Mind & Heart Newsletter: November 2024

An update from Whitworth University President Scott McQuilkin

I am spoiled. It is not lost on me that being on a college campus, especially the one at 300 W. Hawthorne Road, grants me the privilege of encountering uncommon measures of joy. It might be a passing conversation with a student on the Hello Walk. Or watching our students lead campus worship. Taking in the stunning beauty of our campus grounds, which I get to traverse every day. Attending a lecture by one of our remarkable faculty members. There are just too many good moments to cite in too little space. For our alumni and parents, do these images ring Whitworth memory bells for you? I trust they do.

The concept of joy is something we've been talking plenty about as a community of students, faculty and staff. We've asked ourselves, how might we as individuals and within our respective areas of the university become agents of joy? Joy can be either a cause or an effect, so what are the ways by which we can participate in the "cause" side of that equation? When we treat joy as something solely to receive, we might wait around for others to create and deliver it. But, when we consider joy to be an effect, something to be produced, we discern ways in which we might bring about that joy. We have been intentional in doing those things.

As we enter the Advent season, I am reminded how we are the recipients of an incomparable joy, the birth of Jesus. "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Joy to the world, the savior reigns. He rules the world with truth and grace." Those immeasurable wonders of Emmanuel, God with us, compel us to "repeat the sounding joy."

15 Highlights on Campus This Fall

1. We welcomed the Class of 2028 to campus in late August, with members of the football team making move-in a breeze for students and families unloading belongings. Of our 544 first-year students, nearly 200 are first-generation students, or the first to attend college in their families. Among the new students are 13 scholars who comprise the first cohort of our Multicultural Leadership Program. Our athletics program is enjoying an infusion of talent, with 220 first-year and new transfer student-athletes – the highest number in five years. The incoming fall class represents students from 17 states and 20 countries.
2. We are proud to provide an education of mind and heart that consistently earns us high rankings. In its 2025 Best Colleges Rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Whitworth No. 4 for Best Value Schools (West), No. 6 for Best Colleges for Veterans (West) and No. 8 (tie) for Best Regional Universities (West). Whitworth was once again the highest-ranked university in the Northwest on the Best Value list. Additionally, The Princeton Review recently named Whitworth one of the "Best Colleges  in the West" and a "Top Green College" for our commitment to environmental responsibility. Finally, we are honored to again be named the No. 1 Best Christian College in the Northwest by Niche.
3. The Whitworth Honors Program welcomed its largest incoming class ever, with 118 first-year students signing up for this challenging academic-enrichment opportunity. Many of these new students will present research posters and readings from creative work in the Honors Semester Showcase on Dec. 9.
4. Whitworth is offering a new major: neuroscience! This bachelor of science degree takes an interdisciplinary approach to provide students with a comprehensive study of the brain. The bachelor of arts degree in computer science was also revamped. Now called interdisciplinary computer science, this major prepares students to create software solutions for real-world problems by requiring them to take upper-division credits in another discipline of their choice. More info: www.whitworth.edu/majors.
5. A Whitworth contingent had the rare opportunity to observe climate negotiations firsthand at COP29, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Assistant Professor of Political Science Aaron Hitefield and two students, Dylan Richardson '25 (political science and environmental studies double major) and Ziona Rose '26 (environmental science major), traveled to Azerbaijan to attend the conference as official observers. Thank you to the crowdfunding project donors who helped make this incredible learning experience possible!
6. Whitworth has launched Call & Character, a program to help our students cultivate the character traits – moral, intellectual and spiritual – they need to flourish as human beings. Funded by a generous, three-year Wake Forest University Institutional Impact Grant, the program is focused in part on infusing character formation into Whitworth's curriculum across all disciplines. It is led by Davey Henreckson, director of the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning, and Nathan King, Edward B. Lindaman Chair and professor of philosophy.
7. On Community Building Day, 918 volunteers served at 40 local sites, including Holmes Elementary, Spark Central and Rockwood at Whitworth. Thank you to our students – including all first-year and new transfer students and members of nine athletics teams – and faculty and staff members who participated. One highlight this year was our computer science students committing a week of class time to designing software pitches for a nonprofit, Hewitt Learning. Way to take this Whitworth tradition to the next level!
8. About 75 students enjoyed a Whitworth Campus Ministry fall retreat at YMCA Camp Reed on a gorgeous weekend in early October. The retreat, made possible by a gift from the Welch Family Foundation, offered students a meaningful time to engage in their spiritual lives and deepen friendships.
9. This fall, students can find most required textbooks in the Whitworth Library, with over 300 titles available for in-library use. This library pilot program aims to make textbooks accessible to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. It complements the donor-funded Textbook Lending Program available through Help-A-Pirate.
10. At One Big Whitworth Weekend in October, we honored our 2024 alumni award recipients, Scott Miller '85 (Mind & Heart), Kent Lupton '74 and Cindy (Capron) Lupton '75 (Service to Whitworth), Julie Sullivan '12 (Emerging Leader), and Matthew Kaemingk '03 (Distinguished Alumni). We also inducted the latest class into the Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame: Kaimi Rocha '12, former volleyball All-American; George Valle '16, former basketball conference player of the year; and Jo Ann Wagstaff, retired women's tennis coach and athletics administrator.
11. Micki Abercrombie-Donahue, Ed.D., previously the associate dean of graduate counseling & leadership programs, has been appointed as Whitworth's interim chief diversity officer. We look forward to her leadership in advancing the university's Christ-centered commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
12. The Whitworth Board of Trustees has elected Julie L. Levi, J.D., as its next chair, succeeding Brian Kirkpatrick. Levi joined the board in 2020 and lives in San Diego. She and her husband have two children, Kathleen '18 and Megan '21, both Whitworth alumni. We give our tremendous thanks to Brian for his service and look forward to welcoming Julie to this role in July.
13. The Whitworth community recently had the outstanding opportunity to hear from leading Christian thinkers from across the country during a conference sponsored by the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning, in partnership with the Lilly Network. The conference, "Renewing Mind & Heart: Questions for the Next Generation in Higher Education," focused on the future of Christian higher education and what makes a Christian university education worthwhile. Featured speakers included Beth Allison Barr, Malcolm Foley, Eric Gregory, Jessica Hooten Wilson, K.A. Smith and Jonathan Tran, and The Porter's Gate Worship Project led morning prayer and a night of worship open to the community.
14. The Office of Church Engagement is launching a spiritual direction certificate program that entails two years of training and formation led by two local, experienced spiritual directors. The first cohort will begin its monthly intensives on campus in January. More info: www.whitworth.edu/spiritual-direction.
15. Whitworth LEARN, our online professional development platform, is debuting new certificate programs geared toward helping employees grow within their specific industries. Check out offerings like the Nonprofit Management Certificate and Manufacturing Management Institute at learn.whitworth.edu, and register by Dec. 15.

