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President Emeritus Bill Robinson

  1. Whitworth University
  2. President Emeritus Bill Robinson
  3. Of Mind & Heart Newsletter
  4. October 2005

Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 2005

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

This might be the first time I've written one of these on a boat. Unfortunately, my life gets intense when we hit terra firma, so it's now or never. Typing on rolling seas could provide the stomach gods an opportunity to put me in my place, since I've shot off my mouth a few times about how I never get motion sickness. The occasion for my nautical surroundings is two badly needed relaxation days. Bonnie and I are in the sweet company of Karlyn, '67, and Chuck Boppell, '65. Chuck's the chairman of our board of trustees, so being with him provides immunity from any demerits I could get for not working -- but I also gain wisdom and energy from our times together. Last week he retired from navigating the cross currents of a once-troubled corporation that needed his trademark turnaround skills. Ultimately, his transformational leadership resulted in a profitable company that became a very attractive acquisition target. Shareholders, employees and consumers all benefited incredibly from Chuck's work. But so did Whitworth College. Chuck and Karlyn never rested from lavishing us with their time, treasure and talent. So I salute Chuck Boppell at this passage. Whitworth could not have a better board chair, and I could not have a better friend.

Academics

Whitworth recently received a $500,000 grant from a Lilly Endowment program, Sustaining the Theological Exploration of Vocation. This allows us to continue through 2009 our very successful program, initiated in 2001 with a $2 million grant. When the Lilly folks launched this ambitious program, they could never have predicted how many collegians' lives would be enriched. This past weekend Bonnie and I stayed with friends Debby and Andy Benton (Andy's the president of Pepperdine University), and he observed that Pepperdine's Lilly grant has transformed its campus. That report echoes at colleges and universities across the country. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Lilly Endowment and to Dale Soden (Politics & History/Weyerhaeuser Center), Terry McGonigal (Theology), and all of the faculty and staff who have worked hard on this important project that helps students understand God's call.

Professor of Politics & History John Yoder will join former U.S. President Jimmy Carteras a member of the National Democratic Institute/Carter Center's joint international delegation observing the Liberian presidential and legislative elections this month. The delegation will find John's expertise in Liberian politics and culture invaluable; he is greatly deserving of this invitation.

Speakers at Whitworth this month:

  • George Marsden, the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame and author of the highly acclaimed book Jonathan Edwards: A Life(Yale, 2003). On Oct. 27, he will address How 'Otherworldly' Fundamentalism Became a Political Power.

  • Nihonga artist Makoto Fujimura, of New York, will present his work on campus (in our Koehler Gallery) from Oct. 17-Dec. 8. He is part of our Visiting Artists in Printmaking program, which brings multicultural artists to campus to conduct printing workshops with faculty and students. Fujimura will appear at the opening reception Oct. 18, 5-7 p.m., in Fine Arts 203. He will also present an artist's lecture at 7 p.m. that evening in Weyerhaeuser Hall Room 203. 

  • On Nov. 4, award-winning poet Li-Young Lee will read selections from his work. This event kicks off the Spokane River Writers' Workshop, sponsored by the English departments at Whitworth and Gonzaga University.

Too often we overlook the research being done by our dedicated adjunct faculty. For example, Del Hungerford (Music) just published an interesting article, "Using a Fiber Optic Scope to View the Oral Cavity of Clarinetists," in The Clarinet magazine. Her findings can help provide a more uniform method of teaching proper tongue position during clarinet performance. The findings might also provide an explanation for the spit-valve problems I encountered after woofing down those orange peanut-butter crackers before puckering up to play last-chair trumpet in fifth-grade band.

Enrollment

Our final fall enrollment numbers landed very near all of our targets. We enrolled 451 new freshmen; their average SAT score is 1205. We also welcomed 93 transfer students. I have found these new students particularly achievement-oriented and excited about taking their places in the Whitworth community.

Student Life

We're excited about families and friends who will join us for Parents' Weekend Oct. 21-22. Among many other activities, our guests are invited to attend one of seven Saturday-morning sessions to hear from Whitworth faculty representing the fields of philosophy, psychology, speech, theatre and theology. Families, your students could not be more excited to see you; they just don't want to see you too early on Saturday morning. So come to classes such as Sinners Turned Into Saints, Regulating Speech on the University Campus, and It's Not What You Know, But How You Know It.

