Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 2012

An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor

The October blitz. That's what Julie and I have come to call the exciting but crazy schedule of events and activities that preoccupies Whitworth when the leaves start turning, the morning air becomes a little nippy, and the entire campus seems like it's running at light speed. Homecoming marks the beginning of the blitz as our faithful alumni return to campus to rekindle their Whitworth connections with classmates and faculty. Even in my third year, I will feel like the "new president" once again as I meet Whitworthians for the first time and share my excitement about being here. The Whitworth Board of Trustees meets on campus the week after Homecoming. Amidst all of the meetings and decisions that are made that week, my favorite time with the board is during the Thursday chapel service they attend. To worship God and celebrate Christ's rich blessings on this community with those women and men who give so much of their time, talent and treasure to support this place is a truly awesome and emotional experience for me. The third weekend in October marks Parents' Weekend, when families descend upon the campus to spend a few fun days with their beloved students. It's amazing what a nice meal out on the town and a little homespun cheer will do for our students who love their home at Whitworth, but who also dearly miss their families. It's not a surprise that everyone, students and staff alike, feels as if they've earned a fall break by the time our mini-vacation arrives at the end of the month. Julie and I will end the blitz as we always do, by opening our home to students for Halloween. Plenty of candy and cookies will be enjoyed as students show up at our doorstep in all sorts of interesting garb. We love October because it provides so many reminders of why we love this place.

Academics

Whitworth's Graduate Studies in Business Program has expanded into Spokane's U-District. GSB joins the continuing studies program at our downtown location, which makes a Whitworth degree more accessible for working professionals. Professionals seeking a Whitworth MBA can now complete a degree in two years, either at our main campus or in the U-District. Our new business dean, Tim Wilkinson, is already making some exciting moves.

During the summer, Lindy Scott (Costa Rica Center) edited a book that was published in Spanish by Ediciones Kairos and Wipf & Stock. It deals with Christian perspectives on creation care from both the global South and North, as reflected in its title, El cuidado de la creacion y el calentamiento global: Perspectivas del Sur y del Norte.

Poet Laurie Lamon, '79 (English) is on fire! Women's Voices for Change accepted five of Laurie's poems, the first of which, "Danger" (reprinted), originally appeared in Arts & Letters Journal of Contemporary Culture and was then featured on the web's Poetry Daily. J Journal: New Writing on Justice accepted two poems for its November issue, and Laurie has a poem forthcoming in Plume poetry journal. Her "I stopped writing the poem" was a finalist for the Janet McCabe Poetry Prize and is in the fall issue of Ruminate. She read, with Thom Caraway (English), at Spokane's Book Parlour earlier this month, at a HOPE benefit for at-risk teens; she, Lisa Flesher, '81, and Thom will be reading at Whitworth during Homecoming Weekend; and in November she'll be reading at Elliot Bay Books with Tess Gallagher, Richard Kenney, and others at an event organized by Washington's poet laureate, Kathleen Flenniken. We're so proud of you, Laurie!

Whitworth's tenth-day statistics are in. The just-arrived Class of 2016 is made up of 631 freshmen who represent the highest achievement academically and the most diverse class in Whitworth's history. Total traditional undergraduate enrollment is currently 2,249 students, and total university enrollment is 2,915. The largest majors on campus are biology and health science. The new Robinson Science Hall is getting a workout!

Whitworth has launched a search for its next provost/executive vice president. As leader of all of Whitworth's academic programs, this very important position is the highest-ranking administrator reporting to the president. The search committee is collecting nominations and applications and will begin to review candidates on Dec. 3. For more information, please visit www.whitworth.edu/provostsearch.

The Arts

If you're in Spokane, don't miss the Ben Frank Moss Mythical Landscapes exhibit, which continues in our Bryan Oliver Gallery through Nov. 2. Ben, a member of Whitworth's Class of 1959, is a professor of art at Dartmouth and a nationally known landscape painter. I had the opportunity to see Ben's work and to listen to him describe his inspiration and techniques – you won't want to miss this.

Philip Baldwin (Music) will perform the violin solo in Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony Oct. 12 and 13, at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., at CDA's Kroc Center. The program will also include Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony and Hebrides Overture. Call 208.765.3833 for tickets. Will Phil wear a kilt?