Upcoming

Christmas Festival Concert | Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. | St. John's Cathedral, Spokane
This beloved Whitworth tradition continues in a beautiful new location this year. Whitworth's choral ensembles and student instrumentalists present Messe pour Noël. Tickets: www.whitworth.edu/christmas-festival or 509.777.3280.

Pirate Athletics | Happening Now!
Our athletics events have drawn boisterous fan turnouts this fall. Join your fellow Pirate supporters in the stands and root for our student-athletes this winter! Visit whitworthpirates.com for a full schedule.

2024 Faculty Biennial Art Exhibit | Now through Jan. 24, 2025 | Bryan Oliver Gallery
View an exhibit of current work from our faculty.
Hours: Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; closed on university holidays.

President's Leadership Forum | April 23, 2025, 7:30-9 a.m. | Spokane Convention Center
The President's Leadership Forum with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney has a new date. Please join us in April for a discussion on leadership, diplomacy and the future of politics in America by registering at www.whitworth.edu/plf.

One Big Whitworth Weekend | Oct. 10-12, 2025
Save the date for next year's combined Homecoming and Family Weekend on campus! Details will be available in the spring.

Calling All Future Whitworthians | Apply Now for Fall 2025
Do you know a high school senior or transfer student who could thrive at Whitworth? Encourage them to submit an application, visit campus and apply for financial aid. Students can start by applying for free at www.whitworth.edu/apply and will receive an admissions decision within three weeks. Next, they can register for a campus visit at www.whitworth.edu/visit. Lastly, remind them to submit the FAFSA as soon as it's available. We can't wait to welcome them to Whitworth!

Closing Thoughts

Please consider being an agent of joy for our students and programs, opening the doors to a Whitworth experience. I invite you to make an ongoing, monthly gift that fits comfortably within your budget, a generosity that allows Whitworth to deliver reliable, lasting impact to the lives of students. You can do so via the enclosed giving envelope or at connect.whitworth.edu/heart. In this season of giving, you are a gift to our students and to all the people they will serve and lead.

Scott McQuilkin

With you, Whitworth's mission remains strong. View the 2024 Annual Report at www.whitworth.edu/annual-report.

Note to our alumni: Enjoy the Whitworth Today fall supplement - featuring Class Notes, In Memoriam, and beautiful artwork by a current student, with a related story - at www.whitworth.edu/wt-supplement-fall-24. The annual full issue of Whitworth Today magazine will land in spring 2025!