Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 2016
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
April may be the cruelest month – at least poet T. S. Eliot thought so – but as I write this month's newsletter, the sun is shining, students are catching rays in The Loop as they read or play Frisbee, and afternoon temperatures are expected to reach the low 70s. It's a "chamber of commerce day" on Whitworth's campus. Not bad, especially because more than 60 prospective students and families are on campus checking things out, a regular occurrence these days. April marks a couple of important milestones for the university: We're preparing to graduate the Class of 2016 in seven weeks, along with many other graduate and continuing studies students who are finishing their Whitworth journeys, and we're closing in on our newest crop of students, both first-time freshmen and transfers, who plan to arrive in September. The Class of 2020 is shaping up nicely, and not just because it will contain one Taylor child who will be making the move across the street. Julie and I are so excited that we'll finally get to experience this wonderful place as Whitworth parents. Lauren's decision to become a true Pirate will enable Julie and me to see the university from an entirely different and important angle, and we're eager to learn more about the place we love so much. I'm sure we'll be better equipped to lead our community as we experience both the opportunities and the challenges associated with helping our Whitworthian navigate her time on campus. But it takes a lot of Laurens to make a class, and I know that our admissions and financial aid teams would appreciate your sustaining prayers over the next month as high school seniors make final decisions about whether to attend Whitworth. Not only do we need the right number of students to decide in Whitworth's favor; we also want the right students – those who will benefit from and contribute to Whitworth's mind-and-heart culture. Thanks for all you do to support us.
Academics
Kevin Grieves (Communication Studies) presented the keynote address at the inaugural Transnational Journalism History Conference. The conference was held in March at Augusta University, in Georgia.
Whitworth's library is pleased to have joined the Orbis Cascade Alliance, the Northwest's preeminent library consortium. This partnership will provide faculty and students with a wealth of new research materials.
American Architecture: A History, a book by Amanda Clark (Library), was recently published by Westview Press. This wholly reworked edition incorporates major developments of the last 15 years and builds on the success of the book's first edition.
The Journal of International Development recently published an article by Megan Hershey (Political Science). "Understanding the Effects of Faith: A Comparison of Religious and Secular HIV Prevention NGOs in Kenya" appears in Vol. 28, Issue 2.
In February, Patrick Van Inwegen (Political Science) presented a paper, "Models for a Local Carbon Market," at the On Sustainability conference, in Portland, Ore.
Patty Bruininks (Psychology) received one of three planning grants awarded through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities Networking Christian Scholars Program. Her project, "Hope in the Face of Climate Change," networks Whitworth with scholars at Hope College and The King's University, in Canada.
Vange Ocasio (School of Business) published "Financing Village Enterprises in Rural Bangladesh: What Determines Non-Farm Revenue Growth?," an article in the International Journal of Development Issues, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2016. Vange also co-authored "Near Nature, Near Perfect, Economically Stable" in Spokane's Journal of Business.
Students in the newly created Whitworth University Social Finance Club have made their first round of worldwide microfinance investments. Small-scale entrepreneurial loans were made in El Salvador, Guatemala, The Philippines, Ukraine, Nigeria, Uganda, Kyrgyzstan, India and Mali.
Lisa Laurier and Lori Johnson (School of Education), along with Lynn Noland (Sponsored Programs), received a federal grant of $15,000 for their 2016-17 SEED Invitational Leadership Institute proposal for an Idaho/Inland Northwest writing project.
In February, Corey McKenna (School of Education) presented a talk, "Teaching Performance Assessment in California," at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education conference, in Las Vegas.
Raja Tanas (Sociology) gave a presentation on "Islam, the Middle East, and the West" to the Spokane Dinner Club on March 2.
Will Kynes (Theology) received the new Whitworth Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellowship for summer research on his book, An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature."
Jeremy Wynne (Theology) recently published an article, "'Realities side by side': God's patience and Abraham's humanity in Genesis 18:16–33," in the Scottish Journal of Theology.
