You are invited to the School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean's Speaker Series event on Feb. 2, 12:30 p.m., with Dr. Marguerite Ro, chief of the assessment, policy development, and evaluation unit and director of the chronic disease and injury prevention section of Public Health–Seattle & King County. Dr. Ro will provide a COVID-19 update and talk about inequities in public health. Register for the event on Zoom by emailing cal@spu.edu.

Intramurals is offering virtual yoga classes for Winter Quarter, and faculty and staff are invited. The classes will be Mondays and Tuesdays at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Shannon Pawloski, a certified and seasoned yoga instructor, will lead the hourlong class. Sign up through Calendly. If you have questions, email intramural@spu.edu.

University Ministries and Center for Applied Learning is hosting an hourlong workshop with Gerry O’Brion where he’ll share on the topic of "How To Get the Customer To Buy" on Friday, Jan. 29, 12:30 p.m. Gerry is a professional speaker and author. His "Power of BECAUSE" framework has helped tens of thousands of CEOs, business owners, and sales teams stand out from the sea of sameness and grow their sales.This is a free workshop! Simply click this Zoom link to join!

Sign up here to join Computer and Information Systems for Wiki 101 and Wiki 201. Wiki 101 will get you started on your journey with the SPU wiki. You will learn basic features and how to create or edit Wiki articles.

Wiki 201 will introduce advanced features. If you already use the Wiki, come to this training to learn more or ask questions about your Wiki site. Register for either or both of these 30-minute trainings. They will be held back-to-back on Tuesday, Feb.16, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and Wednesday, Feb.17, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Check out the CIS Training Offerings page and email CISTrainings@spu.edu with any questions.

Registration is now open for the second annual OIEX Diversity Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. We will hear from panelists Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, and Dr. Randy Woodley, as we explore this year’s theme: “Justice and Shalom.” Please join us for this important conversation.

SPU Senior Leadership would like to extend an invitation to all employees to gather virtually on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. for an Employee Forum. This will be an opportunity to keep the community informed about budget and enrollment perspectives, and how employees can engage this winter and spring in conversations about the strategic direction of SPU. During this time, you will hear directly from President Martin; Craig Kispert, senior vice president for administration and finance; Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing; and Laura Hartley, provost. A calendar invitation with a Zoom link will be sent to all employees by the end of this week. The session will be recorded.

The meeting will also include time to acknowledge the good work that was done during Autumn Quarter. Please email Provost Hartley at provost@spu.edu with one or more short “words of commendation” — particular ways that you saw individuals and/or offices fulfilling the SPU mission over the past few months that you think others should know.

The next History Department's News and Nachos event is “Can Cities Survive?” on Thursday, Jan. 28, 10:10–11:20 a.m. on Zoom. Cities are at the center of questions about justice, inequalities, and environmental sustainability. Is a better future for our cities possible? And what does our Christian faith have to say about it? Panelists include Zhiguo Ye, associate professor of history, Karen Snedker, professor of sociology, and Lane Seeley, professor of physics. The Zoom room will open at 10 a.m. and will feature remarks by Chaplain Lisa Ishihara and music from Chris Hanson, assistant professor of music and director of music education and orchestra. 

This panel is part of a three-part series: "Can Democracy Survive?" was held Autumn Quarter, and "Can the American Church Survive?" will be held during Spring Quarter. 

All faculty and staff who come to campus must complete an online self-screening to attest that they meet certain criteria for being on campus (e.g., not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms). SPU has developed a campuswide tool through Banner (login into Banner and select Personal Menu) to report a daily COVID-19 self-attestation for faculty and staff working on campus (including Camp Casey and Blakely Island). A link to the self-attestation form is also available on the Stay Smart website, which is now highlighted in the top banner on the SPU homepage.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, Feb. 1, and the deadline is Thursday, Jan. 28. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

In recognition of his service to the SPU community, Patrick Keating, Security Officer II in the Office of Safety and Security, was nominated by his peers and selected by Staff Council as the January Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations and thank you, Patrick! Learn more about Patrick and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website.

A new book by Jeff Keuss, professor of Christian ministry, theology, and culture, titled The Just University: Paul Ricoeur and the Hope of Higher Education was just published by Rowman & Littlefield. Co-edited with Daniel Boscaljon, the volume gathers global scholars from across disciplines to address the question of universities as places for justice and hope. Authors in the volume look at how the stresses of the 21st century have exposed the fault lines in higher education, both as an instructional space that facilitates student growth and as a social space that shapes our economic, political, and religious institutions.

Alberto Ferreiro, professor of European history, had his article titled “Babel and Pentecost in the Novus Ordo Ritus Hispano Mozarabici: An influence from Leander of Seville’s, Homelia in laude ecclesiae?" published in Actas del VII Congreso Internacional de Latín Medieval Hispánico, Universidad de Salamanca, 18–21, Octubre, 2017. Mª. Adelaida Andrés Sanz, Carmen Codoñer Merino, José Carlos Martín-Iglesias, D. Paniagua Aguilar (eds.) Firenze: SISMEL-Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2021, pp. 245–255. 

The Visigothic-Mozarabic liturgy developed over the centuries until it was suppressed in the 11th century; it was subsequently revived by Pope John Paul II in 1982. It is now celebrated regularly in the cathedrals of Toledo and Salamanca. This article identified a unique contribution to the liturgy by Leander, Bishop Seville, in the seventh century.

Bill Woodward, professor emeritus of history, presented the story of “The Civil War in Washington Territory” to the Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable on January 13. In November 2020, he was invited as a consultant to Seattle's Museum of History and Industry, which is assessing its main permanent exhibits in anticipation of refreshing and upgrading what has served the public for 15 years. He did both team and individual appraisals in December.

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate Erica Largent on her new appointment as senior admissions counselor, student outreach manager, Undergraduate Admissions.

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: The current Student Union Building was completed in 1960, and the first major remodel to the building occurred 20 years later, beginning in the fall of 1980. The newly remodeled SUB was officially opened to the SPU community on February 20, 1981. The 1980–81 remodel resulted in the opening of the Falcon’s Landing food court and the Greenhouse (now the Gazebo Room) in the southwest corner of the building. Prior to 1980–81, the space was an open-air patio where students would converge on sunny days. For more on the history of the SUB and other aspects of campus, see the SPU History Wiki (SPU login required). 

Select the link to see photos for a view prior to the SUB remodel and a view closer to the current configuration.

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