Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: November 2007
An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson
You parents should be proud of your children. Halloween is always a bit goofy at our house. Of this year's record number of trick-or-treaters, all but six could have produced Whitworth I.D. cards. So what do you give a hairy, 20-year-old Mac Hall guy dressed as a fairy princess? The same thing you give 5-year-olds -- anything with lots of sugar. That's what we thought until this year when we had a major inventory snafu and ran out of treats about 100 students too early. We started handing out everything from hot chocolate to leftovers. And then Bonnie found several large boxes of some kind of miracle fizzy vitamin packets she'd gotten on sale. Well, you would have thought we were handing out $20 bills. The trick-or-treaters were ecstatic. So what does this mean in the larger scheme of things? It means the future is bright. It means tomorrow's leaders are wise enough to know vitamins are better for them than candy, or it means they are smart enough to fake happiness when the treat is given to them by the guy who will sign their diplomas. It means, parents, that you have raised your children to be good eaters or good liars. As November arrives with its attendant darkness, chill and fatigue, Whitworth keeps laughing, and that's a very good thing.
Academics
We are very pleased to announce a new graduate degree. The faculty, administration and board of trustees approved plans for a master of arts degree in theology. As you would expect, our excellent theology faculty will offer a very strong academic program, and with the degree there will also be an emphasis on the practice of spiritual disciplines. We will soon be taking applications, and classes will begin next summer. For more information, contact Jerry Sittser (gsittser@whitworth.edu) or Timothy Dolan (tdolan@whitworth.edu.) This is going to be a great program.
The Fulbright Program recently announced that Whitworth was a top producer of students who received Fulbright awards in 2007-08. The success of the top-producing institutions was highlighted in the Oct. 26 print edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education and in its online edition. Whitworth, which submitted three applications and had two Fulbright scholars (Leah Silvieus and Lindsey Kiehn, both '07) selected, is listed in the master's institutions category, along with 20 other institutions including Mills College, City University of New York, and Valparaiso University.
Over fall break, faculty devoted a day to discussing Whitworth's mission. Campus speakers and group discussions helped faculty identify various methods to integrate Christian faith with academic content in the classroom. I regret being gone for this discussion, but when I returned to campus two days later, faculty members were still buzzing about what a good day they'd had.
Without leaving campus, our students are coming to the rescue in Uganda. Each semester, SGCM Professor Jack Burns' Leadership 350 class raises funds for a specific project to combat world hunger. On several occasions students have supported the work of Christian Veterinary Mission. CVM director Kit Flowers reported on the tangible results of some past student contributions: In Karamoja, Uganda, between February and August 2005, CVM distributed more than 45 tons of food to 700 orphans and elderly and disabled adults through the Vulnerable, In-Need People (VIP) Program, created by our students. That food enabled the VIPs to survive a severe seven-month drought. How great is it that students are learning leadership principles in the context of serving the world!
Whitworth Continuing Studies alumni are active in community leadership development.The current class of Leadership Spokane includes four organizational- management students or alums: Janmarie Dormady, '08; Kristine Ruggles, '03; Pam Lake, '06; and Shirene Young, '07.
On Nov. 9-10 we will host "An Emergent Mainline Dialogue: Listening to Generations Past, Present and Future." This conference will offer local engagement with a national conversation on fresh expressions of church ministry in a rapidly changing North American culture, and will include four national leaders in the Emergent Church movement: Tony Jones, Karen Ward, John Franke and Doug Pagitt. On Nov. 13, Dean Michael Le Roy, '89, will convene the Dean's Dialogue, at which a faculty panel will discuss religious pluralism and civility on campus. Visit www.whitworth.edu/speakers&artists for a complete list of speakers and events.
Black Orpheus, an exhibit featuring a sculptural series by artist Ruben Trejo, will run Nov. 5-Dec. 7 in the Koehler Gallery. In addition to his exhibit, Trejo will conduct an artist's residency Nov. 9-13 through Whitworth's Visiting Artists in Printmaking Program. Trejo's artwork has been influenced by formalism, the folk traditions of Mexico, and American popular culture.
The Whitworthian placed third nationally in the Four-Year Institution Weekly Tabloids category at the Associated Collegiate Press/CMA National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C., last month. We have an amazingly strong and active student newspaper for a school of our size.
