Mind & Heart Newsletter: March 2016
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
Travel is a necessary part of my job. I made the mistake a few days ago of adding up the number of nights I've spent in hotel rooms since the beginning of the year. I won't tell you how many, but trust me, it's a lot. I've been home now for a few days between trips – just long enough to spend time with family, catch up with colleagues on campus, get a haircut, and do some laundry. Writing this newsletter is my last assignment before heading to the airport. In this busy season of travel, I have to make an effort to connect with students. Otherwise I get grumpy and lose sight of why I do this work. Social media helps me feel connected to students, but it's not the same as sitting down and listening to them talk about their experiences. So last night, Julie and I invited some students over to the house. We try to do this often, and we make the invitations to different groups. Last night, we invited students from the great state of Colorado. Such gatherings are really fun, because students enjoy discussing common backgrounds and high school rivalries, and they welcome opportunities to share car trips home. First-year students enjoy meeting older students from their hometowns, and everyone enjoys the brief interlude from studying and busy schedules. Here's just a sample of what's on students' minds these days: concern over the harsh rhetoric and personal attacks in the general election; ways in which Christians are portrayed in the media; the variety of Sodexo food choices; dealing with residence hall conflicts; keeping up with rigorous academics while also trying to have some fun; Spring Break; making predictions about how far our men will go in the NCAA basketball tournament; the rave dance party held in Graves Gym not long ago; the housing lottery and choices about where to live next year; summer employment and internships; dealing with death in the family; and worries about pleasing mom and dad. I love our students and their transparency. I know these subjects probably don't surprise you. In fact, for me, they're reassuring. Our students are having normal college experiences, and they're discovering themselves and their place in the world while dealing with the normal, day-to-day opportunities and challenges of what it means to be human. What a privilege it is to walk this journey with them and to call them my friends.
Academics
Our Ethics Bowl team brought home another national championship in February, defeating Youngstown State University (Ohio) in the final round. Our first win in this prestigious national competition came in 2012, when Whitworth became the first liberal arts college and the first private institution ever to finish first. Our heartiest congratulations go out to the team – Kaitlin Barnes and James Eccles, both '17, and Brennan Neal, Ellie Probus and TJ Westre, all '16 – and coaches Mike Ingram (Communication Studies) and Keith Wyma (Philosophy). For info about the Ethics Bowl, visit http://appe.indiana.edu/ethics-bowl/ethics-bowl/. Way to go, Whitworth!
Grant Casady (Biology) will receive a $10,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The title of the project is "Assessing the summer breeding habitat for the greater sage-grouse in Central Washington."
Megan Hershey (Political Science) was awarded the Provost's Award for Scholarly Promise in recognition of her research in East Africa.
A team of business students representing Whitworth won the regional Chartered Financial Analysis Competition last month. The students will now move on to Chicago, for the nationals, in April. The winners are Joe Schwalbach, '16, Megan Escobar, '18, Casey Rogstad, '17, and Patrick Bannworth, '16.
We said farewell last month to Howard Stien. Howard, a beloved biology professor at Whitworth from 1965 to 1993, was known as a tough professor, a strong role model, and an all-around excellent human being. He was loved by many, and we will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Howard's wife, Associate Professor Emeritus of Theatre Pat Stien, his two daughters (one of whom, Beth Davis, works at Whitworth, in institutional advancement), their husbands, and Howard's grandchildren.
Jerry Sittser (Theology) served as a guest lecturer at John Brown University in early February. He spoke at chapel services on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, and delivered lectures to members of the student body and staff.
Lisa Laurier (SOE) received a $2,000 grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation for her consultation with Coeur d'Alene schools.
The Arts
A new exhibition, Everything Seems to be Coming Together, is a selection from works by Gala Bent. These paintings, drawings and objects seek to reflect the inevitable strain that forms when the systems that we inherit and create meet with resistance. The exhibition runs until April 1 in the Bryan Oliver Gallery, Lied Center for the Visual Arts.
