INSIDE
 Faculty and Staff Highlights | Page 3
 University Announcements | Page 4
pacificu.edu
August 2014
FACULTY & STAFF NEWS
Work in Rural Alaska Launched PA Career
BY WANDA LAUKKANEN | Alaska’s
“I did a lot of heavy trauma work,
Aleutian Islands aren’t an easy place to live.
with commercial fishermen, community
Some 2,000 people inhabit the string
members and cannery workers,” she said.
of 71 islands, which extends west from the
Alaska mainland into the Bering Sea.
“There was extensive trauma from heavy
machinery on board ships of all sizes;
It’s a remote life in a hostile climate —
a lot of fillet injuries when the worker
and it’s a large part of the reason Mary Von,
accidentally put their hand in the fillet
interim director of the Pacific University
machine and cut all their fingers off — that
School of Physician Assistant Studies,
was always bad,” she said.
became a physician’s assistant.
An Oregon native whose early ancestors
settled in the Reedville area in 1846, Von
moved to Alaska with her parents as a high
school senior, graduating in 1980. Then,
“There were serious injuries from falls or
heavy crab pots on fishing vessels, tons of
head trauma.”
Foreign fishing vessels presented
significant challenges, she said.
she moved to Dutch Harbor, the main port
“You are on the rolling sea, jumping from
in the Aleutian Island chain. She worked on
the tugboat to grab the rope ladder hanging
crab lines, picking shells from the conveyer
down the side of the ship in the dark, and
Von received an award for her work as an
belts in a cannery.
the crew usually didn’t speak English very
EMT III from the City of Unalaska and the
well,” she said.
Emergency Services Corp, which helped pay
At the time, it cost about $1,000 to fly
from the islands to mainland Alaska. There
“It was exhilarating and difficult.”
for her to go to physician assistant training
was a cheaper way, though, she was told. “If
Then, there was the challenge of keeping
at the University of Washington’s MEDEX
you want to get off the island for free, you
patients stable when they couldn’t make the
can volunteer for this terrific ambulance
four-hour flight to an Anchorage hospital.
service,” she heard.
So began her emergency medical
technician training.
“It really wasn’t altruistic,” she said with
a laugh.
“There was seriously brutal weather where
Northwest program.
She earned a certificate of completion,
took national boards and became a
sometimes planes couldn’t take off for days,
physician assistant in 1995 (when PA
and we were trying to keep people stable in
training didn’t require a bachelor’s degree).
a trauma bay at a small community clinic,”
she said.
See VON, page 2
pacificu.edu/marcom/pacnews.cfm |
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Pacific Prepares to Launch New Website
Pacific University will launch its new
website in mid-August, after nearly two
years of planning and development.
The new site is organized by audience
type, providing easier navigation especially
for prospective students. It is rich in visual
elements and multimedia. It also is built
using a responsive design, meaning it will
be easy to access and via on mobile devices,
as well as laptop and desktop computers.
The website is built on a content
management system, which will allow for
more efficient updating and management of
content throughout the university.
Like with the existing website, Pacific
will continue to use a centralizeddecentralized approach to website content.
Overall responsibility for the website resides
in Marketing & Communications, but
individual offices, departments, schools
and colleges have ownership of their own
content and responsibility for updates.
Trainings are underway now for those
who are authorized editors of the current
site to become editors on the new site.
In addition, a variety of tutorials will be
available online for users.
CANS GETS RECYCLED
The new website means that the CANS
system will no longer exist. Calendar
events will be posted using the new Event
LAST ISSUE OF PACIFIC NEWS
Management System, or EMS, which will
The new website’s enhanced storytelling
launch simultaneously and will feed into
features and audience targeting will provide
the website calendar.
a better mechanism for sharing news, events
News items, meanwhile, can be posted
on the new site by authorized web editors.
and stories with faculty and staff.
Both PUNN (the weekly employee
These stories will feed to pages throughout
e-newsletter generated by the CANS system)
the site based on their topic, and they also
and Pacific News will be discontinued
will be collected on designated landing
when the new site launches. A replacement
pages for various audience groups, including
e-newsletter for employees will provide
faculty and staff.
highlights and links to the new site.
This new design will allow for
Please continuing sharing your
streamlined communication. Faculty and
accomplishments and story ideas for
staff will be able to find all of their pertinent
publication on the new website at
information in one place.
news@pacificu.edu.