The Arts
Wow! Saxophonist Branford Marsalis, one of the world's top jazz musicians, will join us for the 28th annual Whitworth Guest Artist Jazz Concert. The concert will take place Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m., at Spokane's Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Mark your calendar now!
Fresh from its first-ever concert tour to Thailand, the Whitworth Wind Symphony will present a spring concert, Sinfonia Asiana, at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 22. Admission is $7, or $5 for students and seniors (62-plus). Join us!
Whitworth pianists Christina Locatelli and Emily Myhre, both '19, Cindy Matthews and Katelyn Slack, both '16, and Geoff Rich and Peter UnderhilI, both '18, were selected by adjudicators from the Washington State Music Teachers (Spokane chapter) to perform on March 11 in the Collegiate Honors Recital at the Steinway Gallery, in Spokane. The recital featured outstanding performers from Gonzaga, Eastern Washington and Whitworth. All six pianists are students of Ivana Cojbasic and Judith Schoepflin.
Philip Baldwin (Music) recently presented a lecture, "A Perfect Pairing: Etudes and Literature," at the American String Teacher Association's national conference, in Florida.
Gordon Wilson (Art) and Angelika Wilson-Wipp will exhibit their artwork at the Spokane Art School Gallery. In the show, opening April 1, entitled All in the Family: Paint and Clay, Gordon will exhibit his paintings and Angelika will display her ceramic pieces.
Student Life
Lots of students are walking around in suits, looking very professional, which means that hiring for student-leadership positions for next year is going on right now at Whitworth. Students have also had the opportunity to hear from some amazing speakers this spring: Temple Grandin spoke about autism and animal welfare, Kelley Carter Jackson addressed the Black Lives Matter movement, and Kevin Breel talked about beating depression. This week we'll host an interfaith dialogue with the LDS church at which Associate Chaplain Mindy Smith, '97, will moderate, and we'll present Diversity Monologues, a series of public readings by Whitworth students regarding their diverse personal stories.
Office of Church Engagement
We hope you'll join us for the Whitworth Institute of Ministry, July 18-22. This year's WIM will feature Mike Breen and Brenda Salter McNeil and will address the question of how Christians can be effective witnesses for the Gospel during tumultuous times of culture change. How have God's people through the ages functioned in times of great uncertainty? What can we learn from those who have gone before us about how we can be faithful to God, to one another, and to our broken world? Building upon this famous phrase – "Maybe you were made for such a time as this!" (Esther 4:14, The Message) – WIM 2016 will address the vital topic of what Christian discipleship looks like in the 21st century. Visit www.whitworth.edu/wim for more information.
Alumni & Parents
Twenty Whitworth business students spent part of Spring Break touring some of Seattle's top companies as participants in the second annual Career Trek, which aims to connect students with some of Washington's top companies and potential employers. Our thanks to the many alums who shared their time and talent to give our students this invaluable experience!
Families of graduating students can pre-order Commencement 2016 DVDs now. DVDs of the undergraduate ceremony are available at http://connect.whitworth.edu/commencement2016dvd.
Parents, to order Spring Exam Survival Kits and Fruit Bags for your student, visit http://connect.whitworth.edu/spring2016examsurvivalkits before April 29. Questions? Contact parents@whitworth.edu or 509.777.3772.
Alums, families, and friends in the Greater Raleigh-Durham, N.C., region, we hope you'll join us for a casual gathering and potluck on Saturday, May 14, in north Raleigh. Register today at http://connect.whitworth.edu.
Admissions
Please remind any prospective Whitworth freshmen you know that May 1 is the deadline for submitting an enrollment deposit and holding a spot in the Class of 2020. The $350 deposit can be paid online at www.whitworth.edu/enrollmentdeposit. Still on the fence? Spring is a great time to make a campus visit. Sign up for a Why Whitworth event or schedule an individual visit online at www.whitworth.edu/visit. Questions? Contact admissions at 800.533.4668 or admissions@whitworth.edu.
