Murphy Named
Provost

 

 

 


 

Provost Bruce Murphy

 


Concluding a year-long national search, President Philip Eaton announced in May the appointment of Bruce Murphy as provost at Seattle Pacific University. Murphy began work at SPU on July 1.

"The provost needs to be both partner with the president and advocate for the faculty, and I think we have in Bruce the person who can best do both," the president said in a letter to faculty, staff and student leaders.

The president praised Murphy's clear academic vision, lively mind, personal maturity, ability to work with people, and deep spiritual vitality. Senior pastor at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Seattle for the past six years, Murphy has taught history and Christian studies at several liberal arts colleges. He was associate dean of academic affairs at Whitworth College when Eaton was a professor there.

"I believe it's possible to be grace-filled and lead at the same time," says Murphy. "Phil and I have a similar vision of Christian higher education and the importance of spiritual formation at an academic institution. This should allow us to be quite candid with each other."

Murphy describes himself as a team player who values the insights of those with whom he works. "I try to listen and then crystallize the wisdom, bring it together to set direction, and pursue that direction as faithfully as I can. That way, you can proceed with confidence even when difficult decisions have to be made."

A graduate of Wheaton College, Murphy earned his doctoral degree in intellectual and British histories from Northern Illinois University. He and his wife, Diane, have two grown children.


 

 

US West Outfits School of Business Computer Lab

 

 

 


 

Celebrating the US West gift were, from left to right: Vice President Bob McIntosh, President Philip Eaton, US West's David Laube and Business Dean Alec Hill.

 

Seattle Pacific University's School of Business and Economics has a new computer lab, compliments of a telecommunications giant.

Three independent but well-timed factors worked together to result in this valuable gift: US West Communications recently changed its technology and had high-speed servers, terminals and software it no longer needed. David Laube, vice president and chief information officer for US West, is a member of the Executive Advisory Council of the SPU School of Business and Economics. And Alec Hill, dean of the school, knew how valuable a new computer lab with upgraded technology would be to students preparing to enter the job market.

The outcomes are the "US West Computer Lab," scheduled to open this fall, and computer servers which benefit the entire University. The gift includes $200,000 in computer technology, with four servers, 20 terminals and ancillary equipment to run the system.

The servers are about five times faster than the ones they replaced, according to Dave Tindall, Seattle Pacific's executive director of computer and information systems. It will mean faster connection times to the main servers and more simultaneous users.

"We are always looking for creative ways to strengthen higher education programs within Washington," says Kirk Nelson, US West general manager for Washington state. "We will also offer initial assistance and testing to get everything started."

Seattle Pacific was the only university on the West Coast selected to receive a portion of the surplus equipment. "This is a significant gift," says Vice President for University Advancement Bob McIntosh. "It launches us into a whole new era of computer capability."


 

 

Inaugural Year Takes SPU's Message Across the Country

 



After 19 separate events touching more than 13,000 people, Seattle Pacific University's Inaugural Year came to a close in June. Designed to highlight President Philip Eaton's first full year as president, the Inaugural Year celebrated the mission of SPU.

"The Inaugural Year brought us together for a common purpose," says Vice President for Campus Life Steve Moore, who was the chief architect of the year's events. "We had intentional conversation about substantive issues that directly impact our mission and how we think about ourselves."

Highlights of the year included regional events in nine cities across the USA that brought together alumni, prospective students and their parents, and friends. More than 2,300 people attended the receptions, including Eaton and his wife, Sharon.

In Anchorage, Alaska, for example, an alumni/prospective student gathering was held prior to the Falcon men's basketball game against the University of Anchorage. "It was a great moment when the players realized that the president, some staff and a bunch of wild alumni were cheering them from the stands," recalls Moore.

Not all the events were so far from home. One of the most exciting was the Business Community Luncheon, sponsored by the School of Business and Economics on May 19 at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel. "It was an incredible success," says Eaton. "When I walked into the room and saw all those people (800 in all), I was charged by it. There was a lot of energy there."

The program included remarks by the president, a testimonial by MBA student Lisa Passage, the SPU Inaugural Year video, and a keynote address by Howard Butt Jr., vice chairman of one of the nation's largest supermarket chains.

"I think we took a significant step forward in positioning SPU within the business community," says Bob McIntosh, vice president for university advancement.

Other successful Inaugural Year events included the four-day national Symposium on Evangelicalism and Higher Education, three pastors' breakfasts, a major Seattle-area alumni luncheon, a Free Methodist Pastors Roundtable discussion, and constituent events for the schools of Education and Health Sciences.