Von: Now Serving as Interim Director of School
Continued from Page 1
She worked as a PA in Alaska and in
Oregon, then continued her education.
She earned a master of science in
from the A.T. Still University School
Von joined the School of Physician
of Health Management in Missouri in
Assistant Studies in 2003, serving first as
2010. In 2008, the American Academy
a clinical coordinator, then as director of
of Physician Assistants named her a
academic education.
Distinguished Fellow.
She has been associate director of the
advanced physician assistant studies from
She also holds specialty certification in
school since 2012 and is now serving as
the Arizona School of Health Sciences in
migraine and headache management and
interim director until a successor to the
2001 and a doctorate in health education
lifestyle counseling.
departing director, Judy Ortiz, is hired.
pacificu.edu/marcom/pacnews.cfm |
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Faculty & staff highlights
JULES BOYKOFF, Politics &
Government, provided analysis on
the World Cup in several publications
worldwide, including the Sao Paulo
newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, BBC
Business Daily, Sports Illustrated, OPB,
Next City, a nonprofit inspiring change
in cities around the world, and more.
JENNY COYLE, Optometry, has
been elected to a second term as
president of the Association of Schools
and Colleges of Optometry.
CHUCK CURRIE, Center for Peace
and Spirituality, published “Ending
gun violence: The faithful choice
means reducing easy access to powerful
weapons,” and “Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard
Choices’ shows a way to live out your
faith,” guest opinions in the Forest Grove
Leader/Hillsboro Argus/Oregonian.
KWAME DAWES, Writing, was
interviewed in an OPB State of Wonder
piece about the MFA in Writing
program’s June residency.
KEN EAKLAND, Optometry,
published “Want to Increase Your
Optical Sales? Think Apps!” in the June
2014 issue of Vision Care Product News.
FRASER HORN, Optometry,
provided analysis on the importance
of sunglasses to vision health in the
Las Vegas Review-Journal.
JIM MOORE, Politics &
Government, provided analysis on the
re-election campaign of Rep. Herrera
Beutler, R-Wash., in The Columbian
(Vancouver, Wash.).
MARTHA RAMPTON, History,
was interviewed in the Forest Grove
News-Times article, “U.S. issues become
clear at international gathering,”
following her visit to the International
Gender Equality Symposium in Turkey.
TODD SCHULTZ, Psychology,
published “The last interview: Peaches
Geldof on fame, heroin and Elliot
Smith,” in The Spectator. The Oregonian’s
Jeff Baker called the piece one of his
“five great weekend reads.”
DON SCHWEITZER, Social Work,
presented “Getting to Work: At-Risk
Youths Tell Us How to Help,” at the
fifth annual Homeless Workforce
Conference in the Bay Area.
BRENDAN STAMPER, Pharmacy,
will present a and disseminate a
portfolio of tutorials developed for
Pacific University pharmacy students at
the American Association of Colleges of
Pharmacy annual meeting in Grapevine
Texas. The tutorials, developed by
School of Pharmacy faculty and
staff, were honored as one of three
national winners of the AACP’s 2014
Innovations in Teaching Competition.
Pacific University Remembers Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh
Pacific University mourns the loss of
interest in higher
2013, and resides at the university’s Forest
Oregon Gov. Victor G. Atiyeh, a longtime
education and
Grove Campus library archives. It continues
friend of the institution, recipient of
Pacific University,
to be digitized for online accessibility,
an honorary degree and member of the
in particular. We
with many facets of the collection already
university’s Board of Trustees.
are very grateful for
available at pacificu.edu/atiyeh.
Gov. Atiyeh started his political life
his contributions
locally in 1959 as a representative to the
and honored to help
state legislature from Washington County.
preserve his legacy as
After five years in the House, he represented
custodians of his personal collection.”
the county as a state senator through 1978.
“Pacific University lost a great friend
yesterday with the passing of Gov. Vic
Atiyeh,” Pacific University President Lesley
Hallick said July 21. “As a legislator,
governor, and later, as a member of our
Board of Trustees, Gov. Atiyeh took a keen
The Atiyeh Biography Project
Pacific University has been selected by
the governor to write and publish his official
biography. This initiative ensures a well-
Governor Victor Atiyeh Collection Pacific University
Gov. Atiyeh donated his personal
collection of papers, memorabilia and
other artifacts to Pacific University for
preservation and public viewing. The
collection opened to the public on Oct. 3,
researched and historically valuable biography
is created of the governor, to be authored
by Pacific University faculty member and
psephologist Jim Moore, director of the
Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation.
