Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: Summer 2004

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

I'm writing this while cresting Snoqualmie Pass as we push eastward toward Spokane. Yesterday morning, Bonnie and I drove over to Seattle and had a great time with some dear friends and then with the members of the classes of '63, '64, and '65 at the home of Kathie and Chuck Neir. Kathie is the greatest reunion recruiter in the history of higher education. Today she hosted 49 classmates and began assembling her army of volunteers for their 40-year reunion at the college next summer. At the moment, I wish we were flying home, but flying in the summer is such a pain. Crowded planes, long lines and unseasoned fliers wreak havoc on us high-mileage types. It's hard for me to understand why the guy looking for seat 31C feels a need to study every single row number. Does he really think that the engineers at Boeing would surprise him by sticking row 31 right after rows 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5? These things don't really bother me, but I usually prefer driving at this time of year. I hope you're enjoying this summer. I know that you parents out there with students home from Whitworth are loving the family times. If you're a parent or guardian about to send your first student to college, you should be in roughly your fourth or fifth month of thinking, "This kid is so ready to go!" Usually, you and that student are even more eager for the first visit home. And we at Whitworth are already excited about your student's arrival. We feel called by God to serve all of our students, and for that we believe ourselves greatly blessed.

Academics

I'm not sure if the rising interest in character development comes as a reaction to our culture's moral decay or if honesty is just now catching on. Whatever the reason, it's great to see an emphasis on integrity. As a part of the Future Educators for Character grant directed by Sharon Mowry (Education), Rick Hornor, '70 (Theatre), uses theatre strategies to integrate character education across the curriculum for students and faculty at Whitworth as well as for school staffs and administrators in Spokane's school districts. Also, late last spring, 18 of our students took part in the Northwest Regional Ethics Bowl. Overseen by Craig Hinnenkamp (Econ. & Business) and Keith Wyma (Philosophy), the students analyzed complex situations on diverse issues and then defended their solutions. Keith found the experience valuable in that "the Whitworth students gained a greater sense of how ethically complex daily life can be and how important ethical training is when we're navigating difficult decisions."

Programs that explore global ethics are accompanying the renewed emphasis on personal ethics. Jolene Piccolo, a student in our Master of International Management Program, was one of only five graduate students in the U.S. selected for an academic internship program exploring global issues, at the U.N., in Switzerland. Jolene's appointment follows MIM alum Mike Jazskowiak's 2003 selection. Jolene is one of 80 graduate students from more than 40 countries who gathered this month at the Palais des Nations to evaluate and make recommendations on topics including poverty, the environment and other issues that raise essential ethical questions.

I hope the faculty and staff in the School of Education and the Music Department can kick back a bit this summer. This year they hosted the national accrediting agencies in their respective areas. Preparing for these visits takes a ton of work. And the Education Department had double the fun because the folks there were visited by our own state accrediting team at the same time.

It's great to have such good music at Whitworth. One of my friends is president of a college known for its accounting program. More than ever our society needs honest and skilled accountants, but somehow accounting doesn't quite appeal to the masses the way music does. I'm sure there would be nothing wrong with a performance on accruals and encumbrances, but there is something very special about collegians making great music. We were inspired this spring by the Whitworth Choir concert, A Celebration of Creation, in St. John's Cathedral. Also, the string orchestra, under the direction of Roberta Bottelli, performed in our chapel; the chamber singers, directed by Debbie Hansen, performed at St. Mark's Lutheran Church; and Rich Strauch's wind symphony and Dan Keberle's jazz ensemble presented a joint concert in Cowles Auditorium. This great music program is a huge gift to the Whitworth community.

Enrollment

For several reasons, our new-student enrollment keeps rising above our target; we'll break records again this year. This isn't altogether positive, as we are committed to maintaining a close community by holding down our size. We absolutely love the high retention rates and we delight in the return of every student. But a sharp rise in the percentage of admitted new students who submit deposits and then enroll has jacked up our freshman-class size, which is now higher than our ideal. I'm sure the extra students will be like that surprise "caboose" child (me). We'll find room for them and we'll all be thrilled they came to Whitworth.

