The Rev. Canon Esau McCaulley, PhD, is the 2021 Alfred S. Palmer lecturer. The title of his lecture is "Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope."

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 24
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Webinar (via Zoom)
Registration link

McCaulley is a New Testament scholar and Anglican priest. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of St. Andrews, where he studied under the direction of N.T. Wright. Dr. McCaulley’s research and writing focus on Pauline theology, African American biblical interpretation, and articulating a Christian theology of justice in the public square.

His second book, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, was published by IVP Academic in 2020. Reading While Black looks at the tradition of African American biblical interpretation and argues that the Bible rightly understood and read from a decidedly Black perspective can speak a word of hope to African Americans in the United States.

An annual event at SPU since 1978, the Palmer Lecture Series “seeks to bring the best minds and hearts in Wesleyan theology and biblical studies to campus to discuss the Christian faith from a Wesleyan perspective.” The lectureship is held in honor of Alfred Palmer, a pastoral leader in Western Washington for more than half a century. For more information, visit spu.edu/palmer.

Educational Technology and Media would like to announce that SPU’s Zoom now supports live captioning (machine generated) during meetings and webinars. Hosts can easily turn this feature on each meeting when live captions would be helpful. Both Computer and Information Systems and ETM have documentation on their wikis and the CIS HelpDesk is available to answer any questions.

The latest SPU Voices podcast features “The DRY Revolution” with Sharelle Klaus, alumna, founder and CEO of DRY Botanical Bubbly (formerly DRY Soda) and the author of the Guide to Zero-Proof Cocktails. DRY Botanical Bubbly is sold in more than 9,000 stores and top restaurants in Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Recently, one of the beverages was featured in a zero-proof cocktail in SPU’s "Behold! A Sacred Sounds of Music Virtual Experience" downloadable viewing packet. 

The SPU Voices podcast, produced by the Office of Alumni, Parent, and Family Relations, is a monthly interview show dedicated to telling inspiring and compelling stories.

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.

Do you know a student who demonstrates Christian character, has made a commitment to on- or off-campus service, shows a willingness to take on tasks regardless of recognition or challenge, demonstrates leadership, and is currently a junior? If so, we encourage you to nominate the student for the Barnabas Servant Leadership Scholarship. Recipients of this scholarship receive a $750 cash grant and a contribution of $250 given in their name to a charity of their choice. Online nominations are due by March 5, and can be found on the University Ministries Student Leaders web page.

Computer and Information Systems is continuing the rollout of Teams Calling on a department-by-department basis. To help prepare faculty, staff, and student employees for this transition, CIS is hosting Teams Calling Orientation to help the community get acquainted with using their campus phone number in Teams. Upcoming orientation dates include:

• Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 18, 11 a.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 25, 1 p.m.

Sign up for a session in Microsoft Bookings. To learn how to prepare for Teams Calling and get other updates on this project, visit the CIS Technology Blog.

The News and Nachos recent “Can Cities Survive?” lecture is now available online through the History Department's website. The Spring Quarter lecture is titled "Can the American Church Survive?" and more details will be available soon.

In case you missed it, you can now listen to the recording of the second annual OIEX Diversity Lecture, which took place Feb. 2, 2021. We invite you to join us for this conversation if you weren’t able to attend the lecture live.

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 to your 403b account may take up to seven days to be provided to SPU for processing, so please contract Transamerica by the first of the month prior to your requested change. 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 Cherylin Shdo in HR at 206-281-2816.

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. 15, and the deadline is Thursday, Feb. 11. 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.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming the following new employees:

• Kennedy Mejia-Payton, admissions counselor, multicultural outreach, Undergraduate Admissions
• Gary Waterman, developer/systems analyst, Computer and Information Systems

Brian Gill, professor of mathematics, was quoted in the Feb. 1 issue of the Kitsap Sun in Editor David Nelson’s column, “This isn’t fun, but at least it should be fair,” about the state’s “Roadmap to Recovery.”

An opinion piece by Mohammad Qadam Shaw, assistant professor of global development, titled "Why Afghanistan Is Caught in a Budget Crisis – Again," was published on Feb. 4 in The Diplomat, a premier international current affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific region.

This week, University Communications is saying goodbye to Kathy Henning as she retires after 15 years. The current communications manager has held several titles through the years, and she is one of the rock stars in UC. Not only does she manage her many projects with ease and efficiency, but has the unique characteristics of understanding the power of the written word and the mechanics behind building a website. Kathy is one of the best grammarians on the team. Her warm personality is known to all, and she frequently becomes a friend to the numerous colleagues she works with across campus. In UC, she is known as a prayer warrior and is the first to come alongside anyone needing encouragement or sympathy. Kathy takes care of the UC office by usually being the first to notice when someone is sick, filling the candy jars for student workers, sharing her many Costco food purchases, and generously contributing to any volunteer effort. Everyone in UC will miss their consummate editor and writer, daily crossword puzzle champion, and worldwide earthquake monitor. All the best, Kathy, on this new chapter in your life.

For his monthly cartoon, Nate Hoover, associate director for the Center for Biblical and Theological Education, explains this month’s feature: These clocks are getting in each other’s face, probably over some minute issue. Perhaps someday I’ll make a second cartoon about arguing clocks.

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