A message from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing: We have received very positive responses to the first of our two April Admitted Student Preview events, and anticipate hosting 250 families on our campus for the first event on April 4–5. This special event is a key strategy in our new student enrollment efforts. As the name implies, it's just for admitted students, and includes an overnight stay in the residence halls, campus tours, and Seattle adventures. Parents are also invited to their own events to learn more about life at SPU.

We want our guests to have a great experience, and finding parking is an important start. We are asking for your help as we reserve a significant portion of the Dravus Parking Lot for students and their families attending Admitted Student Preview on Thursday and Friday, April 4-5. (We will make a similar request for the following week, April 11-12, for the second Admitted Student Preview.)

Here’s how you can help:

• Take mass transit and leave your car at home, if you can.
• Consider carpooling to campus, if you don’t already.
• If you are driving and parking, fill up all other SPU parking lots; parking permits won’t be required these two days.
• Use streets east of 7th Avenue West to help us maintain good neighbor relations if you need to park in the neighborhood.
• Avoid parking in the First Free Methodist Church parking lot, as they need those spaces for events at the church.

Thank you in advance for helping us accommodate our guests for one of the biggest campus events this year.

Thank you for your feedback and submitted questions for the upcoming forum with President Martin regarding the announced provost change. The forum is Wednesday, March 27, 10–10:50 a.m., Otto Miller Hall 109. 

From your feedback, we are aware that some staff will be unable to attend. Because we are unable to select a different date and time, we wanted to make sure all staff had the opportunity to contribute to the forum’s content in advance, and that the information presented at the forum is made available to all staff after the event. Staff Council will send the link to the posted content as soon as it is uploaded.

Interbay Safe Harbor Village is a self-managed community of approximately 55 individuals living in "tiny houses," offering spaces for people experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives. As part of SPU's Homelessness Initiative, faculty and staff are encouraged to take part in "Falcons United" work days at the village, March 29–30. You can sign up for specific jobs in carpentry, landscaping, painting, or volunteer in a "general" category. Tools will be provided (but you can bring your own). Water, snacks, and a hot lunch will also be provided. Please consider participating this coming weekend, and spread the word to your office area, churches, and communities as well. You can sign up online. 

Friday, March 29

Saturday, March 30

Also in Spring Quarter, the Engineering Department and SPU's Homelessness Initiative (along with funding from the Institute for Academic Innovation Grant) will organize construction of a tiny house on the weekend of May 18. More information will be coming soon. If you have any questions about the Interbay Safe Harbor Village project, contact Niki Amarantides, co-chair of the Homelessness Initiative, at nikia@spu.edu. 

From International Student Services: Faculty and staff are invited to an International Student Culture Share on Wednesday, April 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the SUB Gazebo. Several of our international students will share presentations about their stories and home countries. Snacks that represent the home countries of many of our international students will also be available as long as they last! This event was rescheduled due to snow. Please mark your calendars and stop by!

Faculty and staff are invited to attend the First Fridays Colloquium series presented by the Social Justice and Cultural Studies major. The next two events are April 5–6. For more information, email Professor of English Kimberly Segall at segalk@spu.edu.

Beyond the Veil: Panel of American Muslim Women
3–4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 5
Otto Miller Hall, Room 109

Aneelah Afzali, executive director of MAPS-AMEN (American Muslim Empowerment Network), will join a panel discussion with a diverse group of American Muslim women. 

Mosque Visit: American Muslim Women Speak Out
12–3 p.m. 
Saturday, April 6
17550 NE 67th Ct, Redmond. 

RSVP to Professor of English Kimberly Segall at segalk@spu.edu to participate.

Bloodworks Northwest will host a blood drive on campus April 4–5, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. near the entrance of Tiffany Loop. Schedule an appointment online.

Summer reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at the Camp Casey Conference Center for full-time faculty and staff. The dates of stay are June 10 through September 30, 2019.

Summer awards are based on years of service to SPU and past summer stays at Casey. Employees are ranked by their years of service as verified by Human Resources. Once the ranking is developed, the past summer stay history is cross checked. If you have stayed at Casey during the summer, your ranking is replaced with the years it has been since your stay at Casey. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604. Online reservation requests are due by April 1, 2019.