Student Life

Plans for new-student orientation are nearly complete; our student-life staff and student leaders can't wait to greet our new and returning students. The orientation schedule can be viewed online at www.whitworth.edu/orientation2004. This year's theme, Once Upon a Time: Sharing the Stories of the Mind and Heart, focuses on storybook characters, but the theme also highlights the importance of each of our stories in contributing to our diverse Whitworth community. I shudder to think how I'll be cast for the orientation skit.

Resources

I had my first walk through Weyerhaeuser Hall last week, and it is stunning. The construction fence is down, sidewalks are poured, and grass and trees will soon be planted in preparation for the grand opening. Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the building's interior, furniture will arrive within the next few weeks, and faculty will be setting up offices by mid-August to prepare for the student invasion.

I'm pleased to report that we balanced our '04 budget with a modest surplus -- but, unfortunately, we ended fiscal '04 a bit short of our Whitworth Fund goal. Good news includes the fact that giving to the annual fund was up more than $70,000 from last fiscal year; our new President's Club GOLD Program, targeting graduates of the last decade for introductory membership in the President's Club, enrolled 108 member households in its first year of existence; the President's Club itself (donors who give $1,000 or more per year) grew to 585 households in FY '04 (from 558 who gave $1,000 or more in FY '03); and our alumni giving percentage among degreed undergrads for FY '04 rose just a bit. Finally, overall giving was up from $5.8 million to $6.4 million -- and we're very glad about that.

Athletics

Kristen Shields, '04, was named Women's Track & Field/Cross-Country College Division Academic All-America of the Year, completing her Whitworth career with a 4.0 GPA, winning a national championship in the 100-meter dash, and finishing 6th in the 200-meter at this year's NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships. After an amazing academic and athletics career at Whitworth, Kristen will invest her abundant gifts in an even more important career -- teaching children.

Leslie Nelson, '04, was a second-team track & field/cross-country Academic All-America. She graduated with a 3.98 GPA and earned All-America finishes in both cross-country and track (10,000 meters) in her senior year. She has been an amazing two-sport student.

Cory Bergman was named to the college division at-large Academic All-America second team. Cory, who holds a 3.97 GPA and will be a senior this fall, finished fifth in the 200 breaststroke at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. The at-large team is made up of student-athletes selected from sports without their own specific All-America teams, including swimming, tennis, water polo, gymnastics, golf, wrestling and skiing.

Serena Fadel, '05, was selected for the at-large Academic All-America third team.Carrying a 3.92 GPA, Serena finished third in the 400 IM at the NCAA swimming championships, setting new Whitworth and Northwest Conference records with a 4:30.6 time. She also finished sixth in the 200 breaststroke and 13th in the 200 IM at the championships.

Remarkably, Whitworth guys won the big hardware again this year at Spokane's Hoopfest, the biggest outdoor three-on-three basketball tournament in the world.Brian Depew, '04, Scott Bierlink, '04, and Chase Williams,'03, teamed up with John Mietus, a Ferris High grad and Lewis & Clark College alum, to defeat a field including last year's champions, a team from Atlanta. In '98, '00, and '02, Nate Williams, '98, Nate Dunham, '98, and Jeff Arkills, '96, members of our great 1996 team, won the tournament, playing against superb Division I players from around the country. But this year it was the young guys who kept it in the family as we all roared for them in the championship game. At the other end of the age spectrum, Dale Soden (History), Ken Pecka, '80 (Instructional Resources), John Tully (Kinesiology/Head Football Coach) and I ended up playing six games on Sunday that led to a loss in the championship game of our bracket. That night I was so packed in ice that I looked like a human glacier, but it was fun and we did lose to 1960s alums Len Long, Ted Nealey and Terry Nealey. Kudos to them.

Alumni

Brochures are at the printer, and we look forward to a huge crowd for Homecoming 2004, Sept. 30-Oct. 3. From the George F. Whitworth Honors Banquet on Friday night to the grand-opening celebration for Weyerhaeuser Hall and the Class of 1994's 10-year reunion on Saturday, this promises to be one of the biggest and best such weekends ever. Details are online at www.whitworth.edu/homecoming.

