Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 1998

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Greetings from some lousy airport. This is one of those weeks in which I'm on an airplane five out of seven days. Fortunately, I climb off these planes to advance the Whitworth cause, so my joy usually returns when I start waving the flag. We're having a great new academic year, as you will read below. Good news, good weather and good learning have been abundant for the past six weeks. We have such fine students here, and not only academically; they're just high-quality human beings. As we involve ourselves in their lives, we get whipped around emotionally when they move between success and struggle, but I guess sore hearts now and then come with the territory. This summer I noticed when reading the first 11 verses of Hosea 11 that God, too, went through major mood swings over the fortunes of his children. So I'm sure it's natural, and I suspect that vulnerability is a close companion of the sensitivity with which we attempt to treat our students. Again, life is good at Whitworth and I hope it is good for you. We appreciate your interest and your prayers.

Academics

The biggest news since I last wrote is the visit of the 11-member accreditation team.They spent two days interviewing faculty, staff and students to determine whether our 130-page self-study report was accurate in describing how Whitworth is meeting its mission. I'm pleased to report that the team gave us strong marks in the areas we care about most. We'll know the final outcome of our application for reaccreditation in December, but I do want you to know about two of the commendations the team members gave us at their exit interview. We commend Whitworth College for the campus-wide awareness, acceptance and application of the stated mission to provide students with an education of the mind and heart, and for its remarkable success, bound to its commitment to a Christian education with a spirit of free intellectual inquiry. The other commendation that pleased us reflected our commitment to students. We commend Whitworth College for making students central to all aspects of its life. This is evidenced by individual actions of faculty, staff, administration and trustees as well as by the institutional planning and resources. We were also complimented on maintaining a focus on our mission and on strengthening our financial condition. The team's suggestions were very helpful, but relatively minor in comparison to the commendations. So we feel very encouraged and we want to express our appreciation to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Gordon Jackson, the Steering Committee and the Academic Affairs Office for a job superbly done.

I forgot to mention last month what a joy it was for us to award Margaret Taylor Doane an honorary doctorate in our opening convocation this fall. Margaret is a pioneer in sacred dance who has written and taught in this field for more than 60 years. Now 90 years old, indefatigable and gaining speed, she provides master classes for students enrolled in Judy Mandeville's sacred dance program. In my convocation address, I urged our students to be "consequential scholars." Margaret provided the ideal example of what that should look like.

Homecoming Weekend is usually sandwiched between two Forums featuring our alumni. This year Marty Miller, '89, spoke on Friday, and Kurt Liebert, '88, along with his band, Bicycle, did Monday's Forum. Marty, originally from Selah, Wash., has been with the Office of Rural and Farm Worker Housing, in Yakima, since 1992, working with landowners and communities to provide adequate affordable housing for farm workers throughout central Washington. His Forum presentation centered on his personal and professional journey after Whitworth and told about how he'd come full circle to return to his hometown. Kurt's band played songs they've written and performed as they've criss-crossed the country on pedal-powered bicycles. It was clear as our students watched the CNN video that chronicled the band's tours that current Whitworthians were into Kurt's music and interested in his experiences since leaving Spokane.

Our theatre and music departments will present Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic tale of young love, Cinderella, in Whitworth's Cowles Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. This is going to be a great production. Director Rick Hornor says of the play, "Cinderella colorfully and magically presents every young person's fancy that true love is possible and that dreams really can come true." Two matinee performances of the play (including one on Halloween afternoon) have been scheduled specifically for the convenience of families who won't want to miss this wonderful fable.

You could build a pretty strong case for Whitworth being one of the two or three colleges in the country most connected to our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We value deeply that relationship. This fall, our faculty has engaged in a series of conversations about what that connection should mean. Historians Dale Soden and Arlin Migliazzo are leading this four-part discussion over the next several weeks, with nearly 25 percent of our faculty participating.

