A message from Louise Furrow, vice president of University Advancement: As we go about our work on campus, often we have no idea the impact our actions today may have in the future. This surprising story of Edith (Scott) and Stuart Holmes, 1940 SPU graduates, is a perfect example. Early in their marriage, Stuart and Edith settled in Oroville, Washington, and built a family medical practice. They were childless, but involved in their church and community, and Edith nurtured her love for gardening. Through the years, they gave faithfully and generously to their alma mater. Having served on SPU’s Board of Trustees for over 30 years, Stuart was designated “trustee emeritus” in 1986.

Stuart passed away in 1993, and over several decades, three University Advancement staff members had the opportunity to travel annually to Oroville to visit Edith. As a guest in Edith’s home, the advancement officer shared conversation, meals, admired her garden, and often would even go fishing with her. While Edith had no interest in discussing her giving or drawing attention to her generosity, at the end of the day, the advancement officer would retire to the guest room to find an envelope left on the bed containing a generous gift for SPU.

Edith passed away in November 2013, and the University was very grateful to receive a gift of over $377,000 as part of her estate. We were all astonished when last month, four years later, we received another gift from Edith’s estate for $1,152,000 for the University’s endowment.

This additional gift, completely unexpected, illustrates for me the work and faithfulness of those who have gone before us. It reflects SPU’s impact on Edith and Stuart, and their decades of generosity. It also illustrates the importance of our interactions today as we serve our students and their families. We may never actually see the yield of the hard work, love, and care that each of us has the opportunity to offer, but the future likely holds surprise gifts that are a result of our efforts. Thank you for all that you do for SPU! 

Campus Ministries invites staff, faculty, and students to join us at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, at First Free Methodist Church for our annual Ash Wednesday service. This short, contemplative time of worship will feature a live painter and a homily from Professor Jamie Coles, as well as the imposition of ashes.

Campus Ministries has assembled a team of 40 students, staff, and faculty to write a devotional for the 2017 Lenten season. Each day of Lent will include a Scripture reading, as well as a reflection written by a member of our own community. Limited physical copies will be available at the Ash Wednesday service on March 1, or a PDF version is available for download on the Campus Ministries website. We hope you’ll join our community is growing together as we journey through Lent and toward a celebration of Easter.

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This year’s Palmer Lecture will be held Tuesday, February 28, 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. The speaker is Dr. Ralph Watkins, Peachtree Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Columbia Theological Seminary. The lecture, titled “Faith in the Visual Age: Can You See God?,” will explore how people of faith can share their story in a world wired for story, and how to engage the "image generation." The lecture is free and open to the public. More information can be found at online.

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A note from the Body Positive Committee: In honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, the Body Positive Committee is hosting Body Positive Week, February 27-March 3. Events will be held daily in Martin Square, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Body Positive Week is a project that is a part of the campuswide Wellness Initiative, designed to promote and support total wellness for the SPU student population.

We will also host a private screening of the award-winning documentary Embrace on Thursday, March 2, 6 p.m. in Demaray 150. The screening is free, and faculty and staff are welcome. There will be a panel discussion and raffle prizes after the screening.

We encourage faculty and staff to promote this event to students and even possibly offer extra credit if students attend. Our goal is to promote a healthy and happy relationship with food, body, and exercise for all SPU students, and we need your help spreading the word.

A special Black Compline Concert featuring the Gospel Choir will be held Tuesday, February 28, 9 p.m.

The Symphony Orchestra will perform Thursday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.

The Men’s and Women’s Choir will perform Friday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform Tuesday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.

The Concert and Chamber Singers will perform Friday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m.

All these performances will be held in First Free Methodist Church.

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Juniors and seniors with unpaid internships at nonprofit organizations during Spring Quarter are eligible for the SERVE Internship Grant. The Center for Career and Calling awards nine $1,000 grants each academic year: three for Winter Quarter, three for Spring Quarter, and three for summer. Please inform your students of this opportunity. Details, application instructions, and stories of past SERVE Internship Grant recipients can be found on the SERVE Internship Grant webpage.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is hosting hundreds of prospect and admitted students on campus with their families for SPU Friday on March 3. Students and their guests will dine in Gwinn, attend informational sessions, visit classes, take tours, and more. Look for these students and families and make them feel welcome.

Do you live in Whidbey Island, Bremerton, or Everett? If so, we are looking for interested riders to possibly start new carpools, vanshares, or vanpools to SPU. Please contact Transportation Manager Heather Eide at eideh@spu.edu or 206-281-2821 if you are interested, or if you know another faculty or staff member that lives in those areas that might be interested. 

As part of SPU’s 125 anniversary celebration, the Friends of the Library will host a panel discussion of Howard Snyder’s new book, Rooted in Mission: The Founding of Seattle Pacific University 1891–1916, on Tuesday, March 7, 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Dr. Snyder, along with other SPU faculty and staff, will discuss the founding of Seattle Seminary within the context of Seattle as a growing urban center.

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SPU’s Art Center Gallery presents a solo exhibition by the late artist Karen Laub-Novak titled “A Catholic Expressionist in the Age of Vatican II.” This is the first scholarly survey of this artist and art educator. This selection of prints and paintings by Laub-Novak (1937-2009) encompasses her career from the reforming era of post-war America through Vatican II, and into the postmodern era of the 1990s. The exhibit runs until March 17. The SPAC Gallery is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, to have stationery order(s) delivered on March 17. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on March 7 will be delivered April 14. 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.

