Mind & Heart Newsletter: March 2012
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
Some of you know that one of my heroes in higher education is Father Theodore Hesburgh, former president of Notre Dame. I have read almost everything he's written about Christian higher education, and I often borrow liberally from his most profound observations. For example, the title of the Whitworth 2021 vision and strategic plan, Courage at the Crossroads, was inspired by a Hesburgh quote. A colleague recently forwarded another Hesburgh gem, and I thought it important enough to share with you because it goes to the heart of Whitworth's identity as an institution of higher learning centered on the work and ministry of Christ. It draws an important distinction between the identities of the church and the Christian university. I've replaced a few of the words to fit Whitworth's context.
"It should also be said that the [Christian] university is not the [Christian] church. It might be said to be of the church as it serves the church and the people of God, but it certainly is not [the church], although it does respect it. It is not a seminary, although seminarians may study in it. It is not the church teaching, but a place — the only place — in which [Christians] and others, on the highest level of intellectual inquiry, seek out the relevance of the Christian message to all of the problems and opportunities that face us and our complex world." (From The Challenge and Promise of a Catholic University)
For 122 years, Whitworth has benefitted from and celebrated its affiliation with and service to Christ's church. Ours is a university dedicated to the integration of Christian faith and intellectual learning. As a university open to students of all backgrounds, and as an institution committed to being engaged with society and culture, Whitworth may serve constituencies potentially much more diverse than the church, but our calling has been and always will be to equip our graduates to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity. It's only by God's grace that the university can sustain that mission and support the work of the church while also providing space for open dialogue on issues and challenges over which members of the church and the broader society might disagree. That's the "relevance" of the Christian message to which Hesburgh refers. In that sense, I pray Whitworth will always be relevant.
Academics
Our Ethics Bowl team brought Whitworth a national championship this week! The team, which went undefeated in all six rounds of the 32-team national tournament, bested Clemson University, a past national champion, in the final round. Other schools competing at the tournament included Dartmouth, Georgetown, Indiana, Villanova and Michigan. Whitworth's winning team comprises Jesse Javana and Bridger Landle, both '12, Krister Johnson and Max Nelsen, both '13, Sarah Sauter, '15, and coaches Mike Ingram (Academic Affairs/Communication Studies) and Keith Wyma (Philosophy). It was fun to see our students, faculty and staff congregate at the front entrance to campus to cheer these students and faculty leaders as they returned triumphant. They're rock stars. Let's hear it for our national champs!
Ordinarily, Jim McPherson (Communication Studies) gets 200 hits a day on his Media & Politics blog, found at http://jmcpherson.wordpress.com. But on Jan. 27, when he addressed Newsweek's recent use of profanity and was mentioned in The New York Times, he received more than 3,300 hits. We all enjoy Jim's insights on changing standards of journalism.
Jessica Sexton, '12, sent me a report from the inaugural Tanzania Study Program, led by John Yoder (Political Science).During the students' third week on the island of Zanzibar (after a month in Arusha), they continued to learn Swahili at the State University of Zanzibar. On their visits to the markets they saw three types of bananas, lots of mangos, pineapples, oranges, jackfruit, and fruit for which there's no English name. There is also a market section set aside just for fish: tuna, squid, clams, octopus, small fish, big fish, bright red fish, and blue fish with yellow spots. Bartering is a must. Jessica says it's quite different than aisle two at Walmart.
Physics faculty members keep making us look good. Markus Ong coordinated the Inland Northwest Regional High School Science Bowl this month. And through NASA support, John Larkin is working with nine Whitworth physics students to bring high-altitude balloon experiments to two local middle schools this spring. They're collaborating with Dave Gamon at Northwood Middle School and Tom Varner at Garry Middle School. John also received a grant from Scientists in Congregations to supportscience and faith conversations at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church.
The Whitworth Health Science Department, in collaboration with local orthopedic physician Bryan Mitchell, conducted an orthopedic cadaver lab, in which students were able to make anatomical, biomechanical, and medical connections of disrupted ligaments of the knee. Mitchell also discussed the anatomy of the knee while demonstrating surgical techniques involving knee injuries.
