You may have heard about President Barack Obama hosting a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session when he was running for re-election. Or, you may have heard that Bill Gates held his third Reddit AMA session on January 29, answering questions related to everything from polio vaccines and artificial intelligence to what brand of socks he buys.

In the same spirit of fostering conversation, I would like to hold three AMA sessions for SPU faculty and staff over the next few months. It will be a bit different than Reddit, not just because it will be live and in-person, but because I will attempt to answer any question regarding our work together at SPU. It could even be a question exploring something you have always wondered about at SPU or find curious in some way. It is possible we will have to note the question and find an answer after the session if I do not know it at that moment. Either way, it will be a great opportunity to seek clarification, understanding, or gain awareness about current operations or something related to our future. I believe the sessions will be enjoyable conversations about a place and people we believe in.

The three sessions will be held on these dates and times:

•           Tuesday, March 3, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Demaray Hall 150

•           Wednesday, April 15, 3:30-4:30 p.m. (location TBD)

•           Thursday, May 28, 9-10 a.m. (location TBD)

I hope to see you there!

For his annual lecture on Thursday, February 12, C. May Marston Assistant Professor of Classics Owen Ewald will explore ways in which ancient classical literature portrayed India.

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Paul Yost, associate professor of industrial/organizational psychology, will discuss leadership in an age of “continuous discontinuity” at the Library’s next “Creative Conversations" event on Thursday, February 12, 12-12:50 p.m. in the Library Reading Room. 

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The Camp Casey Conference Center is hosting a photo contest called “Camp Casey Memories."  Visit the Camp Casey Conference Center’s Facebook page and upload a photo. The photo with the most “likes” will win a free weekend at the Fort Casey Inn. The deadline to enter a photo is Friday, February 27.

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The winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Poetry for Incarnadine will give this year’s Fan Mayhall Gates Literary Reading on Wednesday, February 11, 6:30 p.m. in the Art Center Gallery.

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Mary Steele, executive director of New Horizons Ministries, and Psychologist Joshua Aaron Ginzler, Ph.D.,  will discuss the current state, challenges, and needs of homeless youth in Seattle at a special event on Thursday, February 12, 11:10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. Their talk is part of a series of events by the Tent City 3 Host Committee.

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A recent study conducted in Seattle found that every night, 300-500 minors are sexually exploited on our streets. How can we hear the voices of these young victims, and what are we doing as a community to combat sexual exploitation? On Friday, February 20, at 7 p.m., in Demaray Hall 150, join SPU’s Set Free Club and SERVE program for an event featuring keynote speaker State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, a champion of anti-trafficking legislation. Following her remarks will be a screening of The Long Night, a feature film by Tim Matsui and MediaStorm that weaves together the stories of seven people whose lives have been forever changed by domestic minor sex trafficking in Seattle. The event will conclude with a discussion and Q&A with filmmaker Matsui and Senator Kohl-Welles. Come see the realities of sexual exploitation in Seattle and leave energized with hope for the actions we can take to stop it.

A message from Hannah Notess, managing editor of Response magazine: “In the upcoming Response magazine, we're considering ‘the promise and perils of power.’ So tell us, what's YOUR superpower? Tell us what your hidden (or not-so-hidden) power is and how you use it. You may see your answer in the next magazine.”

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This summer, SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reachout International) will send eight student teams to learn and serve alongside local leaders around the world. Hire a SPRINT student to help with yard work, cleaning projects, or other household chores. Your work project helps students raise funds for summer international service-learning and mission trips. The recommended rate is $10 per student per hour. To schedule your project, email student Maddy Petrowski at petrowskim@spu.edu. Learn more about SPRINT.

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If you’ve been meaning to visit Tent City 3 but haven’t stopped by, drop in for a group tour on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. or Thursdays and Fridays at 3 p.m. Tour groups gather at the Unicom desk in the SUB. For more information on Tent City 3 and ways to engage, visit the website.

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The Tent City 3 Host Committee is hosting a screening of Inocente, a compelling documentary about a young woman’s determination to never surrender her dream of becoming an artist while facing nine years of homelessness and the constant threat of deportation. The screening is Tuesday, February 17, 7 p.m., in Emerson Hall. The 40-minute film will be followed by testimonies and storytelling by SPU students, staff, faculty and Tent City 3 residents reflecting on how they have been shaped by their experience with homelessness.

Dan Kramlich, instructor of jazz history and jazz piano, will give a special concert on Tuesday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. in E.E. Bach Theatre in McKinley Hall. The event is free and wheelchair accessible.

SPU Professor of Theology Kerry Dearborn and Tierra Nueva's Chris Hoke will talk about their new books on the Holy Spirit, incarceration, and new creation at a forum on Thursday, February 19, 7 p.m. in Otto Miller Hall 109. The event is hosted by the John Perkins Center.

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The SPU Gospel Choir will participate in "Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem,” a musical oratorio by the Seattle Theatre Group on Sunday, February 22, 4 p.m. at The Paramount Theatre in downtown Seattle. The event will feature more than 100 local choirs and instrumentalists celebrating the life of Fortune, an enslaved African whose body was used for medical research and remained unburied until 2013. This Seattle concert is only the second time the program has been performed. The event is free.