The latest composition by Marc A. Hafso (Music), There Is No Rose of Such Virtue, was published this summer by Colla Voce Music, Inc., of Indianapolis. Some of you have already heard it – the work, set to the familiar 15th-century English poem of the same name, was written for and sung by the Whitworth Men's Chorus at the 2011 Christmas Festival Concerts.

Congratulations to Eric Moe, '95, adjunct professor of trumpet, who in August won the third trumpet position with the Spokane Symphony. Way to blow, Moe.

Don't miss nine-time Grammy nominee and internationally known jazz pianist Kenny Barron, who'll appear with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble at our 24th annual guest artist jazz concert, in Cowles Auditorium at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3. Tickets are on sale now!

It's not too early to get our Christmas Festival concerts on your calendar. They'll take place Dec. 1 and 2, at 8 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, at Spokane's Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox; and Dec. 8 and 9, at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, at Seattle's First Presbyterian Church. Tickets for all four concerts are $18 regular admission; $15 students and seniors (62-plus).

Student Life

So much involvement at the U! We had a great student-leader training week, readying around 100 students to serve our campus community. ASWU has more than 42 clubs getting into full swing. Community Building Day took more than 1,200 students, staff and faculty off campus for a morning of work in the Spokane community, followed by a barbecue and a word of thanks from State Representative Kevin Parker, '96. Not For Sale, an organization that works to end human trafficking, held its national conference – including workshops, speakers, and the Top Ten iTunes band The Wrecking – at Whitworth in conjunction with our campus's focus this year on the issue of modern-day slavery. In addition, Hispanic Heritage Month began with the program Latina Confessions, a one-hour documentary featuring women who have successfully overcome notions of gender roles in a male-dominated culture.

Alumni & Parents

Tour Germany with Jim Edwards, (Theology) '67, and me May 22- June 2, 2013, as the next Core 650 Study Tour takes us to the Backroads of the Reformation. Details can be found at www.whitworth.edu/germany2013. I'll be going along for the first time and would love for you to join Julie and me on this unforgettable learning experience. Jim will be in his element, and we'll learn from one of Whitworth's most influential professors.

Homecoming Weekend is nearly here! The classes of 1992, 2002, and 2007 will celebrate their reunions, and our 2012 Alumni Award winners and their guests will be honored at the Saturday evening banquet. On Friday night, professors Leonard Oakland and Forrest Baird will host a casual gathering for alums as they discuss the management styles of Plato and Aristotle – that should be interesting! It promises to be a great weekend, from beginning to end. And we're already gearing up for 2013!

We'd love to see you on campus for Parents' Weekend, Oct. 19-21. This event offers moms, dads and grandparents an opportunity to visit their students and to join in the Whitworth experience by attending a class led by one of our great faculty members and spending time with residence life staff. See www.whitworth.edu/parentsweekend for details and online registration.

Parents, alumni and friends in the Greater Seattle area are invited to two gatherings in early November. Join us for dessert and conversation with Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Intercultural Relations Lawrence Burnley on Friday evening, Nov. 2, as we discuss Larry's presentation, "An Inclusive Education of the Mind & Heart: Preparing Global Citizens for Christ." You're also invited to gather on Saturday, Nov. 3, as Whitworth Football takes on the Lutes. For more information and to register, please visit www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.

Join us on campus the evening of Saturday, Nov. 3, for dessert prior to the jazz ensemble concert featuring Kenny Barron.Alumni, parents and friends are invited to hear from Barron and from Jazz Ensemble Director (and "cool cat") Dan Keberle at the dessert. Details and online registration can be found at www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.

Admissions & Financial Aid

There's still space available in our Oct. 14-15 Whitworth Snapshot visit event for high school seniors. This is a great opportunity for students and parents to experience Whitworth. The event is very popular, so please be a Pirate recruiter and encourage interested students to register now at www.whitworth.edu/snapshot.

It was gratifying to see Whitworth listed again among the top 10 universities and top five values in U.S. News' ranking of Western regional universities. These rankings do a better job of measuring the quality of inputs to the educational process than they do the quality of the education itself, but the former isn't unrelated to the latter. And we recognize that our good rankings in U.S. News, Forbes, Kiplinger's, Princeton Review and other publications help to put Whitworth in the mix of many families' college-search process.

