Mind & Heart Newsletter: September 2013
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
I've always said that I will be a better university president once I've had a child go off to college. I can now only imagine what it will be like to see my own children leave our home and venture into a life of independence, discovery and adulthood. Julie and I had a few parents of incoming freshmen to our house during Move-In Weekend, just after they'd said goodbye to their students. Many were still wiping away tears as they crossed the threshold of our home. We embraced and consoled them, and made promises – promises to guard and protect their children as if they were our own; promises to build a community around them that would nurture and sustain them; promises to pray diligently and faithfully for these new students; and promises to provide them opportunities to grow intellectually and spiritually in order to discover how God is calling them into the world. After everyone left, I began to panic. The what-ifs began to creep into my mind. What if one of these new students doesn't feel welcomed here? What if one of them falls ill, or struggles to keep up academically? What if the loss of things familiar is too much for some, and loneliness and despair set in? I thought to myself, "Have I just made a bunch of promises I can never keep?" I closed myself off in my study and began to pray that God would cover for my arrogance – that God would fill the gaps between what we at Whitworth could realistically provide students and what they really need. I was humbled. It was then that I remembered the promises of Philippians 1:6. Paul writes, "I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." Peace began to invade my troubled spirit as I remembered that God has called these students to Whitworth, and God has called Julie and me, and all of our faculty and staff, to this place. For 124 years, God has provided everything the Whitworth community has needed, despite our failings and imperfections and broken promises. God has ably and generously filled those gaps with overflowing abundance. As I write this, I'm reminded of the assurances of 1 Peter 5:6-7: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that God may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on God, for God cares deeply for you!" God cares deeply for these wonderful students and families, and for Whitworth, and that is a promise we can take to the bank!
Academics
We happily welcome the following new faculty: Elizabeth Abbey, Stacey Nauman, Robin Pickering, Cheree Sauer and Shane Wibel (Health Sciences); Jessica Clements and LuElla D'Amico (English); Candice Correira, Claudia Dumitrescu, Tara Lambert, '93, MBA, '12, and David Sloan (Business); Stacy Hill, Douglas Jones, Doreen Keller, Jann Leppien and Keith Lambert, '91 (Education); Stacy Keogh and Mark Killian (Sociology); Will Kynes (Theology); Robert Fifield and David Overstreet (Art); William Samuels (Chemistry); Frederic Dugenet, Abigail Carretero (World Languages & Cultures); and Nicole Bogarosh (Women's & Gender Studies).
Whitworth also extends a warm welcome to new students from around the world – Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Congratulations to the team of Barb Sanders, David Cherry, Corey McKenna (Education), John Larkin (Physics) and Pete Tucker (Math & Computer Science), who received a $161,442 Robert Noyce Capacity Building grant from the prestigious National Science Foundation. This grant, the result of collaboration among Whitworth, seven school districts and three community organizations, will build capacity in the education department by developing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) track for the MIT and ETC programs, as well as an infrastructure for internships with community organizations.
Tony Clark (History) was recently awarded two grants for his research on Franciscan missionaries and Sino-Western interactions in Shanxi, 2012-13. The first was from the National Endowment for the Humanities (American Council for Learned Societies), and the second was a CIAC Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Scholar's research grant. Tony has also contributed to several recent publications, including A Voluntary Exile: Chinese Christianity and Cultural Confluence from 1552-Present (Lehigh University Press/Rowman & Littlefield, 2013).
Under the guidance of Kerry Breno (Chemistry), two students presented findings from their research at the 2013 Northwest Regional American Chemical Society Meeting in July. Katy Mirgon, '15, presented on "Water-soluble, pH Sensitive Molybdenum Complexes for Transfer Hydrogenation," and Ashton Beck, '14, presented on "Fluorescence of pH Sensitive Rhenium Complexes."
Meredith TeGrotenhuis Shimizu, '93 (Art), presented her paper "Above Reality: Interpreting Skyscraper Views in Popular Culture of the 1930s" at the annual conference of The Space Between Society, at Chicago's DePaul University.