Homecoming was so much fun. Students plunged into the festivities with pizza-eating contests, a dance-off, dorm royalty, powder-puff football, and the victorious varsity football game, followed by a dance from which all proceeds went to the Hurricane Katrina fund. Intramural sports are going wild this fall with more than 700 participants (120 in Ultimate Frisbee alone). Also, there are currently 32 active clubs, and the student media are overflowing with student writers, photographers and DJs.

On Community Building Day, more than 500 students, staff and faculty partnered with 27 community agencies to make a difference in Spokane. "Whitworth puts a strong emphasis on integrating academic instruction with community service," says Whitworth senior and SERVE Coordinator Alise Delzell. ("SERVE" is Students Eager to Respond to Volunteer Endeavors.) "We hope that by participating in Community Building Day, students realize the importance and value of service and make a lifetime commitment to serve others."

Several of us received an e-mail last week from Jena Lee, '04, that demonstrates how one student has carried her service-learning lessons into life after Whitworth. Jena is the first executive director of Blood:Water Mission, a nonprofit organization founded by the Christian band Jars of Clay to promote clean water in Africa, to reduce the impact of the African HIV/AIDS pandemic, and to address the continent's underlying issues of poverty, injustice and oppression. As the band tours and performs throughout the United States, Jena and JOC's members speak to thousands of concertgoers about poverty, faith in action, and social justice. She writes, "I firmly believe that my experiences at Whitworth equipped me to take on this task." We pray God's blessings on Jena and all the other alumni serving God through serving humanity.

Thanks to Sarabeth Shoffner (Stewart resident assistant), Nate Chute (Stewart cultural diversity assistant), and Erica Prins (Village CDA) for their work on International Food Night. It was amazing. More than 100 people turned out, and the evening featured international music, pictures from all over the world, printed news articles from various countries, and flags and artifacts from other cultures.

Several of our students helped residents across campus participate in One Thousand Cranes, a project benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina. Whitworth students from Japan taught other members of the community how to make the origami birds as symbols of peace and healing. The cranes are currently on display to remind the campus of this significant national need, and all collected donations will benefit Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Just before the school year began, Stewart resident assistants Ashley Bauman and Scott Donnell asked student leaders to talk with their floormates and invite each floor to sponsor a Compassion child. They've requested a 12-month commitment, with the possibility of renewing each year. I heard that 40 floors (out of a possible 47) have responded, so students are making a very significant gift. The student-life staff is going to sponsor a child, as well. Our family has been blessed with Compassion children for more than 20 years.

Resources

I altered my normal run route last week and came across a very big hole in the ground. I hadn't realized that work had begun on our new 160-bed residence hall. The building will be located just north of Boppell Hall and is designed to provide home-like living "pods" for groups of six to 10 students, with generous gathering spaces on each of its four floors for residence-life programming, study, hanging out and other activities. This style of hall hits the high point on the efficiency/comfort curve. An anonymous donor brought this project within financial reach, and we're very excited about the name it will bear. Stay tuned.

The Whitworth Foundation is off to a wonderful new fiscal year. Six new planned gifts, totaling more than $1.5 million, have been received by the foundation since July 1. These charitable gift annuities and trusts will provide income to the donors for their lifetimes and will eventually benefit the college in a substantial way. We are grateful to these donors for their interest in the future of Whitworth.

Thanks for supporting our all-important Whitworth Fund. Last week we received news of a gift from a generous 1958 alumna who has been a consistent donor for more than a decade but has never given a gift anywhere near this size. I hope she's a trendsetter. While we appreciate every donor, and especially those of you who give every year, this surprise gift deserves a special thank-you!

I know that many of you are not overly fond of telemarketing, but having our students call you on behalf of The Whitworth Fund enriches them and provides you with a reminder and a chance to find out how students are experiencing Whitworth. They also harvest some good tales from you alumni about your time here. We have more than 11,000 of you on our list, so it may be a few months before you get a call, but we would appreciate it if you could give our student caller a few minutes of your time. Thanks.

Athletics

(These records will be a bit dated, but the information superhighway doesn't go through this part of the Pacific Ocean.)