Whitworth's spring theatre production, Enchanted April, will be performed on March 4, 5, 11 & 12 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. Enchanted April is the story of a romantic celebration of life by four English women whose travels to the Italian coast reveal an inner spark in each that had been dampened by the dreary industrialism of 1920s London. The play is enthralling in its depiction of our human need for nature, beauty and each other. Tickets are available at www.whitworth.edu/theatretickets. Questions? Contact Kim Dawson at kdawson@whitworth.edu or 509.777.3703.
Student Life
The Dornsife Center for Community Engagement welcomed 30 nonprofit agencies to campus in February for its spring volunteer fair, which introduced students, faculty and staff to volunteer opportunities in Spokane. Nonprofit partners learned about Whitworth's anchor-institution mission and explored ways to work with other regional anchors.
The Dornsife Center also hosted the BELIEF conference. The annual gathering brought the highest number yet of high school students (more than 110 applicants) from under-resourced Spokane neighborhoods to Whitworth to envision possible futures and plan for their post-secondary education. More than 60 Whitworth students served as mentors, hosting high schoolers for three days and two nights of leadership workshops and other activities.
Please join us for the Whitworth Institute of Ministry, July 18-22, featuring Mike Breen and Brenda Salter McNeil. How can Christians be effective witnesses for the gospel during these tumultuous times? How have God's people functioned in times of great uncertainty? What can we learn from them about how to be faithful to God, to one another, and to our broken world? WIM 2016 will address the vital question of what Christian discipleship looks like in the 21st century. Visit www.whitworth.edu/wim for more information.
Financial Aid
It's FAFSA season again! Newly admitted students should have submitted their FAFSAs and can anticipate receiving an award soon. The priority deadline for continuing students is May 1; they will receive their awards electronically in late spring. For new/continuing students who still need to apply, students and parents can automatically load tax data from the IRS website (which is preferred over hand-entering the data) two weeks after filing the federal tax return electronically. Confirmation of our receipt of a student's FAFSA can be accessed on WhitNet. Academic scholarships will renew automatically (and no re-filing of the FAFSA is necessary) for students who receive only those scholarships.
Alumni & Parents
Cheer alongside fellow Whitworth alumni, parents, families and me as the Seattle Mariners play the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Peoria, Ariz., on Saturday, March 19. Our group will hear an exclusive pre-game talk from Mariners President Kevin Mather and Vice President/Assistant General Manager Jeff Kingston! Visit connect.whitworth.edu for more information.
It's nearing time to order Final Exam Survival Kits. Parents, please keep an eye on your email inbox for order information at the end of the month. Surprise your favorite Whitworth student with one of two great options, which will be ready for him or her to pick up just before Finals Week, in May.
Boston-area Whitworthians, we'll have family-friendly group seating at the Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game at Fenway Park on Sunday, April 17. Visit connect.whitworth.edu to register today.
Whitworthians in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area, mark your calendars for a casual gathering for alums and their families in Raleigh on Saturday, May 14. More information to come soon.
Admissions
Our March 1 priority application deadline has passed. But if you know someone who might need an extension, please encourage him or her to contact us at 800.533.4668 or admissions@whitworth.edu. Applicants with incomplete files should submit transcripts, letters of recommendations and test score reports ASAP.
Students admitted to our incoming freshman class who live in or near Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Tacoma, Phoenix, Seattle, Bellingham or the Tri-Cities: Whitworth is coming to you later this month. We will host receptions for admitted students and parents, providing opportunities for you to connect with current students, professors, parents, recent alumni and admissions counselors. We'd love to see you there! Sign up at www.whitworth.edu/WIN.
