News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
Join us for the next offering of the Pamplin School of Business’ Learning Lab series! “Fundamentals of a Successful Grants Program” led by Brianna Richards (MBA Nonprofit ’24) of Contour Strategies.
This free, hands-on grant-writing workshop is open to all students, alumni and business partners.
When: September, 20 – 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Where: Franz Hall, Room 120
Click the registration link to learn more and reserve your spot:
Mark your calendars for August 23 as we get together for Pamplin School of Business Soccer Night!
Come enjoy some snacks and beverages with PSOB alumni, faculty, and students before heading into the stadium to cheer on the UP Pilots Men’s team vs. Washington.
Score special #UPPamplin discounted tickets and more at the ticket link below!
The Design Thinking class (BUS495) is engaged in a semester-long project where students will continue to document the challenges and hopes regarding the new North Portland Aquatic Center (NPAC) construction. In the first portion of this multi-stage research project, we are inviting former Columbia Pool users and North Portland community members to participate in an interview. We seek to articulate the North Portland Community’s needs to maintain and support their individual and community health and well-being (determinants of health) throughout the timeline for the construction of NPAC.
If you are interested in participating in the interviews, contact assistant Professor Beatriz Itzel Cruz Megchun, megchun@up.edu, 503.943.8721. Your participation would include speaking with University of Portland students about your use of the pool. According to your preference, it would take place in a public space with social distancing, online (Zoom), or by telephone. The interview will last about 45 minutes and take place between September 19-25, 2023.
If you are not interested in participating in the interviews but want to join the conversation, we will invite you to participate in a co-creating (idea storm) session where we will discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by the community members. We will generate ideas about how we might imagine thriving communities around spaces such as the Columbia Swimming Pool and why this type of space is essential.
The session will require a time commitment of approximately 2 hours and take place during the week of October 23-27, 2023.
Please respond by September 15, 2023.
The University of Portland (UP) has completed its search for a new Dean of the Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., School of Business, naming Michael L. DeVaughn, Ph.D., to the position effective July 1. Dr. DeVaughn becomes the successor to Dr. Robin Anderson, who retired in June 2020. Since Dr. Anderson’s retirement, Dr. Gary Malecha, the University’s Tyson Distinguished Professor, has served as Interim Dean for the Pamplin School.
Dr. DeVaughn makes history as the first African-American dean of the UP business school named for Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO of the R.B. Pamplin Corporation. A search committee chaired by UP Provost Dr. Herbert A. Medina directed the national search that identified and ultimately selected Dr. DeVaughn.
“Dr. DeVaughn comes to UP with a deep personal appreciation for the strength of our educational offerings and the richness of our community,” said University President Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., in an announcement today to UP faculty, staff, and students. “When speaking with Michael, his passion for our University’s Catholic and Holy Cross missions, his dedication to matters of equity and inclusion, and his commitment to business education rooted in the liberal arts are immediately apparent. His experience as a teacher, scholar, and administrator, together with his empathy and enthusiasm, make him the right person to lead the Pamplin School of Business into its next exciting chapter.”
“I am thrilled to be joining UP as the next Dean of the Pamplin School of Business,” said Dr. DeVaughn about the appointment. “UP’s educational, mission-centered excellence has been on my radar for years, ever since my son was an undergraduate there. As a Pilot parent, I am already a member of the UP family and look forward to the next, exciting, challenging chapter of my engagement with the University.”
Dr. DeVaughn joins the University from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been a faculty member at St. Thomas since 2008 and has served in various leadership roles at the institution including Faculty Director of the M.B.A. Program and Research Fellow in the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship. His scholarship has centered on organizational learning and entrepreneurship, as well as the delivery of business education.
Dr. DeVaughn received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his M.B.A. from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining St. Thomas, he served on the faculty at the University of Minnesota and enjoyed a successful career in the private sector with corporations including Ralston Purina, PepsiCo, and Fleet Financial Group (now Bank of America).
The Pamplin School of Business’ Learning Labs Series presents “How High Are Your Mountains?” on March 4 at 3 p.m. Celeste Mergens, CEO/Founder of Days for Girls, will share the tools that have helped facilitate the organization’s global conversations in tough situations. You will be inspired while also learning these techniques that apply to connections for work, relationships and intentional design. Register here.
Join the Pamplin School of Business for the 5th Annual OTM (Operations and Technology Management) Symposium, “Risk Management as Exposed by COVID-19,” on October 20 through October 22. This virtual symposium will offer sessions on Risk Management (101) for Everyone, Risk Management in Cyber, and Risk Management in the Physical Site. Questions? Contact Lilia Grundy, business, at grundy@up.edu.
The Volunteer Tax Assistance Program sponsored by MFS/CashOregon (https://cashoregon.org/) provides UP students the opportunity to give back to their community consistent with the UP mission to “pursue teaching and learning, faith and formation, service and leadership in the classroom, residence halls, and the world.”
Students volunteer at Cash Oregon, local organizer of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) & Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs. VITA and TCE are IRS-sponsored programs that provide free filing assistance in underserved communities for low-to-moderate income families, the elderly, the disabled, and those who speak very little English.
All UP students as well as faculty and staff are welcome to train to become volunteers. Next week Cash Oregon will be coming to speak at a virtual meeting of UP’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (International Honor Society for Accounting, Finance, and Information System Students). We would like to extend an invitation to the entire UP community to learn more about this service opportunity during the information session on Tuesday, September 22, at 6 p.m. using this link.
Last year we had 24 student volunteers. Participants commit to volunteering 4 hours a week. For additional information, please contact Teri Grimmer, Pamplin School of Business, at grimmer@up.edu.
The Pamplin School of Business’s Learning Labs Series continues with “Leaving a Lasting Impression on a Daily Basis” with Rich Cardona on September 23. Learn why creating content on LinkedIn is so important and why it must be done quickly before saturation. Register using this link.According to Cardona, while technology and business landscapes change faster than most can keep up with, having an online presence for your business and/or professional reputation are a requisite. He is a first generation American and retired Marine Corps attack helicopter pilot whose company, Rich Cardona Media, helps executives and entrepreneurs become more visible by using video to create content and social media strategies.
For more information contact Lilia Grundy, business, at grundy@up.edu.
The Pamplin School of Business welcomes Tyson Distinguished Professor Gary Malecha as interim dean. Malecha joined the UP history and political science faculty in 1992 and regularly teaches courses on Congress, the Presidency, administration and public policy, American political thought, and food politics and policy in the United States and Europe. He is currently the faculty athletic representative at UP and served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2017-2018. 
The Pamplin School of Business is pleased to present another Virtual Learning Lab Series offering, titled “Innovating during a national emergency: Mexico Vs. COVID-19 (a social entrepreneurship initiative)” on Wednesday, May 27, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event is online-only in keeping with social distancing directives.
How is Mexico vs. COVID-19 platform responding to the social challenges and disasters experienced in Mexico? Hear how Mexicans have acted and embodied resilience through creativity and ingenuity to deal with the challenges imposed by the pandemic. The lecture series, “Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Global Citizenship in Business” ua supported by the Collaborative on International Studies and Global Outreach (CISGO).
To register and learn more use this link or contact Lillia Grundy, business, at x8724 or grundy@up.edu.