Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 1998

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

To those of you who are Christians, we hope you had a happy and blessed Easter. As I write this letter very early on Easter Sunday morning, I am sitting in my study, directly in front of three paintings that Bonnie and I purchased six years ago during Lent in Cuenca, Ecuador. The first painting portrays the bewildered face of Christ as he hangs on the cross, crying out to a Father he fears has forsaken him. The second painting of Christ's face shows his resignation and depletion as he utters, "It is finished." The third painting positions the viewer inside the tomb, as a shadowy silhouette walks out toward the morning light. It is Easter. I'm sure it is indulgent of me to allow my morning prayers to find their way into this newsletter, but on this day, more than any other, all of my thoughts seem to follow Christ toward the light. So this morning, I offer prayers to our risen Redeemer for all of you, for all of our students, and for all who need the resurrected Savior. Happy Easter.

Academics

I consider it a privilege to report that our new vice president for academic affairs is Dr. Tammy Reid. As the first Whitworth alum to occupy this post, Tammy has made many contributions to the college, including service as interim academic dean, associate academic dean, professor and adjunct professor. The search committee, led by Faculty President Mike Ingram, recommended Tammy after conducting a thorough national search. We celebrate this event in the life of Whitworth College and we are very confident that Tammy will serve and lead with distinction this institution she so loves.

It is also noteworthy that Dr. Reid's appointment puts Whitworth in the position of having three of its four vice-presidential positions occupied by women. Like so many other industries, higher education has suffered from a chilly climate for women in leadership. We are hoping that vice presidents Tammy Reid, Kathy Storm and Kristi Burns can work with Alice Kellar, our director of human resources, to make Whitworth a place where men and women alike feel valued and supported.

A couple of weeks ago a Mind & Heart reader said I talk too much about music in this newsletter. Admittedly, music programs strike a higher public profile than some academic areas. But one of the reasons music keeps showing up in these letters is because Whitworth is good at it. And one of the main reasons we have such a fine music program is that for 21 years we have enjoyed the superb leadership of Music Department Chair Dick Evans. Last year, when Dick turned over the departmental reins to Dan Keberle, I failed to mention the change in the Mind & Heart. With as much drivel as I manage to include in these newsletters, I can't believe I failed to tell you something so important. Furthermore, as the son and husband of professional musicians, I can say, with all due love and respect, that leading a group of musicians isn't exactly duck soup. So congratulations to Dick Evans for a great job as department chair, and best wishes to Dan Keberle for continued success in this very important position.

Congratulations to the four faculty members whose proposals for summer research were accepted for funding under the Pew-Gordon research grant. The faculty members and their research projects are Don Calbreath, chemistry, Biochemistry, Behavior, and Blame; Jim Edwards, religion, A Reconsideration of the Synoptic Problem; Pamela Corpron Parker, English, Good Women, Good Works; and Carol Smucker, psychology, The Stendhal Syndrome: Religious Art and Hyperkulturemia.

Several professors presented papers in March. Spanish Professor Conny Palacios presented a paper at the Sexto Congresso Internacional de Literatura Centroamericana in Panama. The paper was titled Edad Diversa Metapoesia y respuesta. Math Professor Lyle Cochran presented a paper titled Using "Mathematica" in the Classroom at the Second Annual Technology Fair for Teachers and Parents at Gonzaga University. Don Calbreath, in addition to reviewing papers for the Journal of Chemical Education and the Archives of Internal Medicine, presented a paper titled Genetic Screening and Privacy Issues at the Science Seminar at Whitworth College.

