Come to the annual biometric screening April 5 or 6. You can earn activity points toward your wellness incentive and $75 through the myCigna Motivate ME program. Human Resources, Cigna, and Summit Health are offering these free, confidential health and wellness screenings. On-campus sessions will be held Tuesday, April 5, 7:30-11:30 a.m. in the Library Seminar Room; and Wednesday, April 6, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Falcon Club in Brougham Pavilion. Plan on arriving 5 to 10 minutes prior to your appointment to complete some general paperwork.

Screenings will be done by highly skilled nursing staff and certified health professionals. Personal screenings will include a brief health risk questionnaire as well as tests to determine height, weight, waist circumference, cholesterol levels, glucose levels, blood pressure, and body mass index. You will need to fast from food, beverages (with the exception of water), and personal medications for at least 8 hours prior to your appointment. Make sure to bring your Cigna card with you to be able to process your $75 incentive through myCigna Motivate ME program. Contact Alie Dorsey in Human Resources at dorseya@spu.edu with any questions. Sign up online at Summit Health Appointment’s confidential website and register as a New User, regardless of whether you have used this site in the past.

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Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock, educational technologist and author of Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies, will offer a workshop for SPU faculty and staff on Thursday, March 31, 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. in the Ames Library Seminar Room. Dr. Pacansky-Brock currently serves the California State University system as a specialist in innovative pedagogies, and is a nationally respected author and speaker on how classroom environments can promote inclusivity and diversity. The workshop will explore the question, “How do culturally constructed notions of what it means to be a professor conflict with fostering inclusivity in higher education?” Participants will consider this question and explore why vulnerability is an essential characteristic for instructors to discover the human potential of blended and online learning. If you are interested in the workshop, email etm@spu.edu for registration. Registration is open to all faculty and staff. The event is sponsored by Education Technology and Media and the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development.

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Join the School of Education for a "Ways of Knowing" panel and discussion featuring Dr. Geneva Gay, an internationally known expert in multicultural education, on Friday, April 1, 9 -11 a.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Dr. Gay and several other scholars will explore and reflect on ways people know (epistemology) and how that affects us as college educators and learners.

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The Falcon Gymnastics Center is excited to announce the addition of a Parent & Tot Gymnastics program beginning in April. The Baby Birds program is for toddlers between the ages of 18 months and 3 years. All children must be accompanied by one adult. The cost is $70 for each six-week program. The sessions are Tuesdays (April 19 and 26, May 3, 10, 17 and 24) 11-11:45 a.m.; and Wednesdays (April 20 and 27, May 4, 11, 18 and 25), 9-9:45 a.m. Email cbd@spu.edu for more information.

All faculty and staff are invited to the annual Career Fair, Wednesday, April 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Encourage your students to attend, and stop by for a free headshot for your LinkedIn profile.

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On Wednesday, March 23, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will host College Planning Day, sponsored by the Washington Council. Between 350 and 400 high school students, as well as other Washington college representatives, will be on campus. Students will attend college presentations and plan their higher education options. Please look for these students and make them feel welcome. The Washington Council is organized to help all Washington students successfully access and engage in post-secondary opportunities at its member institutions.

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This summer, SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reachout International) will send six teams of SPU students to learn and serve with local leaders around the world. To support their fundraising, we invite you to hire a SPRINT student to help with yardwork, cleaning projects, or other household chores. Your work project helps these students raise funds for their summer immersion learning trips. The recommended rate is $10 per student per hour. To schedule your project and find out more information, email SPRINT Student Fundraising Coordinator Maddy Petrowski at petrowskim@spu.edu. Learn more about the summer SPRINT teams.

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A message from Alumni Relations: Since Dr. Stuart Holmes ’40 was named Seattle Pacific’s first Alumnus of the Year in 1959, the SPU Alumni Association has presented alumni awards to outstanding individuals. The recipients are honored and presented with their awards during Homecoming and Commencement weekends, and at other venues. The Alumni Board encourages faculty and staff to nominate alumni who have consistently lived out Seattle Pacific’s vision to engage the culture and change the world. You can nominate individuals in various categories including Alumnus or Alumna of the Year, GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade), or a Medallion Award. Nominate an alumnus online.

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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 24. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, March 28, 2016.

Tali Hairston, director of the John Perkins Center, was honored at the annual American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference in downtown Seattle on March 18. Tali was presented with the Stellar Practitioner Award from the ASPA Public Law and Administration section for his work as founding director of the John Perkins Center. This award recognizes an individual who has made effective and compelling contributions to the practice of public law and administration. Congratulations Tali!

Daniel Hallak, professional development specialist for the School of Business, Government, and Economics, presented a synopsis of the Gospel and Christianity at the University of Washington Muslim Student Association in February. About 300 people from different walks of faith attended.

Professor of Theology Doug Koskela delivered the Presidential Address at the 2016 annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society (WTS) on March 11 in San Diego. The address was titled “The New Birth and the Knowledge of God.” This meeting concluded his one-year term as president of WTS.

An article by Professor of Dogmatic and Constructive Theology Daniel Castelo was published in the March 2016 issue of Church Times, the leading Anglican newspaper in the world. The article, "The Geography of Biblical Studies," explores how biblical studies is largely a contextual kind of academic endeavoring and that recent developments in the field allow for more thorough explorations of the Holy Spirit with Christians in the global South.

The Office of Human Resources would like faculty and staff to join us in welcoming the following new employees to the SPU community. Contact information can be found in the SPU online White Pages.

Christian Paige, admissions counselor, University Recruitment and Admissions
Rocky Riggins, security officer, Office of Safety & Security
Daniel Vandewarker, program manager, Center for Biblical and Theological Education
Latifa Ward, security officer, Office of Safety & Security
Kalee Youngquist, communications coordinator, University Recruitment and Admissions

From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley. Several people have recently asked me the name of the whimsical plants blooming on the south side of Alexander Hall. They are Mediterranean Spurge - Euphorbia characias 'Wulfenii'

I like to think that this plant presents rather “Seussically.” appearing like it's right out of a Dr. Seuss book, with its unmistakable showy head of chartreuse-green flowers and whorled bluish-green leaves. This is a plant that sets itself apart from others in a Northwest garden. The variety "Black Pearl" is one of my favorites, I guess because of the contrasting colors of the chartreuse green flower with the burgundy colored seed head. They look absolutely stunning in large patio pots.

Euphorbia starts blooming in March and will look very presentable through May. This very drought tolerant plant is biennial, meaning it will produce leaves in its first year and then will flower in its second year. After the flower starts to dry out, the whole stock can be pruned away to make room for next years' growth. This pruning will allow the plant to look more compact as it grows through the summer.  It's also good to remove the flowering stocks before it sheds its seeds everywhere.

As a caution, Euphorbia's produce a toxic white milky sap called latex, which is a skin and eye irritant and toxic if eaten. If it comes in contact with the skin it should be thoroughly washed off with water.

The family Euphorbiaceae is one of the largest of the plant families and includes thousands of plants from all around the world. One of the most popular is the poinsettia we enjoy at Christmas time. Select the link for more images of Euphorbia on campus.

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