Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 2015

An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor

Faculty members are the rock stars of any college campus. At every institution I've served, students throw around the last names of their professors in casual conversation as if they're speaking about people everyone in the world knows. Whitworth certainly has its fair share of luminaries – Oakland, Stronks, Lee, Baird, Sittser, Pyle. Or perhaps you're of a generation at Whitworth that remembers Haas, Duvall, Simpson, Bruner, MacDonald, or Gray. Students and alumni recognize the important influence these Whitworth giants, and others, have had on their educational experiences.

Here are some other names you may not know as well: O'Brien, Davis, Goligoski, Weil, Henson, Whitson, and Randolph. In the course of a student's day at Whitworth, these talented and dedicated staff members and their colleagues contribute at least as much to our students' education as do the faculty members whose names roll off our lips so easily. Ensuring that thousands of hungry bellies are fed each day, Jim O'Brien leads a marvelous Sodexo staff dedicated to meeting students' every need. Bill Davis, a long-serving member of Whitworth's security team, develops meaningful relationships with students even as he's charged with keeping them safe and orderly. Kathy Goligoski greets students with a smile as she helps them navigate paying their bills. August Weil is one of many professionals on our grounds crew who spend their long days maintaining Whitworth's beautiful outdoor spaces so that students have an inspirational place to study and live. Debbie Henson joyfully cleans bathrooms and other living spaces in the residence halls as she discusses life with her residents. When students come down with the flu or are injured on the intramural fields, Edelweiss Whitson and her staff in the health center nurse those students back to health. And when pressures start piling up and students need a listening ear, Celisse Randolph and her team of resident assistants provide a safe and uplifting space for conversations in the residence halls.

Before a student ever makes it to a classroom to learn at the feet of Whitworth's incredible faculty members, that student has already been served by equally incredible staff members, all of whom contribute mightily to Whitworth's mind-and-heart mission. Today we give thanks to these wonderful servants, and we ask God's blessings upon their lives.

Academics

We're thrilled to welcome the following new faculty and lecturers this fall: Bradley Oiler (Art); Doug Laher and Youngsu Lee (Business & Economics); James Burns and Robert Flay (Chemistry); Kevin Grieves (Communications); Matthew Bell and Jeremiah Brougher (Computer Science); Katherine Blackburn (Continuing Studies); Corey Anderson and Donald Comi (Education); Claire McQuerry (English); Jonathan Huwe (Health Science); Brenda Burger and David Weaver (Mathematics); Rachel Aldridge, Alisha Epps and Justin Martin (Psychology); Jacob Rapp (Spanish); and Haley Goranson, Josh Leim and Jeremy Wynne (Theology).

Cynthia Wright (Athletic Training) was selected to serve on the Athletic Training Advisory Committee for the Washington State Department of Health.

English department students Katie Waltar, '16, and Chris Volk, '17, received honorable mentions in the 2015 Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest for their submissions, "Gratitude and Esteem: Integration of Money and Love in Pride and Prejudice," and "Sense and Sensibility and Lady Susan: Austen's Pragmatic Approach to The Ethics of Deception."

Arlin Migliazzo (History) recently presented "The Trouble with Normal," a lecture on unintentional exclusion and race, to Spokane Rotary Club No. 21.

Kathryn Lee (Political Science) was invited to give Whitworth's Constitution Day Lecture this year. Her very well-received presentation was titled, "From Selma to Shelby County v. Holder: Voter Suppression in 21st-Century America."

Doreen Keller and Roberta Wilburn (School of Education), with co-presenters Stacy Keogh (Sociology) and Janet Hauk (Library), spoke at the CCCU Diversity Conference, in Chicago, in September. The title of their presentation was "Giving Voice to the Diversity Discussions: Several Ways to Get Our Students Talking and Thinking."

At Fall Convocation, Anthony Clark (History), Lisa Laurier (School of Education), and Adam Neder (Theology) were installedas the Lindaman Endowed Chair, the Sue Chandler Endowed Professor in Education, and the Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair in Theology, respectively.

Will Kynes (Theology) had several articles published in the following journals: Perspectives on Israelite Wisdom: Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar; Is There a Wisdom Tradition? New Prospects in Israelite Wisdom Studies; and The Shape of the Ketuvim: History, Contoured Intertextuality, and Canon.

