Our Shared Home

THIS SPRING, almost 500 Portlanders came together at the Portland Art Museum for a wide-ranging conversation about our shared home in the City of Roses. From every corner of the room, the abiding sentiment was: In order to renew the city we love and make it work for all, each of us must play a part. 

Sponsored by Becker Capital Management—a firm with deep ties to University of Portland that recently expanded its footprint in downtown Portland—the event brought together leaders from government, business, the nonprofit sector, and the faith community. 

We began with the affirmation that, notwithstanding misguided national narratives, Portland remains a great place to live, work, raise a family, launch a business, and, yes, attend college. And we agreed that great progress is being made. But we also concluded that, like many cities, Portland has work to do. If we truly wish to build a city in which our neighbors are housed, our friends struggling with addiction are cared for, and all families can live in safety, we must work together. And it’s going to take all of us. 

Here on The Bluff, we’re on a mission to not just be the University of Portland, but the University of, for, and with Portland, and the world. This commitment is imprinted on our DNA as a Catholic, Holy Cross institution. Indeed, from its inception, the Congregation of Holy Cross has centered context and community engagement in all that it does. In fact, the words “Holy Cross” found in “the Congregation of Holy Cross” are actually a reference to Sainte-Croix, a neighborhood in Le Mans, France. 

Each and every day, Pilots are engaged in work that will make Portland healthier, safer, and more livable. From conducting environmental research on the banks of the Willamette River, to serving unhoused neighbors in Old Town, to completing capstone projects for local businesses, our students, staff, and faculty are making a difference. Plus, several alumni and members of the Pilot Family are now serving as elected and appointed leaders, including Mayor Keith Wilson, Police Chief Bob Day, Sheriff Nicole Morrissey O’Donnell, and City Councilor Dan Ryan. 

UP is all in for the City of Roses, and I hope you will join us.