Bookstores around the country now have in stock the book Face to Face: The Changing State of Racism Across America, by Associate Professor of Psychology Jim Waller. Related to Jim's book on prejudice is the news that President Clinton's "Initiative on Race" has selected Jim's Jan Term study tour, Prejudice Across America, as one of "One Hundred Promising National Practices" designed to promote racial reconciliation, increase positive dialogue and expand opportunities for every American. On April 6, we were captivated in Forum by the 21 participants from this year's tour who reported on how they were shaken to their very foundations as these students came face to face with past and present acts of racism in our country. Four of our theater students brought home awards from the ACT Festival in the Tri-Cities. Auditorium Technical Director Mike Westenskow said of the students, "They had a great time and came back full of new enthusiasm and a bunch of new ideas on how to spend money that we don't have." Vintage Mike. The students, Joel Hobson, Chris Hilty, Ryan Donahoe and Bryan Cooper, received prizes for stage carpentry, theatrical lighting, props and costuming.

Student Life

I am thinking of putting the senior class in charge of my personal finances. This year the class decided its gift to the college would be a beautiful bench for the Loop. But Class of '98 fund-raisers were so successful that they ended up with enough for two benches. And furthermore, the benches arrived early. My pattern for such purchases is to have half as much money as I thought I'd have for a product that a) arrives six months later than it was promised, b) includes the terrifying message, "Some assembly required," and c) is broken. So thank you and congratulations to Whitworth's Class of 1998.

Our increasingly famous Hawaiian Luau reached new heights this year. For the first time in five years, I had to be out of town during the luau, but my family and many others report that both the program and the food were the best ever. I know that many people deserve appreciation for this great event, but our whole Hawaiian student program has been helped immensely by having Admission Counselor and Hawaiian Club Advisor Larry Kekaulike working at Whitworth for the past two years. Larry is a graduate of Kamehameha High School in Honolulu (which has provided us with 38 of our current students) and an aficionado of Hawaiian culture. So thanks to our Hawaiian students and to Larry, and special thanks to the parents of our Hawaiian students, who worked so hard in the islands preparing the food and gathering the foliage that they brought over for the luau.

On April 6, students hosted faculty members at the Campus Center to celebrate Faculty Appreciation Day. We have found that the single most important component in a student's educational experience at Whitworth College is the connection that he or she makes with faculty members. So we do not take our students' appreciation lightly, and we continue to pledge to them our best efforts.

The fourth week of April, which I always think of as Board of Trustees Week, presents a very interesting theme. All week long students will be addressing the question, "Can we be moral in an immoral world?" Faculty and staff will facilitate discussions that examine the compatibility between Christianity and capitalism, the relationship between politics and morality, what it means to be "good" from different faith perspectives, and the current state of Christianity at Whitworth College. The highlight of the week will be a discussion following this spring's Whitworth Theatre production of Bertolt Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan, a play that shows the struggles of being righteous in a fallen world.

Resources

Too often when we think of resources, only money comes to mind. One of the most important resources of Whitworth College is its board of trustees. A couple of weeks ago, several of us went to the San Francisco Bay Area to honor Dr. James Little, former Whitworth trustee, by awarding him the George Whitworth Medal. It was a wonderful celebration. For me, the whipped cream on the event came three days later when I received a call from Jim. This former pastor and church leader who has spent his life lavishing appreciation and praise on others reported to me that a couple of days after he was honored, he woke up during the night and thought to himself, "Maybe some of these nice things that people are saying about me are actually true." To underscore the truth of the accolades, several of Jim's friends committed $100,000 to set up the Jim Little Endowed Faculty Development Fund, which will be available in the fall of 1999 and will be used to support faculty scholarship. Jim and we would be thrilled to accept contributions to this fund from those wishing to support faculty development at Whitworth.

Three wonderful Whitworth couples have recently established real-estate-funded trusts with the Whitworth Foundation. We are very grateful to these people for their contributions, which represent a total fair market value in excess of $2.25 million.

The campus is looking great. Projects are on schedule and Mother Nature has combined with Ultimate Frisbee players to bring vitality to sunny April afternoons.

Miscellaneous

The Whitworth Choir will perform in concert with members of the Spokane Symphony on Sunday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. at St. John's Cathedral in Spokane. Featured works include Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein, Mass in G Minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Quiet City by Aaron Copland and Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace by John Rutter. You don't want to miss this great concert. Tickets are available through the Music Department at (509) 777-3280.