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Faculty and staff are invited to attend a lunch forum on Thursday, February 26, 12 p.m. in the First Free Methodist Church Fine Center. Learn about creative ways congregations are engaging homelessness, and learn how the church can expand its works of justice and mercy. The event is sponsored by SPU’s Center for Biblical and Theological Education and the John Perkins Center. Please extend the invitation to your pastors and/or members of your church. This event is free but space is limited and reservations are required by February 19.

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Thirty-minute one-on-one Cigna sessions will be held in Study Room 2A on the second floor of the Ames Library on Monday, February 23. Bring your questions to SPU’s dedicated Cigna representative. Questions might include: What is covered on my medical plan? How do I find info on the mycigna.com site? How might I reimburse myself from my HSA? How are my claim(s) processed? Register by calling Human Resources at 206-281-2809.

Lynn Gill, InterVarsity regional director for graduate student and faculty ministries, will be on campus Monday, February 23, to talk about "Being Yeast in the Academy: Graduate Student and Faculty Ministry in the West.” She will give identical presentations at 10:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the McKenna Hall Collaboration Lab (first floor). All faculty and staff are welcome. For more information or to RSVP, contact Kathy Stegman in the School of Business, Government, and Economics at kstegman@spu.edu or 206-281-2992. A free copy of Steven Garber's new book Visions of Vocation will be available to the first 40 people who RSVP.

A message from Conference Services: “The Upper Gwinn calendar is now open for the 2015-16 academic year. Request your preferred dates with supporting information by using SPU Room Finder. (Dates and requests sent to Conference Services via email will not be accepted.) Please note that by submitting a request via SPU Room Finder, you are only requesting the space. Once your request has been processed, you will receive an email that includes information regarding the availability of the space (a 'hold email') and instructions on how to confirm your reservation. If you have questions, call Conference Services at 206-281-2187."

The SPU Art Center Gallery is hosting the first Alumni Show, featuring recent work from SPU graduates in visual communication design, studio art, and illustration/new pictures. The show runs until Friday, February 13. Admission is free. The Art Center Gallery, located at 3 West Cremona Street, is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit the website for more information.

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Do you have an outstanding student worker to recommend for the annual SPU Student Employee of the Year award? If so, contact Student Employment Coordinator Danielle Richmond at dani@spu.edu for the nomination form. SPU’s winner will be submitted to the regional competition as well. Nominations are due Monday, February 16.

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 him or her 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 February 13, and can be found on the University Ministries Student Leaders website.

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Friday, February 13
Indoor Track & Field -- Seattle Pacific at Husky Classic, Dempsey Indoor at the University of Washington, 4 p.m.

Saturday, February 14
Indoor Track & Field -- Seattle Pacific at Husky Classic, Dempsey Indoor at the University of Washington, 9:05 a.m.

Sunday, February 15
Indoor Track & Field -- Seattle Pacific at UW Indoor Open, Dempsey Indoor at the University of Washington 9:05 a.m.

For all the latest in Falcon sports, visit the Falcons online.

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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, February 12. Due to the Presidents Day holiday, the next Bulletin will be published Tuesday, February 17.

An article by Rolin Moe, director of educational technology and media, was published in Current Issues in Emerging eLearning. The article, “The Brief & Expansive History (and Future) of the MOOC: Why Two Divergent Models Share the Same Name,” is the first published history tracing the manner in which society has discussed massive open online courses as a disruption to learning models. The article is available online. 

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Denise Daniels, associate professor of management, and Al Erisman, executive in residence, presented a paper called “Relationships at Work” at the Theology of Work sessions sponsored by Wheaton College’s “Opus: The Art of Work” on January 29, 2015.

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A book chapter co-written by Professor of Educational Administration and Supervision Thomas Alsbury and colleague Kris Whitaker was published in Quandaries of the Small-District Superintendency, pp. 35-54. Palgrave-MacMillan. The chapter is titled “District Superintendents as Instructional Leaders?”

The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Hayner, president emeritus of Columbia Theological Seminary and former SPU vice president for student affairs, died January 31 after battling pancreatic cancer. A service celebrating Steve's life will be held Monday, February 23, at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. University Presbyterian Church will host a simulcast of the service in the main sanctuary at 11 a.m. PST.

Before coming to SPU in 1984, Steve was pastor of university ministries at University Presbyterian Church. Steve’s deep love for students and his passion for living for God impacted the lives of literally thousands of students around the world. “His influence went beyond just policies to touch people,” says John Glancy, director of SPU’s 125th Celebration.

In 1988, he left SPU to become president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. "He transformed it into one of the most diverse evangelical Christian organizations in the country, both in leadership and its constituency,” says Professor of Theology Kerry Dearborn, a close friend of the Hayner family. Steve served on the boards of World Vision United States and World Vision International, and was professor of evangelism and church growth at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, when he was named its ninth president in 2009. He served as chair of the board of International Justice Mission, and served on the boards of Fuller Theological Seminary and The Navigators.

Steve ended his letters and notes with the word “joyfully,” and that approach to life continued throughout his battle with cancer as observed in a recent interview for Christianity Today.

Please pray for Steve’s wife, Sharol, his family, and the students, staff, and faculty at Columbia.