Whitworth is called to equip all students, staff and faculty to be interculturally competent global citizens. One way in which we are accomplishing this is by enrolling a more diverse student body: The number of Whitworth students from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations has grown 64 percent in the past five years. Our Multicultural Visit Program, April 7-9, is a great opportunity for students from underrepresented populations to explore opportunities and resources at Whitworth. Read more about it and sign up online at www.whitworth.edu/MVP. More than half of last year's MVP attendees chose Whitworth as their college home.
The Campaign for Whitworth
Did you know that an alumni gift of ANY amount makes a difference? Alumni participation in giving is seen as your vote of confidence in the mission and leadership of the institution. It shows how alumni support Whitworth's goals, appreciate their own student experience, and believe in the university's future. Your gift, no matter how much it is, makes a bigger difference for Whitworth students than you realize. If you've already given this year, thank you. If you haven't, it's not too late. Visit www.whitworth.edu/give. Thanks!
Whitworth Serves
Join Meara (Hall) Faw, '08, and share your own story of service by visiting www.whitworth.edu/whitworthserves and clicking on the Share Your Service button. Meara serves at Liquid Church, in New Brunswick, N.J., assisting with community events, including food-packing distribution for local food banks and helping at a prom for adults and teens with special needs. She serves "to build a better community and communicate the love of Christ through my service!" (For more about Meara, see www.whitworth.edu/meara.)
Sports
Men's basketball heads into the NCAA tournament at 26-1, ranked No. 3 in all of NCAA Division III basketball. The Pirates claimed an unprecedented seventh straight Northwest Conference title with a 15-1 record and won their 10th consecutive NWC tournament. George Valle, '16, was selected NWC Player of the Year, while Kenny Love and Christian Jurlina, both '17, were named to the All-NWC First Team.
Women's basketball finished the regular season 15-10 overall and in fourth place in the NWC (10-6). The Pirates made the conference tournament for the fourth straight year and for the 10th time in school history. KC McConnell, '16, a First Team All-NWC honoree for the second year in a row, will finish her career as Whitworth's third-leading all-time scorer. And Faith Emerson, '16, was named honorable mention All-NWC.
Men's swimming wasted no time regaining the Northwest Conference crown with a dominating win in Federal Way in mid-February. The Pirates won 10 of the meet's 20 events and finished with a margin of victory near 150 points. After setting NWC all-time or meet records in all three of his individual events, Wes Walton, '16, was the NWC Men's Swimmer of the Year for the third time in his career. Head Coach Steve Schadt, '96, was selected by his peers as the NWC Coach of the Year.
The women's swimming team finished in third place in the NWC, just a couple of points out of second. Jackie Beal, '17, won all three of her individual events in Whitworth team record times. She also set an all-time NWC record in the 200-yard backstroke and became the NWC Women's Swimmer of the Year for the second time in her career.
In indoor track and field, Katie McKay, '16, and Kayla Leland, '18, are trading the 800-meter-run school record back and forth. Both are in fine shape to qualify for the NCAA Division III championships next month. Corey Burt, '16, hopes his early-season indoor shot put mark will also get him into the national championships. The outdoor track and field season is just about to get under way.
The baseball Bucs are off to an 8-0 start, the best in school history. The Pirates went 4-0 on two separate trips, one of which (to California) included a win over 22nd-ranked Cal Lutheran, while the other (to Texas) included a victory over third-ranked Emory (Ga.). Matt Nelson, '17, leads the team in batting average, extra-base hits and RBIs this season. He also has two pitching saves as a closer.
The softball team won three out of four games during its season-opening trip to California. Makayla Lefever, '17, earned two pitching victories, and Alyssa Hall, '16, batted .400 during the trip.
Closing Thoughts
I hear from many of you how much you enjoy reading these brief updates. Thank you for taking the time to learn about all of the fantastic things happening at Whitworth. We know you are praying for Julie and me, for our students, and for all who work to deliver Whitworth's mind-and-heart education. We need those prayers, and we're so encouraged by your participation in our work. Thank you! Well, I'm off to the airport. I'm in 5D on the flight to Seattle – maybe I'll see you there. God bless….
