Erik Spoelstra claps his hands on the sideline

SUMMER 2026

What He’s Made Of

The largely untold origin story of Erik Spoelstra’s NBA coaching career and how his off-court passion for the special needs community has firm ties to his Portland Pilot roots

  • Joe Freeman

Feature

Nike Came Calling

UP’s connection to the Hoop Summit

  • Jessica Murphy Moo

A Holy Chorus

A new icon of the women of the New Testament has been installed in Mehling Hall’s chapel

  • Cameron Bellm

Serah’s Song

How one young woman from the Hebrew Bible used the healing power of music to transform her family’s story

  • Alicia Jo Rabins

Chapel of Christ the Teacher Turns 40

Today it’s hard to imagine University of Portland’s campus without its iconic chapel at the south end of the academic quad. The anniversary of its dedication—October of 1986—offers an occasion to pause and admire the staying power of its beauty, intention, and invitation.

  • Gigi Giangiobbe and Jessica Murphy Moo

Summer Jobs

We asked you to send in stories about summer employment that changed you in some way. As always, Portland Magazine readers delivered!

  • Yoko Baum

Alumni

Crag Rat Forever

He has led mountain rescue on Mount Hood for nearly three decades. His new book tells the tales.

  • Nicholas O'Connell

Sparking Careers in Medicine

How two UP alums are inspiring the next generation of health care workers, one high school biology class at a time

  • Emily Nelson

Portland Return

UP alum and Sundance award-winning director Walter Thompson-Hernández brought his newest film to Portland

  • Jessica Murphy Moo

Showing Up for Each Other

Alyssa (Schmidt) Rollins found her voice at UP

  • Shelly Davidson

On the Bluff

UP’s Enduring Value

How four transformative years can change the course of a life.

  • Robert D. Kelly, PhD

Mother-Daughter Hoops Legacy

A conversation with Kristin (Hepton) Spear ’99 and Lainey Spear ’27

  • Kyle Garcia

La Soledad

The legacy of a Colombian coffee farmer and community leader

  • Kali Abel

Kin

Best-selling author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer visited The Bluff and inspired listeners to care for the natural world

  • Jessica Murphy Moo