The Arts
Whitworth is pleased to present Gerri Sayler's site-responsive art installation, "Infinitesimal," in the Bryan Oliver Gallery. Sayler, who draws inspiration from the landscape around her, utilizes a variety of natural and manufactured materials to explore the cycles of nature and the nature of time. In "Infinitesimal," she explores the events that shaped the landscape of the Palouse during the last Ice Age through the transformative power of ice and water.
The Whitworth Wind Symphony will soon embark upon its first-ever international concert tour. The group will fly to Costa Rica and perform concerts in San José, at local music schools, at National University, and at the dedication of our Costa Rica Center. The group will also present its spring concert, ¡Pura Vida! at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, at Spokane's Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox. The concert will feature North American and Latin American composers and will mark the premiere of Associate Professor Emeritus of Music Michael Young's Concerto for Alto Saxophone. General admission is $7/$5 for seniors. Students? FREE.
Philip Baldwin presented a lecture at the Washington State Music Educators Conference, in Yakima, titled "A String Player's Guide to Woodwind and Brass Articulation." He gathered information from textbooks and articles related to pedagogy, and through personal interviews with Whitworth's outstanding music professors. Phil also presented this session last year at the national conference of the American String Teachers Association.
The Whitworth Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dan Keberle, received perfect scores from all three adjudicators at the 2012 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Lauren Major, '12, was also named one of the collegiate division's outstanding soloists and was invited to perform at Hamp's Club. (And I'm very grateful to Dan and the ensemble for entertaining our guests at last month's George F. Whitworth Banquet.)
Student Life
February was anything but boring. Students cheered on their basketball and swim teams and won coveted video equipment at the yearly water-pong tournament, and the Whitworth Wellness Fair invited local businesses and campus organizations to provide healthcare information to students, who enjoyed healthy snacks, push-up contests, yoga and Pilates. The Battle of the Bands closed out February, but the fun continues. Our ski vans to local resorts are full every weekend, and student bands and musicians are performing at both coffeehouses and Whitworth Unplugged. Finally, the searches for next year's student-leadership positions are beginning, and more than 120 aspirants will be hired to serve their fellow students in 2012-13.
A variety of activities took place in residence life, including a birthday party for Estella Baldwin and Marion Jenkins on Feb. 17, planned by some of the residents in the hall named for these beloved Whitworthians. Warren Hall's leadership team presented a bachelor/bachelorette auction that raised more than $1,200 for MS research. And student leaders across campus set up a variety of events for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Alumni & Parents
We'll continue to send faculty On the Road through the end of this month. Ron Pyle (Communication Studies) will hit the Bay Area on March 17, and Julia Stronks (Political Science) will visit Seattle on March 31. Register online at www.whitworth.edu/ontheroad.
Information on exam energy kits will be sent out soon for parents who'd like to order goodies for their studying offspring. Of course, you can always order early online at www.whitworth.edu/parents by selecting Birthday & Gift Service. The deadline to order is April 13; kits will be handed out just in time for Finals Week. What a great way to encourage your student!
Commencement Weekend reunions are just around the corner for members of the classes of 1952 and 1962. All alums who graduated in 1962 and earlier are invited to join us on campus May 11-13. You can still register for this weekend of celebration, but hurry! Visit www.whitworth.edu/reunions or contact the alumni office at 509.777.3799 or alumni@whitworth.edu.
Alumni and professors who studied and traveled with the Central America Study Programs in 1979, 1982, 1987 and 2002 will reunite on campus this summer with their respective groups to celebrate and remember their experiences. For more information, visit www.whitworth.edu/alumni.
And it's not too early to save Oct. 16 to hear Pulitzer Prize-winning author and political commentator George Will at our annual President's Leadership Forum. Since the breakfast will take place just three weeks before the presidential election, we expect this event to be a major conversation starter for both the campus and the region – and we hope you'll join us. Special thanks to title sponsor U.S. Bank for helping to make this event possible.
Admissions & Financial Aid
We focused this year on more tightly targeting prospective students who were likely to enroll vs. increasing our overall application numbers. However, we came very close to matching last year's record, with 6,820 applications received by our March 1 deadline. And it's a really smart group of applicants, which has made our admissions decisions more challenging than ever.