Katherine Karr-Cornejo (World Languages & Cultures) presented "King of Araucanía and Patagonia: Justice, Historical Fiction, and the Occupation of Araucanía" at the Latin American Studies Association International Congress, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was also a presenter at the Symposium of the Southern Core Studies Section, in Santiago, Chile.

The Arts

Katie Creyts (Art) curated the exhibition The Devil is in the Details, open at Whitworth through Oct. 30. She has also arranged for the artists to come to campus so that "through exhibition, discussion, and workshops, students will learn new approaches to craft in contemporary art-making. They will achieve an understanding that there is unity in approaches not separated by medium; rather, it's always a dance of materials and imagination." The exhibition and events are sponsored by the "Making as Knowledge" grant, from the Robert B. McMillen Foundation.

In September, contemporary artist Benjamin DeMott held a workshop, Bad Habits, at Whitworth. The workshop asked students to "challenge current trends of intuitive and provisional uses of clay" and to "discover new technical and conceptual possibilities."

This month, Whitworth Theatre's Fall Main Stage presents a contemporary interpretation of one of theatre's most notorious villains in William Shakespeare's Richard III. The production will run Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. The performances will take place in Cowles Auditorium at Whitworth University. General admission: $10; students and seniors: $8; Whitworth students free with valid student I.D. For tickets, please call 509.777.3707, visit www.whitworth.edu/theatretickets, or purchase at the box office starting one hour prior performance (cash or check only).

Tickets are now on sale for the fall concert featuring the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble and 20-time Grammy-winning jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. The concert takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, downtown. Tickets are available from the Fox at www.martinwoldsontheater.com or 509.624.1200, and through Ticketswest.com. Ticket prices are $23 general and $18 students/seniors (62-plus). The ensemble recently released its latest CD, The Almighty Groove, which is available through the music department office for $10. Contact music@whitworth.edu or call 509.777.3280.

The Whitworth Orchestra and the Coeur d'Alene Symphony presented a joint performance of Gustav Holst's masterpiece, The Planets, on Oct. 9 and 10 at the Kroc Center, in Coeur d'Alene. Whitworth's Philip Baldwin (Music) conducted the performance.

Student Life

Early last month, to the strains of the football theme "It's Game Day!," nearly 600 freshmen and 27 transfer students moved into their residence halls. These enthusiastic students took part in a new tradition: the Crossover Ceremony, at which they were greeted by 130 student leaders and 45 faculty members and administrators who were delighted to welcome them to their new status as Whitworthians. Students also participated in the annual Fancy Feast, accompanied by junior Skylar Lamberd and his group. Then the campus gathered in The Loop for a concert from 10th Ave. North, followed by Yell Off, featuring the traditional chants and yells of each of the residence halls. One thousand students attended BINGO the following weekend, went to the first football game of the year (the Pirates won, of course), and concluded Orientation Week with Mock Rock being dominated by the victorious Arend Hall!

Alumni & Parents

We're excited to celebrate Family Weekend Oct. 14-16 with families of current students. If you haven't yet registered, it's not too late. Register today at www.whitworth.edu/familyweekend.

Calling all Whitworthians in San Diego, Portland, Denver and Seattle! We hope you'll consider joining us for fall gatherings. We'll be in San Diego for a dessert reception at Tom Ham's Lighthouse on Oct. 24.; I'll be in Portland for a fall social at Elephant's on Corbett with the Portland Alumni & Parent Chapter, Nov. 6.; in Denver "On the Road" with faculty members Patricia Bruininks and Nate King on Nov. 7.; and in Seattle for an Evening at Matthews Winery in Woodinville with Whitworthian – and Sommelier of the Year – Chris Horn, Nov. 12. For more information, and to register, visit our Attend an Event page at connect.whitworth.edu.

Alums, please save the date next year for Homecoming 2016. All alumni and their families are invited to return to campus Oct. 7-9 for this celebration. Members of the classes of 1956, '66. '76, '86, '96, 2006, and 2011 (my first graduating class!) will celebrate their milestone reunions with special gatherings. Interested in helping to plan your class's celebration? Email alumni@whitworth.edu. Details to come. For now, make plans to celebrate!

