Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: February 1997

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Belated Valentine wishes from Spokane, romance capital of the Western United States. All of us flower children at Whitworth love each other, but we've lost that lovin' feeling for all the white junk floating down from the sky. Even the great skiing is losing its appeal. It's been an awfully white winter. We hope that all of you are doing well. We appreciate your faithful support, and we trust that this Lenten season will give you a fresh and powerful glimpse of the Lamb of God.

Academics

In preparation for our accreditation review in September of 1998, five representatives of the Accreditation Steering Committee attended a Seattle workshop sponsored by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. All of the regional accrediting associations are pushing colleges to assess more comprehensively the effectiveness of their programs. I think this is a very healthy trend in higher education, but some of the most important influences in the life of a student are not easily measured.

At Spring Semester Convocation we were pleased to honor Dorothy Paulsen Smith, '55, with the Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Dorothy is a terrific example of the ideal of lifelong learning. A former vice resident for business affairs at Valparaiso University in Indiana, she holds undergraduate degrees in nursing and accounting, a master's degree in nursing from Case-Western Reserve University, a J.D. from Valparaiso's Law School (earned as a part-time student while she served as vice president for admissions and financial aid!) and a Ph.D. in sociology from Yale. She earned each of these degrees in an effort to contribute more to Valparaiso and to higher education.

Our faculty has been busy in and out of the classroom. You'll be happy to learn that Associate Professor of English Linda Hunt completed her doctorate at Gonzaga University, Associate Professor of Modern Languages Pierrette Christianne married Everett Lovrien (lucky Everett), and English Professor Vic Bobb is feeling great after picking up several new arteries in a very smooth bypass surgery during Jan Term. Vic figures that if he smears less butter on his Twinkies, he'll get more miles out of those new arteries.

Admissions & Enrollment

Our admissions numbers for the fall look excellent. Both the number of students we have accepted and the total of those who have made admission deposits are well ahead of last year. The challenge now will be to make Whitworth accessible financially for the many students who hope to join us in the fall.

Further evidence of Whitworth's growing popularity was apparent last weekend as 450 prospective students and their parents pre-registered for our "Campus Close-up," a program that highlights faculty, academic programs, student life, athletics and campus activities. This group is about double the size we normally have for this event. At one point we conducted 32 campus tours simultaneously. If you know a prospective student who might benefit from a Whitworth education, please encourage him or her to give us a call at 1-800-533-4668. Our admissions staff is very experienced in offering good counsel to those who are considering Whitworth.

Student Life

On Saturday, February 22, the International Club hosts its annual International Banquet.Our own international students prepare all the food and provide the entertainment for this great evening. Special highlights in years past have included student performances of traditional music from varied cultures. I'd like to keep the emphasis on traditional music just in case there are students from some regions of the world that are just now being infected by disco fever. Student Body President Moses Pulei doing his Masai-warrior version of Macho Man could set back the cause of international relations not only on the Whitworth campus but throughout Western Civilization.

Speaking of fever, basketball fever crescendos in the Fieldhouse on February 21 at "Pack-the-Gym Night." After the women wrap up their playoff spot and the men extend their home winning streak to 31 games, students, staff and faculty will climb aboard padded medieval play equipment to act as jousting partners, sumo wrestlers and catapult fodder. Last year someone forgot to reduce the tension when Ross Cutter climbed on the catapult. We found him on the north edge of the Back 40.

This is the time of year when we hire the student leaders for next year. Last Sunday I met with this spring's resident assistants. I've become convinced that the most direct influence on the spiritual development of our students is other students. At Whitworth, we work hard to provide resources and foster a climate that encourages spiritual growth; but ministry most often takes place student-to-student.

We are in the process of changing a couple of areas of student life. Though I run out of superlatives when I talk about Whitworth's students, there are two areas in which I find their behavior out of character: freshman initiation and Forum. We are changing the approach to freshman initiation, and we are asking for more courteous behavior during Forum programs. I think our great campus climate will become even better when our students show more maturity in these areas.

Finances

The final toll is in on the number of trees lost to Ice Storm '96; the total stands at 130. Those trees have been cut and removed from campus, and this summer we will remove the stumps. Several of you have sent contributions to help us deal with the damage. We very much appreciate your generosity. Our insurance covers only part of the losses, so we are using your gifts to plant new trees. The average cost for a new tree is $85, in case any of you would like to buy a tree for Whitworth.