Two Saturdays ago, nearly 30 saxophonists from Spokane's three universities descended on Whitworth's campus for Saxtoberfest, which featured a recital by saxophone virtuoso Jay Easton and a concert by the 28-member Spokane Intercollegiate Saxophone Orchestra. The event was organized and led by Whitworth's long-time saxophone instructor Sylvia Baker, who will retire at the end of this academic year.
Enrollment
Due to the generosity of many donors, a number of endowed scholarships are available to our returning students. The 2008-09 application for endowed scholarships is now available at www.whitworth.edu/financialaid. The deadline for students to submit the application is Jan. 31, 2008.
Student Life
On Nov. 1, Frisbee maniacs in shorts and T-shirts enjoyed beautiful, brisk, sunny weather. By the end of the month, the emphasis will likely be on "brisk" rather than "sunny." Midterms are over, freshmen just got the memo that they are supposed to study (in the form of midterm grades), and the much-coveted Frisbee championship will be determined by the end of the week. The Mac Hall haunted house reported no major injuries, so that's good. And this week will include a concert in the HUB, a senior roller-skating night, and a Catholic mass for beginners. ASWU President Scott Donnell reports, "We are getting used to our new security-card system in the dorms. And if any of our parents read this, please send cookie$, card$, or anything el$e that would help u$."
Apart from the weather, Parents' Weekend was great. Parents dashed to mini-college courses, to the theatre production of Antigone, and to the men's and women's soccer matches (which Whitworth won). It was great having them here. After students returned from Fall Break, ASWU put on Political Awareness Week, featuring Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed. Before Thanksgiving, students can attend the jazz concert, featuring trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and Cultural Awareness Week activities, beginning with the Soul Food Dinner sponsored by BSU and ending with the International Banquet. November will conclude with the student charity fund-raising events Up 'til Dawn and Warren Peace.
Resources
For those of you who get M&H by snail mail, I don't have to remind you that this is the month when we enclose a return envelope, in hopes that you will consider making a contribution to The Whitworth Fund. These unrestricted gifts serve as the foundation of our financial-aid program. It would be great to have an Ivy League endowment to fund financial aid, but institutions with our history and mission seldom find themselves in that position; so we rely heavily on The Whitworth Fund. As we enter November, we're a little behind for this fiscal year (July 1 to June 30), so it will be immensely helpful if you can include Whitworth in your calendar-year-end giving plans. If you would rather give online, just go to www.whitworth.edu/give. Thank you so much!
When Senator Maria Cantwell was on campus three weeks ago, she couldn't escape the enthusiasm of Trustee Art Symons, who tracked us down during a campus tour and proclaimed with evangelistic fervor the virtue of the IRA rollover provision included in the Pension Protection Act. It was great. And Art's right. To date, Whitworth has received almost $62,000 as direct charitable contributions from retirement accounts. If you're interested, you have until Dec. 31, 2007, to take advantage of this opportunity. Please contact Whitworth Foundation Executive Director Joe Dinnison, 509.777.4363, for more information.
Athletics
Whitworth's golf teams finished second at the Northwest Conference Fall Classics,setting themselves up to make a run at NWC titles in the spring. Mariesa Stombaugh shot 165 to finish fifth individually and to lead the Pirate women. And Jordan Carter's 148 helped the Whitworth men rally from fifth place after the first day to finish as runners-up.
The men's cross-country team finished third at the Northwest Conference championship meet behind the outstanding performance of freshman Nick Gallagher, who earned All-NWC honors with his fourth-place finish. Dusty Caseria finished 11th to make the All-NWC second team. The Whitworth women took fifth place, and Jo E Mayer finished 10th to earn second-team All-NWC honors.
The volleyball team wrapped up its season this week at home against Lewis & Clark. Senior Cassie Moore and junior Sarah Rusch have had All-Conference-worthy seasons.
Women's soccer finished 17-2 and is headed for an at-large berth in the DIII playoffs.Wow. Senior Jael Hagerott recently tied the school record for career assists, with 26, and senior Greta Thibodeau led the conference in assists this season.
Men's soccer beat Whitman this weekend to earn the school's third NWC title in the last four seasons. As conference champs, the men, too, are off to the DIII tournament. Senior Matt Friesen led the team in scoring, and seniors Brett Kagawa and Ben Dixon have been the anchors of one of the best defenses in all of NCAA Division III soccer. It has been so exciting watching both the men's and women's matches this year. I keep asking the players to put teams away early; it's better for my heart. I guess they like watching us fans anguish before they rack up a combined record-setting number of victories.
