Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: November 1996

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

I've often heard it said that Thanksgiving comes too close to the Christmas holidays. Although it might be better spacing to take the break earlier in the fall, November is a pretty important time on the Whitworth campus for us to focus on our blessings. It is a time when students in particular battle fatigue and depression. This past Tuesday night I went out for a run after a 14-hour day of meetings and general office drudgery. Not feeling all that peppy myself, I began to wonder how students could take care of themselves during this dark period. I found the answer when I ended my run at the Chapel. Almost 400 students had gathered for Hosanna. As I stood in the back of the Chapel and listened to these young people sing their heartfelt thanksgiving to God, my own dreariness gave way to the light of God's grace. I hope this Thanksgiving season provides for each of you a celebration that grows from thankful hearts.

Academic Affairs

Donald Hall, one of America's most honored poets, spent an extended weekend on campus as the first guest artist for the Endowed English Readings. His presentations included a poetry reading, a multi-generational reading, and a creative writing workshop. Thanks to all of you who contributed to this endowment. The maiden voyage was superb.

The Whitworth Theatre production of the musical Cotton Patch Gospel delighted its audiences, including a sellout crowd at the Saturday night performance. Assistant Professor of Theatre Diana Trotter directed this very moving depiction of how Christ's life would appear if it were transported to 20th-century Georgia.

The Northwest Jazz Association recently assembled at the Whitworth campus. In addition to conducting their association business, participants had a chance to hear the award-winning Whitworth Jazz Ensemble.

Arlin Migliazzo, chair of the History/Political & International Studies Department, has received a $25,000 grant from the Lilly Fellows Program to design and conduct a summer institute for recent Ph.D.'s and advanced graduate students in the humanities and the arts. The institute will provide opportunities for these students to explore ways to integrate faith and learning in their disciplines. The dates for this institute are June 16-26, 1997.

Demonstrating the college's commitment to serving educators in the surrounding community, Whitworth's science and education professors recently hosted a Tandy Science Workshop for local K-12 teachers. The workshop demonstrated hands-on science activities that can be used to meet the new state academic standards.

Warren Friedrichs, 1996 NAIA National Basketball Coach of the Year, has been busy lecturing, directing camps, and publishing a paper titled "One Hundred Coaching Observations." The coach has also become the campus fashion maven, having served as a celebrity model for a Sacred Heart Medical Center banquet.

Our outstanding forensics team recently took third place out of 13 schools at the Northwest College Forensics Tournament and second place out of 10 schools at Carroll College the following day. Hanna Ganser and Tami Nida reached the semifinals in debate at Northwest, first-time college debater Rachael Guenther placed second in prose, and Laura Walker qualified for four speeches at Nationals. Jennifer Reynolds will also be competing at Nationals, in the "Informative" category. This team, under the direction of 1995-96 Coach of the Year Mike Ingram, finds its reputation growing in the Northwest. 

Admissions & Enrollment

Applications for fall 1997 are even with the numbers for last year at this time. An avalanche of applications always pours in the last week of November, as the 30th marks our early decision deadline.

On November 14, we hosted a wonderful dinner that brought together student scholarship recipients and their benefactors. This event gives our students a chance to express directly their appreciation for those of you who help put Whitworth within their financial reach. In addition to celebrating the success of our students, we remembered 35 wonderful people who died of AIDS. Alumnus David Martin, who sat with these victims as they died, read each of their names and provided a scholarship in their honor.

One of the biggest Admissions Office events of the year takes place annually in Honolulu. On November 26 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ala Moana Hotel, we will host "a record-breaking number of students," according to Larry Kekaulike, our new admissions counselor. Generally this program is planned for January, but because our men's basketball team is playing in a Hawaii tournament, we have moved up the date. We invite alumni to join these prospective students on what should be a fun and informative evening.

Finances

Last night as I walked passed the Phonathon phone bank located close to my office, junior Kathiryn Schreyer, student manager of the Whitworth Annual Fund Phonathon, informed me with great exuberance that our 15 student callers have already received pledges of more than $75,000 from alumni classes 1923-1984. It often takes team members 12 weeks in the fall and 10 weeks in the spring to meet their $100,000 goal. This year they may hit it by Christmas.

A couple of years ago I mentioned in Mind and Heart that some of our students were experiencing special financial needs due to personal misfortune. Several of you sent contributions to establish a fund that we have since been able to tap when we hear of these situations. This Friday, a student whose summer earnings were reduced by an accident that left her with a broken arm will meet an alumnus from Colorado whose gift provided the $250 that stood between the student and a Jan Term missions trip. I expect it will be a warm encounter. This is one of many great stories about friends of Whitworth - people like you - who make it possible for our students to have a heart-and-mind education. Thanks.

December is a month in which many of our alumni and friends generously include Whitworth in their year-end giving. We extend our deepest gratitude to those of you who give to Whitworth. Undesignated gifts (which go into the Whitworth Annual Fund) are particularly helpful, because we can use them where they are most needed. But if you are interested in helping us with specific projects, we can assure you that they abound and we will be happy to identify them for you. For example, the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble has been selected to perform at the American Jazz Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Ensemble members are busy raising funds to pay for that trip. Virtually every department on campus has a project that requires funding beyond our regular budget, so thanks again for thinking about us.

Student Life

The Whitworth International Club has been feeding the campus well this year. Monthly Sundhyas (Golden Evenings) in the lower dining hall have offered us international food and entertainment. These evenings whet our appetite for the International Banquet coming up February 22 in the Campus Center and Cowles Auditorium.

