Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 2011
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
T.S. Eliot once dubbed April "the cruelest month." As I write this month's Mind & Heart, I am cozy in my study at Hawthorne House, a soothing cup of coffee nearby, as the morning sun slowly fills the stained glass depiction of Madonna and Child that hangs in the window. Our four-year-old, Chloe, is in the family room on the couch, waking up to a glass of chocolate milk (expertly made by her dad). Since it's her spring break, she's happily watching Dora the Explorer on TV. The campus is beginning to awaken, and on mornings like this one I often take my morning coffee and read the newspaper in the sunroom just off the kitchen, waving to students as they walk to their early morning classes. They probably think I'm weird. That's okay. College presidents are supposed to be a little goofy, and I gladly play the part. Our campus heralds the arrival of spring even before the calendar – the grass is getting greener, flowers are being planted, the squirrels are finding their buried treasures, and students are breaking out their Frisbees again. I'm hearing rumors of post-graduation plans – law school, ministry, business, travel. The wind and rain guards have been removed from the golf cart I use to buzz around campus, so I can enjoy the warmer temps and an occasional conversation or two on The Loop. God is great. Life is great. Whitworth is great. I think I can handle April after all.
Academics
Whitworth's Ethics Bowl team tied for third at the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl last month. The team won four of its first five rounds of competition and narrowly lost to Montana State in the semifinal round. Members of the Whitworth team are Peter Dolan, '11 (History/Political Science), Krister Johnson, '13 (Philosophy), Jared Lollar, '11 (Theology/Philosophy), Benjameen Quarless, '12 (Philosophy/Political Science), and Heather Wallace, '11 (Philosophy/English).
This year's Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference will be the largest in the nine-year history of the event: We'll welcome more than 200 student presenters from Whitworth and Gonzaga. Our guest scholar will be Andrea Palpant Dilley, '00, a documentary film producer who will screen her movie In Time of War, about Japanese-American internment camps during WWII.
Sabbaticals allow faculty members time to work on their scholarly projects. This spring, Angeles Aller (Spanish) is developing a reader for 300-level courses that integrates faith questions with literary analysis; Kent Jones (Computer Science) is exploring computational geometry algorithms for bioinformatics research; Adam Neder (Theology) is writing a book examining theological views on growing in holiness; and Finn Pond (Biology) is continuing his work with killer paramecium. I am so grateful for our teacher-scholars!
Great speakers come to campus this month. On April 8, the Nadine Chapman Endowed Reading will feature poet Michele Glazer; Executive-in-Residence Duff Bergquist (Business & Economics) will address the current financial crisis in his Great Decisions lecture on April 14; and on April 20, Lindaman Chair Betty Williams (Education) will present "Not Your Father's Oldsmobile: Today's Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder." For more details, go to www.whitworth.edu/events.
Whitworthians are earning grants that make a difference in the world. Betty Williams received a $3,000 grant from Red Lion Corporation to provide scholarships for students in the Whitworth Summer Literacy Center program. The center is an outreach program of the School of Education that provides instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics for students ages 6-12 who need help to keep up in school. The center also received a $10,000 grant from the Williams Foundation (Williams Pipeline) for general support of the program.
The Arts
On May 1 at 3 p.m., the Whitworth Wind Symphony will present The French Connection in Cowles Auditorium. Aside from the works of great French composers like Berlioz and Milhaud, the wind symphony will perform the Whitworth premier of Stravinsky's Symphony of Wind Instruments and will feature Spokane Symphony principal timpanist Adam Wallstein in Michael Daugherty's timpani concerto Raise the Roof. General admission is $5; the concert is free for students and seniors (62-plus).
What, exactly, is Broadway Unbound? Several years ago, faculty in the Whitworth Theatre and Dance Program agreed that too many wonderful classroom performances were seen by just a few people. They decided to create an end-of-the-year showcase for student talent, and Broadway Unbound was born. The program features fully staged performances on the Main Stage in Cowles Auditorium for everyone in the community to enjoy. This year's performance is scheduled for Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m. Admission is $3. Please e-mail jtoulouse-lee@whitworth.edu for more information.
The Whitworth Symphony Orchestra hits the road soon for Hawaii. On May 18 they'll present a 7 p.m. concert at Harris United Methodist Church, in Honolulu; May 20 will find them at Waialua United Church of Christ, at 7 p.m.; and on Sunday, May 22, they will perform at the 9 a.m. service and again in a 4 p.m. concert at Kawaiaha'o Church, in Honolulu. See www.whitworth.edu/music for additional details, and join us in beautiful Hawaii in May!
