Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 1997

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

It is 6 a.m. on the Saturday morning of Homecoming Weekend. I wish I were still sleeping but I needed to get up and start worrying. At the moment I'm worried about the weather. I have already watched four different weather reports and the best one has today's high 13 degrees below normal with rain and wind. I love Homecoming, but I worry about everything, including how much I worry. Alas. On the very bright side of things, God's autumn paintbrush has swiped the hillsides and washed our campus with color. This divine artistry serves as a reminder that while I worry and fret, the sovereign one never slumbers nor sleeps. So it will be a great day at Whitworth, and I hope it is for you as well. 

Academic Affairs

With today being Yom Kippur, I'm reminded of a wonderful presentation I heard last month on campus titled Le Chambon-sur-Lignon: How our Protestant Community Saved Thousands of Jews in Occupied Catholic France, delivered by Patrick Henry, professor of foreign languages and literatures at Whitman College in Walla Walla. His appearance at Whitworth was part of the "Inquiring Mind" program, sponsored by the Washington Commission for the Humanities.

This past month, the English Department brought us two giants in the field of contemporary literature, poet Tess Gallagher and novelist David James Duncan. Their visits to campus were a part of the department's Fall Festival of Writers.

Fall is an incredibly busy time of year for the Whitworth Theatre Department. Earlier this month, six theatre students performed in two James McLure plays, Laundry and Bourbonand Lone Star, directed by Assistant Professor Diana Trotter and Associate Professor Rick Hornor, respectively. The actors, junior Brooke Kiener and seniors Jeremy Williams, Kate Hancock, Brian Cooper, Jeff Davis and Kelly Simon, did a great job of bringing these plays to six audiences in Whitworth's Stage II. For the fall production October 23-26, Rick Hornor will direct Sophocles' Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, featuring Heather Peterson and Kate Hancock.

We have just learned that the Whitworth College Jazz Ensemble has been invited to perform at the Washington All-State Music Educators Conference on February 13-16.Not only is this an honor, but it is an opportunity to make our great music program visible to folks who can refer future music students to us. On Nov. 22, the jazz ensemble will take the Cowles Auditorium stage with legendary jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker. If you're looking for an evening of great big-band jazz, call the Whitworth College Music Department at (509) 777-3280 for ticket information.

Whitworth English Professor Doug Sugano has been twice honored recently. Not only was his Midland Mysteries (an adaptation of medieval biblical plays) published, but it premiered at St. Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham, England, in July, and Doug and his family were able to attend the premier.

One of Whitworth's contributions to young children in our community is the Whitworth Writing Rally. This year's rally, which will bring nearly a thousand children and their parents to campus, will be held on Saturday, November 1, and will feature Jerry Pallotta, author of such children's books as The Ocean Alphabet Book, The Icky Bug Alphabet Book, and The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book. Our biologists would argue that these last two titles are oxymorons.

Through the efforts of Master of International Management Director Dan Sanford and Whitworth Institute of International Management Director JoAnn Nielsen, Whitworth has been awarded a $173,000 federal grant to help increase trade opportunities with Korea. The Title VI-B grant will support the efforts of our Institute of International Management to help area businesses reach a goal of $15 million in new trade with Korea. In partnership with the Spokane Regional Trade Association, the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute and WSU, WIIM will assist a minimum of 20 companies to develop or expand trade opportunities and markets in that region. This grant is a confirmation of Whitworth's growing presence in the international business community, and we are very thankful to Dan for his longtime leadership in this area.

Admissions & Enrollment

As we look at next year's entering class, it is clear that we will not have as much room for freshman students as we did this fall, but we will have more space available for transfer students, especially those who would come in as juniors. So we need you to do two things. First, please encourage prospective freshman students to apply early. Second, promote Whitworth to the strong students you know who are considering transferring, especially those at our community colleges.

On November 4 we will host a dinner to introduce the many generous providers of scholarship funds to the students whose educations at Whitworth have been made possible through the support of these donors. This is always a warm and joyous occasion both for our students and for the donors who support them.

