Welcome to "The Bluff!" For those of you who are returning students, we welcome you home, and for the new students among us, we are so excited you are joining us here at the University of Portland. I am grateful for this opportunity to offer these words of welcome as we begin a new year in this very special place.
The beginning of the academic year is always an exciting time, as friends return to The Bluff and our community grows to full strength again. That community is what makes this place home for so many of us. We were very busy over the summer building and renovating so we would be ready for your return. Hopefully our improvements will not disappoint—I know many of you are already enjoying the brand new Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center. The renovated Pilot House will open just before Fall Break, and will be an amazing space for members of our community to eat, relax and socialize together.
Whether you are in your first fall here on The Bluff or entering your last, allow me to offer a few words of advice for this new year. Take advantage of the many opportunities here to grow academically, socially and spiritually. Get involved in faculty-student research, clubs, service activities and hall events. Draw inspiration from the many members of this community—professors, hall staff, your fellow students—who contribute so much to our shared life here. Come to know one of the great hallmarks of a UP education: character formation and the study of applied ethics. And finally, on a particularly crisp day in mid-October, when the trees in Forest Park have turned brilliant colors and the bell tower is chiming, I hope you feel a keen sense of belonging in this community that is so happy you are here.
Welcome home to the University of Portland. Know that I am praying for you.
Sincerely,
Fr. Mark Poorman, C.S.C.
President
