A message from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing: Each year we try to convey to incoming students the kind of learning community they will find here at SPU. An example of this has been a project that the Undergraduate Admissions team spearheads in asking faculty to write a personal note to each admitted student for the coming fall. Because it is an “old school” type of engagement, it is often hard to quantify the rate of return on your investment of time (which we know is very valuable). Yet each year we get unsolicited feedback at our spring events, as well as from our admitted student research, that receiving a personal notecard from a college professor is a powerful message that they will be known and that they will begin an actual relationship with a faculty member.

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, we know that you continue to juggle so much as you care for and invest in our current students. Knowing that the students who are in front of you are your top priority, we are going to approach this project in a different way this year – scaling it down, but still reaching a key segment of our incoming students with personal notecards.

• We will start this project sooner than usual, with cards being available to faculty this next week.
• We will simply ask you to either sign up for your cards to be delivered to you, or to come join us for a faculty notecard-writing party, where your cards will be waiting for you.
  • If you are willing and able, even to write just a few cards, please COMPLETE THIS BRIEF FORM (takes about 30 seconds to complete).
  • We would love for you to join us for one or both faculty notecard-writing parties, one offered during dinner (right before the Weter Lecture) and one during lunch:
  • Pizza and snacks will be offered at both, as well as music, prizes, and good times with colleagues. (Please make sure to RSVP via the form linked above.)

Faculty notecard-writing party #1: Tuesday, Feb. 22, 4–6:30 p.m., Eaton Hall Auditorium

Faculty notecard-writing party #2: Wednesday, Feb. 23, noon–2 p.m., Library Seminar Room

• Most faculty will write to students within their own academic disciplines, but please know that you may still be asked to write a “general” note of welcome to students from outside your program’s majors or to those whom are undecided.
• All notecards will be pre-labeled and pre-stamped, and we will include suggested text for your note. (Though it’s a wonderful touch if you can include one of your business cards, if you have them.) We are hoping to have all notecards mailed by Monday, March 7, so that our students will hear about our admitted student events on time.

At the end of this project, we still plan to award the coveted “Golden Falcon Pen-holder Award” (shout out to the prolific Dr. Tim Nelson for being the inaugural winner last year!) to the faculty member who writes the most cards. We also have a LOT of SPU swag to give away and will be hosting faculty drawings among those who write cards.

Again, thank you for all that you are doing for our current students, and we thank you in advance to those who are willing and able to help us with personal cards again this year!

A message from Undergraduate Admissions: This Friday, Feb. 18, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will host more than 60 admitted students and their guests for the annual Distinguished Scholar Awards (DSA) competition. (Note: There was also a virtual competition this year.) Students will compete for five full-tuition scholarships by interviewing with admissions staff and participating in group discussions hosted by Dr. Chris Chaney, director of the SPU Honors Program. The admissions team would like to publicly thank Dr. Chaney for her many hours of service between these two DSA dates; Dr. Eric Long for his award-winning presentation to students on both days; and faculty and staff who are engaging with students via the majors and activities fair and academic information sessions.

For the event this Friday, as well as for a number of upcoming admissions events, we can all make an impact on these students and their families. Taking a moment to welcome our guests, asking folks if they need directions, or stopping to engage in conversation — all of these small interactions can really go a long way. Thank you, in advance, for helping us welcome these prospective students to campus! Stay tuned for more information soon on more upcoming admissions events, but know that we have students visiting Monday–Saturday each week!

SPU Theatre presents an online performance of Jane Austen's treasured novel, Pride & Prejudice, full of the author’s charm, wit, and keen observations about character. Her comedy of manners and courtship boasts a cast of beloved and unforgettable characters led by the extraordinary Elizabeth Bennet and the dashing Mister Darcy. An online ticket gives you access to the performance Feb. 17-20.

The SPU Student Counseling Center is hosting “Beating the Winter Blues” on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 1–3 p.m. in Tiffany Loop. This is an event to provide a positive boost for the campus community as we get through the long winter months. Come and enjoy a coffee cart, pastries, therapy dogs, and more!