Phase II of the Campus Center is a go. At this point we haven't raised all of the money needed to fund the project, but we are close enough that we have decided to start digging and keep fund-raising. As I explained in an earlier Mind and Heart, there are several benefits to beginning construction this summer. If any of you would like to contribute beyond what you send to the Whitworth Annual Fund, we would welcome your support. Most of the space in this phase of the project will be given to a new dining commons and offices for our Student Life staff. The way I see it, at last we'll have a dining room that's as good as the cuisine served therein.

We've hit a snag on the renovation of the Eric Johnston Science Center. Though we've been meeting with the architects in hopes of beginning renovation in May, several provisions of the National Science Foundation grant are making the project more expensive than we had anticipated in our original proposal. Next month I'll let you know the status of the renovation efforts.

To keep Whitworth within financial reach of our students next fall, we are holding our tuition increase to the lowest percentage in 20 years. This has made budget building for the 1997-98 fiscal year a tremendous challenge. Unfortunately, we will be forced to have an off-year in our eight-year plan to bring faculty and staff salaries into line with those at institutions of comparable quality.

Athletics

Under the leadership of 1996 NAIA Coach of the Year Tom Dodd, our swim teams are having another great season. With conference championships coming up, the Pirate men stand 7-3 in conference and 14-3 overall, and the women are 5-5 in conference and 9-9 overall. Members of the men's team who have already qualified for Nationals are Guy Mikasa, Jeremiah Pappe, Mike Peloso, John Rasmussen, Jeff Rice (five events), Jerry Rice (six events), Ben Swinehart and Dan Welch. Nationals qualifiers on the women's team include Shannon Braun (four events), Jan Okada (seven events), Sarah Ewan, Mindy Galbraith and Megan Williams (five events).

The women's basketball team has ridden a hot streak into contention for the post-season tournament. Coach Helen Higgs and fans of Whitworth women's basketball have enjoyed watching this team pull it together at a crucial time in the season. Thewomen have really stepped up in the second half, putting together a six-game winning streak before losing a close one on the road at Lewis and Clark last weekend. Led by Sherri Northington and Jen Tissue, the Bucs have come together at just the right time to forge a winning season, earn a playoff berth, and challenge the conference leaders for an NCIC title.

The men's basketball team had a brief hold on the NCIC lead, but a tough road trip to Pacific and Lewis & Clark sent the Bucs home in third place. To give you some idea of how tough it is to win on the road in this conference, consider that our men's team currently has a 30-game win streak at home, but the guys haven't won at Pacific since 1992. Also, if you're wondering whether politics are involved in the national rankings at our level, wonder no more. Last week, after moving from a tie for second place into sole possession of first, Whitworth dropped in the national rankings from 14th to 16th - behind the two teams we'd beaten the week before to move into contention. Go figure.

Maybe I'm tired of snow, but I know some folks who aren't. Our ski teams traveled down to Mt. Hood for last week's conference championships, and the women finished ninth out of 20 teams, just three points away from qualifying for Regionals. Team leaders Alisun Knowles and Olivia Mongellaz, top-10 finishers throughout the conference season, qualified in individual events for Western Regionals, to be held February 20 at Winter Park, Colo. Both are also hoping to make it to Nationals at Lake Tahoe in March. Unfortunately, Josh Decker, who (along with Mark Bowker) paced this year's men's team, wrecked his knee in a fall at Snoqualmie Pass and couldn't compete at the conference finals.

Dates to Remember

March 6-9 Whitworth Theatre Production: The Glass Menagerie

March 17-21 Spring Break

March 15-23 Spring Choir Tour of Western Washington and Oregon

April 4 Spring Choir Concert (Spokane)

April 5, 12 Women Composers Series Concerts

April 12 Hawaiian Club Luau

Closing Thoughts

A couple of days ago we had a President's Cabinet meeting that fell on Ash Wednesday. Dean of the Chapel Terry McGonigal opened our time by reading the classic Lenten passage about Christ being tempted at the end of his 40 days in the wilderness. As I looked around the table at these people who work so hard on behalf of Whitworth College, and as I reflected on my perpetual travel during the first 40 days of 1997, I remembered a thought I had a couple of years ago while preparing a sermon for the first Sunday in Lent. I had always considered Satan's invitation for Christ to worship him in exchange for the allegiance of sinful humanity to be more of a mockery than a temptation. In thinking more about the proposition, it struck me that Satan saw Jesus' job as a point of vulnerability: Your job is to save all these people. I have a shortcut that is a lot less painful than what's waiting for you." Sometimes I think Satan still uses the job strategy. We become so consumed by our work that who we are is damaged by what we do. At Whitworth, the first 40 days of 1997 have been packed with many activities. I hope that during the next 40 days of Lent, all of us will concentrate more on our Redeemer than on our jobs. Grace and thanks to all.