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Winter 2004 | Volume 26, Number 5 | Alumni
School of Education Alumni Gain an Edge

THERE’S A RELATIVELY NEW
kid on the Seattle Pacific University block. It’s EDGE, as in the first sound a person makes when saying the word “education.” Now with 80 members and a newsletter, EDGE is the SPU School of Education alumni association created in Spring 2002. The first EDGE Board president, Trudy Spierling, who received her master’s degree in education at Seattle Pacific in 1998, says, “EDGE is a great way for faculty members and students to keep in contact and to collaborate in their work.”

Jim Shoemaker ’65 took over as the second EDGE Board president in the summer of 2003. The instructional technology curriculum developer for the Bellevue School District in Washington recently spoke with Response.

Why did you decide to get involved in EDGE?
I have a real interest in working with teachers, in the mentoring and training of future teachers, and in improving student learning. I was struck by the mission statement for EDGE that dealt with the goal of supporting SPU graduates who are now teaching.

What can EDGE do for SPU alumni?
EDGE is committed to raising money for scholarships for Seattle Pacific graduate students in education. EDGE has also worked with the School of Education’s professional development program to provide alumni with membership privileges at the professional educator conference series sponsored by SPU. In the future, EDGE can become a facilitator to bring together alumni with expertise in education who are willing to be mentors and those who want a mentor. Connecting these alumni is a challenge that EDGE wants to meet.

How can alumni get more involved in EDGE?
Alumni can get involved as interested educators, as board members and as officers. They can join the organization, share their expertise, let us know how we can support them as educators, and contribute financially to the scholarship fund for graduate students.

For more information or to receive the EDGE newsletter, email Debby Lierman at lierman@spu.edu

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From the President
With years of experience in business and higher education, President Philip Eaton brings a unique perspective to the subject of good business. “For me,” he says, “business is all about investing in a worthy vision.”

Circle of Influence Grows
Nearly 4,000 new donors have supported The Campaign for SPU, including those with no previous connection to Seattle Pacific. [Campaign]

Planning for Casey's Future
SPU faces challenges in its efforts to retain and maintain Camp Casey while working to preserve its historic and environmental resources. [Campus]

Talk About Imagination
Professors of physics and art probe the “brilliant bridge” between their two disciplines. [Faculty]

My Response
Professor Rick Steele writes a letter to SPU community members about the “divine grace” he and his daughter, Sarah, experienced at “The Sacred Sounds of Christmas.”