December 4, 2013
THIS IS THE LAST ISSUE of Currently for fall term. The newsletter will resume weekly electronic publication Jan. 6, with a Tuesday noon, Dec. 31, deadline.
Celebrate the Season on Dec. 12
The campus community is invited to "Celebrate the Season" at a PSU open house on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom. The event includes light refreshments, a donation drive for PSU student parents and the Sunshine Division, as well as a chance to reconnect with colleagues.
Sign up early for Healthy U Wellness Challenge
The campus community is invited to join the Healthy U Wellness Challenge and improve personal health and wellness in eight weeks. Hosted by the Rec Center, individuals or teams may participate and earn prizes and incentives while logging points in exercise, healthy habits, and event participation. Register before Dec. 24 and save money. The cost for early registration is $7 for Rec Center members and for non-members $14, which includes a six-visit pass for the Rec Center. The challenge begins Jan. 13 and runs through March 9. READ MORE AND SIGN UP
Faculty and Staff Campaign under way
Ann Marie Fallon and Robert Mercer are co-chairs of the 2014 PSU Faculty and Staff Campaign. Last year more than $510,000 was raised for Portland State students, programs, research, and other needs. Organizers in University Advancement hope to increase this number by 20 percent as well as encourage more staff and faculty to give. READ MORE
Adoption certificate program wins federal award
The University's postgraduate training certificate in Therapy with Adoptive and Foster Families has won a 2013 Adoption Excellence Award from the federal Children's Bureau. Selected in the "Child Welfare/Judicial Systemic Change" awards category, the program was recognized for strengthening the knowledge and skills of providers serving adopted and foster children and families impacted by trauma. The certificate program is a collaboration of the PSU schools of Education and Social Work, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center. READ MORE
Another year as a Bike Friendly university
For the second time, PSU has earned a gold rating on the latest list of Bicycle Friendly Universities from the League of American Bicyclists, placing Portland State in the top six in the nation. PSU earned the gold-level rating in recognition of its commitment to improve conditions for bicycling through promotion, education programs, infrastructure and policies. READ MORE
Upgrade scheduled for Desire2Learn
Desire2Learn, the University's online learning management system, will be upgraded from version 9.4 to 10. 2 on Dec. 18. The upgrade will affect all users. Existing course content, structure and tools will automatically migrate to the new version. During the upgrade, D2L will be offline for the entire day, coming back online on Dec. 19. READ MORE
PSU Dining meal plan comes with free Starbucks
Did you know that PSU Dining offers meal plans for faculty and staff starting as low as $100? From now until Dec. 20, PSU Dining is giving away free Starbucks drinks for the term when a qualifying winter meal plan is purchased. For terms and conditions, visit PSU-Dining.com and sign up before the deal ends.
Bookstore creates scholarships
Six undergraduate and two graduate students received scholarship awards of $5,000 each for the 2013-14 academic year, thanks to the generosity of the Portland State Bookstore. An independent, non-profit corporation, the bookstore has supported PSU in many ways over the years contributing to the Unversity's alumni weekend and School of Business Administration, and assisting eligible students with textbook expenses. It gave more than $12,000 in 2013 to the University Library for the Sustainable Organization Library, an online collection of materials related to sustainability. READ MORE
No winter closure
Portland State will not close between the Christmas and the New Year’s holidays as it has in past years. The previous closures were taken to save money through reduced services and energy consumption and to give SEIU employees a convenient time to take furlough days. SEIU employees do not have furlough days in their current contract. The University is scheduled to close on the holidays of Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. READ MORE
