Faculty Staff Bulletin - Monday, March 2, 2015

“What We Learned.” Debriefing and Next Steps for SPU and TC3

SPU’s Tent City 3 Host Committee hosts this final event for the SPU community and Tent City 3 residents on Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m. in the SUB Gazebo Room. This event will celebrate the many ways the SPU and TC3 communities have partnered during TC3’s stay on campus, and offer ideas for ongoing engagement. Refreshments will be provided. Following the forum, enjoy a special poetry slam and art exhibit with SPU and TC3 friends.

Special Evening Event on Book of Romans With Daniel Castelo

The next Lectio series beginning March 30 will study the book of Romans, written by Associate Professor of Dogmatic and Constructive Theology Daniel Castelo. Faculty and staff can enjoy a free special dinner and lecture with Daniel on Tuesday, March 24, 6-9 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. To register, contact Kelsey Holloway Rorem in the Center for Biblical and Theological Education at krorem@spu.edu. Guests can also attend for $20 and can register online by March 16.

Espionage, Cybersecurity, and Privacy

The former head of the National Security Agency, retired four-star Army Gen. Keith Alexander, comes to campus as part of SPU’s annual Downtown Business Breakfast. He will give a free evening lecture on Thursday, April 9, 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.

Frames and Filters: An On-ramp to Multicultural and Multiethnic Engagement

Faculty and staff are invited to a racial reconciliation summit hosted by the Pacific Northwest Conference of the Free Methodist Church on Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church. This event will be led by Tali Hairston, director of the John Perkins Center. He has worked with a number of churches, schools, and organizations providing leadership in racial reconciliation and multiethnic engagement. The program will explore ethnic diversity through personal and societal lenses. Through a guided-process, leaders will explore "framework forming filters" on issues of diversity and race. The event is free, but registration is encouraged.

Help Tent City 3 Move to Their Next Location

On Saturday, March 7, Tent City 3 will move from Tiffany Loop to Shoreline Free Methodist Church. Volunteers are needed to help with the move. There are two shifts available, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12-4:30 p.m. Sign up online.

Prospective Students on Campus This Week

On Thursday evening, March 5, and all day Friday, March 6, the Undergraduate Admissions Office will host about 100 prospective students and their families. We encourage all faculty and staff to welcome these visitors when they see them around campus. If you have questions, contact Amanda Stubbert, assistant director for campus experience and events, at amandas@spu.edu. Learn more about the SPU Friday campus visit events.

Staff Payroll and Benefit Changes?

The 10th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. Changes might also 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.

Music Events This Week

The Symphonic Orchestra and the Men’s and Women’s Choirs perform concerts this week. The Symphonic Orchestra, with special guest pianist LeRoy Johnson, will perform Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. The repertoire includes Rachmaninov's “Third Piano Concerto” and Christopher Amico's “First Symphony.” The Men’s and Women’s Choirs perform on Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. Visit the music website for more information.

SPU Theatre Presents a Night of One-Act Comedies

The Theatre Department presents “An Evening of David Ives One-Act Comedies,” March 3-7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre inside McKinley Hall. All of the one-acts are directed, designed, performed, and managed by SPU theatre students.

A Reading With Daniel Taylor

Join 12-time author Daniel Taylor and Image journal staff for an exclusive free reading of Taylor's new novel Death Comes for the Deconstructionist on Wednesday, March 4, 7 p.m. in the Art Center Gallery. The reading will be followed by a Q&A and dessert reception.

Blood Mobile on Campus

Take advantage of this opportunity to serve the community and help save the lives of others in need by donating blood March 5-6. A mobile van with Bloodworks Northwest (formerly the Puget Sound Blood Center) will be parked near the Tiffany Loop entrance on Third Avenue West. Schedule an appointment online.

Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions on Campus March 16

Considering retiring soon? Join Emeriti representatives on Monday, March 16, 12-1 p.m. in Otto Miller 109 to learn about SPU’s Emeriti retiree health plans offered through Aetna and how it works with Medicare. Also on the agenda is how to diversify your Emeriti portfolio and save for retirement health expenses. No RSVP is required. If you are unable to attend, you can view short videos on Emeriti’s website at emeritihealth.org. Questions may be directed to Nicole Custer in Human Resources at custern@spu.edu.

