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President Emeritus Bill Robinson

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  2. President Emeritus Bill Robinson
  3. Of Mind & Heart Newsletter
  4. May/June 2007

Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: May/June 2007

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Two hours ago, Ben White, '07, walked across the stage of the Spokane Arena to pick up his diploma. I would have been sad to see this gifted theater student graduate, except that he was the last of 511 that marched today. I'm now sitting in the airport, more wired than tired. Since 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Commencement activities have been nonstop. I'm on inspiration overload. As Bonnie and I wait for our flight, families and friends are celebrating graduates who have gifts, passions, unlikely stories, towering potential and high hopes as they enter a world that needs all these things. A note I received last week captures the emotions of many: "It might seem odd for me to e-mail you at 5 a.m. But I feel compelled to share with you: I have loved Whitworth College. I have lived and breathed this life, this school, my major and a plethora of other Whitworth things for the last four years. This school has become my home. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for pushing us. Thank you for four beautiful years." And thanks to all of you graduates who chose Whitworth. I always write the May Mind & Heart after Commencement. I'll soon be on a redeye to Newark, wondering which is worse -- the journey or the destination. So I don't have a clue when I'll get the rest of this written. But we have just finished something a lot more important than this newsletter. For that we are thankful to God and to you for your support.

Academics

Here are a few graduation facts:

  • Total undergraduate degrees awarded: 511
  • Total graduate degrees awarded: 93
    • Graduate Studies in Education: 39
    • Master in Teaching: 39
    • Master of Business Administration: 4
    • Master of International Management: 11

My personal Commencement Weekend awards:

  • Most unusual outfit: Donnie Vanden Berge in long pants and shoes
  • Strangest remark about a graduate: "He has a synergy all his own." Huh?
  • Best scream after the ceremony: Ben Tkach's family or support group or at least some people who seemed very happy he was done
  • Second best scream: Ben Tkach screaming that he was done
  • Best neck hair: George Whitworth
  • Most undaunted: Ben King

Our new alumni are headed in a number of impressive directions. (Perhaps I am easily impressed, having graduated from college with a sense of calling I described to my parents as "generally south.") Here are a few destinations I've heard about, in addition to a number of great graduate schools:

  • John Harlow, Delia Orosco, Fa'ana Fanene (who did an excellent job as ASWC president this year) and Clinton Lipscomb have been accepted into the Teach for America program.
  • Rachel Gray has been accepted into Kundiman, the most prestigious Asian American poetry workshop in the U.S., at the University of Virginia. The program is limited to about 20 participants, all of whom receive personal mentoring from established poets.
  • Lindsey Kiehn and Leah Silvieus were selected to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program, which places young Americans as English teachers in middle and high schools throughout Korea. Lindsey and Leah join four other Whitworth students and four faculty members named Fulbright Scholars/Fellows since 2000.

Among the many hundreds of students who make us proud, we celebrated the graduation of 12 Achiever Scholars. The College Success Foundation has supported these students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds from across the state of Washington. They have enjoyed tremendous success at Whitworth in the classroom, in leadership positions, and in co-curricular programs.

The Honors Showcase recognized many students for their outstanding work and service to Whitworth. The faculty selected David Sittser and Julie Lauterbach as winners of the Distinguished Collegiate Achievement Award. Leah Silvieus and Ben Tkach were awarded the President's Cup, Whitworth's highest academic award, given to graduating seniors who have maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout their Whitworth careers.

Ben Spaun, '08, was selected as a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar for 2007-08. This award funds educational expenses for sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. The Goldwater Foundation rewards "students who display outstanding intellectual curiosity and intensity and who possess potential for significant future contributions in their chosen fields." Ben is Whitworth's third Goldwater Scholar in the past five years.

The School of Global Commerce & Management graduated its first MBA class this year.Along with 11 MIM graduates, the four new MBAs proudly walked across the stage on May 19 to receive their degrees. I heard one story that included an interesting coincidence. MIM grad John Rush IV, undergrad '06, was selected as a recipient of the East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship. This is the same fellowship that one of John's professors, Rich Schatz (SGCM), received to study at the University of Hawaii when he was pursuing his Ph.D. The fellowship provides for tuition, books, housing and a monthly stipend.