Katie Creyts (Art) was chosen to participate in the Teachers' Forum at Oregon's Bullseye Glass Factory, where she offered a workshop on the best methods and materials for educators in the field of glass. She also received a scholarship to attend David Walters' "Layers of Meaning" glassblowing and enameling course at Pilchuck Glass School (Seattle), and she participated in "R5: A Visual Arts Seminar and Studio in South Africa," during which a team of 10 North American and 10 South African artists gathered for a seminar and studio event that addressed questions about how one creates art in response to the types of issues that face the fairly new South African democracy.
The Arts
Pauline Anderson Haas' Compulsive Continuation – A Celebration of Her 90th, will run through Nov. 1 in the Bryan Oliver Art Gallery of Whitworth's Lied Center. Pauline taught art at Whitworth for nearly 20 years, retiring in 1986. This exhibit coincides with the celebration of her 90th year and is a display of her continued dedication to the creative process and the Greater Spokane art community.
The Wakefield Mysteries, Whitworth's fall production, will be directed by Diana Trotter (Theatre). This modern adaptation of medieval English mystery plays celebrates the biblical story of God's interactions in human history. Drawing on the farcical comedy of the popular theatre of the time, Wakefield blends the humor of human folly with heartfelt religious belief. Divine and human come together in this delightful and spiritually moving theatrical event. The production will run Oct. 11, 12, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 13 at 2 p.m.
Student Life
New students converged on Whitworth for Orientation Week and Traditiation and learned "the ropes" of life on campus through our orientation theme, "Ascending the Heights of the Mind & Heart." In addition to my dynamite Macklemore impression, Traditiation exposed students to hall traditions, and all of us were entertained by Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman, professional juggler Charles Peachock, and a night of BINGO. More than 60 clubs and organizations participated in our Plug-In Picnic, and our Saturday tailgate party heralded the beginning of the Pirate football season. See Move-In Weekend photos and footage here: www.whitworth.edu/movein13.
Student life interns MacKenzie Young and Samantha Santos, both '14, are coordinating a fall festival that includes programs aimed at sexual-assault prevention and gender empowerment. The documentary Miss Representation will be shown Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Robinson Teaching Theatre; a panel discussion will follow. An introductory self-defense course will take place Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cornerstone Dance Studio. And a group of resident directors is presenting a panel discussion, "Guyland and Other Mysteries," on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m., in Robinson Teaching Theatre.
Student life is also sponsoring Blame It on the Alcohol, a poster series to raise awareness about the impact of alcohol/drug use on our brains and the potential of these substances to limit academic success. The artworks will be posted in residence halls Sept. 30-Oct. 7. First-Year Seminar instructors have been invited to create course assignments that connect with this important program.
Alumni & Parents
Homecoming 2013 is almost here. All Whitworth alumni and their families – especially alums from the classes of 1993, 2003, and 2008, the late 1980s, and the forensics team – are invited to return to campus to celebrate. Enjoy athletics and campus events, attend the casual dinner with classmates (where I'll have a word or two for you), tour the beautiful additions to campus facilities, toss a Frisbee in The Loop, join Professor of Theology Jerry Sittser for a low-key evening of laughter and learning, and connect with old friends. Read more and register online at www.whitworth.edu/homecoming.
Join your Alumni & Parent Chapter today. Whitworth alumni and parents are invited to gather in pilot areas across the West to socialize, stay connected with Whitworth, develop professional networks and share the Whitworth story with prospective students. We invite you to join a chapter in Portland, Seattle or Los Angeles by visiting www.whitworth.edu/chapter. Or inquire about helping launch a chapter in your area by contacting Danika Heatherly, '10, at 509.777.4761 or dheatherly@whitworth.edu.
Register for Family Weekend, Oct. 18-20. You're invited! This exciting weekend invites parents and families to visit their Whitworth student. For a full list of activities or to register, visit www.whitworth.edu/familyweekend. We look forward to welcoming you to campus!
