Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: May 2000

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

I've never been too sure why people use the "wet dishrag" simile to describe their condition. This morning I understand. Last night concluded a wonderful Commencement Weekend. Today I join nearly 500 graduates in experiencing satisfaction, fatigue, exhilaration, emptiness, and a few other indescribable emotions. The whole experience was different for me this year, because even though this was the 14th commencement over which I've presided, it's the first in which my role as president got pushed into secondary status by my role as dad. All in all, it was a great end to a great year. I don't have much juice left to grind out this Mind and Heart, but I hope you'll get the gist of what we've been up to.

Academics

I find it a bit unseemly to tout favorable comparisons when so many schools are doing good work, but I'm going to go right ahead and be unseemly in reporting to you that Whitworth had the highest teacher-placement rate in the state among institutions offering undergraduate teacher-certification programs. More than 72 percent of Whitworth's 1997-98 certified teaching graduates were employed as teachers within a year of completing their degrees, according to a report issued by the state superintendent of public instruction. Two other institutions had slightly higher placement rates (78 percent), but they offer only master's-level teacher-certification programs. "Undergraduates are much more likely than master's-level students to go on to graduate school or to choose an alternative career path," says Dennis Sterner, dean of Whitworth's School of Education. "For programs offering undergraduate teacher certification, a 70-percent placement rate is considered to be nearly full employment." Kudos to our School of Education.

Dave Myers, chair of our board of trustees' Academic Affairs Committee (and John Dirk Werkman Professor of Psychology at Michigan's Hope College), packed a lot into his trip to the April board meeting. In addition to his board duties, Dave delivered this year's Simpson-Duvall Lecture, The American Paradox: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of Plenty. In the lecture, based on his recent book of the same title, Dave explored the paradox between America's unprecedented post-1960 material prosperity and the fact that in many respects the nation's civic and moral health has declined. He built the case that America's interest in spirituality is the result of people's discovery that "stuff" is overrated. After great work at Whitworth, Dave appeared on Robert Schuller's Hour of Power TV show in California. Amazon.com reported a big spike in Dave's book sales the next day, which can only be explained, says Dave, by "the influence of the Simpson-Duvall lectures on the literary world."

This year the faculty honored seniors Andrea Palpant and Matt Lockard with Distinguished Collegiate Achievement Awards. Andrea, an English/Spanish major, will use her abundant gifts as writer, photographer and musician in Africa, where for six weeks she'll double as a nanny for the children of Jerry Sittser (Religion). Matt, a math/philosophy major, will pursue a doctorate in philosophy at UCLA. He is one of a select few students nationwide to receive an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies, which provides a $14,750 stipend plus tuition and fees for full-time students in highly ranked doctoral programs. Earlier this year, Matt was one of only five students in the nation to receive a $26,000 graduate fellowship from the Pew Younger Scholars Program. Congratulations to Andrea and Matt!

Whitworth's theatre students proved recently that learning and service make wonderful partners. Nine members of Theatre Professor Rick Hornor's Mime and Movement class partnered with a group from On Stage!, a theatre-based program affiliated with The Washington Institute for Mental Illness, Research and Training, to create mime performances with a circus theme. The program conducts theatre classes and provides performance opportunities for people coping with mental illness. Its goal is to help prepare participants for vocational training, supported employment, school or the workplace.

Enrollment

Fall deposits are ahead of last year's, in spite of applications being down a bit. The average academic index (SAT/GPA combination) is also higher for freshmen entering this fall. We will be full to the max again this year, and our biggest challenge is housing. We badly need another residence hall. I think I'm having a vision that one of you reading this letter has a $3.5-million capital gains problem with a high-flying stock that is about to plummet. We have 100 students who have the problem of wanting to live on campus in rooms that don't exist. There's a residence hall with your name on it (literally) that could solve both problems. So much for my vision.