Don't forget the Whitworth Wind Ensemble's free concert in Cowles Auditorium at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. This group, led by Assistant Professor of Music Rich Strauch, is yet another of our terrific music ensembles. Rich and his musicians will offer selections from Morton Gould and Ralph Vaughan Williams, among others, and I know they'll present a great concert.

Enrollment

This weekend is Great Escape, the first of our three big campus visit programs. A couple of hundred high school seniors flocked in Saturday afternoon and are attending classes on Monday. Campus visits are very important in helping students to experience college life and get an "unvarnished" look at the Whitworth campus. One of the participants will be our 12th-grade son, a veritable expert in the whole area of varnish. Future campus visit dates are Nov. 5-6 for TGIWhitworth, and Feb. 14-15, 1999, for Campus Close-Up.

Student Life

Homecoming was so great. Alumni of all ages returned to campus October 3 for a wonderful weekend. The Class of '88 enjoyed a warm reunion (which included the classes of '87 and '89, as well), a good-sized group of alumni went on a brisk morning tour of campus, spontaneous parties broke out all weekend, and a hearty group of young alumni defeated a student team in Ultimate Frisbee. And, of course, there was yet another ho-hum Homecoming victory delivered by our football team (see Athletics). Thanks to all who came back. It was really good to see you.

Community Building Day was a huge success. All kinds of service projects were completed around Spokane. This wonderful Whitworth tradition brings students together in an activity that fulfills the last words in our mission statement, "to serve humanity." Projects ranged from 250 residents of Warren and Baldwin-Jenkins Halls cleaning up Beacon Hill to a couple of guys going over to do yardwork at the home of a person who was recently widowed.

Parents, don't forget Parents' Weekend Oct. 30 - Nov. 1. It's later this year than usual, so the campus and the weather won't be as attractive, but your students will really need you then. As we end October, the weather cools, daylight savings flips off, post-midterm fatigue sets in, and it's still a long haul to Thanksgiving vacation. If you can attend, you can brighten your children's spirits more than you know. P.S. They asked me to tell you not to forget your wallets.

Upcoming student activities include contra dancing (your guess is as good as mine) with professional callers, intramural Ultimate Frisbee and volleyball, whitewater rafting, Wild Walls climbing, a three-day backpacking trip to Smith Rock, a mountain-biking trip at Schweitzer, toga party, Habitat for Humanity Benefit Concert, Extravaganza Latina, Gospel Explosion, the movie "Jaws" viewed from inner tubes in the swimming pool, the Halloween Masquerade Ball, and the annual McMillan Haunted House (I know: How is that any different from the rest of the year in McMillan?).

Resources

The dedication of Phase II of the Campus Center will be held on Friday, Oct. 23. Gracing the occasion will be Christina Hixson, sole trustee of the Ernst F. Lied Charitable Trust, whose support and wisdom made construction of the Campus Center possible. We will also have other luminaries on campus connected with great news I'll report next month.

The Whitworth Fund is off to an excellent 1998-99 start. By the end of September, you had given more than $177,000 - that is $91,000 more than we had in hand at this time last year. We have to keep working diligently on this unrestricted giving fund. It is the only gift revenue we build into our operating budget, so it's vital to our success. Thanks so much for your support.

Our Phonathon students play a big role in our fund-raising efforts. They're an amazing group. After two weeks of calling, they've collected more than $85,000 in pledges that will go toward financial aid and other high-priority needs of our students. I'll tell you next month how they're progressing toward their $175,000 goal. Incidentally, this year's Phonathon team includes eight of our Hawaiian students, so there's a lot of "aloha" charm floating around the phone banks. I also wanted to tell you that Whitworth Fund Director Dolly Jackson reports, "It's okay to play with matches!" One of our generous trustees has offered to match up to $62,000 in Whitworth Fund giving increases. So when a student calls and asks you to increase your 1998-99 giving over what you shared with us last year, our trustee challenger will match your increased giving dollar-for-dollar. Thanks for helping us take full advantage of this great incentive!

