Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 2000
An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson
Over the years, I've gotten into the habit of writing the Mind and Heart on airplanes. It's one of the ways I attempt to redeem all the time I spend traveling. This morning I'm flying with our 16-year-old daughter, Bailley, who is on her spring break. She, Bonnie and I are on our way back from San Antonio, where I spoke at a couple of Lenten activities at First Presbyterian Church. I've enjoyed the way Bailley's vacation attitude rubs off on me. I've made far less contact than usual with the office over the last three days. I'm struck by how easily influenced we are by our travel partners: I think when we're moving, we're easier to steer. Without a doubt, faculty and staff members serve as influential travel partners for our students. Excitement, curiosity, integrity, devotion and a host of other values and virtues are more "caught" than taught in most student lives. Although a world of information is now within a couple of clicks, no search engine will find any of what rubs off on a Whitworth student while she or he walks with a professor through rich fields of knowledge. At Whitworth, the learning journey involves so much more than information. As always, we are grateful for your part in making possible the relationships that take place daily at Whitworth.
Academics
By the time you read this, we'll be pretty much through this semester's Great Decisions program, in which our faculty and other experts bring their insights about our world to campus. The faculty who've spoken so far in the program are Pamela Corpron Parker (English) who grew up in Thailand and spoke on "Anna and the King of Siam Retold." Dave Holt (Political Studies) lectured on "Why Communism Failed: A Lesson from the Health Care Industry," and John Falvey (MIM) spoke on the launching of the Euro currency as a defining moment for Europe.
We continue to receive some wonderful grants. These contributions raise the quality of our educational products, and they also affirm the quality of what we're doing. Here's the latest scorecard:
- A $113,440 grant of in-kind equipment from the SMARTer Kids Foundation allows us to purchase 32 NEC portable projectors at half the list price. Ken Pecka, (Academic Computing) led this effort.
- The Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith and Learning received a Rhodes grant that will a) explore ways in which the Reformed Tradition might inform Whitworth's approach to character, and b) extend a series of enriching conversations between groups of Whitworth and Gonzaga faculty on our institutions' common Christian heritage.
- A $35,000 grant from the Crowell Trust will allow us to organize a conference that will help a group of faculty from across the country examine the teaching of human nature in academic disciplines. This grant also goes to the Weyerhaeuser Center, directed by Dale Soden (History).
- A grant from Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board will support a student work study/internship/community service job fair designed to increase the number of students enrolled in summer work-study programs and internships. Gordon Jacobson (Student Employment) leads this program.
Tony Mega (Chemistry) couldn't have been any happier when he got his first bicycle than he is now that our nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer has arrived. This equipment, funded by the National Science Foundation and several of you, consists of a large superconducting magnet into which a test tube is placed. When radio waves are transmitted through the sample, the structure of the molecules is revealed. Among many other positives, the NMR will make it possible for us to provide both training and equipment for K-12 science teachers (increasing only slightly the chance that some third grader will blow up the northeast corner of our campus).
Enrollment
One of the most interesting and enjoyable activities of this past weekend was a gathering of 72 freshman applicants who met very specific and demanding criteria to compete for the two four-year, full-tuition Faculty Scholarships we award each year. These students interacted with our faculty in small groups, made extraordinary individual presentations, wrote essays, designed their own web pages, and went to the Hawaiian Lu'au for a break. I can't tell you how impressive these young people are.
April 30-May 1 is SNEAK PREVIEW, a great opportunity for high school juniors and their parents to get a jump-start on the college search process. The two-day event is designed to give students and parents an insider's look at Whitworth College. Call the Admissions Office (509-777-3212 or 800-533-4668) for more info.
Student Life
April is jammed with student activities. I've spent the last two weekends going from event to event. Saturday's International Dinner was wonderful, and on Sunday our choral groups performed exquisitely in their spring concert at St. John's Cathedral. Two nights ago the 30th annual Hawaiian Lu'au carried an aloha spirit on the balmy strains of music and dance (interrupted only by the flaming bee-hind of a fire dancer who spent a little too much time squatting over a blazing torch). Special joy came from having Curt and Becky Kekuna here to celebrate Curt's role in starting the Hawai'ian Club and the lu'au. And as always, HUGE thanks go out to the great parents from Hawa'ii who supported their students by working for weeks in the islands, then heading to Spokane to help cook and decorate for this festive occasion.