Student Life

As I mentioned above, nearly 500 degree recipients participated in graduation ceremonies over the weekend. We awarded 112 masters' degrees on Saturday in Cowles Memorial Auditorium, and 371 bachelors' degrees the next day in the Spokane Arena. This was the second consecutive year we've chosen to use the Arena, and it's a good thing we did, as we had roughly 1,000 more people in attendance than the Opera House will hold. In his stirring commencement address, Be Not Afraid, Sociology Professor Raja Tanas charged the Class of 2000 to trust in God's leadership and provision. Speaking at the baccalaureate service on Mother's Day were Political Science Professor Julia Stronks and her mother, Gloria Goris Stronks, an education professor at Michigan's Calvin College. Julia and her mother, who recently co-authored a book titled Christian Teachers in Public Schools, spoke on Love and Forgiveness: A Foundation for Learning to do Justice. At Saturday's ceremony for graduate-degree recipients, I spoke on Filling in the Gaps with Good.

I had the thrill of handing a diploma to a couple of healthy young men for whom I had prayed regularly in 1997. Both guys have overcome very aggressive cancers and each had a certain joy about him when we clasped hands on stage. But my celebration turned to heartbreak when we learned that Melinda Bushnell, '00, was in a tragic accident on the way to commencement, resulting in the loss of her young cousin. Please pray for dear Melinda and her family.

We conferred honorary degrees on two superb college presidents, Westmont's Dave Winter and Seattle Pacific's Phil Eaton. Dave began his administrative career at Whitworth, serving as academic dean in the early 1970s. Phil served Whitworth with distinction as student, faculty member, trustee and interim president. I think the world of Dave and Phil and I was proud to nominate them for this honor.

I can think of no corporate moment in which the spiritual richness of a Whitworth education is expressed more majestically than in Friday night's commissioning service. Scripture, prayers, liturgy, communion and anointing for service surround four conversations between seniors and faculty/staff members. This year I was asked to join with our daughter Brenna as one of the pairs. Somehow, the sheer joy of the moment kept me from blubbering uncontrollably. Actually, I was able to work on stabilizing my chin during the three very poignant dialogues that preceded ours.

Resources

I apologize to all of you who received my love letter. To quote one alum, "I'm glad you love me, but is this any way to show it?" The "I Love You" virus hit us with a vengeance, but we survived, thanks to quick thinking and prompt action by our great Information Technology staff. Unfortunately, I opened the attachment at 6:30 a.m., which was before we'd set our defenses. And I have a mailing list with more than 10,000 addressees. Oops. Again, my apologies.

We have a good list of campus summer projects. We'll be sprucing up several of the Village units and paving the BJ parking lot, and we'll also be starting work on a new fitness center funded largely by our board of trustees, with one "angel" contributing most of the price tag. I'll say more about this in my next letter. By the way, the Dixon Hall project is going well and should be completed by mid-August, with move-in prior to the start of school. We ran out of matching bricks, so we raided the Leavitt exterior, pretty much sealing the decision to raze that building.

No one knows less about Burt Reynolds movies than I do, but according to Whitworth Fund Director Dolly Jackson, the theme song lyrics from his Smokey and the Banditincluded the line, "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there." Well, that's the case with The Whitworth Fund right now. For reasons I'll spare you, we need to see some serious annual-fund dollars arrive between now and June 30. There are three things you should know: 1) We set an ambitious Whitworth Fund goal, maybe too ambitious, but we need to be aggressive, especially in raising our alumni participation rate. 2) This is not a crisis; we can still generate some savings before year's end, so we'll likely make our general budget even if we fall a little short in The Whitworth Fund. 3) However, a shortfall in our Whitworth Fund will cut into our margin of quality, and we hate to see that happen. So we will deeply appreciate any support you can give between now and the end of the fiscal year. P.S. B.H., you are so great to support Whitworth. Thanks!

Great news! As of the end of April, donors have contributed $38,411,778 toward our $50-million Faith in the Future Campaign. We are 77 percent of the way to our goal. At the April meeting, our trustees went wild "passing the hat." We may want to change our meeting schedule from semi-annual to semi-monthly if they keep this up. The last two years of the campaign will focus on the academic building, endowed chairs and professorships, the technology initiative, and the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith and Learning.

