By Allie Fraley

Each year, Seattle Pacific students continue to impress on both a local and a national scale with their academic vigor. "The extent to which we are helping to launch students in their ability to create knowledge is unbelievable," says Margaret Diddams, director of the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development. "I could pull out some standardized assessment rates to prove the point, but the scholarly accomplishments they achieve are evidence that our students are not passive learners." Read more.

The Seattle Pacific University Board of Trustees announced Dr. Daniel J. Martin as the 10th president of SPU on Tuesday, April 10. Martin, currently president of Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in Ohio, will assume his duties on July 1, 2012. He will succeed President Philip W. Eaton, who announced his retirement last September. Martin says he was drawn to SPU "because of its ability to actually pursue and fulfill its mission in ways not present at other institutions." Learn more.

If your student lives on campus, you've received a letter inviting you to purchase a "spring care package." Provide your student's residence hall information on the tear-off sheet, and mail it with a check for at least $7.

A package will be delivered that includes spring-themed goodies to brighten your student's Spring Quarter. Any amount over $7 is put into the SPRINT scholarship fund and will be awarded to students serving on SPRINT mission trips this summer.

SPRINT stands for Seattle Pacific Reachout International. It is SPU's student-led international service/missions program, advised by the John Perkins Center. This summer SPRINT will serve in nine countries around the globe.

Do you have new students coming to SPU this autumn? New Student Advising is a required event for new freshmen and transfer students. The online tutorial is part of the preparation for the NSA event. Students need to complete the tutorial AND any placement exams a minimum of two weeks prior to the event to ensure advising and registration are accurate for autumn term.

If you have a student graduating this spring, encourage him or her to attend Senior Survival, an event all about the next steps after graduation -- from jobs and finances, to moving from SPU into "the real world." Senior Survival takes place on Friday, May 4, and costs $12. Students must register to attend.

April is Financial Literacy Month! Students take part in many financial education opportunities such as CashCourse and Thirty Steps to Financial Wellness.

Student Loan Information (Exit) Sessions. If your student is graduating this spring and has borrowed student loans, he or she knows repayment is on the horizon. Students are invited to loan exit sessions, where SFS staff will be on hand to answer campus-based loan questions. Encourage your student to attend.

2012-13 Financial Aid. Students must file a 2012-13 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to receive governmental and institutional grants, loans, and work-study.

• File now, but no later than June 1; otherwise many of the limited aid programs will not be available.
• Use the Department of Education's IRS Data Retrieval Transfer (DRT) to transfer tax info; doing so will expedite finalizing the 2012-13 award.

Tickets are still available -- but running out quickly -- for Dad's Day! SPU dads: Don't miss this opportunity for you to spend time with your SPU daughter or son, meet his or her friends, get on campus, and have some fun! Enjoy great food and breakfast entertainment, take in the Seattle Sounders FC game against the Philadelphia Union, and make some memories.