ASWC just finished elections of dorm presidents and executive positions. Danny Clapp is next year's ASWC president, Kasey Kirk is vice president and Andy Price is financial vice president. Congratulations to all three of these student leaders.
Some of this month's remaining events include the annual boat cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene; Mac Hall in Concert (which could be sponsored by the Association of Real Sushi Lovers or picketed by goldfish-rights activists); Spring Formal; and Springfest, featuring several name bands, a Mr. Whitworth contest, food and prize booths, sumo wrestling, a Velcro wall and a human gyroscope. How pleasant. All proceeds will go to homeless children at Spokane's Hutton Children's Settlement.
Resources
As students prepare for finals and graduation, the grounds crew is busy catching up with Mother Nature. The weather has been spectacular, and the campus is ablaze with spring colors. Tom Brown, newly hired groundskeeper (previously head greenskeeper with Stoneridge Golf Club) is hard at work on the playing fields. Saturday, as we watched softball and dodged discuses, I was amazed at what has been done in only a year. The soccer and softball fields and the track & field throwing area are beautiful and functional. Last week we made further progress when we moved another house off campus. The Kissler home, purchased a year ago, was sold to an individual who has moved it to a nearby lot, and the space created will now be converted to much-needed Fieldhouse parking.
Whenever a college conducts a big capital campaign, its annual fund can suffer. As of the end of March, it's clear that our work's cut out for us if we are to avoid this. In May I'll give updates on our Faith in the Future Campaign, including both annual and capital giving, but I can say right now that we would benefit immensely if you were able to make a gift (and for many of you it's "another gift") before June 30. Thanks. Although I often feel overwhelmed by our fund-raising needs, I don't like to use this newsletter to ask directly for money.he said, right after he asked for money. Anyway, thanks for your consideration.
Athletics
The swim teams finished their season at the NCAA Division III championship meets. Senior Mindy Galbraith placed 15th in the 1,650 freestyle, and sophomore Brent Rice had a strong meet, taking fifth place in the 400 IM, 9th in the 200 IM and 12th in the 200 butterfly. Senior Ben Swinehart also scored in the 400 IM, taking 10th place. Overall, Whitworth's men placed 27th, with 35 points. Other national competitors were junior Erin Kay and freshman Ryan Freeman.
The track and field teams are off to an outstanding start. The Pirate men won an important early-season NWC meet, defeating traditional powers Linfield and George Fox, and the women finished second. The men's 4 x100 relay team has already qualified for the NCAA Division III championships with a time of 41.90, and senior Danielle Swift has secured a return trip to nationals in the javelin, with a mark of 140'-4". She finished second in the nation last season. For the past 20 years, PLU and Linfield have been the only men's teams to win the conference meet; from the gleam in Coach Toby Schwarz's eye, I'd say that string will be broken this year.
Our tennis teams are young, but tough. The women are 9-4 overall and 4-4 in the NWC. Four freshmen hold down key positions, and freshman Jill Vaughn is 11-1 in singles play this season. The men are 3-6 under first-year coach Mike Shanks, but they're improving. The men have only one senior on the team, and that senior, Alan Mikkelson, and freshman Tyson Smith have teamed up to amass an impressive 7-2 doubles record. Two days ago I was on a run during a women's match that I really wanted to see, so I decided to do laps around the tennis courts while watching the final set. Of course, the women took it to a tiebreaker just to make me suffer. After winning the match, they said it's the first time they'd ever heard surround-sound wheezing.
After getting off to a rocky 3-8 record to start the season, the baseball team has corrected course and is now 9-14 overall and 4-5 in the NWC. The Pirates defeated Lewis & Clark two out of three games last weekend, including a 21-1 romp in the second game. Sophomore 3B Aaron Keller was named NWC Hitter of the Week based on his performance over the weekend, when he went 6/10 with four home runs, nine runs batted in and 10 runs scored.