Student Life

Two of our students, Tim Evans and Mikayla Paris, recently put together a Homeless Awareness Week. During the last half of the week, about 20 students participated in a homeless simulation that required them to go three days and two nights without money, food or shelter. Their only provision was their resourcefulness. I'm not sure we alerted the campus about the simulation as well as we might have. According to one story, Library Director Hans Bynagle walked into the library one morning and said, "I noticed there's a person sleeping in our flower bed." Circulation and Inter-Library Loan Specialist Gail Fielding responded, "I believe she's related to our president," to which Hans replied, "Yes, that makes perfect sense."

Whitworth owns a half-dozen homes that have been converted to "theme houses" for residential students. Each one accommodates three to five students who contract to provide campus-wide programming around their particular theme. A few nights ago I attended a barbecue sponsored by the Aloha House and the Multicultural House; all first-year students from Hawaii were invited for a great feast and an opportunity to chat with some of the older students and professors about getting involved and adjusting to mainland culture. Last week, the Leadership House combined with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes House to host a spaghetti dinner for more than 70 students. We think these houses provide an appealing living option for our third- and fourth-year students, while keeping them on campus to provide additional leadership for our student body.

It is now early Sunday morning, and a great Homecoming Weekend is winding down.Five- and 10-year reunions were held last evening, following a noon barbecue for all alumni. At halftime of the football game, the alumni tent was packed and it was great seeing the reunion of friends from many eras. As it turns out, I had good reason to worry about the weather - it was cool and rainy - and I should have worried more about the football game, but I think it's been a wonderful weekend for all who returned to campus. It was great to see you alums.

As always, Community-Building Day was a big success. More than 300 students, faculty and staff rolled up their sleeves and worked on behalf of 25 service organizations in the community. The fact that service is deeply ingrained in the souls of Whitworthians was clear at the follow-up picnic. At an open microphone, students talked about how they were blessed in these work experiences and spoke frequently about keeping their eyes peeled for ongoing opportunities to serve.

The next two weekends at Whitworth will also be packed with people and activities. On October 18-20 our Admissions Office will host Great Escape Weekend, during which high school seniors visit the campus to experience college life first-hand. Then, on October 24-26, we will host Parents' Weekend. During those brief moments when our students take a break from helping their parents support our local merchants, we'll have some excellent programs. Faculty presentations such as How the South Almost Brought Down the New York Times and An Examination of the Christian Motivation to Take the Holy Land from the Muslims Through War will be available, as will Oedipus the King, men's and women's soccer games, vocal performances from the music department, and a convocation at which I'll talk to parents about life at Whitworth.

This year, Whitworth College is hosting 50 new international students. We see them as our teachers as well as our learners. One of the many valuable dimensions of the international experience at Whitworth is our host-family program, in which local families sponsor individual international students. We still have 10 students without host families, so if you are local and would be interested in participating in this rich experience, please give us a call at 777-4509.

Finances

Our great Whitworth Fund Phonathon students have surpassed the $100,000 mark after only 20 days of calling. Nineteen days remain for them to reach their $150,000 goal. Thanks to the scores of alumni who have increased their pledges or made a first-time commitment. This helps us a ton.

With the recent completion of a variety of projects, the campus is stunning this fall.While larger capital projects like Phase II of the Campus Center tend to capture all the attention, our Physical Plant and Groundskeeping staffs have done a wonderful job this year in many areas. From new paint in residence halls to brilliant flower beds at the front gate, I've never seen the campus look better. Our thanks go out to the people who have made Whitworth such a beautiful place to live, learn and work.

Vice President for Business Affairs Tom Johnson reports that our auditors are just about to close the books on the 1996-97 fiscal year, and the college's financial condition is looking very strong. Thanks to your support, strong enrollment and careful stewardship by our budget managers, we finished the fiscal year with our 21st consecutive balanced budget. The auditors are also expected to give us what they refer to as a "clean opinion," meaning they like the way Whitworth College keeps track of its finances.

