Faculty and staff are invited to join students in a discussion group to talk about race, diversity, and reconciliation. Through discovery, community, and engaging conversations, the group will unpack the realities of race relations, its intersections, and impact on our stories. [In Context] meets Wednesdays beginning January 21 through March 11, 3-4:30 p.m. For more information and to register, visit the website.

More

Don’t miss this lunchtime forum on Thursday, January 22, about the issues surrounding homelessness in Washington state. This session will address the connection between homelessness and affordable housing, public policy, and advocacy. Ben Miksch, affordable housing policy and advocacy specialist with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, will share his perspective on federal housing policy and the 2015 legislative agenda regarding homelessness and affordable housing in Washington. The forum will be held in Demaray Hall 150, 11:10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and is part of a series of events hosted by the SPU Tent City 3 Host Committee.

More

A Cigna representative is on campus this week to review important information about the Health Savings Account (HSA), including tax reporting responsibilities and demonstrations on how to use mycigna.com. Find out more by attending one of the following hour-long, drop-in sessions in the Library Seminar Room (no registration required):

Wednesday, January 21, at 4 p.m.
Thursday, January 22, at 9 a.m.

What might lead the people of God into idolatry and how can they avoid it? Explore this question with Dr. Stephen Fowl at the annual Alfred S. Palmer Lecture on Thursday, January 22, 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Fowl is professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland and SPU's 2014-15 theologian in residence. The event is hosted by the School of Theology and Seattle Pacific Seminary.

More

The SPU Staff Council invites all staff members to join Provost Jeff Van Duzer for a presentation about the University’s major initiatives, including how SPU is responding to economic challenges facing higher education. You’ll also learn how staff can continue to engage and participate in SPU’s success in these areas. The forum will be held Thursday, January 29, 11:10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Demaray 150. Light refreshments will be provided.

Image journal hosts a reading with 2014-15 Milton Fellow Dyana Herron at the Art Center Gallery on Tuesday, January 27, at 7 p.m. Dyana is spending the academic year in residency at Image and SPU working on her first book-length manuscript; a work of creative nonfiction that focuses on her hometown, her family, and her brother's federal prison sentence.

More

Join adjunct music faculty member Catherine Haight, soprano, and piano accompanist Emily Witt for an evening of music by beloved composers, including Strauss, Duparc, Rodrigo, and Warlock on Friday, January 30, 7:30 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church. The concert is titled “Come All Ye Songsters: The Flowering of Song From the Elizabethan Age to the Modern Era.” The concert is free and wheelchair accessible.

SPU reimburses employees for local business transportation expenses using the standard mileage allowance. The new standard mileage rate for 2015 is 57.5 cents per mile. This is an increase from 56 cents in 2014. Please update your Request for Reimbursement forms to reflect the increase. The forms can be found online at the Finance Office website.

More

Staff and faculty can participate in intramural leagues and fitness classes. Currently offered during Winter Quarter are Zumba (Tuesdays, 12 p.m.) and yoga (Thursdays, 12 p.m.). Circuit training, Zumba, and yoga are also held in the evenings. Students, alumni, staff, and faculty participating in intramural leagues or fitness classes are required to purchase an IM League Pass. The pass can be purchased over the phone through the Athletic Department by calling Lisa at 206-281-2393. The pass costs $30 (one quarter), $50 (two quarters), or $60 (all year). This pass allows for unlimited participation in all intramural leagues and fitness classes for the duration of the pass. Visit the website for more information and to sign up.

More

Flu shots are now available in Health Services, located in Watson Hall. Current staff, faculty, and dependents (age 15 years and up) who have Cigna coverage through SPU may receive their annual flu shot free of charge as part of the preventive care benefit. For those not covered by Cigna, the cost is only $25. Make an appointment by calling 206-281-2231.

Advancement Services needs your help in identifying outstanding students to be a part of Advancement Core (AC). AC is a student group under the leadership of Advancement Services which cultivates relationships between students, alumni, and donors of SPU. AC seeks to share with all students the tremendous story of SPU: from alumni impacting the world in incredible ways to donors who are advancing Seattle Pacific with generous financial support. We focus on building a culture of philanthropy and engagement across campus and helping students realize their involvement with SPU can and should be a lifetime experience. Our work comes to life through AC’s annual “I Love SPU” campaign, serving at Homecoming reunions, and volunteering at various events throughout the year such as the Downtown Business Breakfast or the annual President’s Circle Banquet. Qualified applicants should have strong interpersonal communication skills, as well as a passion and excitement for SPU. Applicants should desire to see students continually flourish and enjoy this place. If you know of someone who would be an excellent addition, email advancementcore@spu.edu.

