#PilotsGive 2019

Thank You, Pilot Family! #PilotsGive A Tremendous Success

April 5, 2019

The development office is happy to report that the Pilot family came together to raise over $1,108,000 for University of Portland students during #PilotsGive 2019. UP alumni, regents, students, faculty, staff, and friends made a total of 2,610 gifts, completing 37 matching challenges during the 24 hours of #PilotsGive. Special gratitude goes out to those who funded the giving challenges. Their leadership motivated the Pilot community to give generously to the causes they care most about.

For #PilotsGive, there were 12 campus campaigns: UP Fund and Scholarships, Clark Library, Moreau Center for Service and Justice, Salzburg and Study Abroad, Campus Ministry, Dundon-Berchtold Hall and programs, Shiley School of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Nursing, Pamplin School of Business, and Athletics. Throughout the 24-hour period, these campaigns connected with thousands of Pilots around the globe to support critical programming for students. Each of them also competed for bonus funds to support their incredible program offerings—click here to see the winners.

UP is so grateful to all those who campaigned, posted on social media, and made donations during #PilotsGive. It is our Pilot community that is taking UP to new heights everyday—through their generosity—students are getting the support and resources they need to thrive.

Thank you, Pilots! You did it!

Laurie Dizney, biology, co-authored “Sex Chromosomal Transformation and the Origins of a Male-specific X Chromosome in the Creeping Vole, Microtus oregoni,” which was published in Science.

Scott Leykam, athletics, was the recipient of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Builders’ Award. The Builders’ Award is presented to an individual who, for a minimum of five years as an active I-AAA Director of Athletics, has contributed to the enhancement of the Association, their institution, and the profession as a whole.

V. Dakshina Murty, Shiley School of Engineering, was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Dayalbagh Educational Institute.

Christin Hancock, history, co-presented “Roundtable: Institutionalization, Patients’ Rights/Reproductive Rights, and Women’s/Patients Resistance and Agency.”

Gregory Pulver, performing and fine arts, is serving on the CAS Task Force on Equity-Minded Faculty Workload until December 2021.

Kevin Jones, social work, presented “A Therapeutic Poetry Writing Intervention for Youth who have Experienced Trauma” to the National Association for Poetry Therapy Conference (virtual) on April 8, 2021. He also presented “Using Poetry to Connect Native Youth to Identity, Place, and Culture” to the Indigenous Pedagogy Virtual Academy on April 12, 2021.

Maria Echenique, international languages & cultures, is serving as Coordinator of Emergency International Online Courses in Argentina and Ecuador, Spanish Program. Echenique is also serving on the Faculty Senate until May 31, 2021 and served as the panels organizer for Founder’s Day.

Christine Weilhoefer, biology and environmental studies, published “Seasonal relationships between diatom assemblages and environmental conditions vary between epipelic- and epipsammic- dominated tidal flat diatom communities in the Yaquina estuary, Oregon, USA” in the April issue of Estuaries and Coasts.

Claire McKinley-Yoder, nursing, served as COVID-19 Vaccination nurse/supervising students, Clackamas County in March 2021.

Amber Vermeesch, nursing, was awarded the Provost’s Initiative Undergraduate Research, UP Office of Provost. Vermeesch is also serving on the Nomination Council for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.