Now is a good time for admitted students to submit their $350 enrollment deposits, which hold their spots in the Whitworth Class of 2016. Our deposits are running about 50 percent ahead of last year, so it's unlikely we will be offering extensions past the May 1 deposit deadline this year.
Spring is a great time for prospective students to visit campus. Go to www.whitworth.edu/visit to sign up for one of our "Why Whitworth?" days or to schedule an individual visit.
Parents of continuing students: Please complete your FAFSA by the May 1 priority deadline. Two weeks after federal tax returns are filed electronically, students and parents should automatically load the tax data from the IRS website (which is preferred over hand-entering the data). Current students' awards will be sent out in late spring. Students who receive only academic scholarships are not required to file the FAFSA; their scholarships are automatically renewed.
Resources
On March 1, we celebrated Tuition Freedom Day, the symbolic point in the school year after which tuition no longer covers the cost of a Whitworth education. Members of our Student Philanthropy Council led the on-campus effort to spread this message: Their experience is underwritten by people like you. One of the most important things we communicate to students during their four years here is that without the support of alumni, parents and friends of the university, tuition costs would be higher, and the opportunities they've been provided might not exist. As our seniors graduate this spring, they do so knowing how important it is for them to support their alma mater.
Sports
The men's swim team won its 10th straight Northwest Conference championship this month. Rory Buck, '12, Wes Walton, '15, and Austin Vierra, '12, all won individual events for the Pirates, who smoked the second-place team by nearly 200 points.
Whitworth's swimmin' women finished second to UPS in one of the closest final scores in women's championship history. Kate Duvall, '14, won both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events.
The women's basketball team finished fifth in the NWC standings. Lexi Belcher, '12, was named First Team All-Northwest Conference.
Men's basketball won the 2012 NWC championship and is making its sixth consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearance. Matt Logie was named NWC Coach of the Year in his first season; Felix Friedt, '12, was named First Team Academic All-America and is a finalist for the prestigious Jostens Award, which recognizes athletic ability, academic success and community service; Idris Lasisi, '13 (First Team), Wade Gebbers, '13 (Second Team), and Jack Loofburrow, '12 (Honorable Mention), earned All-NWC recognition. As I write this, our team is preparing to take on Virginia Wesleyan in the Sweet 16!
I'll include an update on spring sports in the April issue of M&H.
Miscellaneous
A green building at Whitworth? Yes, the U.S. Green Building Council has certified Robinson Science Hall a LEED Gold Building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and while we have other LEED facilities on campus, this is our first LEED Gold project. The certification signals an additional step toward realizing our ongoing institutional commitment to sustainability and our participation as a signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment.
For 97 years, the Whitworth Auxiliary has supported Whitworth students. Last year this dynamic group raised $14,500 for residence-hall-lounge renovations, off-campus travel experiences for international and Hawaiian students, and support for the President's Discretionary Scholarship Fund. The auxiliary's annual Spring Tea & Style Show, "Tea at Two," will take place Tuesday, April 24, at 2 p.m. in Quall Hall at Whitworth Presbyterian Community Church. Come support our students and enjoy an elegant tea and the latest fashions from Christopher & Banks. Please call 509.238.6878 for tickets ($15).
Closing Thoughts
March Madness has officially descended on the Whitworth campus! Our men's basketball team is making its perennial run in the NCAA Division III basketball tournament, and perhaps even more fun than watching the team is watching our crazy students get into the act. Not many students can travel to attend the tournament games, so most gather in Robinson Teaching Theatre to watch via the Internet. The scene in the room is as fun and loud as any courtside vantage point, I can assure you. This season, our students even came up with their own halftime dance, The Interlude Dance, to entertain themselves and all of us tired people. I encourage you to Google (yes, that's a verb) "Whitworth University Basketball Interlude Dance" to watch the mayhem on YouTube, and then search for "Whitworth CRC Interlude Dance" to see how our students in Costa Rica refused to be outdone. I love this job. As always, please keep Whitworth (and our dancing students) in your prayers.