Athletics

(I've finished writing everything in this letter, except "Athletics," while traveling the last two days. With big contests this weekend, I think I'll prevail upon Terry Mitchell, who's always the last person to see these newsletters before they go out, to report on the Bucs' athletic pursuits. Thanks to Terry for this and for all her editorial work. We're a good team. I take out the split infinitives and she takes out my whining.)

The Buc football team came oh, so close to beating Linfield in McMinnville last Saturday.The defense was awesome, holding the Wildcats to just 10 points; unfortunately, Linfield's defense held our guys to just 7. Sophomore Sky Blake and seniors Ryan Nelson and Chris Wilson led the charge for the Whitworth "D" in a game that was a dogfight from start to finish. The Bucs now stand at 1-1 in conference and 2-3 overall. With this near-win against one of our conference's great teams, the guys showed again that they're on their way up in the NWC. After beating Montana Tech (ranked fifth in the nation) and blowing out UPS at Homecoming (42-6), the Men in Black are hungry for that next big win.

The volleyball team continues to struggle a bit, but the team's newest members are stepping up to assist their more experienced counterparts. Freshmen Jennifer Kann, Abby Jo Hornstein, Megan Peric and Sarah Temple are part of the wave of the future, and all have been seeing lots of playing time lately. Abby leads the team (currently 1-6 in conference, 2-11 overall) in kills (64), attacks (284), service aces (12), and digs (77 - tied with senior Mary Hubele). With younger players like these, as well as some excellent veterans, the Bucs' future looks bright.

As runners go, ours do. The women of the cross-country team, with sophomores Annie Scott and Katie Schlotfeldt out front, are making their mark in the NWC. Head Coach Toby Schwarz believes that their success will continue. "They have a real chance of finishing in the top four of our conference," he says. The men, too, are improving from last season; all the returners have cut more than a minute off last season's times, and freshman Adam Thornton is running well in the No. 2 slot. Both teams will be ready to crank it up at a local invitational meet on Oct. 24, and again at the Northwest Conference Championships at PLU on Halloween.

Women's soccer is riding the roller coaster. In what was billed as one of those dreaded "rebuilding years," the women have experienced quite a few bright spots along with the tough defeats. They currently stand at 2-4 in conference and 3-6 overall. The Bucs' most recent games were 1-0 losses to Seattle (in overtime) and UPS, so other teams certainly aren't dominating Whitworth's players. Head Coach Sean Bushey is happy with his team's effort, and he mentions seniors Amber Young, Heidi Bohnett, Stacia Marks and Lehua Kay as some of his strongest players and leaders. "All of them have been warriors for us out there," he said. A good home stand would mean a great shot at another playoff run for the Pirate women.

After a tough losing streak, the men's soccer team is back on track in a big way. The Bucs lost four straight conference games, each one a battle, and things were looking a little bleak until Whitworth came home to take on NAIA champion Seattle University, followed by the UPS Loggers, last year's second-place finishers in the conference. The guys took out Seattle 2-1 on goals by freshman J. J. Klaus and sophomore Andrew Dickson, then went out and beat UPS by the same score. Must be that Marriott home cookin' (and a lot of hard work and talent). J. J. was named Northwest Conference Player of the Week for his great play in both games, and junior Jace Jones and sophomore Mark Lupton were instrumental in the big wins, as well.

Dates to Remember

(Call 509-777-3707 for information about Whitworth Theatre events, 509-777-3280 for information about on-campus musical events, and 509-777-3799 or 1-800-533-4668 for information about Christmas concerts and pre-event desserts.)

Closing Thoughts

Thanks again for your interest and support. We're doing our best to fulfill Whitworth's great mission. In the midst of the Washington scandal and the charges brought against President Clinton, my infinitely better half, Bonnie, gave me this passage from the Psalms: "He chose David his servant . . . to be shepherd of his people . . . . And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, and with skillful hands he led them." May we be and prepare such leaders.