Athletics

The football team is off to a 2-3 start as they prepare for their sixth game of the season. For some reason, the guys just had a bad game at Homecoming. After a 0-0 tie at the end of the first quarter, Linfield exploded for 21 second-quarter points, and in the second half Whitworth seemed unable to get anything going. This week the Bucs face a strong Eastern Oregon team. Saturday's loss was especially painful after a two-game winning streak that included a 49-35 victory over a tough Pomona-Pitzer team at home and a great 14-12 win at the University of Puget Sound. In the UPS game, running back Ben Vaday gained 177 yards and earned NCIC Player of the Week honors.

Thanks to all who participated in Pirate Night. The Athletics Department raised more than $25,000 amid great donations and wild bidding. Reid Ziegler was able to pick up a bell for only $1,100, while Travis and Janis White managed to steal a home-cooked meal for just $850. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make Pirate Night a great success. Goodwill abounded. Incidentally, Women's Basketball Coach Helen Higgs outbid Resident Director Gordy Toyama for my backyard basketball hoop. Evidently, Gordy made a jump shot this summer and now boasts that he's a "nothin' but net" kinda guy.

The Whitworth women's cross-country team currently finds itself ranked 25th in the nation, with very strong performances being turned in by Miranda Thygesen and Annie Scott. The men's squad has been competitive and is especially encouraged by the running of freshman C.J. Skyberg as both teams prepare for the NCIC championships in two weeks.

Both our men's and women's soccer teams graduated great players last year, so they find themselves on the young and inexperienced side. Currently, the women are 4-5 in conference, and enjoying strong play from sophomore Heidi Bohnett and seniors Jonna Glenn and Marilyn Piduch. The men, who've seen great play from senior Matt Yeoman, junior Matt Leonard and sophomore Mark Lupton, have won three, lost six, and tied three. Pictured: Sophomore Kenny Krestian battles with an early season opponent. Krestian scored three goals last weekend for the Bucs.

Women's volleyball provided a Homecoming win for Whitworth fans, notching a decisive 15-8, 15-8, 14-16, 15-12 win against Lewis and Clark. The team has struggled a bit during the first part of the season and has only four wins. I think the players are coiling for a huge finish.

Miscellaneous

In the last Mind and Heart I downplayed the importance of magazine-based college ratings, but there are a few awards in which we take great pride. On September 23rd, I was in Washington, D.C., where Whitworth College was honored by the John Templeton Foundation as one of 134 schools across the country included on their "Honor Roll of Character-Building Colleges." We were one of two schools in the state of Washington to receive the honor. We are encouraged that the Templeton Foundation values what Whitworth College has always done so well. I can't help but wonder about our society, which, for the most part, ranks its schools on the basis of selectivity. Frankly, I'd much rather be known for building the character of our students than for the percentage of students to whom we deny admission to our college.

Whitworth now has a new telephone prefix. Our area code and extensions are still the same, but now 777 has become our prefix. One nice feature is that with this prefix you can direct-dial any office on campus if you know the extension. You can still get into the system by calling (509) 777-1000.

Last Friday night, Whitworth kicked off Homecoming Weekend with what turned out to be both a helpful balm and a joyous worship experience. Through the efforts of Student Life Programs Specialist Stephanie Beans and Black Student Union President Chris Mastin, the college hosted six choirs from predominantly African-American churches in Spokane. These musicians led us in an exuberant celebration of our faith and unity in Christ. This was also a great opportunity for us at Whitworth to strengthen our relationship with Spokane's African-American community as we work to make Whitworth a more welcoming place for students of all cultural and racial backgrounds. It was a great night, as many college and community people packed the Chapel, reminding us of the richness and growth that are ours when diverse people come together.

Dates to Remember

Closing Thoughts

I hope the autumn leaves are finding you well. Thanks to all of you, especially you alumni, for your encouraging notes. Last Friday, Spence Bovee, '84, who runs a film-related business in Hollywood, spoke in Forum. When English Professor Leonard Oakland, the program's moderator, asked Spence about how he deals with the temptations inherent in the film industry, Spence expressed appreciation to Whitworth as a place where he received "tools rather than rules" that continue to help him. We hope that all of our alumni rely on these tools often, as they build lives of service to others and to God.