A message from Campus Dining: Do you have a last minute meeting or gathering? Head to Common Grounds for your on–the-fly coffee traveler and pastries.

Monday, February 27: Magic Monday
• The prices magically drop at Cocina del Sol! Get 20 percent off all bowls, burritos, and quesadillas.

Tuesday, February 28: Mardi Gras Dinner
• Hush puppies, jambalaya, gumbo, fried clam po'boys, and more. Enjoy the flavors of New Orleans in Gwinn Commons Dining Hall, 4:30-7:30 p.m. You don't want to miss this!

Friday, March 3: It's National Employee Appreciation Day! Employee's Choice on $5 Friday
• Common Grounds: Autumn's Caramel Macchiati
• Academic Perks: Annalee's Cinnamon Mocha
• Bertona Street Pizza: Oscar's Favorite Pizza (Chicken, green and red peppers, tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella)
• Falcon Grill: Nan's Hamburger and drink combo
• Einstein's: Kricket's Favorite Peppered Bacon Melt
• Cocina del Sol: Danielle's Favorite Nachos

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly 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 2. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, March 6.

Elaine Stevens, assistant director of mailing services, was nominated and selected by the Staff Council as the February Staff Member of the Month. For more than 11 years of wonderful service to SPU students, faculty, and staff, she has given kind and efficient assistance with mail and packages, and has also provided delicious food as well. Congratulations, and thank you Elaine! Visit the Staff Council website to read more about Elaine and submit a nomination for someone you think should be recognized as a future Staff Member of the Month.

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Under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Political Science Bradley Murg, two students on the SPU Debate Team won awards at the recent Sun Cliffs Classic Debate Tournament at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Alex Donka took the top speaker trophy, and Allison Lindsay won the fifth speaker trophy. This is Brad’s first year as faculty advisor and coach to the team of eight students. Select the link to see the team having fun in San Diego.

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Bob Whitlow passed away on February 19 from complications of the flu and pneumonia. He served as alumni director for a number of years, and as director of personnel (now known as Human Resources) from 1975 until his retirement in 1988. He was a strong supporter of the University and gifted property on Whidbey Island, as well as a number of sculptures on display at various places around campus. Bob was well known and loved by employees for his compassion, humor, and graciousness during his time at SPU. He loved Christian higher education, and served as president of a small Christian college in Oregon for a number of years during his retirement.

A memorial service is still being planned. Notes and cards of sympathy can be sent to Beulah Whitlow, 1045 NE Summit Loop, Coupeville, WA 98239-3564.

A message from Adrienne Meier, University Archivist: The Seattle Pacific campus was much smaller 80 years ago, and only two of the buildings from that time survive today. In 1937, the campus consisted of a Men’s Hall (now Alexander Hall), an Administration Building (now Peterson Hall), a Women’s Hall (later Tiffany Hall), the Training School Building (later Adelaide Hall), a Music Hall, a gymnasium, and the President’s House (the last three were all demolished by 1965). A new chapel building was in the works, and in 1937, it was proposed to be on the site of today’s Student Union Building. The chapel building, later named McKinley Hall, is still standing, although it was ultimately located on the other side of Tiffany Loop. For a hand-drawn campus map from 1937, select the link.

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From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley: We are getting close to the time when roses start to grow rapidly. The timing of this growth is due to the longer daylight hours and warming temperatures. I have been monitoring our roses in the Tiffany Loop Rose Garden, and the buds are already starting to swell. This is the time of year when every rosarian will “hard prune” their roses to provide new growth and keep the plant healthy as we start a new season.

Here are just a couple tips on hard pruning roses:

Use sharp bypass pruners. This is very important in making a clean cut. A sharp cut minimizes the potential of disease entering the cane from the cut wound. Anvil pruners tend to crush the canes and open up the end of the wood creating a pathway for disease to enter the plant.   

Remove dead and diseased wood, which is easily recognizable as the wood of the cane will appear darker and look dead.

The objective in hard pruning is to make the bush more compact, encouraging new, strong growth and to build a stronger root system. Proper pruning cuts direct the new growth outward, creating a more open branching structure, which allows more light concentration and better air circulation. This helps eliminate moisture from the leaves, minimizing the potential of fungal diseases. 

A rose that is out of control, growing in a large crowed clump of tangled canes, will have many problems as well as not look very good.

All pruning cuts should be made just above a new outward facing bud at a slight angle. This allows water to fall off the surface of the cut and not build up on the end. (See the attached photos.) An outward facing bud cut will force new growth away from the center, leaving the bush with a more open branching structure. 

An exception to this might be along sidewalks where pedestrians would brush up against the thorny canes. In this type of situation, the pruning cut could be made above the bud pointing away from the sidewalk. An example would be the sidewalks alongside of the Tiffany Loop Rose Garden. I try to direct the growth away from the sidewalk.

In pruning a grafted rose, it is important not to prune below the graft union. This will completely eliminate the desirable canes that produce the beautiful flowers you are trying to encourage. If a grafted rose is not producing the flowers you want, it is time to do the ultimate prune job and buy a new one to take its place in the garden.

Thinking ahead:

Now is a great time to order bare root roses for this year. There are many online growers that carry incredible varieties to choose from, and our local nurseries will soon have them available.

As we get into spring around the first week of April, apply fertilizer, either organic or systemic. We don't want to encourage growth too early in the season. By April, things will start to be in full swing, and by late May, flowers will be showing up everywhere!

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