Whitworth teams won big at the Hogan Business-Plan Competition. Five Whitworth teams won more than half of the $42,500 total cash awards in the competition, sponsored by Gonzaga University. The competition is open to graduate and undergraduate students from Whitworth, Gonzaga, EWU and WSU. This year, 44 teams submitted plans. Among the winners were Daniel Belko, '07, and Lewis Turner, '08, who took home the $7,500 Avista Social Impact Award for their first-place win in the social-enterprise category. The duo won for their business plan for Cool Water Bike Shop, a nonprofit shop run by and for at-risk teenagers. Other winning Whitworth teams included Tim Coughlin, '07, and Sean Thompson, '08, in the social-enterprise category; Darien Brown, '06, Brennan McQuerry, '07, and Margi Begalka (from Gonzaga) in the community-based category; and Emilie Olsen and Dustin Smith, both '08, along with Mark Baker, '09, in the student-generated category.

Transitions e-magazine features student stories about alumni. Students in the Article and Feature Writing course, taught by Ginny Whitehouse (Communication Studies), interviewed recent graduates about the role of change in key aspects of their lives, including family, career and faith. You can read their work atwww.whitworth.edu/transitions.

Enrollment

The financial-aid office is beefing up its website this spring. The new site will be easier to navigate and will feature a link called "Tools for Success" that will provide students with information on managing money. Parent-loan information for 2007-08 is also available on the site at www.whitworth.edu/financialaid.

There has been a lot of coverage in the news about "incentives" that financial-aid directors and offices have received from lenders. As a direct-loan school, we don't have much contact with lenders. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Financial Aid Wendy Olson as soon as she returns from the Mediterranean cruise she won from some bank (just kidding).

Families of new students in a dozen or more regions where we have significant numbers of incoming freshmen and transfers will be invited to attend a summer sendoff event hosted by current parents or alumni. These gatherings are great venues to get your pre-September questions answered as well as to get to know other new Whitworth students and families from your area. As dates and locations are finalized, they will also be posted on the alumni and parents events calendar on the Whitworth website.

Student Life

Late April and early May seem to feature all social activities left undone earlier in the year. Comedy and magic shows entertained packed houses in the HUB, while intramural playoffs in soccer, basketball and volleyball filled the recreation calendar. Gender Awareness Week, Earth Week and the first annual Real Men of Genius Seminar dealt with issues related to justice, social responsibility and spiritual discipline, respectively. May 5 was ASWC's annual Springfest, and the weather cooperated in bringing together 24 clubs and organizations that sold food, crafts and a good bit of junk. There were also games, competitions and an evening dance with three live bands. Proceeds went to Cup of Cool Water, an organization founded by Mark Terrell, '94, that helps street kids in downtown Spokane. 

Resources

Our fiscal year ends on June 30, so this is the issue of Mind & Heart in which I always mention The Whitworth Fund. Thank you so much for supporting us this year. I don't have figures in front of me, but I suspect we need roughly $250,000 in June to reach our goal. June and December are the two most important months for giving. When I read through the gift reports, I love seeing your names. It is especially great to see alumni supporting the college, since this directly affects our reputation and rankings. So thanks! If you have any questions about giving, visit www.whitworth.edu or call June Hanson (Institutional Advancement) at 800.532.4668 or 509.777.4343.

Athletics

The Whitworth men's golf team played in the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in school history, making the cut and finishing in 23rd place. Andrew Parrott tied for 19th individually and was named to the All-America first team by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Steven Johnson, a medalist at the Northwest Conference tournament in April, also had a solid showing at nationals, finishing 52nd.

Softball set school records for wins in a season, Northwest Conference wins in a season and consecutive wins, finishing the year with a 30-6 overall record, a 25-3 mark in the NWC and a 16-game winning streak late in the season. Four Pirates were named to the All-NWC first team: infielder Heather Case (for the third year in a row), outfielder Halley Cey, catcher Lindsay Davis and utility player Lacey Parry. Despite this incredible season, Whitworth was not chosen to be one of 17 at-large participants in the 2007 NCAA Division III championship tournament. Go figure.