Associate Professor of Music and jazz pianist extraordinaire Brent Edstrom performed with vocalist Freda Payne (whose hit Band of Gold is a classic with lovers of popular music) at a jazz club in Detroit the week of March 9-12.
March brought the Washington State Music Teachers Piano Adjudications to our music recital hall. Fifteen piano students took part in the daylong event. Seven students of our Judith Schoepflin – Anneliese Dailey, Laura Everett, Luke Groen, Rose Halcomb, Janeczka Marcum, James McCord and Adam Ohlson – were recognized for their outstanding performances.
Costa Rica
"Life at the Costa Rica Center speeds along," writes Emily Dufault, '10, one of our indispensible CRC volunteers (or "24-7s," as they are affectionately known by students). "In March our students took a week-long trip to Nicaragua, where they studied history, economics, politics, and themes of poverty for Core 350. Upon their return to the CRC, they were greeted by friends, old and new, from the Central America Study Program. CRC students, faculty and staff were overjoyed to spend time these last few weeks with the CASP students, sharing our Whitworth home-away-from-home."
Financial Aid
The financial aid office has sent out awards to all new first-year and transfer students who applied by March 1. If you know a student who is planning to start at Whitworth this fall and who has filed a FAFSA but has not yet heard from the financial aid office, please have him or her call 800.533.4668 to speak with a staff member. In May and June, the financial aid office will e-mail 2011-12 renewal award notifications to current students. The priority deadline for returning students to file the FAFSA is May 1. Academic scholarships are automatically renewed.
Student Life
Students have been writing résumés and participating in interviews, and the student life staff has just hired more than 100 student leaders for 2011-12. These young women and men will provide leadership in student government and in residence halls, where they will serve as resident assistants, health advocates, cultural-diversity advocates, and small-group coordinators. Whitworth's student-leadership program provides incredible opportunities for our student leaders, who, in turn, serve our campus in extraordinary ways.
Hundreds of students packed the fieldhouse to cheer on our men's basketball team as the guys won their way into the national tournament. And when the team traveled to Ohio, hundreds of students hit the HUB to watch the Bucs via Internet. Concerts, comics (standup variety), movies and student acts also kept Whitworthians entertained this March, and the bachelor/bachelorette auction brought in significant money for charity. Finally, Spring Break sent some students off for a rest and some on Whitworth-sponsored trips: mountain biking/camping in Utah, backpacking on the Olympic Peninsula, working with children at a school for the deaf in Jamaica, cleaning up beaches, and building a home through Habitat for Humanity.
Alumni & Parents
We'll be welcoming our newest alumni April 26 during Senior After Hours. Together with Whitworth Career Services, the office of alumni & parent relations will celebrate the Class of 2011 as its members take their places in the Whitworth alumni family.
Alumni, parents and Whitworth friends are invited to join Julie and me for great food and fellowship at the final Taylor Tour reception, on Sunday, May 22, in Honolulu. (Why didn't we schedule this for January?) Join us at the Manoa Grand Ballroom, 2454 S. Beretania, Honolulu, after the Whitworth Symphony Orchestra's 4 p.m. concert at Kawaiaha'o Church. We'd love to share some information and appetizers with you. To register, visit www.whitworth.edu/taylortour.
Commencement Weekend reunions are just around the corner for members of the classes of 1951 and 1961. All alumni who graduated in 1961 and earlier are invited to join us the weekend of May 13-15. Visit www.whitworth.edu/reunions or contact the alumni office at 509.777.3799 or alumni@whitworth.edu to register.
Spokane alumni, parents and friends are invited to lunch, dinner and a day on the golf course in support of Whitworth Athletics. The annual Whitworth Golf Classic will take place at the Spokane Country Club on Friday, June 3, with 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. shotgun starts. Contact Susan Meyer (509.777.3224 or susanmeyer@whitworth.edu) for registration and sponsorship information.