A message from Celeste Cranston with the Tent City 3 Services Committee. “As an SPU host community, we are hoping Tent City 3 will have one hot meal per day while they are on campus. If you want to get in on this wonderful opportunity, check the meal preparation calendar, then contact me at cransc@spu.edu for more details and to set a date. (If you are interested in cooking on a Monday, the use of the First Free Methodist Church kitchen between 3-6 p.m. may be an option.)"

A message from Robbin Riedy, assistant director of Educational Technology and Media: "In an effort to support our ever-growing population of TechSmith Relay users, we’d like to create a ‘Digital Tour’ website featuring examples of how our existing users (yourself, colleagues, professors, instructors, students, administrators, coaches, educational technologists, etc.), are currently benefiting from TechSmith Relay and other TechSmith solutions. If you have examples to share, fill out the online form for submission. Submissions are due Friday, January 23, 2015. All those who complete the form and have their video selected by TechSmith will receive a $20 gift card to Amazon.com. (Please note: All users are encouraged to submit multiple submissions. However, each user will only receive one, $20 gift card.) Thank you for your help reaching out to end users. Please feel free to contact me at rriedy@spu.edu or 206-281-2786 if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.”

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 22. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, January 26. 

A message from Julie Antilla, chair of undergraduate teacher education: “We invite all faculty with undergraduate advising roles to come to an informational tea on Thursday, January 29, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Enjoy tea and refreshments as you learn about secondary teaching certification available to students during their four years of undergraduate studies. Advising tips and handouts will be available to use during your upcoming registration advising appointments. Contact me at antillaj@spu.edu if you have questions.”

Daniel Hallak, professional development specialist for the School of Business, Government, and Economics, recently led a career development workshop for Axio Research, a biostatistical consulting and research firm in Seattle. He will also lead a webinar for the Life Science Trainers and Educators Network on “The Top 5 Networks You Need to Develop Your Career” on February 6, 2015.

More

The article “Benefits of Collaboration Between Physics Departments and Schools of Education,” written by Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Julie Antilla and Professor of Physics Stamatis Vokos, was recently published online at the American Physical Society (APS) website. APS is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its research journals, scientific meetings, education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities.

More

The online magazine Christ and Pop Culture invited University Communications Specialist Jeffrey Overstreet to write a weekly column titled “Listening Closer.” Each week, Jeffrey will attend to one song, opening it up to consider its craftsmanship, meaning, and origins. The first post was published on January 12. This continues the exploration of arts and faith he carries on at Looking Closer, where he recently invited special guests to share their personal Christmas-music playlists. Guests included Grammy-winning musicians Joe Henry and Ashley Cleveland, as well as Steve Taylor, Over the Rhine, Christianity Today Executive Editor Andy Crouch, SPU MFA in Creative Writing Instructor Robert Clark, SPU alumni Alissa Wilkinson and Claire Nieman, and more.

More

“A Brave New World: Imagining Faculty Development in the Global Era” by Professor of English Susan VanZanten was recently published in the online version of Christian Higher Education and will appear in the print edition shortly. Susan also presented a paper on Emily Dickinson’s use of paradoxes of sound at the annual Modern Language Association Convention held in Vancouver, B.C., January 8-11.

Professor of English Kimberly Segall presented two papers at the recent Conference of Modern Language Association in Vancouver, B.C. Her papers were titled “Baghdad Blogs: Urban Spaces, Violence, and Resistance,” and “Sites of Memory, Acts of Amnesia: South Africa, Palestine, Israel.”

Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro recently gave a talk on ecclesiology titled “The Church” for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Bothell. The topics covered were historic apostolic succession, the papacy, Deposit of Faith, College of Bishops, Second Vatican Council, and ecumenical advances with the Orthodox churches from Pope Paul VI to the present.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to join us in welcoming the following new employees. Contact information can be found in the SPU online White Pages.

Everan Chaffee, engineering shop technician, Engineering
Jennifer Danke, program coordinator, Center for Applied Learning, School of Business, Government and Economics
Rolin Moe, director, Educational Technology & Media, Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development

Peg Achterman, assistant professor of communication and journalism, contributed to article offering advice for people teaching for the first time. The article, "Advice for Making the Leap from Newsroom to Classroom," was published online at pbs.org’s “Media Shift,” which focuses on digital media.

More