From the Center for Career and Calling: Please join us by inviting your students to attend the Winter Virtual Career Fair happening Thursday, Feb. 24, 1–5 p.m. Over 60 companies from all industries are currently registered and seeking to hire your students! Students can register via Handshake.

Homecoming and Family Weekend in BACK this Thursday–Saturday, Feb. 17–19, beginning with the men’s basketball team taking on Simon Fraser and the online performance of Pride & Prejudice. Join us in person and virtually! Check out the opportunities and schedule of 2022 Homecoming and Family Weekend events.

The John Perkins Center at SPU is again hosting a scholarship competition for students as they explore thinking about practical ways for engaging reconciliation in our communities. Eligible students must be enrolled at SPU for the 2022–23 academic year, and includes transfers and incoming students. This year our Perkins Center Prize will award two finalists, one at $1,500 and a second at $1,000. The submission deadline for participants is April 1, 2022. Forms, criteria, and more information can be found on the Perkins Center website. Awardees will be named in May 2022, and the tuition scholarship will be given in the 2022–23 year.

To help increase awareness and understanding of SPU’s Anti-Bullying Policy and Anti-Bullying Complaint Procedure, all employees must complete a 10-minute online course through Percipio by Thursday, March 31, 2022. In addition to the online training, all supervisors will be required to participate in a live training during Spring Quarter that will provide interactive scenario-based learning and opportunities to engage in SPU’s policy and procedure in a more in-depth manner. There will be several date options available, with details coming soon. Read the Jan. 31 campus memo for more information.

Mammograms save lives! To help make these essential tests convenient for women in our community, SPU is hosting the Swedish Mobile Mammography coach on Thursday, Feb. 17, and Friday, Feb. 18. Schedule your appointment by going to Swedish Breast Center Online Scheduler. Bring your medical history form from the online scheduling link, your insurance card, and photo ID. COVID-19 safety measures will be in place. Face masks required. The coach will be near Tiffany Loop on Third Avenue West. For more information, contact Cherylin Shdo, human resources benefits specialist, at shdoc@spu.edu.

You are invited to the 2022 Winifred E. Weter Lecture given by Eric Long, professor of biology. Eric will present his topic, “Priests of a Fallen Creation: The Temple, Natural Theology, and Ecology in Dialogue,” on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons. The lecture will consider how to make sense of both creation’s goodness and decay, as Eric proposes that a fruitful path forward involves synthesizing recent advances in three fields: natural sciences, natural theology, and biblical theology.

Entry is free and wheelchair accessible. All current SPU students and employees must show their SPU card upon entering the event. Additionally, either proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test will be required as a condition of entry for anyone who is not a current SPU student or employee. For more information, visit the 2022 Weter Lecture website.

The Department of Communication, Journalism, and Film invites you to hear Sara Shaban, assistant professor of journalism, talk about her new book, Iranian Feminism and Transnational Ethics in Media Discourse on Tuesday, March 1, 3–4:30 p.m., in Demaray Hall 356. There will be time for questions and comments, and light refreshments will be served.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, Feb. 17, and the next issue will be published Monday, Feb. 21. 

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.

Karen Snedker, professor of sociology, had a chapter about mental health courts published in Handbook of Issues in Criminal Justice Reform in the United States (Springer).

Jason Thornberry, receptionist for the School of Education, had his personal essay, “The Measured Echo,” published Feb. 10, in issue 13 of the Dillydoun Review. Jason’s work has appeared in OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Broadkill Review, and elsewhere.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Nina Vizcarrondo, multi-ethnic programs coordinator, Multi-Ethnic Programs.

Nate Hoover, associate director in the Center for Biblical and Theological Education, explains his monthly cartoon: None of the claims in this advertisement have been verified by the FDA. To see more of my cartoons, find me on Instagram: @hoovernathaniel.

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