Publication is planned for 2016.
pacificu.edu/marcom/pacnews.cfm |
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August Birthdays
1 Matt Brown
1 Mary Von
2 Morgan Joseph
2 Tedd Livengood
2 Ralls Hall
2 Lisa Sardinia
3 Jama Kelch
4 Jenelle Andrews
4 Matthew Steele
4 James Zerndt
4 Marita Kunkel
5 Lisa Szefel
5 Melanie Petilla
Foeppel
5 Lee Ann
Remington
5 Chris Guenther
6 Connor Principe
7 Catherine Kim
7 Patti Islip
8 Sara Violante
9 Nicole Irons
55%
of Pacific faculty
and staff gave to
Pacific in the last
fiscal year, which
ended June 30. Your
gift supports the
university and our
students. Consider
a gift or a payroll
deduction today.
pacificu.edu/giving
9 Pamela Lopez
9 Tami Grotte
9 Ann Matschiner
9 Christine Korb
10 Jean Flory
10 Todd Gifford
11 Mike Johnson
11 Jesse Everett
11 Bryce Seliger
11 Eric Pitkanen
12 Kirk Halvorson
13 Pamela Pietras
13 Alan Juza
13 Elissa Baldwin
13 Ryan Schwab
13 George Olson
14 Diana Watkins
14 Suzie Schwab
15 Emily Holcomb
16 Elizabeth Bixler
17 Blair Lonsberry
17 Derrick Alex
17 Tamarra Mellick
17 Scott Gobel
18 Chadd Williams
18 Sue Stein
19 Krishnan Ramaya
20 Shawn Henry
21Lisa
Martin-Bergroth
21Dawnn
McWatters
21 Sue Weinbender
21 Alexis Bell
21 Eric Weinbender
21 Mychaela Olson
22 Tracy King
22 Kerry Mandulak
23 David Cassady
23 Jaime Lust
23 Yemaly Alexander
23 Kimberly Repp
23 Neeru Shore
24 Robin Shallcross
24 Heather Combs
24 Ron Calkins
25 David Keene
25 Nate Rasmussen
25 Joni Heveron
26 Claire Barnes
27 Jessica Ritter
27 Ashley Wayne
27 Tanya Arroyo
28 Nancy Tuttle
28 Tammee Martin
28 Paul Bahnson
29 Michael Farris
29 Daniel Eisen
30 Lisa Ruder
31Jennifer
Bridgewater
31 Helen Bair
31 Larry Lipin
31 Janet Jackson
AUGUST 2014
Office of Marketing
& Communications
Editor | Jenni Luckett
Send your news to
news@pacificu.edu
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT AUGUST COMMENCEMENT
CONSTRUCTION AREA ACCESS
REQUIRES HARD HATS, PERMISSION
The Pacific University August Commencement
The construction sites on the Forest Grove Campus, in-
Ceremony takes place Saturday, Aug. 9, on the east lawn
cluding the Lincoln Park stadium, Cascade Hall and the
of Marsh Hall at the Forest Grove Campus. Volunteers
University Center, are hard-hat areas and require proper
are needed to help usher, handing out programs, helping
construction attire.
guests navigate the campus and answering questions.
Also needed are people interested in driving golf carts to
help guests get around.
Commencement begins at 9:30 a.m., and volunteers
will be needed from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Students from
the schools of Physician Assistant Studies, Professional
Psychology, Dental Health Science, and Healthcare
Administration and Leadership will receive their
degrees.
Contact Melodye MacAlpine at mmacalpine@
pacificu.edu if interested in helping.
If you need to access any of these sites, please contact
Cindy Schuppert by email or at ext. 3191.
MOTOR POOL MILEAGE RATES
HAVE INCREASED
New rates went into effect July 15, 2014. This increase
will impact the per mileage charge as well as the
minimum mileage fees. The last rate increase was on
July 1, 2011. Every effort is made by Facilities to keep
the rates at an absolute minimum in order to allow for
all campus groups to participate in the usage of the
Pacific University vehicles. For details, visit pacificu.edu.
pacificu.edu/marcom/pacnews.cfm |
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