Resources

Fall at Whitworth is hard to beat. It's full of the excitement of new classes and a new year. Students, most of whom are blessed to receive scholarships, flood the campus and enjoy our beautiful facilities. All of this, in combination with our amazing faculty, provides our students with a unique learning experience. This would not be possible without your support of The Whitworth Fund. Did you know that more than 95 percent of our students receive financial aid – and that 75 percent of The Whitworth Fund goes directly to student scholarships? It's a clear correlation: Your support is important. Please visit www.whitworth.edu/give and make your gift today! Thank you!

Costa Rica Center

Director Lindy Scott writes, "The 19 students at the center this semester have finished their one-month intensive Spanish courses and are feeling much more at ease in their Spanish-speaking world of internships and host families and life out in Costa Rican society. Midway through the month we will be going for an eight-day trip to exciting and complex Nicaragua. Given that Nicaragua was one of the major topics of Political Science Professor Patrick Van Inwegen's doctoral research, his expertise on the trip will help to bring clarity and greater understanding for our students."

Sports

The gridiron gang is off to a 4-0 start, its best since the 2006 team went 10-0 in the regular season. And the Pirates opened with three straight wins on the road for the first time since 1955, flying more than 6,200 miles to do it. RB Ronnie Thomas, '13, leads the Northwest Conference in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, picking up where he left off from his 2011 All-NWC performance. Paul Miller, '14, has been all over the field leading the Whitworth defense.

Our women's soccer team is the very definition of resilience. After an 0-4 start against four strong non-conference opponents, Whitworth has begun NWC play with a 5-0 record while overcoming several key injuries. All five of those wins have been by shutout. Tiara Pajimola, '16, and Amy Sterk, '14, lead the team in scoring this season.

Men's soccer is 7-0-1 and ranked No. 11 in the nation. At press time, the Pirates led the NCAA at every level in team goals-against average (0.12) after allowing just one goal in their first eight matches. Kyle Novak, '13, has a 0.00 goals-against average and leads the nation in that category. Will Wren, '14, is the team's leading scorer.

Volleyball has had to overcome some key injuries and illness. The Pirates are 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the NWC. Nicole Leonard, '16, and Jalana White, '14, lead the team in kills per set this season.

Our cross-country teams continue to develop. Christina Anderson, '15, and Elisabeth Spencer, '14, have led the way for the much-improved Whitworth women. Taylor Steele, '15, has been at the front of the pack for the men.

Men's golf is deep and still deciding who will play among the top five at the upcoming NWC Fall Classic. Twins Oliver and Lyle Rudnicki, both '16, have been the most consistent players this fall. Emily Guthrie, '13, continues to play outstanding golf for the women and figures to be in the mix for top conference honors again in 2012-13.

On Oct. 6, two individuals and one team will be inducted into the Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame: James "Pat" Evans pioneered sports medicine and athletic training at Whitworth in the early 1950s, Jan (Okada) Combs was a 12-time All-American in swimming in the mid-'90s, and the 2005 men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four. Whitworth continues the tradition of athletics excellence that these fantastic honorees helped to build. Go Bucs!

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for all of the notes and cards wishing me well on my physical recovery from my torn Achilles tendon and subsequent surgery. I'm now able to walk using a crutch, but I should be in full weight-bearing mode soon. My experience has given me a fresh look at our campus from the perspective of those with physical ailments and handicaps, and I've already ordered some changes to make our campus more accessible. I also have a deeper level of empathy as I watch some of our fantastic student-athletes deal with debilitating injuries suffered in competition. I've enjoyed receiving some of my physical therapy from our athletic training students on campus. It's been fun to watch our well-trained students in action (thanks, Andy and Brittany!), and to hang out with others in the training room. I think they secretly enjoy seeing the president getting worked hard at the hands of their fellow students! It reminds me that there are often blessings that come with setbacks – we just have to be aware to look for them. God is good and gracious. May God in Christ continue to bless you and yours. Thanks for all you do for Whitworth.