SPU’s Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island was selected as the February Business of the Month by the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce. The chamber chose Camp Casey "in recognition of their contribution to the community and to the local economy." This is the first time Camp Casey has been selected for the award. Congratulations! Select the link to see the photo of Casey Conference Services Manager Robyn Myers accepting the award.

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A message from the John Perkins Center: We are sending a SPRINT team to Colombia for an exciting opportunity to serve and learn with community and church leaders engaging in social change. We are in the midst of fundraising. Staff and faculty are invited to hire SPRINT students for "workshares," odd jobs that you might want help doing (e.g., yardwork, dog walking, organization, packing, moving). Workshares will take place through the end of the academic year. We would greatly appreciate your participation in the students’ fundraising efforts. Complete and submit a workshare request form. If you have questions, email sprint@spu.edu.

The SPU Gospel Choir will present an evening of prayers, black spirituals, and ecumenical readings in honor of Black History Month on Tuesday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. The concert will be directed by Associate Professor of Music Stephen Michael Newby, and faculty and staff members Raedene Copeland, Bo Lim, June Hyun, David Leong, Debra Sequeira, Priscilla Ozodo, and Dainius Vaičekonis will serve as guest readers during the event. The concert will be livestreamed, and is free and wheelchair accessible.

A message from Staff Council: Have you noticed someone going the extra mile this year? Time to nominate that person for Staff of the Year! We have two categories to nominate staff: Exempt staff person and non-exempt staff person. We will recognize both awardees at the upcoming Recognition Chapel in April, and honor each with a check for $1,000. Nominations are open through Friday, March 23. Nominate your colleague today. 

During Homecoming and Family Weekend earlier this month, alumnus David Boxley ’74 received the Medallion Award from Alumni and Parent Relations. He is a nationally recognized totem pole carver and a culture-bearer of the Tsimshian indigenous people of southern Alaska. He has soared to national prominence with his artistry on display at Disney World, at the Memphis Zoo, and in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. David is known for having produced the most carved totem poles of any living artist, more than 70 in his lifetime. Watch this short video to learn more about David and his work.

A message from Computer and Information Systems: Last week, 30 SPU faculty and student employee accounts were compromised. Hackers redirected bank direct deposit payments for 11 individuals. They also viewed paycheck and W-2 information for several others, dramatically increasing their risk for identity theft. Don’t become a statistic. Reset your password today! Just log into Banner and select Personal Menu → Computer Accounts Menu → Change Your Password. Learn more at the CIS Technology Blog.

The Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, and Women’s Choir will perform their winter concert on Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. The Chamber and Concert Choirs are directed by Ryan Ellis, director of choral music, and the Women’s Choir is directed by Beth Ann Bonnecroy, instructor of voice. The concert will be livestreamed, and is free and wheelchair accessible.

The student group Catalyst presents a Multicultural Night of Worship (MNOW) on Wednesday, February 28, 7–9 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Catalyst, in collaboration with other campus groups, presents this special night where people from diverse cultures and backgrounds get to express how they worship and experience Jesus in their lives. The theme for this MNOW is “surrender — where we discuss preparing everyone for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ, and giving up what we think we know, including our cultural implicit biases and judgment, and to be reguided as God’s people to reflect the Kingdom of God.”

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 you wish to make to your 403(b) account contributions must be made by the 10th of the month. 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 Mardeth Hughes in HR at 206-281-2816.

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 them 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. The deadline for online nominations has been extended to March 23, and the nomination form can be found on the University Ministries Student Leaders webpage.

The School of Business, Government, and Economics hosts SPU’s Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC), where students can validate their software skills by taking Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exams through the center. This resource is also available to SPU staff and faculty. Visit the CATC page for more information.

SPU staff members are invited to a one-hour session with Vice President for Business and Finance Craig Kispert on Wednesday, February 28, 3–4 p.m., in Demaray Hall 150. Join us for an update on the SPU budget, which will include a limited time for questions and answers.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, March 6, to have stationery orders delivered on March 16. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on March 6 will be delivered April 13. To see deadlines and delivery dates for the remainder of the fiscal year, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

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, March 1. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, March 5.

Associate Professor of Political Science Caleb Henry's review of the book The Political Theory of the American Founding was published in Journal of Markets and Morality (20:2), 2017.

Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of Global Development Studies Brad Murg gave a talk at Colorado Christian University on February 16 as part of the American Enterprise Institute's "Values and Capitalism" program. His talk was titled, "Reclaiming College Debate: A Critique of Critical Theory."

An article by Professor Emerita of Geography Kathleen Braden titled "Pre-Slavic Minority Languages and Geographic Names in Northwest Russia" will be published in the Handbook of the Changing World Language Map eBook project (Stanley Brunn, editor) by Springer Publishers (in press for 2019).

The following entries by Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro were published in The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oliver Nicholson (ed.) 2 vols. Oxford University Press, 2018.

"Paschasius of Dumium"
"Miro"
"Martin of Braga"
"Valerius of Bierzo"
"Braga"
"Sisebut"
"Julian of Toledo"
"Suinthila"
"Fructuosus of Braga"
"Sueves"
"John of Biclar"
"Rechiarius"

On February 24, The Seattle Times featured a story about the women’s basketball team and their 10-day service trip to the Dominican Republic last summer. Coach Julie Heisey and several players are quoted in the story. The Falcons are finishing a winning season (21-6), and are heading to the GNAC championships in Alaska this week.

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: Seattle Pacific has several connections to the Rev. Billy Graham, who passed away last week at the age of 99. Students, faculty, and staff were very involved in Graham’s Seattle crusade in 1951. During a visit to Seattle Pacific College in 1954, Graham received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his "world movement for God." 

The SPC Bulletin published this account of his visit. "One of the high points during the Autumn Quarter was the Special Convocation Tuesday morning, November 23, when the Bill Graham team came as a group to the campus and the college conferred upon Billy Graham the Doctor of Letters degree. The ceremony followed a very wonderful address to a packed auditorium by the evangelist. Faculty members were present in academic regalia and the entire atmosphere was electric with interest and high appreciation because of the significance of the occasion." Select the link for a larger image of Rev. Graham accepting the award and more about the ceremony from the SPC Bulletin.

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