Resources
What – and whom – do you represent? During the next couple months, the annual giving office is highlighting people from the Whitworth alumni community – business leaders, teachers, attorneys, athletes, parents, writers – and the reasons they choose to give back to their alma mater. Their stories represent the value of a Whitworth degree, and their gifts represent hope for the future of Whitworth. As we near the end of the fiscal year, we need more people to take a stand for the Whitworth mission and to make annual gifts. You'll have the opportunity to give as part of our Whitworth Fund spring campaign, but you can make a gift any time at www.whitworth.edu/give.
Sports
Men's basketball concluded the best season in school history with a 28-2 record. The Pirates advanced to the NCAA Div. III Elite Eight for the first time and were ranked 5th in the final national poll after ending the regular season at the top of the national rankings. Michael Taylor was selected NCAA Division III Player of the Year by both D3hoops.com and the NABC. Jim Hayford was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year, and David Riley made the D3hoops.com West Region Team.
After 10 mega-successful years as our men's basketball head coach, Jim Hayford is heading to Eastern Washington University. Jim is one of only five Div. III coaches who've made the jump directly to Div. I since 2000, and we fully expect that his Eagles will be giving Gonzaga's Bulldogs a battle for Div. I supremacy in the Spokane area within the next few years. Thanks for your great service to Whitworth and to our student athletes, and Godspeed, Jim!
The men's swimming team finished in 15th place at the NCAA D3 Championships in Tennessee. Rory Buck won both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes, shattering a 10-year-old Div. III record in the 200. Rory was voted NCAA Div. III Men's Swimmer of the Year, Austin Vierra and Kalen Darling earned honorable mention All-America honors individually, and the Pirates broke NWC records in the 400-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay. Kate Duvall, the only Pirate woman at the championships, finished seventh in the 200-yard backstroke to become an All-American, as well.
The track and field teams have already posted 12 NCAA Div. III provisional qualifying marks. This season, senior Erica Cox broke the school record in the hammer throw and the discus throw, freshman Jheri Gates broke the Whitworth record in the high jump, and senior Alex Hymel broke a 20-year-old Whitworth record in the javelin throw. His mark of 216'-10" leads the nation.
Women's tennis is on a roll, having won 12 matches in a row. The Pirates won all five of the matches they played during a Spring Break trip through Texas and Oregon. With junior Erica Bosman winning all of her singles matches and teaming with Katie Staudinger to sweep the doubles matches during the trip, Whitworth is closing in on its third straight NWC title.
The men's tennis team is on the verge of posting its best NWC finish in two decades. The Pirates are 9-6 overall and 6-2 in the NWC. Last weekend, Daniel Redfern and Colin Zalewski led Whitworth to wins over the two teams that follow them in the standings: Pacific and George Fox. The top four schools in the final conference standings will make the postseason tourney.
Baseball is 4-5 in the NWC near the season's midpoint. The Pirates upset 10th-ranked Linfield 4-3 last week, playing their best baseball of the season. Freshman Tyler Pfeffer leads the NWC in doubles and ranks second in RBI with 24. Senior pitcher Liam O'Brien leads the Pirates with a 1.31 ERA.
The softball team (8-12) has been streaky. After a 2-10 start, the Pirates won six games in a row. Jamie Brunner is batting .400-plus, while Heather Hesselgesser and Julia Johnson both have five home runs. Freshman Emily Anderson has been the Pirates most consistent pitcher this season.
The golf teams are still getting going. The women won the PLU Spring Invitational in March, with Emily Guthrie as individual medalist. They then tied for fourth in a strong field at the UCSC Spring Invitational. The men's team enjoyed (if you can "enjoy" playing one of the most difficult courses in the country) Spring Break in Palm Springs, and the guys are competing this week at the CLU Kingsman Invitational.
Closing Thoughts
As the input phase of the Whitworth 2021 process comes to a close, I want to thank you for your valuable input. More than 360 people took our online survey, and dozens more submitted feedback by e-mail. We've conducted town hall meetings with faculty, staff and students, met with business leaders and community groups, held conference calls with trustees, engaged alumni, parents and friends at regional events, and pretty much listened to anyone who was willing to read the plan and talk to us about it. The feedback has improved our plans for the future. We have made many changes – large and small – based on your suggestions. We've also preserved the many parts of the plan that received broad affirmation. Thanks for your investment in Whitworth's future. A quote that's usually attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola, should, I think, be our guide as we pursue the ambitious Whitworth 2021 plan. "Pray as if everything depends on God. And work as if everything depends on us." Please continue to pray and work for Whitworth and our students.
