Mind & Heart Newsletter: January 2020
The January 2020 update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
Living in Spokane, we are in the midst of what my wife, Julie, calls our black-and-white existence. This time of year, winter shadows, gray skies and snowpack combine to turn an otherwise colorful world into a monochromatic landscape. At a recent and routine visit to a doctor in sunny Scottsdale, Ariz., my bloodwork came back with an unambiguous vitamin D deficiency. My doctor was worried until she was reminded that I live most of my days at 49 degrees north latitude. As Jan Term comes to an end, I'm encouraged that the days are getting a bit longer, and in just a few weeks, trees and flowers will begin their budding and blooming. Black and white will slowly yield to vibrant colors, and the world will be transformed once again. My vitamin D pills will gravitate to the back of the medicine cabinet.
The change in seasons can be a metaphor for my own spiritual life. Irrespective of the sun's solstice journey, there are days when my walk with God seems dull, colorless and dark. During such times in my life, prayers are harder to speak, my mind wanders to doubt and despair, and God's presence is harder to discern. These seasons of spiritual darkness are sometimes prompted by events in the world, proximity to suffering, or just plain old despair about the sorry state of my own Christian walk. I'm comforted in knowing that such seasons also afflicted heroes of the faith, people like Mother Teresa and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I'm old and wise enough now to know that these "dark nights of the soul" abate eventually. A loving God pursues me relentlessly and gracefully mends my spirit. Just like the coming spring, with its sunlit days and dazzling splendor, God reintroduces me to God's re-creation work happening in me and in others. Darkness eventually succumbs to light. Previously hidden colors and contours reemerge. Spring breaks through!
Academics
This Jan Term, 18 faculty members and 227 students are spread across the globe participating in 15 off-campus programs. They are studying in domestic and international locations including the British Isles, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hawai'i, New York City, Washington, D.C., and many others. And those of us spending Jan Term in Spokane are enjoying some unique learning experiences, not to mention more than 18 inches of snow!
Off-Campus Programs will hold a fair on Feb. 11 in the Hixson Union Building (HUB). This is the primary event for students to learn about future domestic and international off-campus study opportunities available to them. Whitworth continues to offer phenomenal off-campus study programs and will have 20 faculty-led programs during the 2020-21 year, in addition to a range of partner programs.
Three students were nominated for awards at the Northwest Undergraduate Conference in the Humanities at North Idaho College in November. Congratulations to art and art administration double major Nicholas DeCaro '20 for winning Best Overall Submission and to English majors Larai Breithaupt '20 and Meghan Laakso '20 for their nominations.
Samartha Shrestha '20 was awarded the John Van Zytveld Award in the Physical Sciences at the Murdock College Science Research Conference in Vancouver, Wash., in November. The biology major's presentation outlined a research project in which he created a photoresin that would be compatible with the 3D printer in Whitworth's new Microdevices Lab.
Robin Henager (School of Business) was named the Richard L. D. Morse Mid-Career Awardee by the American Council on Consumer Interests.
The School of Education's applied behavior analysis program has been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board for delivering the latest version of its curriculum. Whitworth is emerging as a regional leader in providing programs for those who wish to work in the areas of autism and special education.
In collaboration with Montessori Northwest, Whitworth's graduate program in Montessori education has expanded to Oregon, offering degree programs in early learning and elementary settings that allow students to concurrently earn a master's degree and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) teaching diploma.
The Arts
The Whitworth Art Department and the Bryan Oliver Gallery are proud to present the work of Meagan Stirling '02 from Feb. 4 to March 20. Digging a Hole was performed from September to November 2018 in Stirling's backyard. The artwork in this exhibition includes the documentation of the performance and printed artifacts that explore ritual, motherhood and crossing boundaries. An opening reception will be held Feb. 18 at 5 p.m. in the Lied Center for the Visual Arts, followed by the artist's lecture.
The Whitworth Theatre Department is excited for the premiere of the university's first bilingual play, La Algajira, on March 6, in Cowles Auditorium. This original play uses magical realism to tell the story of a Central American village perched on the edge of a volcano. Environmental and social conditions are pushing villagers to find a better life elsewhere. Centered on two sisters, La Algajira asks us to consider what home means and how far we would travel to find it. Show times are March 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. and March 8 and 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets: whitworth.edu/theatretickets or 509.777.4374.
Admissions
Our freshman application priority deadline is March 1. Applicants will receive an admissions decision within three weeks of completing their application file. They also will receive a financial aid offer if they are admitted and have submitted their FAFSA to Whitworth. The application is free and available at whitworth.edu/applynow.
It's not too early to submit enrollment deposits. Freshmen admitted for fall 2020 can submit their deposit any time before May 1 at whitworth.edu/enrollmentdeposit, and transfers have until Aug. 1. The $350 deposit holds a student's place in the incoming class and also gives students the opportunity for priority consideration in housing and class registration. The deposit is refundable until the deposit deadlines, so it's a no-lose proposition for admitted students who are seriously considering Whitworth as a college option.