We welcomed approximately 350 parents to campus for Parents' Weekend. Parents ate breakfast in their students' residence halls, attended a selection of classes offered by several faculty members, worshipped at a convocation in the Chapel, participated in a parent/student luncheon, cheered at the football game and swim meet, and thoroughly enjoyed the Whitworth Theatre production of Cotton Patch Gospel. It was a great weekend. Many of the parents whose primary motivation in attending is to receive the famous "Parents' Weekend Mug" were euphoric when they discovered we had upgraded to "commuter cups" this year. Of course, all of the above-mentioned components of the weekend were secondary to the joy of parents being reunited with their children, and the joy of children vacuuming their parents' wallets. Seriously, we thank God for the wonderful moms and dads who are a part of the Whitworth community, and I am always moved by the affection I see between our students and their parents.

Some of this month's student activities include rock-climbing trips to "Wild Walls," the annual Kanekopila event sponsored by the Hawaiian Club, Whitworth Night at Lilac Lanes for "Big Hair Bowling," dining hall arm wrestling, and other equally cerebral events.

Not all of our athletic teams are breaking records, but our Health Center shattered the coveted record for "most flu shots given by October 31," with a whopping 362 injections administered. Obviously, the Health Center staff has been working hard - and has been diligent in warning of the dangers of this year's influenza strains. I was dropping off something at our Publications Office (which shares the Health Center building), and before I knew it I was getting stuck. We have a new health care delivery system with two nurse practitioners on campus daily. Last week we were visited by Dr. Sandra LaBella of the National League for Nursing Accreditation Board as a part of NLNAB's review of the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education. We were pleased that the review resulted in an eight-year renewal of the ICNE graduate program and included high praise for our clinic as a practicum site. Finally, an important part of the health care equation on our campus is the 10 students who work for us in various capacities. They do a great job of embodying the concept of servant leadership.

Athletics

How about those Bucs! The football team broke its losing streak with a vengance, pummeling the University of Puget Sound 39-7 in the Pine Bowl. There were too many stars to list, but suffice it to say the coaching staff and players were elated. This Saturday the Bucs have a chance to do something really significant. Riding the crest of their one-game winning streak, the guys head for Oregon. There they'll take on Linfield College, a team with 40 consecutive winning seasons, the longest streak in the nation at any level. Linfield enters its final game of the season with a record of 4-4. It will be a tough game, but our guys are pretty jazzed up about the possibility of being the spoilers.

The women's soccer team headed into post-season play having received an at-large berth in the Pacific Northwest NAIA Regionals. The Bucs took on a very tough 18-1 Willamette team, and lost a heartbreaker in the single-elimination tournament, 1-0. Led by NCIC Player of the Year Jennifer Tissue, this year's Pirates set school records for most wins (16), most goals (68), and total points (184) in one season. Our congratulations go out to these fine players, and to Head Coach Daman Hagerott, at the end of an excellent campaign.

Men's soccer also ended the season with a killer game. The men, who made a fine showing in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, lost in triple overtime to top-seeded Pacific University. The score of the game was 0-0 at the end of regulation, and Pacific scored first in overtime at 92 minutes. The Bucs' Jake Benson tied the score with a goal at 107 minutes, and the Boxers pulled out a victory in sudden death at 125 minutes. Craig Ito, Rio Three Stars, Jeff Bennett, and several other veterans led this young team through an exciting season. In Head Coach Sean Bushey's first year at Whitworth, his team has set a high mark for next year's squad.

Our fast-improving volleyball team ended its season on a high note, winning against PLU for the first time since 1993. The Bucs were down 2-1in games and facing two match points in the fourth game before they rallied to win it in five. Instrumental in the win were Sheri Northington (15 kills), Kori Walter (32 assists), Mandy Decious (33 digs), and Renee Williams (four blocks). After winning five of their last six home matches, the women are ready to move up next year.

Cross-country completed its 1996 season at the NCIC Championships in Salem, Oregon. The women's team competed very well, defeating the Top-20 team from George Fox and finishing fifth despite a couple of falls by key runners. Scoring for the women were Miranda Thygesen, Meagan Widhalm, Carmine Compogno, Dana Ryan and Brenna Robinson. Because of several injuries, the Pirate men were unable to field a complete team for the championships. Season mainstays Josh Decker, Dale Macomber, Jason Morgan and Greg Leow competed for the Bucs and made a good showing at the season-ending meet.

The swim teams are undefeated after a sweep of Whitman (and they love to sweep Whitman) last week. Last year's team leaders Jeff Rice, Jan Okada, Shannon Braun, Jerry Rice, Guy Mikasa, Mike Peloso, Lea Stenerson and John Rasmussen were individual event winners in the meet, along with newcomers Sky Becker and Meagan Williams. For the men, Jerry Rice and Sky Becker won two races each; for the women, Jan Okada won three and Shannon Braun took two. Looks as if our swimmers are ready to pick up right where they left off last year.

Miscellaneous

We extend our best wishes to Charlotte Kroeker, who has left her roles as director of development and artist-in-residence at Whitworth. In addition to her duties as interim music director at First Presbyterian Church in Spokane, Charlotte is also serving as senior consultant for fund development with the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities.

Dates to Remember

Closing Thoughts

Once again, we send you Thanksgiving wishes. I have become convinced that St. Paul's exhortation for us to "give thanks in everything" is more God's gift to us than it is something God needs from us. Thankfulness serves as a wonderful lens through which to see life, and it is certainly the lens through which we view each one of you.