From University Ministries: The SPU community is invited to join University Ministries for two online prayer services for Ash Wednesday as we enter into the Lenten season. Follow along at 10 a.m. on the UMin Instagram or at 8 p.m. on the Group Instagram. For those on campus, members of our pastoral staff will be available in Martin Square between 10 a.m.–4 p.m. to distribute bags of ashes and pray with community members. Additionally, throughout Lent we will be utilizing UMin Instagram to share weekly Scripture readings, as well as videos from SPU students about how their faith is being stretched in this season. We hope you’ll join us for this journey!

To SPU faculty and staff, on behalf of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities campus ministers: You are invited to our CCCU Conference that has been opened up to all in the CCCU and friends for FREE! Chaplain Lisa has been a part of the planning for this conference and if this peeks your interest, we will be focusing on topics such as critical race theory, Christian nationalism, and systemic racism. The conference is Feb. 25–26, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., and you will need to register for both days to receive the Zoom links for each day. Get more information and register here for the conference.

SPU now has a published policy for students called to active military duty in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces while enrolled in one or more courses at SPU. Options available to a student depend on the expected length of absence from classes, the term in which the student is enrolled, where classes take place, the time in the quarter the absence will begin, and other factors. Read the policy here.

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.

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. For more information about McCaulley and the Palmer Lecture, visit spu.edu/palmer.

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:

• 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.

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. 22, and the deadline is Thursday, Feb. 18. 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.

Owen Ewald, C. May Marston Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Civilizations, recently delivered the 2021 C. May Marston Lecture, “The Future of Work: Lessons From the Past.” He explores the future of work through the lens of some ancient texts, including the Gospel of Matthew, Apuleius, Pliny, Suetonius, and sayings of the elders from the Egyptian desert. The lecture is available online.

Joey Collins, assistant professor of industrial-organizational psychology, co-presented in February at the American Psychological Association Division 13: Society of Consulting Psychology’s annual conference. The presentation was titled, “Future of Work: The Future of Coaching: Catalyzing Crucial Conversations with the Latest Research.”

Stephen Newby, professor of music and director of composition, is included in the Seattle Symphony's recording of the world premiere performance of George Walker’s Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” to be released on March 5, 2021.  Sinfonia No. 5, under the direction of Seattle Symphony Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, exists in two versions — one for orchestra alone, and a second that incorporates spoken text which Walker wrote for a cast of speakers. Newby is included in the latter version of the symphony’s recording.

Michael Paulus, dean of the library and assistant provost for educational technology, helped lead a workshop on “Faith and Ethics in Practice” at the annual Faith@Work ERG Conference. The workshop was part of a series of panel discussions organized by the interfaith group AI and Faith, of which Michael is a founding member. Slides from his presentation are available from his selected works site.

An empirical article by Paul Youngbin Kim, professor of psychology, and Dana Kendall, associate professor of industrial-organizational psychology, titled “Racial microaggressions on Christian campuses: Instrument development and exploratory factor analysis” was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Christian Higher Education. The research for this article was funded by an SPU Faculty Research and Scholarship grant through the Faculty Life Office. The article describes the creation of a measure designed to assess the experiences of racial microaggressions that might be especially common on Christian university campuses. Dana and Paul would like to acknowledge their SPU undergraduate student co-author, senior Elizabeth Bau, and the numerous SPU undergraduate students in psychology who provided valuable insight in the early stages of this work.

Diana Keuss, adjunct professor of Asian studies and world religions, was a guest on the Toward Wholeness podcast on the topic of “The Gospel & World Religions.” Beginning with the question “How can a follower of Christ see other religions through a Biblical lens?” Diana discussed the importance of leading study abroad opportunities with students and highlights her Kyoto, Japan, Study Abroad trip in World Religions with SPU. She also discussed the way of "thinking-doing" in Buddhist religious tradition in Japan and India which brings us to important calls to social justice actions and hospitality.

Gene Lemcio, professor emeritus of New Testament, presented a paper by Zoom to the Graduate Colloquium of the University of Washington’s Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. He spoke for 20 minutes on “Applying One’s Ethnic Heritage in the Academy," followed by a Q&A session for the remainder of the hour. Gene was appointed affiliate professor in the department in April 2018.

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

• Jessica Reeves, graduate enrollment counselor, School of Health Sciences, Graduate Admissions
• Suzanne Townsend, Graduate Psychology, School of Psychology, Family, and Community
• Stephen York, transfer admissions counselor, Undergraduate Admissions

Richard (Dick) Erickson, husband of Professor Emerita of English Joyce Quiring Erickson, passed away February 5, 2021. Dick spent his career as a clinical psychologist in VA hospitals in Seattle, Portland, and Brockton, MA. He was appointed as a clinical professor to universities affiliated with these dean’s committee hospitals. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, Dick served as parish associate at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church in Seattle for 20 years. Many colleagues appreciated the Ericksons’ gracious hospitality (and delicious food) through the years. Please remember Joyce and all the family as they mourn their loss.

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be held at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church via Zoom on Saturday, Feb, 27, at 11 a.m. Email Joyce for the link and password to join this service.

An anonymous shout out to Alexis Cruikshank, director of university services: “Through the pandemic and its impacts on the University, Alexis has supported the units under her supervision with flexibility, grace, encouragement, and an incredible amount of forward thinking. She oversees many departments that have been heavily impacted by the constantly shifting landscape of regulations and guidelines, and she always makes sure that her teams are up to date and have the resources needed to do the best we can for the campus community. Alexis is a bold leader who cares deeply about those with whom she works. Amid the sea of recognition, she has yet to publicly be spotlighted for the endless amounts of behind-the-scenes planning and executing she has overseen through the past year and it’s time SPU heard about it!”