On May 16 and 17, Whitworth will welcome back the Class of 1948 to celebrate its 50th reunion. It is always great to have our 50-year reunion grads joining Commencement, donning crimson caps and gowns as they lead the processional for the current year's graduates. On Saturday, April 25, Whitworth's Class Ambassadors will be on campus for their annual day of training and fellowship. We have 45 Whitworth alumni who volunteer their time and effort to help the college stay connected to its alumni. If you are interested in becoming involved in alumni activities, please call our Alumni Director, Tad Wisenor, at 509-777-4401 or 1-800-532-4668.

Athletics

The Whitworth men knew exactly what to do on the Boppell track this past Saturday in an NCIC quadrangular: Whitworth 67, George Fox 66, Willamette 65, Whitman 2. On the women's side, George Fox took first place with 69.5 points and our Whitworth women took second place with 60.5 points. In his second year, Head Track Coach Toby Schwarz is delighted with the progress he has seen in both our men and women performers. Men's winners included Joel Robnett in the 100-meter dash, Chet Doughty in the long jump and Takashi Atkins in both the shot-put and discus, while Betsy Slemp won both the hammer and the discus for the women while her teammates garnered nine second-place finishes.

Our men's and women's tennis teams have battled the weather as much as they have fought their opponents this season. Our women's record stands at 2-2 in the conference, with Joelle Staudinger, Amy Fong, Tara Bonelli and Kasey Shibao turning in great performances. The women will face George Fox, Lewis & Clark and Pacific University this weekend. The men, led by Jose Durr, Alan Mikkelson and Mark Rice, take a 5 -11 record into this week's matches with Whitman, Willamette, Linfield and Lewis-Clark State.

In its first season of play, our women's softball team stands 4-12 in the conference and 8-21 overall. This past weekend the women lost two games in which they had solid leads. I think this is called "the Mariner effect," although it would be cruel and unfair to our women's softball pitching staff to compare it to the Mariner bullpen. We are thrilled to have a full-fledged women's softball program up and running at Whitworth College. Congratulations to Head Coach Gary Blake and stats leaders Heather Hedum, Traci Moore, Penny Pearson and Katie Carpenter.

The Whitworth baseball team has been knocking the cover off the ball this season, but has struggled on the mound. The team batting average of .300 and slugging percentage of .509 should give the guys a better record than the 5-11 mark they bring into this week's contests. Tim Bishop has 11 home runs and a slugging percentage of .847 and has been backed up by excellent performances from Chad Ripke, Jack Arthaud, Jason Francek, Miguel Saldin, Eric Brown, Dan Robertson, Jason Tracy and Scott Yoshihara. First-year coach Keith Ward is very pleased with his sluggers and is confident that the pitching will continue to develop throughout this season and on into next.

In the last issue of Mind and Heart, I told you I'd update you on postseason honors for our winter athletes. Jeff Mix of our men's basketball team was named All-NCIC first team, and Ben Heimerman earned a berth on the second squad. Men's Head Basketball Coach Warren Friedrichs was named NCIC Co-Coach of the Year, along with Bob Gaylord of Lewis & Clark. Andrea Sherer of our women's basketball team made second team All-NCIC. Swimmers who earned All-America honors were Mindy Galbraith, Alison Eckenroad, Ben Swinehart, Brian Rice and Jeremiah Pappe. Academic All-America recognition went to Alison Eckenroad and Tania Braun (who had the highest GPA of anyone under consideration for this honor). Congratulations to these fine scholar-athletes.

Dates to Remember

Closing Thoughts

The other day I received a letter from the parents of one of our students. It was filled with appreciation for their daughter's experience at Whitworth. As I close this newsletter, I echo their prayer: "In the business of raising and educating people, there can be no second place. We did our best with our daughter, then passed her on to you. We thank you for the role that you have played in her life, and we pray that God will continue to bless her, you and Whitworth College." Blessings to all of you.