Now is a great time for transfer students to apply for the fall. Just click on the "Transfer Application" button at www.whitworth.edu/apply. Every year, we enroll 80-100 transfer students – ranging from those who have completed just a semester of college to those who already have their associate's degrees – and we're thankful for the many ways in which these students enrich our community. Whitworth Transfer Counselor CJ Perry would be happy to help you; you can reach him at cperry@whitworth.edu or 509.777.4768.
High school juniors are invited to our first ever Pirate Preview event, May 6-7. In addition to featuring a campus tour, a class visit, and the opportunity to spend a night in a residence hall and meet current students, Pirate Preview will focus on helping potential Whitworth students explore academic interests and professional calling. Our community does an extraordinary job of supporting students on that journey. Sign up at www.whitworth.edu/piratepreview.
Financial aid has been busy sending out awards to all new freshmen and transfer students who applied by the priority deadline, March 1. Do you know a student who's planning to start at Whitworth this fall and who has filed a FASFA but has not yet heard from us? Have him or her call 800.533.4668 to speak with a staff member.
The Campaign for Whitworth
A single day is often all it takes to help our students fulfill their promise. On March 29-30, the collective impact of 677 gifts during our Day of Promise provided support for 53 programs and departments and thousands of students. Together, you raised $99,654 (including matching dollars), and 89 percent of those gifts were for $100 or less, proving that every gift matters! Thank you for helping to fulfill our students' potential with your generosity. And thank you for making Day of Promise a life-changing day for Whitworth students.
Whitworth Serves
Please visit www.whitworth.edu/whitworthserves once a year and help us tell a bigger story about the importance of service at Whitworth. You can now share all your hours at once!
Sports
The baseball team is off to a 19-4 start, and the Pirates are ranked 10th in the nation in the latest Division III poll. The team has a 3.07 ERA, led by a pair of hurlers from the Class of 2019: Ryan Kingma is 5-0, while Hugh Smith is 4-0. Whitworth has a two-game lead in the NWC standings.
Softball is 16-5 and ranked 24th, coming off of a successful trip to Florida. The Pirates defeated three-time defending NCAA DIII champion Tufts twice, ending the Jumbos' NCAA-record 53-game winning streak that dated to 2014. In fact, this was the first time Tufts has lost twice in a row since 2011. Whitworth has a two-game lead in the NWC softball standings.
Both track and field teams are ranked in the nation's top 20. The Pirate women are ranked 11th by the USTFCCCA, while the men are ranked 18th. Katie McKay, '16, became an All-American in indoor track and field by finishing sixth in the women's 800-meter run at the NCAA championships last week.
The swimming team closed out its season at the 2016 NCAA Div. III championships, in Greensboro, N.C. The Pirate men finished in 34th place, led by Wes Walton, '16, who scored in all three of his individual events. Wes finished seventh in the 200-yard I.M. to become an All-American.
The men's basketball team made its 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament. The Pirates lost a heart-breaking second-round game, but finished out another successful season with a glossy 26-2 record. George Valle, '16, was named Third Team All-America by the NABC.
After a 1-4 start, the men's tennis team has won seven of its last eight matches to improve to 8-5. The Pirates took three of four matches on a Spring Break trip to Florida.
Women's tennis is 3-9 this season, in the midst of a very difficult schedule.
Both golf teams have begun the spring half of their schedules. They just returned from a Spring Break trip to The West Cup, at LaVerne, Calif.
Closing Thoughts
Whitworth's board of trustees will be on campus April 13-15 for their spring meeting. This group of remarkable leaders ensures that the university is living faithfully into its mission to equip graduates to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity. They also serve as my main backstop for professional, personal and spiritual support. My desk is where the university's problems end up. But these are the people to whom I take my problems, and I'm forever grateful for their willingness to listen and to offer expertise, advice and assistance. So as we lift up our prayers for the Classes of 2016 and 2020, let's also remember to give thanks for folks like these who help to make Whitworth what it is for so many. Until next month….
