Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: May 1999

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

It's over. The Class of 1999 is gone. Graduation weekend ended late last night, later for some than for others. It was a wonderful weekend, largely due to the quality of the people who marched across the stage. We will really miss the Class of '99. I'm now back in my Mind and Heart office, seat 59-D. In a short nine hours and 11 minutes I'll touch down in Tokyo, en route to Seoul, Korea. This is the last of my monthly letters until midsummer, and if you find this letter a bit more reflective than usual, it's partly because commencement stirs my emotions, but it's mostly because some of my moles have been too busy to send me stuff. I hope spring has arrived for you. We had ours in April. May has been on the cold and cloudy side. We are very thankful for all of the ways you have supported Whitworth this year. God has blessed us.

Milestone

It saddens me to report that Dave Weyerhaeuser died on April 27 at age 89. I'm not a good enough writer to do justice to Dave's contributions to Whitworth College. Nobody is. Clearly, he is the trustee most responsible for the mission and strength of this school. With unmatched generosity and faithfulness, Dave watched over Whitworth. We will miss him. I'll say more about Dave in the next issue of Whitworth Today.

Graduation: The Main Events

For many, the Friday Commissioning Service is the highlight of Commencement Weekend. A significant number of our seniors choose to participate in this time of liturgy, prayers and communion, in which they are anointed for service. Each year the meditation consists of several warm and thoughtful student-professor exchanges. This year's participants included Howard Gage and Rachael Hansen, Karen Stevens and Robyn Wong, Ron Pyle and Rob Leslie, and Chris Casey and Chris Wilson.

On Saturday morning, Bonnie and I had 359 folks over for breakfast. Whoa. We were thankful that the weather allowed for considerable spillage onto the deck and into the backyard.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, we held the Graduate Commencement in Cowles Auditorium. As they and their 120+ fellow graduates were honored, master's degree candidates Steven Gady, Gloria Sawhill and Erik Johnsen gave speeches reflecting on their Whitworth experience. I spoke on Peace at the Intersections: Addition, Subtraction and Inversion.

Senior Reflections on Saturday night always plays to a full house. Miraculously, our seniors look back on their Whitworth days in a way that blends the holy and the irreverent into something that is undeniably Whitworth. For example, we heard Christy Lang speak eloquently about how the power of God brings greatness to "uneventful" lives. Then Tim Owen told of an incident in which a friend of his chose not to get sutures in his backside so that his parents wouldn't find out what his backside was doing when it got cut. Of course, the friend's parents were present for this revelation. Jody Carlson and Jeremy Wynne were great emcees.

Baccalaureate on Sunday morning was presented to an overflowing audience in Cowles Auditorium. The Class of '99 asked that we invite Philip Yancey to speak at both Baccalaureate and Commencement. A number of our students have read his books, The Jesus I Never Knew and What's So Amazing About Grace?, for class assignments. Philip spoke with power and joy on The Thrill of Defeat and the Agony of Victory.

Commencement this year was moved from the Spokane Opera House to the Spokane Arena. The new setting worked out well (with attendance at 800 more than the capacity of the opera house). We honored 414 graduates and conferred two honorary degrees. Receiving an honorary doctor of divinity degree was Sheldon Jackson College President David Meekhof, a third-generation recipient whose grandfather, Robert Boyd - Whitworth's third president -- received an honorary degree in the early part of this century, and whose father, Mynerd Meekhof, was so honored in the 1950s. Philip Yancey, who gave another great address, entitled Free Indeed, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Many hugs and handshakes followed commencement, but one encounter absolutely dissolved me. Three years ago a student stopped by my office to bid farewell to Whitworth. A sophomore at the time, he was receiving no financial support from his family and had accumulated a mountain of debt. Hoping eventually to attend seminary, he did not feel he had room for any more undergraduate loans. A few weeks earlier, I'd been contacted by a pastor who told me that a couple who wanted to remain anonymous might be willing to offer support for a "really needy student." So for two years, this couple and a Spokane family financially carried this young man through to graduation. Yesterday, after the commencement ceremony, the donors revealed themselves to me and said that someday they would like to meet the student they'd supported (who now serves disadvantaged youth in Spokane and works in a local church). Not two minutes later, up walked the young man they supported, a member of the Class of '98. I grabbed him by the arm and said, "Gregg, these are the people." He turned white, frozen in amazement and gratitude. What followed was tender, private and emotional as this couple and the young man whose education they'd saved expressed thankfulness to God for bringing them together.