The softball Bucs are struggling at 2-8, but first-year coach Teresa Hansen has the team moving in the right direction. Six of the nine starters are in their first year in the program. Last weekend the Pirates played well against nationally ranked UPS, losing 4-2 and 5-3. Senior Penny Pearson, the only holdover from the club-team days, is doing a great job providing leadership for her young teammates. And, of course, the Bucs are playing on the newest and most beautiful college softball field in the Northwest.
Alumni
Whitworth grad Bob McMullen,'65, was recently named Washington's High School Principal of the Year by the Washington Association of Secondary School Principals. Bob is now among 53 state finalists being considered for national honors. I got to know Bob, Char and their son, Seth (a school music director), when Seth was a student at Whitworth. I'm not surprised by this honor. This is a great Whitworth family. Congratulations, Bob!
Members of the Class of 1940 will celebrate their 60th reunion on May 13, 2000, in the HUB. They'll be joined by local members of the 50+ Club for lunch and a time of conversation and reminiscing. Contact the Alumni Office (509-777-3799 or 800-532-4668) for details.
Registration packets will be in the mail soon for this summer's reunion weekend, June 23-25. The event will feature gatherings for the classes of 1949-'51, '59-'61, '69-'71, and '79-'81. I had a great time at last year's reunion. Banquets, boat cruises, walking tours and worship were all meaningful and fun. If you haven't seen the campus or your classmates for awhile, you should really try to attend. I look forward to seeing you.
Movie star/athletics director Scott McQuilkin wants all his fans to know that The Basketis going national. This locally produced and -filmed movie, in which Scott had a small ("but crucial") role, and on which he and Dale Soden consulted, will be opening in most major U.S. cities the weekend of May 4. The Basket is a wonderful family film, although you may want to shield small children from seeing Scott in shorts. Alum Rick Burkhart also has a part that makes us proud. He blazes up a cigar at halftime of a game in which he's playing. I guess that was basketball in 1918. The film really is good and you should try to see it.
I hope to see you next month at two important events sponsored by the Whitworth Graduate School of International Management. The first, a lecture by Doug Nave, '81, this year's Fosseen Distinguished Speaker in International Management, will take place Thursday, May 18. The second, Director Dan Sanford's retirement bash, is scheduled for Friday, May 19, in the HUB. Call the MIM Office (509-777-3742) for information.
A great friend of Whitworth, William Harvey (Harv) Frazier, who joined Whitworth's board of trustees in 1961 and became a life member in 1982, died March 13. In addition to his many years of service at Whitworth, Harv was a respected physician in the Spokane community and a member of many civic organizations. Harvey's life was the quintessence of honoring God, following Christ and serving humanity. Our prayers go out to his dear wife, Aimee, and to his children and grandchildren.
Closing Thoughts
On a recent trip to Atlanta, I got the thrill of a lifetime from trustee Sam Gulley, one of Whitworth's too-few African-American graduates of the fifties, and his wife, Linda. They introduced Bonnie and me to my boyhood hero, Hammerin' Hank Aaron. We were even at the Aarons' house, where the only thing missing in my flashback was the massive wad of bubble gum that would accumulate in my cheek with every pack of baseball cards I opened. Meeting Hank was great, but it wasn't the best thing about the weekend. At an earlier dinner with Sam and Linda, somehow we started talking about New Year's Eve. Sam reflected on how a small group of couples had met at the Aarons' for a quiet evening. As the year ended, the group prayed, then former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young reflected movingly and brilliantly on the progress that had been made toward the dream of their friend, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sam's account was poignant. As soon as Bonnie and I were alone, we looked at each other with the same thought: For a moment we'd caught a glimpse of the emotions that perhaps no other generation of black leaders has ever felt or will ever again feel. We detected a profound sense of interdependency, born of a time when all they had in their struggle was each other. We felt inspiration, shame, gratitude and many other emotions. But mostly we felt renewed in our commitment to work for God's justice in this world. Somehow I hope our resolve will rub off on every student who walks onto this campus. Thanks again for all of your interest in Whitworth.