 

 

Final
"Inaugural Year"
Reception
Coming to
Virginia

 



Last May, a scheduling conflict kept Seattle Pacific University's Inaugural Year reception in the Washington, DC, area from taking place. But the party is back on track.

On Friday, October 10, the postponed event will reconvene at the Tysons Corner Marriott Hotel in Vienna, Virginia. Starting time for the dessert reception is 7:00 p.m.

The program will be similar to the other successful Inaugural Year receptions held in recent months for Seattle Pacific alumni, prospective students and their parents, and friends of the University. President Philip Eaton and his wife, Sharon, will be on hand with SPU representatives from the Advancement, Alumni and Admissions offices. In addition, two Seattle Pacific students will share their musical talents.

"I'm looking forward to this event,' says Eaton. "These receptions have been a great time for interaction, for getting to know SPU and each other. Bringing together these different audiences really makes the evening fun and worthwhile."

For more information about the Virginia event, call 206/281-2100.


 

 

Karns Named
Hope Professor

 



People associated with Seattle Pacific University for more than a few years remember the late Joe Hope, first dean of SPU's School of Business and Economics (SBE). Not only did he establish the program, he also recruited a core of professors who are now the backbone of the School, including Gary Karns, associate professor of marketing.

The two men knew each other well, which is one reason Karns is pleased about his appointment last year to a three-year position as the Joseph C. Hope Professor of Leadership and Ethics. "This is special for me because it also honors Joe," says Karns. "He was a true servant-leader, a booster of SPU, always wanting to help people."

Like Hope, Karns has served SBE long and well, devoting 18 years to its growth. He's been instrumental in setting educational and professional goals for the unit and has seen continued success: "We're implementing the University's goals in terms of student outcomes and faculty development," he says with satisfaction.

In addition to his teaching duties, Karns directs SBE's graduate program and serves as associate dean. "Gary embodies the School's values and mission," says Dean Alec Hill.


 

 

Foreign
Languages
Make Better
Persons, Says
Bartholomew

 



There's value in learning a foreign language, but convincing people of that can be challenging, admits Kathryn Bartholomew. The Seattle Pacific University associate professor of foreign language and linguistics has heard the horror stories: "People tend to remember what was done to them in foreign language classes at school," she laughs, "but things are quite different these days."

As the 1996-97 president of the Pacific Northwest Council for Languages -- the oldest of the five regional professional organizations of its kind -- Bartholomew emphasizes the field's importance. "Being monolingual is a real disadvantage," she says, deploring American indifference to other languages. "Business is worldwide now."

A Council member since graduate school, Bartholomew's primary responsibility as president came when she presided over the organization's annual conference held in Eugene, Oregon, April 10-12. For her, highlights included presentations by four SPU colleagues.

Another presidential duty is to support progress in the profession. One of her projects is to increase cooperation between foreign language teachers and those in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). While their students may differ, their goals can be the same.

After all, says Bartholomew, "Learning a language enriches. It helps you see there's more than one way of looking at the world. In the end, it makes a better person."


 

 

Johnson
Completes
National Piano
Performance
Tour

 



His first "piano" was a piece of cardboard upon which he practiced silent scales. These days, Wayne Johnson performs on grand pianos, but one thing remains the same: the joy of beautiful music.

The Seattle Pacific University professor of music recently wrapped up a year-long national performance tour called "Minuets, Mazurkas and Malaguenas: Four Centuries of Keyboard Dance."

"It was a joyful experience," recounts Johnson who performed his last concert at SPU in May. "The tour was demanding but also energizing," he says. "Performing helps me relate to students who are working on their own recitals."

Johnson is especially grateful for assistance from Professor of Physical Education Dan Tripps who organized, promoted and managed the venture, which took a year to put together.

The most charming performance review Johnson saw appeared in a small-town newspaper. The reporter observed that Johnson rides a motorcycle and quoted a member of the audience as saying Johnson played better than Horowitz. Thus, some of Johnson's Seattle Pacific peers now refer to him as "Horowitz on a Harley."


 

 

Faculty Bookshelf

 



The following are among many faculty volumes available in the Seattle Pacific University Bookstore. To order a book, or to request a full listing of SPU faculty books, call 206/281-2136.

