The Office of Human Resources will host SPU’s annual Retirement Ready Seminar on Tuesday, March 5. It is an opportunity for faculty and staff who are making plans or preparing to retire in the near future to ask their questions to professionals in the retirement industry. We hope that you will be able to join us! Please register for the Retirement Ready seminar by February 22. 

Date:          Tuesday, March 5
Time:          4–7:30 p.m.  
Location:   Upper Gwinn Commons, Queen Anne Room (3rd floor)

ETM is hosting a Video & Community Talk in the lower level of the Library on Tuesday, February 12, 12–1 p.m. Join ETM for lunch and hear from professors Munyi Shea, Max Hunter, and Catalina Vlad Ortiz about how they have used FlipGrid in their classes to introduce new ways of engagement and create community in their online spaces. FlipGrid is a simple video tool that can be integrated directly into Canvas. There will be time afterward to ask questions about the tool and see it in action.

Please sign up by emailing Cari Lui in the Library at luic@spu.edu. Lunch will be provided for those who sign up by noon on Monday, February 11. If you have additional questions or concerns, contact ETM at etmhelp@spu.edu or ETM Associate Director Karen Park at kpark@spu.edu.

Staff Council invites you to attend the February Professional Development Series workshop, "September Session: An Autumn Quarter Extension" on Friday, February 15, 12–1 p.m. in the Library Seminar Room. Wondering about September Session? Come to this brown bag to learn about why we are adding this new option for Autumn Quarter, how students can benefit, and how it might impact you and your unit. Sign up on Skillsoft.

Staff Council will soon be taking nominations for the 2019 Staff of the Year awards. Each year, one exempt and one non-exempt staff member are selected to be honored at the spring Celebration of Service event. We encourage you to nominate a colleague who has made outstanding contributions to the SPU community. Watch for a link to the nomination form in March.

Visit the Music Department website for information on performances this month by the Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Gospel Choir, and Symphony Orchestra. All these events will be livestreamed.

The School of Psychology, Family, and Community and the Initiative for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities invites you to the Speakers Series with Anne Arnett, Ph.D., on "ADHD and the Brain," Tuesday, February 26, 2019, 7–8:30 p.m., Eaton Hall Room 112. The event is free and open to the public. CE credit is available.

Arnett is an attending clinical psychologist at Seattle Children’s hospital and conducts research on neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. She will talk about current research on childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including an overview of the clinical symptoms, cognitive profile, genetic origins, and neurobiological differences. She will discuss her ongoing research and provide an overview of what we know, what we are learning, and where researchers are heading with this work in the future.

In February, the Center for Career and Calling is celebrating Black History Month by connecting and highlighting the lives of local black business owners and professionals. Each week, owners will be on campus to share with students about their career journey. They are eager to share their success and the racial issues they have encountered. The meet-ups are located in Weter 202, 3–4 p.m. Everyone is welcome!

Tuesday, February 19:  Mara Cardenas, acting diversity and inclusion manager, King County Government; and  Lewis Rudd, CEO of Ezell's Chicken 

Tuesday,  February 26: Alex Brooks, founder of Entreprov (IT business) and Chris Bailey, owner of MindSeekers, LLC (staffing company)

There are several ways faculty, staff, and students will be notified or can find out whether SPU will close or delay opening due to inclement weather.  The most current and complete information will be provided on the Emergency Closure Hotline at 206-281-2800. SPU will also send emails and text messages announcing the closure or delay to email addresses and cell phone numbers posted in SPU-Alert, which is SPU’s mass-notification system for sending emergency messages. The changing weather in Seattle can make decisions to close or delay opening difficult, but we try to have notification on the Emergency Closure Hotline and issue texts and emails via SPU-Alert prior to 6 a.m.

To confirm or update your SPU-Alert cell phone numbers or email addresses, access the Banner Information System and select Personal Menu and then Emergency Alert System. For additional information, visit the Inclement Weather webpage on the Emergency Preparedness website.

The History Department is hosting a new brownbag series, News & Nachos. Move past sound bites and headlines for substantive conversations about current events in historical perspective. Join us Thursday, February 14, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. in the Eaton Hall Lobby for a discussion on Brexit led by Rebecca Hughes, assistant professor of history. Chips and salsa will be served. The series is for students, faculty, and staff, and all are welcome.

Last December, SPU nursing students, along with health and human performance students, traveled to the Philippines for a study abroad community-health course experience. Students worked directly with local ministry leaders and others to determine community needs and open the way for health promotion projects. Read about this and more in the new Nursing Praxis newsletter.

Check out the new microwaveable Simply-to-Go items. Enjoy new warm Simply to Go items such as gluten-free and vegan pasta in the C-Store, Academic Perks, and Common Grounds.

Tim Wise, nationally acclaimed speaker and author of the best-selling memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son, will give a lecture on campus, Friday, March 1, 7–9 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. His talk about politics in America today will be followed by a panel discussion with SPU faculty and a book signing. The event is free and open to the public.

A message from the Office of Safety and Security: Live on the Eastside and tired of driving alone — and paying the SR520 toll? We are looking for new riders for our Kirkland vanpool. We meet at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, located at 10610 NE 38th Place, at 7:05 a.m. Monday–Friday, and work a 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. schedule. We leave campus at 4:35 p.m. for the return trip. Van pools are paid for by the SPU Commute Trip Reduction Program so there are no expenses to riders. If you are interested, email van pool rider Lynn Anselmi at lynnnanselmi@spu.edu or Office and Transportation Manager Heather Eide at eideh@spu.edu. 

Immerse is the School of Theology’s youth discipleship academy on July 14–20, 2019. The first 25 students to register will get over 50 percent off tuition ($386 instead of $827). Immerse students who later enroll at SPU also receive $1,000 off their first year of undergraduate study. Visit spu.edu/immerse for details and to register.

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 14. Due to the Presidents Day holiday, the next Bulletin will be published on Tuesday, February 19.

In recognition of her service to the SPU community, Brenda Baker, assistant to the dean and office manager in the School of Psychology, Family, and Community, was nominated by her peers and selected by Staff Council as the February Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations, and thank you, Brenda! Learn more about Brenda and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website.

Stephen Newby, professor of music and director of composition, premiers his Voices of the Diaspora ... Hosea & Friends at the 20th anniversary gala concert and alumni reunion of the Nathaniel Dett Chorale in Toronto, Ontario, on Wednesday, February 13. A world premier, Hosea is a unique fusion of jazz, gospel, and classical music by Stephen, who’s the 2018–19 composer-in-residence for the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada’s first professional choral group dedicated to Afrocentric music of all styles.

Dale Cannavan, associate professor of exercise science was interviewed by GeekWire on a new fitness trend expanding across America in an article titled "Testing Stretch 22, a new ‘stretch therapy’ backed by Expedia and Zillow founder Rich Barton."