A message from Campus Dining Services: Faculty and staff will receive two bonus meals if they purchase a Faculty/Staff Block 10 Meal Plan by Friday, April 5. That’s 12 meals for $82 (or $6.83 per meal)! (Limit one per person.) You can use the plan in Gwinn any time during Gwinn’s service hours. Or you can use it to purchase Simply to Go meals at the Corner Place Market, Academic Perks (SUB), or Common Grounds (Weter Hall). Meals can be used for guests, too. Plans can be purchased through Banner. Meal balances roll from quarter to quarter as long as you are employed at the University. If you have questions, contact Housing & Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or mealplan@spu.edu.

Diversity 101 @SPU
Thursday, April 4, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in room 117 of the new School of Health Sciences building (6 Nickerson).

What do we mean by “diversity” at SPU and why does it even matter? With a focus on building individual and institutional capacity, this training provides a shared language and framework for SPU employees to move forward productively in the work of diversity. Registration is open to all, while priority will be given to new employees. Lunch will be provided for those who sign up by Thursday, March 28. Register using Skillsoft.

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. Online nominations are due by March 29, 2019, and can be found on the University Ministries Student Leaders web page.

Each spring, two staff members are nominated by their peers and selected by Staff Council to receive the Oral V. Hemry Non-Exempt Staff Member and Exempt Staff Member of the Year awards. Criteria for these awards include living out their Christian faith at SPU; demonstration of competence, skill, and initiative in their role; connection with colleagues and modeling grace-filled community in the workplace; and demonstration of leadership. Nominations are open through Tuesday, April 9. Nominate a colleague today.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2, to have stationery orders delivered Monday, April 15. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on April 2 will be delivered in May. 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 28. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, April 1.

From the Office of the Provost: We have a large number of faculty retirements at the end of this academic year, and we look forward to celebrating each colleague and their accomplishments. In the coming weeks, we will share with you a video tribute and emeritus resolution for each of our retiring faculty colleagues. Here are tributes to three much-beloved faculty members, and we hope you will enjoy watching and reading more about them. Please join us in celebrating:

Dan Hess, professor of finance, for 42 years of service.

• Hess video tribute; Emeritus Resolution

Joanna Poznanska, professor of international business, for 31 years of service.

• Poznanska video tribute; Emerita Resolution

Doug Thorpe, professor of English, for 31 years of service.

• Thorpe video tribute; Emeritus Resolution

We will miss these dear colleagues, and we wish them God’s richest blessings as they enter the next chapter of their lives!

In recognition of his service to the SPU community, Johnny Faddis, security officer in the Office of Safety and Security, was nominated by his peers and selected by Staff Council as the March Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations, and thank you, Johnny! Learn more about Johnny, and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website!

David Denton, associate professor of education, and Jill Heiney-Smith, assistant professor of teacher education and director of Graduate Teacher Education, recently had their article, “Characteristics of an effective development program for mentors of preservice teachers,” published in Educational Studies.

Peter Moe, assistant professor of English, recently gave a presentation at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conference was part of a panel honoring the career and retirement of David Bartholomae, the leading figure in composition and rhetoric.

Alberto Ferreiro, professor of history, presented an invited paper, “Vos estis sal terre: Saint Dominic in a Catalán Sermon of Sant Vicent Ferrer,” at the Congreso Internacional XVIII Simposio de Teología Histórica in early March. The conference, celebrating the 600th anniversary of the death of Vicent Ferrer (1350–1419), was titled "Saint Vicent Ferrer, Messenger of the Gospel, Yesterday and Today." It was sponsored by the theology faculty of the Major Seminary in Valencia, Spain. The papers will be peer reviewed and published by the Seminary Press.

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of Global Development Studies, has been appointed as editor of the newly established Journal of Greater Mekong Studies, which examines development, security, and environmental issues confronting the region. While in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, over Spring Break, Brad also gave a series of lectures on research methodology to students in the Young Fellows Program at Future Forum, and held meetings with U.S. embassy officials about Chinese policy in Southeast Asia.