Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: November 2000

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

October was great, as I boarded only two airplanes. Tethered to the Spokane soil by Homecoming, the trustees meeting, Parents' Weekend, and duties related to my job as board chair of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, I had many opportunities to see Whitworth in action. For example, last night 20+ seniors stopped by our house for a fireside chat with Jerry Sittser (Religion) about his latest book. I don't experience that at 34,000 feet. But Whitworth is in action off campus as well. Last Tuesday I was driving through a rural village 40 miles north of here when I remembered that Lisa Beal, '00, is the town's new fourth-grade teacher. I stopped to say a quick "Hi," and I actually got to meet Lisa's little admirers. It was inspiring. In a town that's suffered some bad luck economically, a small group of teachers quietly go about their calling, giving knowledge and hope to the children. I watched Lisa work before she spotted me looking through the window of her classroom door. She just radiated everything that makes me proud to be an educator of mind and heart. Multiply this scene by thousands and you see Whitworth in action. Thanks to all of you who helped put Lisa in the middle of those fourth-graders' lives.

Academics

Sometimes faculty members' lives are more powerful texts than the ones they list on their syllabi. Last week, we learned of the battles with cancer waged by Rod Hansen (Mathematics), Linda Hunt (English), Doris Liebert (Education), Terry McGonigal (Dean of the Chapel) and Gordon Wilson (Art). This Showcase presentation (our Forum replacement) provided a rich opportunity for us to hear poignant disclosures of fears and triumphs, struggles and blessings during hard times. Gordon Wilson showed slides of some of the powerful art through which he has chronicled his illness and recuperation.

Our alumni and friends working in special education might want to get the second edition of a book that Betty Williams (Education) has co-authored. Very Young Children with Special Needs is a foundational text for professionals in early-childhood education. It addresses various issues affecting infants, toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities, as well as their families.

October, well known as a time to gather leaves, was also a great time for our community to gather ideas. We welcomed visitors and in-house speakers on a wide range of topics. Fuller Seminary President Richard Mouw delivered a wonderful lecture on "Calvinists, Civility and the Common Good." Internationally known media-ethics expert Ed Lambeth of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri spoke on a related theme - how Christians and journalists can help shape the common good. Lambeth was our inaugural speaker at the Flora Institute for Communication Ethics. This workshop, run by the Communication Studies Department, brought eight educators from Christian colleges and universities in the West to our campus to grapple with questions of faith and student media. On Faculty Development Day, our faculty heard one idea after another from Messiah College's Joe Huffman and from Ken Pecka, our director of Instructional Resources, about the impact of technology in the classroom. Finally, on Halloween we welcomed Jim Shaw, of Spokane's Sacred Heart Medical Center, who spoke on "Ethical Issues at the End of Life."

When Theatre Professor Diana Trotter was a third-grader, her mom took her and her brother to a K-Mart in Portland and gave them each $5 to spend on whatever they wanted. Diana immediately bought herself 10 Peanuts books. A lifelong fan of the Peanuts gang, Diana paid tribute to their creator, Charles Schulz, with our fall production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. The show was smashing. Everyone around us raved about its warmth, humor and professionalism, and about cast members Robert Martin , Matt Ebel, Kasey Graham, Colin Hesse, Kendra Kimball and Jennifer Stratton. Thanks to Mom Trotter for supporting Diana's Peanuts habit.

As the growing demands on higher education push up college pricetags, we are deeply committed to verifying our effectiveness. With that in mind, we recently hosted 40 visiting faculty from private institutions in the Pacific Northwest for a three-day conference on assessment. Thanks to funding from the Murdock Charitable Trust, we joined nine other institutions in taking a look at how better to measure whether students are actually learning what we want them to learn. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Gordon Jackson is overseeing this two-year Murdock grant that involves five other Whitworth faculty members, as well.

Enrollment

Twenty high school guidance counselors from seven states were on campus Oct. 10 to learn more about Whitworth. We were their last stop on an 11-college tour. Several told me that Whitworth was the nicest campus they visited. I'm not sure anyone can really understand Whitworth's distinctiveness without being on campus and talking to our students and faculty, so it's important to have these counselors experience first-hand what we are all about. By the way, Nov. 30 is the early application deadline.

Student Life

Parents' Weekend was great. In addition to attending Charlie Brown, more than 500 parents participated in mini-colleges, a pre-game luncheon, a heart-stopping football victory and a meaningful worship service. I really enjoyed seeing many of you whom I've gotten to know in my travels. And special thanks to the Harrisons. While I'm sorry that the Roman mozzarella you were bringing Anna oozed into all regions of your suitcase, I'm delighted about the sack you salvaged that found its way to our front porch. Exquisite!

Presidential elections make November a spirited month on college campuses. Right now, a few days before the election, the HUB is alive with debate and campaigning. I'm happy to report that our students disagree more respectfully than the candidates do. Actually, we witnessed a rare moment when Julia Stronks (Political Science) hosted three local candidates for a presentation on how their faith influences their politics. All three were thoughtful and articulate (in contrast to most of the campaigning we've had to endure). ASWC is holding an election party on the evening of Nov. 7 to watch the nationwide results. Later in the month, karaoke events will contaminate campus life. This is always a hard time for dogs within a five-mile radius of the campus; they just howl in protest. I feel their pain. At the opposite end of the quality spectrum, the senior class will be sponsoring a coffeehouse featuring talented members of the Class of 2001, and all proceeds will go to the senior class fund. Finally, right before Thanksgiving we will enjoy our annual College Bowl tournament, and Outdoor Rec will be taking a "Hot Springs Tour" to British Columbia.