Whitworth football won its second consecutive NWC title this weekend with a hard-fought 10-6 victory over Linfield. The senior-laden defense led all of the NCAA Division III in turnover margin, and the emergence of running back Adam Anderson behind the strong offensive line of Jeff Kintner, Michael Kozad, Kyle Kania, Levi Wyman and Dan Sanders has given the Pirates a new, but formidable, look this season. Sorry to be so sparse here, but I had this all written before the weekend victories that launched us into the playoffs. I'll update you next month!
Alumni
Registration is now open to alumni, parents and friends for our Core 650 study tour of Turkey with Theology Professor Jim Edwards, '67. Next summer (June 11-24) the group will explore St. Paul's pioneering pathways. Sites will include Istanbul, the Meander River Delta and Cappadocia. More details are available at www.whitworth.edu/turkey08.
At this year's Homecoming, the reunions were great, the weather held, and the Pirates had a big football victory over PLU. The Class of 1997 had nearly 100 alumni at its 10th reunion and nearly as many children. Young Lifers from every generation gathered in celebration, and the Whitworth Alumni Awards were given at the annual George F. Whitworth Honors Banquet. Distinguished Alumni Award Winner Richard Cizik, '73, presented a lecture on the Christian call to stewardship of creation. Look for more from Richard and the other award winners in the next issue of Whitworth Today.
Miscellaneous
On Oct. 26, to test and refine our emergency-response plan, we completed a tabletop exercise, involving a pandemic flu scenario, with the Spokane Regional Health District.The district facilitator gave us high marks, but we still learned several things we can do to improve our preparations. Future tabletop and live exercises are planned. One thing for parents to keep in mind is that, in the event of an emergency, we will keep you informed through our website, e-mail, updates on the campus switchboard (509.777.1000) and broadcast text/voice messages. Go to www.whitworth.edu/emergency to sign up to receive emergency text/voice messages and to read more about our emergency-response planning.
We're grateful to those of you who have signed up to receive this newsletter via e-mail, which helps us save money and trees. Plus, the electronic version reaches you sooner and has links to more information online. For example, you might have missed the news that Terence Blanchard is the featured guest artist at the Whitworth Jazz Concert Nov. 10 and that he will also conduct a free jazz clinic for all students and the general public on Friday, Nov. 9, at 5:15 p.m. (For information about the concert/clinic, call 509.777.3280. Also, due to generous support from the Principal Financial Group, all students who attend Friday's jazz clinic will receive a free ticket to Saturday's concert.) By the time you get the print version of M&H, it will be too late to attend. To sign up for electronic delivery, go to www.whitworth.edu/mind&heart.
The Whitworth Wind Symphony will present its fall concert, "Morning Star," on Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. The concert will feature faculty pianist Judith Schoepflin in the world premiere of Sinfonietta for Piano and Wind Symphony, composed by Associate Professor Emeritus of Music Mike Young. You'll also hear Paul Hindemith's monumental Symphony in B-flat and works by Maslanka, Bernstein, and others. Admission is $5 (free for students/seniors).
The Whitworth Concert Band and Jazz Band II will perform their fall concert on Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. This concert is always great, and admission is free.
Christmas concerts are coming. Journey to Bethlehem will be presented Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Bellevue; Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Seattle; and Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 3 and 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Spokane. For tickets, go to www.whitworth.edu/musictickets or call 800.532.4668.
Closing Thoughts
A magazine writer called a few days ago and asked me what I thought about the relationship between excellence and leadership. It struck me that too often leaders connect excellence with excess -- the biggest, the most, the finest. I wonder if true excellence might better be connected with elegance, which American Heritage defines as "refinement, grace and beauty." As we lift up excellence to our students, I hope they see the highest levels of quality --- but quality seasoned by refinement. I hope we can caution them against falling over that point of diminishing returns where a commitment to excellence deteriorates into an excuse for excess. I hope everything about our new building plans reflects refined excellence rather than trophy excellence. And I hope the way we live and present Christ's gospel offers the excellence of refinement, grace and beauty rather than the implicit or explicit bravado of extremism. I hope Whitworth's understanding of excellence pleases God and makes sense to all of you who make excellence possible at Whitworth.