SPU Hosts WJSH Symposium

The Washington Junior Science and Humanities Symposium will be held at SPU, March 13-14. More than 140 Washington high school and middle school students and teachers with a special interest in science, mathematics, and technology research will be on campus. The symposium is one of more than 48 similar regional programs conducted by the Academy of Applied Science under contract with the U. S. Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. SPU has sponsored this annual WJSHS program for more than 40 years.

Sixteen high school students have been selected to present their science research at the symposium, and the Washington winners will receive a total of $4,500 in scholarships. SPU will match these scholarships if the student(s) attend SPU.

The poster presentations will be set up in Upper Gwinn, and you are invited to view them anytime on Friday, March 13, 1:15- 3 p.m. Learn more online.

Hire a SPRINTer as a Fundraiser Work Project

This summer, SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reachout International) will send eight student teams to learn and serve alongside local leaders around the world. Hire a SPRINT student to help with yard work, cleaning projects, or other household chores. Your work project helps students raise funds for summer international service-learning and mission trips. The recommended rate is $10 per student per hour. To schedule your project, email student Maddy Petrowski at petrowskim@spu.edu. Learn more about SPRINT.

Campus Dining Special This Week

Common Grounds/Academic Perks: Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day with our March special ― an Irish Crème Grande Latte. Only $3.79. We will soon be offering new iced tea flavors.

Falcon’s Grill: Try our new Chicken Quesdilla, paired with a 21-ounce fountain drink for $6.99.

Subway: We are still offering our $6 meals, which include a select 6-inch sandwich, a 21-ounce fountain drink, and a side of chips.

Einstein’s Bagels: Iced tea and iced coffee is only $1.25 each. We are also offering a chai tea and pastry combo for only $2.99.

Faculty/Staff Bulletin Deadline

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 5. The next Bulletin will be published Monday March 9.

Pope-Levison’s Book Wins Award

Professor of Theology Priscilla Pope-Levison's book, Building the Old Time Religion: Women Evangelists in the Progressive Era (NYU Press, 2014), was awarded the Timothy L. Smith and Mildred Bangs Wynkoop Book Award by the Wesleyan Theological Society. This award recognizes a recent publication of distinction in a research area related to the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition. Each book honored is judged to have helped the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition to be better understood and/or promoted. The book was also listed among the “Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014” by Choice journal, the premier source for reviews of academic books and digital resources of interest to scholars and students in higher education.

Lease’s Article Published

An article by Instructor of Christian Scriptures J.J. Johnson Lease was recently published in the peer review Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters. Vol. 4, No.2 – Fall, 2014. The article , “Christ as Creator: Implications for Ecotheological Readings of Paul," is a study which “complements existing ecotheological scholarship by proposing 1 Corinthians 8-10 provides yet another potentially engaging and fruitful Pauline text having ecotheological implications. Because Paul is dealing with practical questions related to one’s relationship to food, community, and Christ, his directives provide a unique interplay for teaching out the ethical implications for believers with the created realm. Of special significance is that his ethical praxes are grounded on theological claims about the relationship of Christ and Creation.”

Davis Presents Paper

Reed Davis, professor of political science, presented his paper "Realism, Diplomacy, and International Transformation” at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 20. Reed also chaired the panel on Diplomacy and Global Constitutionalism.

Keuss’ Chapter Published

A chapter by Professor of Christian Ministry, Theology, and Culture Jeff Keuss has been published in the new volume Approaching Silence: New Perspectives on Shusaku Endo's Classic Novel (Bloomsbury, 2014). The chapter, "Literature as Dohansha in Silence," addresses how "dohansha" or "companionship" is utilized by Endo to challenge missionary literature coming into Japan toward a more fictional and imaginative narrative. The volume includes scholars across the disciplines as well as an afterward by Director Martin Scorsese who is currently filming a version of the novel in Japan.