Welcome to Currently’s first mid-week edition of 2025!

January 15, 2025

Applications for PSU’s Spring Day of Giving are open! This annual 36-hour campaign is a powerful way to raise awareness and support for your unit’s fundraising priorities. Submit your fund for consideration by Friday, Jan. 31. 

PSU faculty and staff can now enhance their professional development with PSU-offered, no-cost microcredentials. These flexible, low-time-commitment programs range from a single term to one year and are offered in various formats to fit your schedule. Choose from a diverse catalog of offerings to expand your skills and explore new areas of interest. Upon completion, earn a digital badge, a verifiable credential showcasing your achievements, that can be easily integrated into your resume, LinkedIn profile and other professional platforms. Student microcredential offerings are also in development. Visit the new microcredentials at PSU website today to learn more.

Portland State is excited to announce that Tania Sanchez (BA ’12, MS ’18) has been promoted to Director of Undergraduate Admissions. With more than 11 years of experience in the Office of Admissions, Tania has served in various capacities, including Assistant Director and most recently Associate Director of Multicultural Recruitment & Outreach and Special Assistant to the Vice President. As an alumna and dedicated team member, she is a passionate advocate for students, a respected representative in external engagements and an effective manager. Tania’s leadership in community outreach and recruitment initiatives has significantly strengthened PSU’s Office of Admissions, establishing it as a trusted partner within the Portland metropolitan area. In her new role, Tania will collaborate closely with Assistant Vice President Eki Yandall to ensure PSU’s undergraduate recruitment strategies align with the goals outlined in Future in Focus.

OIT is seeking feedback on a forthcoming Application Administration Standard intended to provide guidance to departments that manage some, or all, of their own software applications to help ensure the privacy and security of PSU data, the safe and reliable operation of PSU systems, and compliance with federal regulatory requirements. PSU community feedback will be reviewed and necessary modifications to the standard will be made prior to its adoption following the timeline detailed in the related OIT blog post.

The feedback period will be open until Friday, Feb. 7.

The Office of Academic Innovation is thrilled to bring back Week of Teaching, a series of hybrid events taking place Feb. 5 - 7, designed to foster connection and meaningful support for educators across our campus. This year’s theme is "Teaching For Now: Matching Challenge and Care."  Sessions will focus on peer support, practical tools, and collaborative solutions to tackle current teaching challenges together. Explore the three-day schedule and register now to attend Week of Teaching! The event is open to all graduate teaching assistants, adjuncts, staff, and instructors.

The Academic Computing Infrastructure Committee (ACIC) is a constitutional committee of the Faculty Senate. We serve as a communication channel between faculty and the Office of Information Technology (OIT), and the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI). The very short survey linked below allows ACIC to collect concerns and feedback from Faculty on issues related to PSU's academic computing infrastructure, which refers to the institutional software and hardware resources and services provided by OIT and OAI to support teaching and research. Your feedback will direct and shape the work of this committee.

Please take a moment to share your perspective by Friday, Jan. 24 in the anonymous ACIC Pulse Survey. It will take less than five minutes!

The Faculty Development Committee of the PSU Faculty Senate is calling for proposals for 2025 Faculty Development Grants. There are a number of professional and faculty development funding opportunities for PSU. The deadline for proposals is Monday, March 3.

Training Academy for mentors

Enhance your mentoring skills with PSU's Training Academy, featuring six virtual modules based on CIMER’s Entering Mentoring curriculum. Designed to address NIGMS mentoring guidelines, these sessions provide a framework, methods, and peer support for solving mentoring challenges.

Register for any or all modules.

Mentoring Up Series for Mentees
Develop the skills to define and achieve your research and career goals while navigating mentoring relationships.

Event Details:

Dates: Jan. 23 or 24
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Robertson Collaborative Life Sciences Building (RLSB) Room S2011 & S2015

In a recent blog post, PSU President Ann Cudd reflects on the devastating wildfires in Los Angels and their connection to Oregon's increasing wildfire challenges. Highlighting PSU's critical role in addressing climate change impacts, she emphasizes the innovative research led by faculty and students to manage wildfire effects on urban areas. From studying air quality and developing disaster resilience to advancing climate science, PSU is driving solutions to this urgent issue.

Recently, the PSU Alumni Association featured the story of PSU alum Olga Marszal ‘04 and her award-winning, truffle-sniffing Golden Retriever, Harvi the Happy Who Makes Other People Happy.

Take a few minutes to read the story — it’ll put a smile on your face!

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CURRENTLY is a weekly newsletter for the employees of Portland State University, published by University Communications. News items, events and accolades should be sent to currently@pdx.edu. Deadline is noon, the Tuesday before publication. See the Currently website for submission guidelines and schedule.