Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 2011
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
I suppose that there are two types of people in the world: those who are more task-oriented, and those who are more people-oriented. Most of my adult life, I've been consciously aware that I am task-oriented. The world needs both kinds of people, but as someone who is more prone to think of life in terms of tasks, I strive to be better about putting people first. I often look in wonder and a bit of jealousy at those who are blessed with this innate concern for people. You may recall the story from Luke 8 when Jesus is summoned to the house of a synagogue official to heal his sick daughter. Now, that's a worthy task! Jesus sets off, pushing through the throngs of onlookers. Then, to everyone's surprise, he stops. A chronically ill woman has, out of desperation, touched Jesus' cloak, and Jesus wants to speak with the woman. In the story, I would play the part of Peter, frantically urging Jesus to stay on task, to be on time for his appointment with the official's daughter. But Jesus doesn't pass up this opportunity to keep his divine appointment with the desperate woman. Despite the delay it will cause him, Jesus senses that a soul can be won and that a life can be changed. The other stuff can wait. In that moment, Jesus reminds us that faith can heal, and that God's divine purposes cannot be sidetracked because we take the time to speak personally into the life of a person in need. O Lord, how many divine appointments have I missed because of my need to stay on task? May God grant us all the capacity to see the people in our lives who need to see the light of Jesus.
Academics
We've welcomed a large class of great new faculty members this fall, including Rafaela Acevedo-Field (History), Cristal Brown (Athletics/Softball), Grant Casady (Biology), Michelle Smith and Jack Downs (English), Aaron Dyszelski (Theatre), Jael Hagerott, '07 (Athletics/Soccer), Megan Hershey and Kathy Lee (Political Science), Matt Logie (Athletics/Men's Basketball), Vange Ocasio (Economics), and Jason Wollschleger (Sociology). Warm welcomes, too, to visiting professors Dana Bates (Health Science), Robert Buckham (Management), and Krista Crotty, '01, Lori Johnson and Anne Wilcox (School of Education).
On Community-Building Day, approximately 1,500 Whitworth volunteers spent the morning in service at 45 sites in the Spokane community. "Through CBD we seek to foster both student and community development," says Steve LaPointe, '05, assistant director for service-learning and community engagement. "This is a great way to connect with the community and to partner with agencies doing great work in Spokane." Even the students at our Costa Rica Center participated in CBD, clearing a stream near the center.
Whitworth climbed three positions, to No. 2, in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of the best values in the West; we held on to No. 9 in the rankings of best regional universities. This marks the 12th consecutive year in which Whitworth has made the top 10 on both lists. Executive V.P. Michael Le Roy, '89, says Whitworth's consistently strong rankings reflect the university's commitment to excellence. "High rankings in U.S. News are indicators of Whitworth's commitment to using its resources to provide our students with an excellent education and to being faithful to our mission of integrating Christian faith and learning," Le Roy says.
Faculty R. & D. Committee summer grants supported these projects: Jenny Holsinger (Sociology) continued her study of immigrant adaptation; Karla Morgan (Economics) advanced her research on remittances, the money sent by immigrant workers to their home countries; Melissa Rogers (Psychology) tallied the results of a study examining the measured impact of teaching study skills as part of formal class instruction; and Karen Stevens (Chemistry), in collaboration with California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, began work on several projects pertaining to spaceflight.
Last month I promised that I would share more news of faculty/student summer collaborations. Here we go! Trisha Duffey (Chemistry) worked with Hannah Neil, '13, and Katherine McClanahan, '12, to develop a more selective fluorometric assay for lysosomal storage disorders resulting from deficiencies in sulfatase enzymes; Deanna Ojennus (Chemistry) worked with Cary Frick and Joshua Lum, both '12, on the development of an in vitro assembly system for R body proteins; Michael Rempe (Math) teamed with two students – Branden Lowe, '13, and Sarah Whittemore, '12 – in building mathematical models of sleep disorders; Kamesh Sankaran (Physics) directed Andrew Ritchie, '12, in improving the efficiency of a new plasma thruster in development at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and worked with Micah Spaun, '13, to examine the possibility of NASA round-trip missions to asteroids. Our students and faculty are doing impressive research together!