Spots are filling up fast for our two Honors Scholarship Weekends Feb. 15-16 and Feb. 29-March 1. These are great opportunities for students admitted with honors to connect with students and faculty involved in our honors program, visit campus, and compete for full-tuition scholarships. Learn more and sign up at whitworth.edu/honorsscholarship.
Now is the time to schedule auditions or submit applications for Talent Scholarships for students, in any major, who participate in art, Ethics Bowl, forensics (speech and debate), journalism, music, theatre and Young Life. Audition dates and application deadlines vary but fall between Feb. 1 and March 1. See whitworth.edu/talentscholarships for details.
The Campaign for Whitworth
Many of our current students struggle to meet basic needs like food, housing, class supplies, insurance co-pays and emergency travel home. You may know a student who is currently struggling with issues like these or has in the past. Because caring for others is what Whitworthians do, we've started the Thrive Fund, an emergency fund to help struggling students. Visit whitworth.edu/5tothrive to learn how you can help Whitworth students thrive.
One Pine Day is about coming together to help students succeed. This year, please join us on Feb. 18, as we celebrate Whitworth's 130th birthday. We need your help to spread the word. Wish Whitworth a happy birthday on social media by telling your friends and family why you love Whitworth and then join fellow Whitworthians by supporting a project that matters to you. Learn more at whitworth.edu/onepineday.
Learn about how your giving is changing the lives of Whitworth students like Adam, Kendra and Aaron by joining the Whitworth Gives Facebook and Instagram communities.
Financial Aid & Student Billing
Continuing students are asked to please complete their 2020-21 FAFSA by April to ensure a finalized financial aid offer in time for summer billing.
Tax season is coming. If you want to have electronic access to your 1098-T form as soon as it is ready, log into Self-Service and choose to accept the electronic delivery option. You will receive an email when your tax form is ready for viewing.
Alumni & Parents
Alums, what have you been up to? Whitworth Today readers would love to know! Go to whitworth.edu/alumniupdate and tell us about your family, work, travels, hobbies or accomplishments. Fill out as much or as little as you'd like, but be sure to keep us in the loop!
We have a terrific lineup of alumni events heading your way this spring:
EVENTS
March 7 | Whitworth and Mariners Spring Training in Peoria – Please join Julie and me for an exclusive pregame buffet as the Mariners take on the Athletics in Arizona. During lunch, I'll give you an insider's view of current activities on campus as well as some of the exciting changes that are on deck in Whitworth's future. To celebrate my 10th year at Whitworth, we will dream together. Please join us! Visit connect.whitworth.edu for more information.
March 13 | Lū'au – You're invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary Hawaiian Club Lū'au! Save the date and watch for more info as we get closer.
Spring 2020 | Core 250 Tour – We're taking Core 250 on the road! Celebrate 50 years of Core 250 along with beloved faculty. April 3: Portland, Ore.; April 18: San Diego and Denver; April 19: Huntington Beach, Calif., and Boise, Idaho; May 5: Seattle. Whitworth alums, families and friends are all invited. Details at connect.whitworth.edu.
Sports
First-year head coach Damion Jablonski has had the Whitworth men's basketball team in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll all season. The Pirates are 12-3 overall and 6-0 in the Northwest Conference, nearing the halfway point of the conference schedule. Ben College '20 is having a terrific senior year, averaging nearly 24 points per game to lead the NWC in scoring. He recently became only the eighth men's player in school history to surpass 1,500 career points.
The Pirate women's hoopsters are 9-6 overall and 2-4 in the NWC this season. Joial Griffith has the team surpassing the expectations of many outside observers, which were based on a roster of mostly freshmen and sophomores. Courtney Gray '20 and Jordan Smith '20, the only upper-level students on the team, are providing great leadership while starting every game. And Quincy McDeid '23 is leading the Bucs in scoring in her first year.
The swimming teams are rolling through the 2019-20 season. The Pirate men are unbeaten in NWC dual meets (6-0), while the women are 5-1. Alex Henderson '22 is the only men's swimmer to lead the NWC in an individual event (200-yard breaststroke). Owen Lempert '20 is in the top three in three races (50 and 100 freestyles and 100 breaststroke). Hannah Galbraith '20, in the 100 backstroke, and Jamie Siegler '21, in the 100 breaststroke, have posted two of the best women's times in the NWC this season. Cameron Lyon '21 is ranked second in three events (200 butterfly and 500 and 1,650 freestyles). The NWC Championships will take place Feb. 13-16, at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
The season is just getting underway for indoor track & field. Nick McGill '20 is looking for a return trip to the NCAA Div. III Indoor Championships in the heptathlon.
Spring sports are nearly upon us. Both tennis teams have already begun practices. Baseball, softball and lacrosse will all begin practice by February.