Admissions

Now is a great time to register for our Nov. 8-9 Whitworth Snapshot visit event for high school seniors. This event usually fills up, so don't wait too long to register. There are also many opportunities to sign up for one of our Why Whitworth visit days or for an individual visit. Go to www.whitworth.edu/visit for details.

High school seniors should be completing their admissions applications and requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation from their guidance counselors. Our Early Action (non-binding) application deadline is Nov. 30, but the early bird is likely to get a less frazzled guidance counselor and a quicker admission decision from us.

It was gratifying to see Whitworth listed again among the top 10 universities and top 5 values in U.S. News' ranking of regional universities in the West. These rankings largely affirm what we already know – that Whitworth offers an outstanding education at a great price after financial aid is factored in. But we don't mind if U.S. News, Forbes, Kiplinger's, The Princeton Review and other publications and organizations want to help share the news with their readers.

The Campaign for Whitworth

One of the major highlights when alumni return to campus is their discovery of what hasn't changed. It's still a celebrated achievement to catch a virgin pine cone. We still see professors' joy in teaching, mentoring and getting to know their students. And Whitworth still holds fast to its Christ-centered mission. The Whitworth Fund is one of the things that helps Whitworth stay Whitworth. It provides scholarships that allow students to attend. Did you know that more than 97 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.

Whitworth Serves

Whitworthian Kerry York and her husband volunteer for Bike MS because they want to help those who ride to raise funds to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. Kerri says, "I have had MS for 14 years, and it's important for me to give back to the people who are helping me. We hosted the Plummer Trailhead rest area for Bike MS. We love cheering on the cyclists as they come up the hill; we give them food and beverages, talk to them about their ride, and, most important, tell them 'Thank you for riding!' Today, one gal had tears in her eyes as I told my personal story – the ride became so real to her, knowing that she was helping me!" Please visit www.whitworth.edu/whitworthserves to share your own story of service.

Sports

The Whitworth football team is 4-0 this season after a pair of impressive non-conference wins and victories in both conference games. Junior quarterback Ian Kolste threw eight touchdowns in the Bucs' first two games, and sophomore wide receiver Nick Kiourkas caught four of those.

The volleyball team is 10-5 overall and 4-2 in the NWC. The Pirates picked up their first road sweep at PLU and UPS since 2002 and are currently just outside the Div. III top 25. Senior outside hitter Nicole Leonard just surpassed 1,000 kills for her career.

The men's soccer team is 9-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the NWC. The Pirates were ranked 3rd in the NSCAA top-25 poll following their string of victories. Senior forward Karl Muelheims is the NWC's leading scorer and was the Hero Sports Div. III Stud of the Week after he tallied five goals in wins over Northwest and Minnesota Morris.

Women's soccer is 5-6-0 overall and 3-4-0 in the NWC. After early season wins over George Fox and Pacific, senior goalkeeper Andrea Stump ranks among NWC leaders in shutouts and goals-against average.

The cross-country teams have hit the ground running. The women were the top-finishing NWC school at the UW Sundodger Invitational, and senior Kellyn Roiko was picked as the NWC Women's Runner of the Week for her performance at that meet. The men were second in the NWC standings last week and got a strong performance from senior Christopher MacMurray.

Women's golf opened with a second-place finish at the PLU Invitational. Sophomore Katie Ochoa and senior Chelsea Bayley both finished in the top five.

Men's golf took second place at the Pacific Invitational in Oregon, with junior Jamie Carroll leading the way for the Bucs with a top-five finish.

The newest class of the Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame was inducted during Homecoming Weekend. Warren Lashua, '60, John Rasmussen, '97, and Serena (Fadel) Wang, '05, make up a terrific 2015 HOF class.

Don't forget Pirate Night 2015! Our annual dinner/auction to support Whitworth Athletics will take place Nov. 5 at the Spokane Convention Center.

Closing Thoughts

I want to extend my personal thanks to those of you who so generously offered condolences and prayers to my family and me after my mother's death, in September. Losing a parent is hard. Now that I've lost both of the people who raised me, it feels strange to live life without the tethers to which I've grown so accustomed. But the grace of God and the spirit and beauty of the Whitworth community have sustained us in our time of loss. Students have offered unsolicited hugs, faculty and staff have offered their prayers of support and encouragement, and we've once again been reminded that God has lovingly placed us in this community to serve and be served. What a marvelous gift. Thank you for all of the ways in which you support this community.