Whitworth's baseball team split a season-ending doubleheader with NCAA DII Central Washington University to finish with a record of 14-25. A pair of junior transfers, catcher Dan Ramsey and pitcher Chad Flett, were selected to the All-Northwest Conference second team.

The Pirates competed well at the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. In a pounding rainstorm, Kory Kemp threw the javelin 191'-2" to finish third in his event, and Emmanuel Bofa finished fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:54.03, outkicking four other runners in a tight pack down the stretch. Both Kory and Emmanuel are now NCAA Division III All-Americans, based on top-8 finishes in their events. Also competing from Whitworth were Kristen Dormaier (heptathlon), Brandon Howell (800), Jeff Kintner (shot put), Ben Spaun (decathlon) and Cody Stelzer (high jump).

The Class of 2007 is one of the best in the history of Whitworth Athletics. The department recognized five seniors for their outstanding achievement. Lindsay Davis, a captain of the softball team, set a school record for home runs in a season (7) and was named Senior Female Athlete of the Year. Bryan Williams, NWC Player of the Year in men's basketball, was chosen Co-Senior Male Athlete of the Year along with Niko Varlamos, who retired as the all-time leading goal scorer in Whitworth men's soccer history. Quarterback Joel Clark and tight end Michael Allan were honored as co-recipients of the Dennis Spurlock Award, presented to graduating student-athletes who best represent the qualities shown by the former Pirate All-America quarterback. Clark finished his career by setting school records for total offense and passing yardage and touchdowns. Allan set school records for touchdown receptions (season and career) and was a consensus DIII All-American. Both were keys to Whitworth's 11-1 NWC championship season.

Alumni

Many of you were recently selected (randomly) to receive an e-mail invitation to participate in an alumni-attitude survey. Thanks for taking the time to respond with your perceptions and suggestions. We look forward to reporting on the results and to making improvements to our alumni program based on your responses.

It's not too late to sign up for Alumni Family Weekend, June 22-24. Visitwww.whitworth.edu/familyweekend for the details. Remember, alumni from 1947-82, as well as Central/Latin America Study Program alumni, will be celebrating their reunions.

On June 9 and 10, Whitworth faculty from the art and theater departments will be joining Alumni Director Tad Wisenor, '89, for a pair of Core 650 lecture receptions, in Redondo Beach and Santa Barbara. More information, as well as online registration, is available at www.whitworth.edu/alumni.

Miscellaneous

Associate Professor Emeritus Evelyn Smith, a mainstay in our religion department from 1944-81, died May 7 at the age of 92. All of us who knew her cherish and respect the influence she had on Whitworth. Memorial gifts are being sent to the Evelyn Smith Scholarship at Whitworth, 300 W. Hawthorne Road, Spokane, WA 99251.

I hope you're planning to join us July 9-13 for the 32nd annual Whitworth Institute of Ministry, "Wisdom from the Scriptures, Wisdom from the Elders." This year's program features acclaimed theologians and educators Eugene Peterson, Roberta Hestenes and Earl Palmer, who'll be leading a daily Bible hour and Convocation hour, afternoon workshops, and evening worship services. Register online at www.whitworth.edu/wimor by phone at 509.777.4345.

Closing Thoughts

It's the Friday after Commencement, and Bonnie and I are in the air somewhere between New York City and Atlanta. Memories of last weekend remain strong. At the senior commissioning service we heard from Karin Heller (Theology) and Ron Pyle (Communication Studies), voted most influential professors by the Class of 2007, as they conversed with graduates Janice Line and Mike Novasky. This service always reminds us that students and faculty members at Whitworth not only learn from each other but also participate in one another's lives. Over the years I have listened to seniors refer to paradoxes they experience at the communion table on the final Friday of their Whitworth lives. They are aware of how greatly their knowledge has increased, but they have also learned how little they know. They are aware of the enormous privilege of an education, but they feel equally the responsibility of using their education to serve those less privileged. They are aware that the body and blood of Christ make them worthy before God, but they recognize that only in confessing their unworthiness can they stand at Christ's table. It is a rich moment when we sense the breath of God on students we have grown to love. Thank you for all the support with which you have adorned these graduates as they go forth.