Our students at the Costa Rica Center have settled in this fall with local Tico (Costa Rican) host families and are busy with courses, as well as with getting established in a number of diverse internships: Josh Willmore, '12, works with the local municipal government; Naticcia Melendez, '12, volunteers at the Rahab Foundation, which helps women get out of prostitution; Nanda Navis, '12, interns with Starbuck's CAFÉ Practices; Emily Golan, '13, teaches violin to children through a program called SiNEM; Sara Johnson, '15, volunteers at a medical clinic, and David Rurik, '13, interns at the local Youth With A Mission base. ¡Pura vida!
The Arts
The exhibit "Face to Face: Recent Figurative Work of Bruce Herman" is now open in our Bryan Oliver Gallery. The artist's reception is set for 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 13, and Herman will present his artist's lecture that same day at 7:30 p.m. in the Robinson Teaching Theatre, Weyerhaeuser Hall. For more information, call 509.777.3258.
The music department presents the 15th season of the series Women Composers: The Untapped Source. Under the direction of Judith Schoepflin, this year's concert features music by Canadian composers. Instruments include guitar, French horn, cello, saxophone, and piano. The concert is Oct. 16, at 3 p.m., in the Whitworth Music Recital Hall. Admission is free.
International jazz giant and sax man extraordinaire Joshua Redman will join the award-winning Whitworth Jazz Ensemble Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m., to blow the roof off Cowles Auditorium. Admission is $15, and tickets are available at www.whitworth.edu/musictickets, www.TicketsWest.com, and through the HUB Info Desk (509.777.3796). Redman will also present a free jazz clinic, open to everyone, on Nov. 4 at 5:15 p.m. in the music building's recital hall.
Save the dates now for our upcoming Whitworth Christmas Festival Concerts: Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., First Pres. Bellevue; Dec. 4 at 3 p.m., First Pres. Seattle; Dec. 10 at 8 p.m., Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox (Spokane); Dec. 11 at 3 p.m., Woldson Theater. Tickets go on sale Nov. 1: $18 general admission; $15 students/seniors (62 and up). Visit www.whitworth.edu/musictickets or call 800.532.4668.
Hay Fever in October? You bet. Set in the 1920s, Hay Fever is one of Noel Coward's funniest comedies. An actress mother, a novelist father, and two budding-artist children make up the Bliss family, for whom all the world is a stage. The family's antics infuriate and astound their hapless houseguests, and rousing fights, surprise engagements and fevered declarations of love are just part of the weekend fun at the Bliss house. Oct. 14, 15, 21, 22 at 8 p.m., and Oct. 16 at 2 p.m., Cowles Auditorium. Tickets: Visit www.whitworth.edu/theatretickets or call 509.777.3707. Admission: $8 general; $6 student & seniors (62 and up).
Student Life
September's near-perfect weather drew students outside. They watched movies in The Loop and at their own "Whitworth Drive-In," played volleyball, soccer and Frisbee on the lawns, and participated in Community Building Day. And this month, outdoor rec took backpackers on a trip into the wilds of Idaho.
Parents' Weekend is Oct. 21-23. Registration materials (due Oct. 14) and details for the weekend can be found at www.whitworth.edu/parentsweekend.
Forty-eight Arend residents are participating in Arend Allies, which pairs a resident freshman with one of the hall's sophomores, juniors, or seniors. These partnerships are intended to help freshmen settle into Whitworth life and to allow returning students an opportunity to give back to their community.
Our alcohol-awareness program took the form of a tailgate party this semester. Education and fun were available in abundance. Some upper-division students talked about the effect that alcohol has had on their lives and told their classmates that they wish they had made different decisions regarding alcohol.
Alumni & Parents
You're invited to travel with Professor of Theology Jerry Sittser and me next May 14-24 to Boston, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Gettysburg and Washington, D.C., on our Core 650 Study Tour: The Roots of Christianity in America. Details are available at www.whitworth.edu/christianityinamericatour. Whitworthians along our route should look for a bus full of Pirates disembarking next spring in a neighborhood near you.
We hope to see you on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the dessert before Whitworth's fall main-stage production, Hay Fever. Please join us for a sweet treat and a pre-performance conversation with director Diana Trotter and set designer Aaron Dyszelski. For details and online registration, see www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.
We'd love to see you on campus for Parents' Weekend, Oct. 21-23. The weekend offers parents an opportunity to visit their daughters and sons and to join in the Whitworth experience by attending a class led by one of our great faculty members and chatting with residence life staff. See www.whitworth.edu/parentsweekend for details and online registration.
Join us Saturday, Nov. 5, for dessert prior to the jazz concert featuring Joshua Redman. Alumni, parents and friends are invited to hear from Redman and Director of Jazz Studies Dan Keberle at the dessert. Details and online registration can be found at www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.