The nationally ranked Whitworth football team is 2-0. The Pirates, No. 25 in the NCAA's DIII rankings, feature a potent offensive attack led by quarterback Joel Clark, running backs Kyle Havercroft and Chris Ahsing, and receivers Kyle Snell and Michael Allan. And the Bucs, who've really improved on defense this year, have allowed only 84 rushing yards per game, forcing three turnovers and giving up just one. Jay Tully, Tyler Hall and Nick Portrey rank among the conference leaders in total tackles.

The Pirate volleyball team, ranked No. 24 in the nation, is 8-2. Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference with a 4-0 record. Natalie Danielson was NWC Player of the Week at the end of September, and she leads the conference in hitting percentage and is second in kills per game. Bekah Hornor is not only the best setter in the league; she is a dangerous attacker as well, averaging more than three kills per game.

The Whitworth men's soccer team is 6-1-1 and ranked No. 11 nationally. The Bucs are perched atop the NWC standings with a 3-0-1 record. Whitworth leads the league in total goals (22) and goals per game (2.75). Todd Sabrowski continues to add to his Whitworth career record for assists. He has four this year, and 30 total. Niko Varlamos and Jonathan Carlson lead the team with four goals each.

Women's soccer is 3-2-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the NWC, still in the thick of the conference-title chase. Marissa Williams leads the team with three assists and is tied with Ashley Fisk and Meghan Hudson in goals scored, with two. The Pirates have done well to overcome the loss of two starters out for the season with knee injuries.

The men's and women's cross-country teams are also struggling with injuries. The Pirate women have been missing their No. 4 and No. 5 runners since the beginning of the year. The same is now true for the Whitworth men. However, Kristi Dickey and Doug Blackburn have been outstanding as the No. 1 runners for the women and men. Each has won multiple races this season and each is a contender for the conference title at the end of this month.

Men's golf seems to have picked up where it left off (winning the conference title last spring). Jordan Carter finished sixth individually at a big tournament of NCAA Division II teams hosted by St. Martin's University. Freshmen Bobby Elder, Collin Fling and Chris Contino have all played well.

Alumni

After only a few months, the secure online alumni community has nearly 1,000 users.Look for classmates, update your own data, or network with other folks in your area or career field. Visit https://www.whitworth.edu/alumnicommunity to log in today.

We're now accepting deposits for our next Core 650 educational tour for alumni, parents and friends. Rick Hornor, '70, (Theatre) will reprise his popular Theatre in London trip next July. More details are available on the alumni website or by contacting Nancy Rau at 509.777.4250 or nrau@whitworth.edu.

Join local alumni and friends for an opening-weekend dessert and show as Whitworth Theatre presents the modern classic Our Town on Saturday, Oct. 15. The event begins at 6:45 p.m. in the HUB. Sign up at www.whitworth.edu/alumni today.

Closing Thoughts

During Parents' Weekend (Oct. 21-22, 8 p.m.) as well as on Oct. 14-15 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 16 at 2 p.m., Brooke Kiener, '99, will direct Whitworth Theatre's production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. And on Nov. 5, our award-winning jazz ensemble will play in concert with jazz saxophonist and Grammy Award nominee Kenny Garrett. To be way more blunt than I should be, it saddens, embarrasses and scares me that we do not have a performing-arts facility that is comparable to the quality of the programs we present. I'm sad for our students and faculty, who deserve better. I'm embarrassed because it is my job to provide adequate tools to educate our students. And I'm scared because I wonder how long we can attract such talented students on the strength of a great faculty and Whitworth's general reputation. This little boating excursion that Bonnie and I are enjoying comes on the tail end of fund-raising work for the large capital projects (science, art, residential, etc.) that we hope to complete in the next five years. Finding support isn't exactly a chip shot (bad metaphor for someone who chips as badly as I do). I know I need to trust God to continue supplying Whitworth's needs, and as I look at all of our blessings I know that God's faithful hand rests firmly on the Whitworth community. I am so thankful for Christ's rich blessings, but I'm pretty vulnerable to feeling overwhelmed by the challenges before us. At these moments I think of all the ways in which you have come alongside us, and it gives me courage. Keep us in your prayers and stay close. We need you.