Athletics

Track and field had its best season in decades, as the men's team finished in 2nd place at the Northwest Conference championships, only two points behind traditional power PLU. The men were in 6th place, trailing PLU by almost 40 points, heading into the final day of competition. But then Joel Robnett won the 100m, Bryce McDonnell took the 200m, Leo Suzuki triumphed in the 400m, Whit Spencer won the javelin, and the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay teams outraced the competition for conference titles. Thirteen men hit lifetime-best marks, helping the Bucs to earn their highest finish since 1972. The Pirate women also had a terrific meet, finishing in 3rd place behind George Fox and Linfield. Danielle Swift won the javelin and Holly Weiler the 10,000m. This was Whitworth's best-ever NWC championship showing, with 11 women hitting lifetime-best marks. To cap off the dream meet, Toby Schwarz was voted NWC Men's Coach of the Year, the first time anyone other than the conference-champion coach has received that honor. I can add that Toby is also "Mentor of the Year" in the eyes of us parents.

Baseball finished the year 13-27 (8-16 in the NWC), losing eight conference games by a single run each. First baseman Scott Biglin was named first-team All-NWC, and four other Pirates received honorable mention: catcher Nick Schuerman, second baseman Justin McKitterick, shortstop Miguel Saldin and pitcher/outfielder Matt Squires.

With only nine players available most of the season due to injuries, softball finished at 6-27 overall and 5-15 in the NWC. The Bucs did have some great moments, and their future is bright. As they wrapped up their first season on the finest home diamond in the conference, shortstop Penny Pearson finished her superb career with the distinction of being the only player on the team who helped launch softball as a club sport.

Women's tennis finished the season 11-10 overall and 4-7 in NWC matches. The Pirates stood at 10-5 (4-4 in the NWC) before Amy Austin, a key player, was injured. The team finished 6th at the NWC tournament, and Jill Huibregtse was named second-team All-NWC.

The men's tennis team finished the year (5-12 overall, 3-7 in conference) with a victory at the NWC tournament. The win, over Lewis & Clark, gave Whitworth 7th place at the tournament, and Mark Rice was named to the All-NWC second team.

Athletics Department awards: Danielle Swift was named Senior Female Athlete of the Year. She is the 2000 NWC champion in the javelin, an event in which she was national runner-up last year and ranked no. 1 in Division III this season. Senior Male Athlete of the Year Ben Swinehart, who set NWC swimming records in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events, is a two-time NCAA All-American. Ivan Gustafson, recently signed to a two-year contract by the Buffalo Bills of the NFL, received the Dennis Spurlock Award, presented in memory of the former Pirate quarterback to the athlete who represents Whitworth's highest level of ability, leadership and personal quality. Ivan really deserves this honor.

Alumni

William Campbell White and Patricia Bartell received Class of 2000 Alumni Ideals Awards at Senior Reflections. Campbell distinguished himself as a member of the track and field team, as sports editor of The Whitworthian, and as a volunteer in local churches. Patricia has played her accordion to the delight of listeners throughout the Northwest, and she is known for her generous heart and her zest for life.

If you're a Whitworth grad from 1950, '59-'61, '69-'71 or '79-'81 who hasn't yet received an official invitation to Summer Reunion Weekend, June 23-25, please contact the Alumni Office (509-777-3799, 800-532-4668, fyoung@whitworth.edu). Or check the reunion website for details at www.whitworth.edu/alumni/reunion2000.htm.

John Carlson, Whitworth professor emeritus of mathematics, died April 1at age 97. He taught at Whitworth from 1935-1971 and mentored many math and engineering students, including current Whitworth Math Professor Howard Gage, '62, during his tenure. He will be missed.

Closing Thoughts

This is my last Mind and Heart of the 1999/2000 academic year. Today, more than ever, I feel the power of Whitworth's mind-and-heart mystery. None of us can really explain why or how our graduates walk across the stage claiming such a strong sense of enlightenment, embrace and empowerment from the Whitworth experience. It's hard to describe, but we all recognize it, and we often feel it. Bonnie and I recognized it in our graduate, Brenna. As we listen to her speculate about various occupational and educational opportunities, one message is always clear: She will bear the Whitworth mark, charging into life's complexities with furious wonder and uncompromising faith. We're proud of Brenna, and we're grateful to Whitworth. On behalf of all the loved ones of our graduates and students, thank you for your part in the mystery. You have been agents of God's grace in all of our lives. God be with you.