 

James A. Michener, A Critical Companion
Greenwood Press, 1996
Marilyn Severson

There's a wonderful irony at the beginning of Marilyn Severson's book. She writes that the head of a publishing company once told James Michener that while he'd make a fine publisher, he would never succeed as a novelist.

Then, of course, Michener went on to become the best-selling author of 24 books of fiction.

But what makes a best-seller? To answer that question, The Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers is being assembled. Each volume is produced by an academic who applies rigorous literary theory and criticism to the works of a particular best-selling author. Severson was approached to dissect Michener.

An associate professor of European studies and French at Seattle Pacific University, Severson enjoys popular fiction "if it's well done," and she has come to believe Michener's work is well done indeed. "He tells a good story and has interesting characters. The best fiction has both."

Reading several Michener novels, Severson discovered his "great sense of place. He's serious about giving information as well as telling a story." She also found unexpected ideas. "Tolerance is a major theme in his books," she says. "He writes a great deal about how groups of people are treated by other groups."

With her study aimed at introducing the high school or junior college student to the pleasures of reading, Severson shows that Michener's books are popular and also offer "real historical value."

 

"Gracious Affection" and "True Virtue" According to Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley
The Scarecrow Press, 1994
Richard B. Steele

The subjects of this book are two evangelists who were born mere months apart and raised in a similar fashion, and who grew up to lead the two major revivals of the eighteenth century. Jonathan Edwards led the First Great Awakening in America, and John Wesley spearheaded the Methodist Revival of Great Britain.

Associate Professor of Theology Richard Steele writes that the book's purpose is "to demonstrate...the numerous biographical parallels and personal connections between Edwards and Wesley, and extensive reciprocal influence, both literary and historical, that linked their movements."

The ministers never actually met but knew of each other (in fact, Wesley both edited and published work by Edwards which he thought valuable to his own followers). Although they had their theological disagreements, they shared a belief, says Steele, in "heart religion," that is the inter-relationship between moral character and grace. Edwards called this association "gracious affection" and "true virtue," while Wesley's term was "holy tempers."

"Heart religion is the religion in which God is not only known and served, but also deeply loved and felt," says Steele. He adds that with the Enlightenment, the cognitive and emotional poles of Christianity were forced apart.

"These men were opposed to such a schism," notes Steele. "They wanted the faithful person whole and united."


 

 

SPU's First Fulbright Student
Heads to Africa

 



There have been many firsts in the life of Seattle Pacific University graduate Julie Anderson Lamb this year: She married in May, earned her degree in June, and became the first SPU student to receive a US Student Fulbright Grant. The award allows her to spend the coming year in Africa working with scientists at the University of Zimbabwe Medical School investigating drug-resistant TB and meningitis.

Approximately 1,600 students are given Fulbright grants each year based on their academic achievements as well as their interest in working and studying abroad. Lamb has the qualifications. While completing a self-designed major in psychology and biology, with a minor in chemistry, she also worked all four years at the Seattle Bio-Medical Research Institute. In addition, she has volunteered in an impoverished Haitian medical clinic and at the Northwest AIDS Foundation.

"Julie will be a wonderful ambassador for the program," says Professor of Biochemistry Grayson Capp. "She's a good student and has a strong interest in biomedical research."

Capp was instrumental in securing the Fulbright for Lamb. With established research connections in Zimbabwe, he wrote the research portion of the proposal for her work there. He has also played a part in arranging possible Zimbabwe research projects next year for two other students: Kenny Friedrich and Lisa Malmin.

"This is an opportunity I never would have taken without Dr. Capp," says Lamb.

Returning in June 1998, she will begin studies at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.


 

 

Mentorship
Grant Supports
Students

 

 

 

In Homer's The Odyssey, before Odysseus left for the Trojan War, he appointed Mentor, a wise guardian, to counsel his son.

It was a good idea -- and it still is. That's why the Seattle Pacific University School of Business and Economics is pleased to have secured a 10-year grant from the Herb Jones Foundation to fund a mentor program which matches students with professionals in their area of interest.

The new program is being managed by Nancy Lucks, a former state senator and 30-year veteran of the business world. She has connections far and wide, a network she is happy to tap. "So far, we have more than 60 mentors," she says, "and all are leaders in their field."

For example, one SPU student met with the president, senior vice president and three officers of a leading bank. "The young man was very excited to see the inner sanctum," Lucks says, "and the mentors loved the opportunity. It's a thrill to talk with students."