Resources

Athletics

The football gods seem to be flat out grinning at us. Four weeks ago, we got behind Simon Fraser with 48 seconds left and scored the winning touchdown on the last play of the game, winning 30-29. This past weekend, Eastern Oregon University kicked a 51-yard field goal with 36 seconds left to take the lead 13-10. We got the ball on our own 35, and three plays and 20.3 seconds later, QB Scott Biglin found Ty McGregor in the end zone for Ty's third straight catch. We're now 5-2, with a four-game winning streak, having beaten Willamette at Homecoming and UPS at their place. After the EOU game, some of the seniors and their parents stopped by our house. The players tried to give me this "Ho hum, business as usual" look, but they couldn't conceal their delight.

Our women's cross-country team took third place in the conference meet to end a very successful season. Holly Weiler qualified for first team all-conference, with Julia Lucas and Annie Scott achieving honorable mention. The women move on to regionals now, where they hope to step up another notch. Our men finished sixth, but improved vastly over last year. Slowed by an injury, No. 1 runner Josh Sherven didn't finish in his usual spot among the leaders. Ben Robinson (slowed by his genes) finished first for Whitworth, as he did last year. Peter Metcalf ran very well and provided leadership all year.

Volleyball is raging at Whitworth. In just two years, the women have risen from the cellar to second place in the conference. I love watching these matches. Kristin Turner turns "tomahawk" into a verb when she spikes. Second-year coach Steve Rupe, '89, is also getting great play from Lindsay Wagstaff, Nicole Weedman and Abby Jo Hornstein. The women's record right now is 16-8, 11-4 in conference.

Men's soccer is still alive for an at-large berth in the playoffs, while the women's season has come to an end. The guys head into their last game of the regular season, against Whitman, on a 6-1-1 streak. Brian Hein scored his team-leading tenth goal against PLU last week and was joined in the scoring by Paul Johnson, Kurt Kagawa and Brendan Siefken as the Bucs rolled to a 4-1 victory over the Lutes. The Pirates now await the decision of the NCAA selection committee to see whether they'll be involved in postseason play. On the women's side, the Bucs closed out their season in fine fashion, defeating PLU with only 26 seconds remaining in the second overtime before dropping a heartbreaker to Northwest Conference champion UPS. The women went 3-2 in their final five matches after a tough midseason stretch.

Alumni

The 2000 alumni directories are being bound as I write this. If you filled out a survey, your copy should finally hit your mailbox well before Thanksgiving. If you don't receive a directory by Dec. 1 and were expecting one, please call the Alumni Office (contact info above) and they will be happy to send you a copy.

Alumni, parents and friends in the Bay Area and on Oahu, look for Whitworth professors and alumni programs in your neighborhoods in January. Also, I'll make my annual sojourn to Washington, D.C., and hope to see local alumni while I'm there. More information about all of these events will be in the mail soon.

If you want charm, beauty and generosity of spirit, you need to meet the great ladies of the Whitworth Auxiliary. For years, this group has raised money for residence hall furnishings. Now, Art Professor Emeritus Pauline Haas has designed a gorgeous cotton afghan featuring Whitworth landmarks. The auxiliary is selling these for $50 each. Contact the Office of Alumni & Parent Relations (800-532-4668, 509-777-3799, atomson@whitworth.edu) if you'd like to wrap yourself in Whitworth.

The annual Christmas Festival featuring more than 100 vocalists and instrumentalists will take to the road Dec. 1-3. Students will present this annual tradition outside Washington for the first time at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Portland on Dec. 1. The rest of the schedule is listed below. Please make sure you call soon for your tickets. Preludes begin 20 minutes before each concert.

Dec. 1, 8 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian, Portland (503-629-0396)
Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., Chapel Hill Presbyterian, Gig Harbor (253-564-3817)
Dec. 3, 3 p.m., First Presbyterian, Seattle (206-368-6926)
Dec. 8, 8 p.m., and Dec. 9, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., First Presbyterian, Spokane (509-467-9397 or 509-777-3280 or 509-325-SEAT.

Closing Thoughts

Well, November puts me back in the friendly skies, but I'll still see Whitworth in action. On Nov. 16 I'm speaking in chapel at Princeton Theological Seminary (where I once distinguished myself in several utterly meaningless ways before achieving dropout status). A few days ago, I received an e-mail from one of our alumni studying at PTS. He wrote, "It is an awesome surprise to find that you will be coming to Princeton. Whitworth was such a wonderful place for me. I really believe that the education I received rivals that of any student here.... As I look at the collection of students here at the seminary I cannot help but think about the impact that Whitworth College has had on the Princeton community. There are more students studying at Princeton who graduated from Whitworth than from any other undergraduate institution." Not only fourth graders are being influenced by Whitworth. In a small way, we touch the greater Kingdom of God. This is a good place with long arms. Thank you for helping to make it so.