We're excited about plans for reunion events for the classes of 1952 and 1962. Save the date for the Commencement Weekend Reunion next May 11-13!
Admissions
Fall is a pivotal season for campus visits by prospective students. In addition to visits by individuals, we host group events that allow students to visit classes, stay overnight in a dorm, eat in the dining hall, meet current students, and connect with admissions counselors. Admitted students who visit campus are at least five times as likely to enroll as students who don't, so we're making it a priority this year to increase visit opportunities, beginning with our first "Why Whitworth? Day" events, the next two Fridays, and proceeding with the Whitworth Snapshot event for high school seniors on Oct. 16-17. If you know students who are considering Whitworth, please encourage them to visit campus. Details about our visit events can be found at www.whitworth.edu/visit.
Resources
One of the major points of nostalgia when alumni return to campus is finding what hasn't changed. An alumna told us she wishes things could have been frozen in time since her student days, though she knows that Whitworth needs to adapt to the needs of its 21st-century students. In a recent letter to their classmates, the Class of '01 reunion committee reflected on being among the first classes to enjoy the expanded HUB: "It was exciting to be there and to witness the changing campus footprint," they wrote. And now they, along with the Class of '91, are raising funds and increasing overall giving participation in support of the latest HUB addition, an expanded dining hall, knowing that the next generation of students will experience the excitement of watching the campus grow. If you'd like to join in their efforts to build up Whitworth through giving, please visit www.whitworth.edu/give. Thanks!
Sports
Men's tennis competed at the USTA/ITA regional fall tournament, in Walla Walla, last weekend. Cameron Williams, '14, advanced to the quarterfinal round in the 64-player individual tournament.
Women's tennis is headed to its USTA/ITA regional fall tournament, in Salem, Ore. Winners of the individual and doubles tournaments earn berths in the ITA Fall Small College Nationals, in Mobile, Ala.
The men's golf team began its fall season at the WSU Palouse Collegiate Classic. The Pirates finished 13th, competing against a field of NCAA Div. I schools. Jesse Salzwedel, '14, took 45th place among the 78 participants.
The women's golf team took second place at the Pacific University Invitational, led by Emily Guthrie, '13, who finished second in the individual tournament. Both golf teams hope to make a strong showing at the Northwest Conference Fall Classic, Oct. 22-23 in Portland.
Volleyball is off to a strong start; the Pirates' goal is to defend their 2010 NWC title. Kaimi Rocha, '12, has already been named NWC Player of the Week twice, after leading Whitworth to a 4-0 start in conference matches.
Men's soccer is tied for first place in the NWC. Goalkeeper Bryan Sherpe, '12, has allowed just one goal in four NWC matches.
Women's soccer is in the thick of the conference race with a 2-2-1 record. Mackenzie Grow, '13, and Jill Pecka, '14, lead the Pirates' offense.
Cross country has spent the better part of September racing against NCAA Div. I and II teams. In October, as our runners prepare for the NWC championships, they'll finally get to compete against Div. III schools at the Willamette Invitational. Trevor Berrian, '13, was named NWC Men's Runner of the Week for his performance at the UW Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 10.
Football, at 1-3, is preparing for its usual tough conference schedule. Freshmen are starting in several key positions for the team, but veteran center Emilio Sulpizio, '12, is the anchor of the offense, and LB Scott Carr, '13, leads on defense. Whitworth opens NWC play against PLU on Oct. 8, during Homecoming Weekend.
Homecoming Weekend will also see the swim teams host a 50-years-of-swimming reunion. Several members of Whitworth's first team (1962), which was "coached" by now-Professor Emeritus Ross Cutter (who'll explain the quotation marks), are expected to attend.
Closing Thoughts
The next three weeks will be busy ones. The campus is gearing up for Homecoming this weekend, followed by our board of trustees meeting the next week, and then Parents' Weekend will cap off our busy October. At all three events, which surround the opening of the new Robinson Science Hall, we'll have the opportunity to celebrate with Bill and Bonnie Robinson. Robinson Hall has transformed the way Whitworth delivers biology and chemistry education – it's been the dream of so many for so long. There's even a Starbucks on the ground floor! (Chemistry students wanted to test the effects of caffeine.) We are so thankful to the hundreds of individuals and organizations that made this dream possible. Thanks for equipping our mind-and-heart mission. As always, please keep Whitworth in your prayers.