Mentors, who are screened by Lucks, meet with students at least twice per quarter for an academic year. The program is open to all Seattle Pacific undergraduate and graduate students.


 

 

Fellows
Welcome 65
New Members

 

 

 



At the spring Society of Fellows appreciation reception, 65 inductees were welcomed into the group and honored for their gifts to the University of $1,000 or more.

"Fellows have a passion for fulfilling the needs of the University in many different areas," says Fellows Director George Guy. "We like to invite them to SPU to showcase the campus and the creativity of the students they support."

The reception included a light buffet supper and a presentation of The Fantasticks by the Theatre Department. The event was also President Philip Eaton's first opportunity to greet Fellows and update them about developments at the University.

The new Fellows are:

Anderson, John D.
Andrews, Kenneth G.
Brooten, Gary N.
Brooten, Sherry E.
Brown, Gerald W.
Brown, Jo Lynn
Burt, James C.
Cain, Roberta
Castledine, Marcella C.
Castledine, William R.
Constant, Marjorie W.
Constant, Thomas W.
Crichton, Evelyn V.
Crowley, Thomas B. Jr.
DeShazer, Florence F.
Dickinson, Richard L.
Duff, Laura V.
Eaton, Ralph H.
Eigsti, Mary Lou
Fitch-Steenson,
Cynthia L.
Forbing, Dianne L.
Foreman, Denise L.
Francis, Vernon D.
Freeman, F. Kemper Jr.
Guernsey, Lucy L.
Hanna, Daniel R.
Hanna, Roberta J.
Hile, Laurence Jr.
Hodson, Marilyn H.
Hossack, Ian W.
Johnson, Peggy W.
Jones, Kenneth V.
Kawasaki, Guy T.
Ma, Ann S.
Ma, Chin W.
Marsland, Robert A.
McCaw, Bruce R.
McDonald, Velma B.
Mommsen, Laddie L.
Moses, Robert O.
Nelson, Dawn R.
Nelson, Timothy A.
Olsen, Marilyn L.
Olson, Laron L.
Pearson, Janet T.
Pearson, Jeffrey S.
Presnell, Hugh C.
Presnell, Shirley C.
Quammen, Mona L.
Quammen, Wallace R.
Roberts, Sheryl I.
Rosling, Jean D.
Rupp, Esther A.
Schaafsma, Faith E.
Schaafsma, Ron B.
Sigafoos, Jay F.
Smith, Jeanne H.
Spence, Kathryn
Spence, Robert
Steenson, Andrew J.
Sylva, Gail L.
Sylva, Thomas E.
Syre, Kay E.
Tam, Beverly B.
Townsend, C. Rebecca
Trautman, Steven E. III


 

 

SPU
Job Openings
Listed on
the Web

 

 

 



Seattle Pacific University typically has 20-35 faculty and/or staff positions open each year. To fill these, SPU often considers alumni candidates, says Human Resources Director Deri Kispert. "Alumni are some of the best applicants for jobs at Seattle Pacific. Their knowledge of the University and their enthusiasm for its mission are invaluable."

To keep alumni and others informed about employment opportunities, SPU now lists open staff and faculty positions on the University's web site at //www.spu.edu/. To view this information, choose the "Resources for Alumni" option, then the "Employment Opportunities" option. In addition to posted openings, the site includes details about the hiring process at Seattle Pacific.

Another way to learn about staff vacancies is to call the Human Resources Job Line at 206/281-2065. Updated daily, this telephone resource lists openings, job descriptions and instructions on how to apply.


 

 

Family Therapy
Clinic Open
to the
Community


Seattle Pacific University's Family Therapy Clinic, located in the lower level of Marston/Watson Hall, is not only an outstanding clinical experience for graduate-level therapists-in-training -- it's also a great resource for alumni and the community-at-large.

"Our services are designed to provide the best training for students, while at the same time benefiting adults, adolescents, children and families," says Clinic Director Michelle Naden. "And our services are affordable."

Under the supervision of the SPU Marriage and Family Therapy program, graduate students join professors and credentialed family therapists in providing treatment for anxiety, depression, grief and loss, violence and abuse, spiritual issues, and relationship issues. For more information, call 206/281-2819.

 




Please read our disclaimer. Send any questions, comments or correspondence about Response to jgilnett@spu.edu or call 206-281-2051.
Copyright © 1999 University Communications, Seattle Pacific University.

Seattle Pacific University
Office of University Communications
3307 Third Avenue West
Seattle, Washington 98119-1997
United States of America