Academics

The Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith and Learning has announced the recipients of its first summer research fellowships. Awards of $3,500 each will go to Don Liebert, sociology; Arlin Migliazzo, history; Ron Pyle, communication studies; and Kathy Storm, student life. In addition, seven faculty members received Faith-Learning Study Fellowships of $1,200 each. They are Pamela Corpron Parker, English; Carol Smucker, modern languages; Richard Stevens, physics; Richard Strauch, music; Julia Stronks, political science; Adrian Teo, psychology; and Kirk Westre, kinesiology and athletics. These grants are made possible by the generosity of the Stewardship Foundation

Russ Richardson, director of our Sports Medicine/Athletic Training Education Program, reports that after a rigorous evaluation the program has been awarded initial accreditation. "This accreditation is without limitations until our next on-site review, scheduled for 2004-05," Russ said. "We were commended for our commitment to continuous quality and for our improvement in the preparation of athletic trainers." The accreditation is awarded by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Whitworth is one of only two Christian liberal arts colleges in Washington state with an accredited program.

We said a fond farewell to our retiring faculty members this spring, and we look forward to welcoming some great new folks this fall. I'll tell you all about our retirees and our new faculty in the summer Mind and Heart.

At the May Faculty Assembly, our faculty moved ahead on an approach to updating Whitworth's educational goals. Our current educational goals have been on the books since the early 1980s - when VCRs were still pretty scarce, the Internet as we know it was non-existent, and a "wired campus" meant something quite different. For a host of reasons, it is important that we conduct a periodic review of our educational objectives.

Enrollment

As of last Wednesday, 410 freshmen have made their deposits for fall 1999. This represents a 17 percent increase compared with this time last year. We have a waiting list for new freshmen, but we still have room for transfer students who could live off campus. Our freshman applicant pool includes students from 36 states, with roughly half our total applicants from Washington state.

Several weeks ago, 65 of our top freshman applicants representing 12 states were invited to campus to compete for the Faculty Scholarship Award, which provides full tuition over a student's four years at Whitworth. Maren Anderson, from Wilsonville, Ore., and Tyler-Jon Kumakura, from Federal Way, Wash., were selected as this year's recipients. Maren and Tyler-Jon are both thrilled to have been selected for this prestigious academic award, and both are excited about being part of the Class of 2003 entering Whitworth this fall.

We're very pleased to find that we have received twice as many admission applications from international students as we had at this time last year. I hope that my presence in Asia this week won't reduce that number. I'll try to be polite.

Student Life

The Associated Students of Whitworth College have elected their executive officers for next year: ASWC President Kevin Benson, Executive Vice President Hannah Snelling and Financial Vice President Danny Clapp. All leadership positions for next fall have now been filled and initial training has begun. I think 1999-2000 will be a great year. Thanks to this year's superb student leaders.

Resources

It was a great day when the newly renovated Eric Johnston Science Center re-opened its doors for a dedication ceremony April 23. Donors, trustees, faculty, staff and students were there to tour the building, hear a few short speeches and share some refreshments. Private donations accounted for more than $1.7 million toward the renovation, and special thanks go to the Johnston-Fix Foundation for its incredible support. The National Science Foundation provided $660,000 and the Murdock Charitable Trust donated $500,000, making it possible for us to honor Eric Johnston and his family by making the science center a place where Whitworth students can continue to study, learn and grow.