We had a great time last month as more than 250 alumni and their families joined together for Alumni Family Weekend 2004. The big thrills for me were crashing the reunion of Professor Emeritus Fenton Duvall's 1974 France Study Tour, gathering with members of the Class of 1944 celebrating their 60th reunion, and enjoying the all-era choir reunion, with more than 90 voices, spanning seven decades, under the baton of four of our past and present directors. Next year's AFW is already set for June 17-19. It's going to be huge. As I mentioned in the opening, Kathie Koopmans Neir, '64, is on a mission and will not rest until she has 200 alumni from 1963-65 signed up.

If you live in Southern California, mark your calendar now for Sept. 18, when the football Pirates head south to play the University of LaVerne. It's a 1 p.m. start with a pre-game barbecue; look for more details soon. I'm planning to be there.

Seattle's Taproot Theatre Company is presenting You're a Good Man, Charlie Brownthrough August 7, with Whitworth alums Rachel Hornor, '96, Tim Hornor, '97, and Rob Martin, '00, in lead roles. Contact the theatre for more details at www.taproottheatre.org.

Miscellaneous

This month, the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations will host alumni professionals from all over the U.S. and Canada for a week of workshops and fellowship. Participants will come from member schools of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and will hear from Julia Stronks (Political Studies), Jerry Sittser (Religion), and me, as well as from national leaders in the alumni-relations field.

Our Institute of Ministry just wrapped up its 29th year with another rich week for the pastors and other church leaders who joined us. Vic Pentz, a former Whitworth trustee who's now the senior pastor at Atlanta's Peachtree Presbyterian Church, was the evening preacher, and Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, taught the morning Bible hour. Both were excellent. Also, convocation speakers Jack Fortin (Luther Seminary), Rebecca Pentz (Emory University) and Ed Silvoso (Harvest Evangelism) provided seminars and convocation addresses throughout the week. Dean of the Chapel Terry McGonigal reports that this year's 175 participants engaged the institute's theme, The Church and the Marketplace, with great eagerness.

Mission volunteer Amy Robinson,'03 (no relation), called from the floor of our Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly to report that Rev. Susan R. Andrews, moderator of the 215th General Assembly, included this paragraph in her opening sermon: "Westminster Presbyterian Church in Spokane, Wash., is one of the more than 50 percent of our churches with fewer than 100 members. But this evangelical congregation is a mega-church if you measure the amount of grace bubbling up within its walls. Their Sunday-morning worship community is growing as they welcome the neighborhood, many of whom are poor or mentally disabled or suffering from addiction. But it is Monday through Saturday when the real worship of the congregation -- the liturgy of love -- takes place." Andrews went on to mention weekly outreach at Westminster including Christ's Kitchen, Bible study, prayer meetings, a job-skills program for women on welfare, Christ's Clinic (volunteer doctors and nurses who offer comprehensive medical care to the uninsured for $15 a visit), a clothing cupboard, a food pantry, and a house next door filled with Whitworth College students who provide mentoring, Bible study and hospitality to the children of that neighborhood. It was great having the moderator visit campus this spring, and we appreciate her report.

Closing Thoughts

Earlier this summer I went on a short trip to Seoul, South Korea. The wear and tear of leaving on Friday and getting home the following Tuesday was nothing compared with the inspiration I received from worshipping at Myung Sung Presbyterian Church. Six times every Sunday, the beautiful 4,000+-seat sanctuary overflows. Rev. Sam Whan Kim preaches with grace, humility and power. And while I found myself totally in the dark linguistically, the light of Christ in these people shone brightly. It was my privilege to preach at the Sunday-evening service. Although I'm sure folks were disappointed to find a substitute for Rev. Kim, their warm reception prompted me to ask my good friend and translator, Princeton Theological Seminary Professor Sang Lee, if my sermon was okay. He responded by winking and saying, "Not bad, but not nearly as good as the one I preached." My Sunday joy turned to profound sadness on Monday when I visited the demilitarized zone. Watching armed, uniformed teenagers guard the North Korean border, I prayed for the unification of Korea. As I left Seoul and reflected on the amazing ministry of Myung Sung and other Christian churches sweeping across South Korea, I remembered Christ's word to Peter: "I will build my church...." It's a privilege for us to participate in building Christ's church by giving ourselves to Whitworth's students. Thanks so much for your support.