The Alumni Association is pleased to announce the 2018 Alumni Award recipients. If you know an award recipient, send a message of congratulations. They would love to hear from former professors and colleagues. Email your note to alumni@spu.edu or drop off a note in the Alumni Office in the Walls Advancement Center.

Alumna of the Year: Beth Thompson Kawasaki ’81

GOLD Alumna of the Year: Megan Chao ’09

  David Boxley ’74

A nationally recognized totem pole carver and artist, David is a culture-bearer of the Tsimshian tribe of southern Alaska, working to restore their language, customs, and ways of life.

  Joshua Van Eaton ’97

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is hosting prospective and admitted students on campus for Falcon Night and SPU Friday, January 11–12. Students will spend the nights in the residence halls and attend programming all over campus to learn more about SPU. Please look for these guests and make them feel welcome!

Elaine Howard Ecklund, professor of sociology and director of religion and public life at Rice University, will be on campus Tuesday, January 16, to talk about her two latest books, Failing Science, Failing Families (2017) and Religion vs. Science: What Religious People Really Think (2017). Her campus talk, titled "How Christians Should Engage Gender, Religion, and Science," begins at 7 p.m. in Demaray 150. Following her remarks, Dr. Ecklund will take questions and moderate a discussion of her work and its ramifications for encouraging future Christian scholars. The Faith and Science Club is co-sponsoring the event and will provide snacks. National Public Radio recently aired a story about religion and science and highlighted research by Dr. Ecklund.

A message from the Office of Student Employment: Each year, colleges and universities across the country recognize the importance of the student work experience during National Student Employment Week. Part of this celebration is the recognition of outstanding student employees through the selection of Student Employees of the Year (SEOTY). We have some amazing student employees at SPU, and this is your opportunity to recognize them! 

How to Nominate Your Student

•       Fill out the SEOTY form on the Student Employment website by February 15. 
• Be sure to describe the student’s key attributes and impact on your office.

• Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible.
• Student must have worked at least six months.
• One on-campus and one off-campus student will be selected.

A message from the Athletics Department: Join the Athletics Department in welcoming Seattle Pacific friend Dr. Shepherd of Shepherd Family Chiropractic for a free screening on Friday, January 12. The scan is open to staff, faculty, and students with a campus ID. Dr. Shepherd and his staff will offer free spinal scans and information on spinal health from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Falcon Club in Royal Brougham Pavilion. Kick off the new year and new quarter right by focusing on your wellness. We look forward to seeing you there! For questions, contact Kristin McGunnigle, fan engagement and corporate sponsorship coordinator, at kristinm@spu.edu.

The 10th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to add or remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. Changes might include events that are expected to impact your benefits and deductions, such as your spouse or children gaining or losing coverage due to employment, birth, marriage, etc. Additionally, any changes you wish to make to your 403(b) account contributions must be made by the 10th of the month. For changes to your 403(b) account, contact Transamerica Retirement Solutions at 1-888-676-5512 (5 a.m.–6 p.m. PST), or 1-800-755-5801. If you have any other benefits-related changes, call Mardeth Hughes in HR at 206-281-2816.

From the Wellness Initiative: The month of January recognizes National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week. It’s important to know the impact of substance use, specifically marijuana. Approximately one in five young adults report marijuana use, which has been associated with adverse consequences such as academic impairment, poorer health, and risky behaviors such as driving a car while high. Seattle Pacific is a unique environment for marijuana use. Being both a Christian university and a university located in a state that has legalized recreational marijuana (with the first sale of recreational marijuana happening in 2014), SPU offers an environment that both reduces and increases risk for marijuana use. Learn more by visiting the Wellness blog. 

Enjoy delicious oyster po’boys featuring Pacific oysters from locally owned Taylor Shellfish Farms on Tuesday, January 9, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in Gwinn Commons. To learn about other upcoming specials and events this month, visit the retail dining calendars. 

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, January 9, to have stationery orders delivered on January 19. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on January 9 will be delivered February 16. To see deadlines and delivery dates for the remainder of the fiscal year, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

For the latest information on Falcon sports, visit the Falcons online.

Thursday, January 11
Men's basketball vs Concordia-Portland, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Friday, January 12
Women's gymnastics vs UC Davis, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Saturday, January 13
Indoor track & field, Seattle Pacific at University of Washington Indoor Preview, Dempsey Indoor at UW, 9 a.m. 

Men's basketball vs Western Oregon, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, January 16
Men's basketball vs Saint Martin's, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every week during the academic year. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity. The next deadline is Thursday, January 11. Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, the next Bulletin will be published Tuesday, January 16. 

Jaeil Lee, professor and director of apparel design and merchandising, was appointed a member of the 19^th National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC) of the Republic of Korea–Washington state chapter. She will serve in the 2017-19 term. NUAC is the constitutional organization, established in accordance with the Article 92 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea and the National Unification Advisory Council Act (Korea), to advise the president of South Korea on the formulation of peaceful unification policy. The chairperson of the council is the president of South Korea. 

An article by Assistant Professor of English Peter Moe titled "Something About the Written Delivery of the Line" appears in this month’s Rhetoric Society Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 71-87.   

An article co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Joshua Tom was published in the December issue of Geriatrics and Gerontology International. The article is titled “Neighborhood Perception and Self-rated Health Among Mexican-American Older Adults.” Coauthors are Samuel Stroope, Isaiah F.A. Cohen, and Matthew A. Valasik (Louisiana State University), Aaron B. Franzen (Hope College), and Kyriakos S. Markides (University of Texas Medical Branch).

An article by Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro titled “Sufficit septem diebus: Seven Days Mourning the Dead in the Letters of St. Braulio of Zaragoza” was published in Studia Patristica 97 [23] (2017) 255-264. Seventeenth International Conference on Patristic Studies, August 10-14, 2015, Oxford.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome the following new staff members. Contact information can be found on the SPU online White Pages.

Kris Garcia, SFS coordinator, Student Financial Services
Ashley Kortman, event coordinator, Conference Services
Marty McAlpine, microsystems analyst, Computer and Information Systems

Assistant Professor of Political Science Brad Murg was recently interviewed by Voice of America (VOA) on the possible efficacy of EU sanctions on the Cambodian economy. He is now serving as a regular commentator for VOA on Cambodian politics and Chinese foreign policy in Southeast Asia. Brad, in his role as senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, is also co-organizing a February conference in Phnom Penh (with an edited volume to follow) sponsored by the government of Japan, on the future of political cooperation and competition in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley: Gardening outside in the cold month of January might not be very high on one’s priority list. But set this month aside for inspiration and project planning for the months ahead. Consider sitting down with a few gardening books filled with beautiful pictures, fun garden magazines, and perhaps a seed catalog. Also, have you ever been to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show? This year, it will be held February 7–11 at the Washington State Convention Center. This is a great opportunity to recharge and get inspiration for your own garden (if you can handle the crowds). The show gardens on display may give you new ideas on how you could incorporate decks, pathways, patios, raised planting beds, trellised arbors, fire pits, and even water features into your own home garden. And, of course, it's a great place to discover new plant combinations to consider in the coming year. Borrowing ideas from others is perfectly okay — I get away with it all the time!

Once you have something in mind, take inventory of the current state of your garden compared to what you would like it to become. Most importantly, put a plan in place to implement your ideas. Planning now is essential for those big landscape design projects involving time-consuming hardscapes such as decks, patios, and pathways if you want to have them finished and ready to enjoy by spring and summer. Happy planning! Select the link to see a photo of some of my favorite garden reading material.