s office, at x7105 or staten@up.edu.