Due to the generosity of one of our trustees, the Alder wing of the Westminster/Alder complex will be remodeled this summer. We're also getting ready to knock down Calvin (we're not expecting student demonstrations over this move), so we will relocate the Economics and Business Department to Alder this fall.

Because this is my last letter this fiscal year, I wanted to mention the importance of your gifts. But the most important thing I want you to know is how much we appreciate you and the many ways you support us. June 30 is a big day in our financial life. It marks the end of another fiscal year, and with just over one month to go until that big day, The Whitworth Fund is on track for reaching its $1.35-million goal. It would be extraordinarily helpful if we were able to exceed that amount, so it would be great to have all of you check your pockets or portfolios to see if any of your money is gathering dust. Also, we do rely on receiving your final Phonathon pledge payments (if you've not already made them) by June 30. If you haven't given yet this year and wish to do so, please remember our deadline. It's really been good to see a significant number of new members of the President's Club - friends who give $1,000+ annually to help the college. If you're interested in adding your name to the rolls, call 509-777-4447 or e-mail Whitworth Fund Director Dolly Jackson at djackson@whitworth.edu.

We offer huge THANKS to three of our trustees who put up matching funds to encourage new and increased gifts to The Whitworth Fund. Their incentive helped the Phonathon crew secure 1,200 new gifts from alumni, friends and parents. And 700 people increased their giving. Again, thanks to our trustees and our new donors.

Athletics

I'm now in Japan, and I just heard via e-mail from Sports Information Director Steve Flegel that javelin throwers Danielle Swift and Jeremy Whelham scored big at the NCAA Division III track and field nationals. Danielle finished second in the nation, while Jeremy grabbed fourth place.

Both are All-Americans who now join the ranks of Whitworth athletes who've punctuated our first year in DIII with some terrific performances. I'll have more on Whitworth Athletics in the summer issue of Mind and Heart.

Miscellaneous

This year, Whitworth hosted the fourth annual African-American Graduation Celebration,honoring the educational achievements of approximately 55 local high school, college, university and vocational school graduates, including Whitworth seniors Chris Wilson and Therman Bibens. Whitworth trustee (and senior vice president of Ameritech Corporation) Walt Oliver gave a stirring speech, and Ministry and Multicultural Coordinator Stephy Beans did a great job as master of ceremonies.

Considered by many to be the social register of the developed world, the Whitworth College Alumni Directory will soon be published. Look for the directory survey to hit your mailbox during the month of June. We really need your biographical data. Thanks.

From June 26 to July 6, 2000, you can hang out with Theatre Professor Rick Hornor and a bunch of other great people in and around London, England, as Whitworth offers its first post-1900s Core 650 study tour. Total cost will be $2,700; a deposit of $300 will hold your space. Contact the Alumni Office (509-777-3799, 800-532-4668 or fyoung@whitworth.edu) for more details. Academic credit is available.

Dates to Remember

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for another great year of support. To you parents, donors, alumni and friends, I extend our deepest gratitude. In saying this, I know I speak for our students, whom you have helped so much with your generosity. We are first and foremost a college, one that upholds the highest of academic standards. But we are also a Christian college, and in that vein, at Baccalaureate each year I offer a spiritual charge to our seniors. Someone asked me to put this year's charge in this letter, so I offer it to you and to myself as my "last words" for the year. They're words I first started to think about while listening to Jim Edwards teach from Mark's Gospel:

Let Jesus be Jesus. If you decide not to follow him, let it be the real Jesus you decide not to follow, not the picture painted by human lives that fall so short of Christ's example. And if you do decide to follow Jesus, let it be the real Jesus you follow, not the Jesus you manufacture to accommodate your social, political and cultural tastes. And if you follow, pour out your most precious gifts at his feet. But whatever you do, let Jesus be Jesus. God bless you.