Mark your calendars for Pirate football on the road this fall. Join us for a pre-game barbecue on Saturday, Sept. 28, before the Pirates battle the Panthers at Chapman, in Southern California, or stop by our casual reception during halftime on Saturday, Oct. 26, at UPS, in Tacoma.
Admissions
Welcome, Class of 2017 – the third largest in Whitworth's history, with 597 students! The class, which is made up of 59 percent women and 41 percent men, is smart, boasting an average GPA of 3.73 and average SAT of 1800. And with 128 students from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, it's the most diverse class in Whitworth's history.
Our admissions counselors are already hitting the road to recruit the classes of 2018, 2019, 2020 and beyond. To see where they'll be traveling this fall, go to www.whitworth.edu/admissionscounselors. And please encourage college-bound students you know to connect with our counselors either at their high school or at a college fair in their area.
Our first Why Whitworth Day campus-visit event is Sept. 27; our annual Whitworth Snapshot event for high school seniors is Oct. 13-14. Both allow prospective students to visit classes, eat in our dining hall, take a campus tour, and hear from current students. Please encourage students you know to attend one of these programs or to schedule an individual visit. There's no better way to find out whether they and Whitworth are a good fit.
Resources
Did you know that last year our students were awarded more than $45 million in financial aid? Contributions to The Whitworth Fund support those awards, so the fund directly enables students to afford a Whitworth education. Of all the money that is raised for The Whitworth Fund this year, 75 percent benefits student scholarships, 15 percent goes to academic programs, 5 percent supports our international initiatives, and 5 percent is allotted to facilities and grounds.
This is why we have a phonathon: It means a lot to our students, the beneficiaries of The Whitworth Fund, to say thanks and to request continued support. It's also one of the most successful ways for us to convey the student experience to our alumni and parents. Student callers can tell you what it's like to live and learn in today's Whitworth community, and they raise a significant amount of support for our annual budget – gifts from more than 2,000 Whitworthians every year. They're eager to talk to you, so please answer that call. Go online for proof that they really do "smile and dial": www.whitworth.edu/phonathon.
Costa Rica
Director Lindy Scott writes, "A dozen bright-eyed students safely arrived at the CRC, began their classes, and are now moved in with their host families. Our new assistants – Lauren Davies, Cameron Williams and Sagen Eatwell, all '13 – are busy serving students and staff. Professor Rafaela Acevedo-Field and her husband, Ken, are teaching new history, religion and music courses this semester. We have 13 new ducklings on the CRC's lakes, a new shop for the maintenance man, and a new garden to go with the 75 peaches that we've harvested from the fruit trees."
Sports
More than 200 Whitworth students are participating in sports this fall, and we're off to a great start.
Football opened with an impressive 36-7 home win over the College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) in front of a packed Pine Bowl.
Kati Bodecker earned her first victory as Whitworth's head volleyball coach when the Pirates defeated traditional power University of La Verne in SoCal over the holiday weekend.
Morgan Cathey picked up his first win as head coach of men's soccer when Whitworth squeaked by Mary Hardin-Baylor University 1-0 in Texas last Saturday.
Women's soccer, under Head Coach Jael Hagerott, '07, opened the 2013 season with a big 2-1 upset of nationally ranked Cal Lutheran.
The cross country teams competed well against local Div. I competition (WSU, Gonzaga, EWU) during the Inland Empire Preview Meet.
Golf is scheduled to get under way later in September.
And don't forget Pirate Night on Oct. 24 at the Spokane Convention Center! Be sure to register (509.777.3224) for a great night that will feature former Pirate QB and NFL referee Steve Wilson as the keynote speaker.
Closing Thoughts
I used up all of my words in my introduction to this newsletter, so I'll conclude quickly and let you know how thankful I am for all of our students – Whitworth's new and returning undergraduate and graduate students. I'm also thankful for the parents and family members who have placed their hopes in what God promises for their students at Whitworth. May we be faithful as we meet God in the gaps, because God is faithful to complete his good work in us.
