The Office of Inclusive Excellence invites you to join us Thursday, April 15, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. for Diversity 101: Exploring the What, Why, and How of Diversity at SPU. Learn more and sign up here.

The SPU Fulbright Advisory Committee is starting to recruit rising seniors and alumni to apply for the 2022–23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The highly competitive program operates in more than 160 countries and gives students the opportunity either to teach English, conduct research, or study in another country for a year. If you know a student who would be the perfect candidate for the program, follow the link to recommend them today.

From now through Monday, April 12, faculty and staff will receive two bonus meals if they purchase a Faculty Staff Block 10 Meal Plan. That’s 12 meals for $87 (or $7.25 per meal)! (Limit one per person.) You can use the plan in Gwinn anytime during 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). 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. Questions? Call Housing and Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or email mealplan@spu.edu.

The Office of Inclusive Excellence offers diversity seed grants up to $1,500 to support departmentwide initiatives that advance one or more of the University’s strategic diversity goals. Seed grants are awarded quarterly, with the spring application cycle opening April 3 and closing May 16. Learn more and apply here, and contact OIEX at vpoie@spu.edu with any questions.

Next week is Giving Day! On April 7, join us to raise support for the SPU causes you love. With 17 unique causes from around the university seeking support, it’s easy to pick your passion and make a gift.

Looking for more ways to get involved? Gear up for Giving Day by sharing a photo on Instagram or Twitter in your best SPU swag, and make sure to tag #SPUfalconsgive for your chance to win prizes! (Facebook users can follow the SPU Facebook page for information on how to enter.)

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 to your 403b account may take up to seven days to be provided to SPU for processing, so please contract Transamerica by the first of the month prior to your requested change. 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 Cherylin Shdo in HR at 206-281-2816.

All faculty and staff who come to campus must complete an online self-screening to attest that they meet certain criteria for being on campus (e.g., not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms). SPU has developed a campuswide tool through Banner (login into Banner and select Personal Menu) to report a daily COVID-19 self-attestation for faculty and staff working on campus (including Camp Casey and Blakely Island). A link to the self-attestation form is also available on the Stay Smart website, which is now highlighted in the top banner on the SPU homepage.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, April 5, and the deadline is Thursday, April 1. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

Jenny Elsey will be the new assistant provost for experiential learning and student success beginning July 1, 2021. In this new role, Jenny will oversee the Experiential Learning and Student Success (ELSS) departments with Student Life, including the Center for Career and Calling, Center for Learning, Global Engagement (International Student Services and Study Abroad), Academic Counseling, and Retention and Completion Initiatives.

Jenny joins SPU from George Fox University, where she serves as dean of student success and equity. She brings with her 18 years of experience in Christian higher education. Previously, she was associate dean of intercultural life at George Fox and held positions at Azusa Pacific University and Life Pacific College. 

In a recent video to the ELSS staff, she expressed her excitement to join the SPU community to engage together in leading, data-driven best practices for increased access and equity for our students. Jenny and her family will move from Oregon to the Seattle area in early summer. Please join us in welcoming her to campus on July 1.

Two articles by Vicki Aaberg, associate professor of nursing, have been published in the past month as part of an international group of research in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. “Sexual Competence in Higher Education: Global Perspective in a Multicentric Project in the Nursing Degree" was published in Nursing Education and Health Promotion, and “Sexuality Attitudes and Beliefs Survey: Validation of the instrument for the Spanish Population,” was published in Healthcare’s special issue on sexual and gender diversity in health care provision.

Nalline Baliram, assistant professor of teacher education, and Robin Henrikson, assistant professor of education, gave a presentation titled, “Evaluation of Student Engagement in Online Learning Courses,” at the Northwest Council for Computer Education conference on March 20, 2021.

An article by Jeff Jordan, vice provost for student formation and community engagement, titled “Let Your Light Shine,” was published in the spring 2021 issue of Leadership Exchange: Solutions for Student Affairs Management, the publication of NASPA. The article focused on six key principles in student affairs leadership to remember during this unprecedented time of COVID-19.

A book by Pete Renn, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, and Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady, adjunct education professor, was awarded an honorable mention for the 2021 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award. The book is titled Nurture, Care, Respect, and Trust Transformative Pedagogy Inspired by Janusz Korczak. The awards ceremony will be held at upcoming meeting of the Society of Professors of Education.

Humanities Washington has named Bill Woodward, professor emeritus of history, to its statewide speakers bureau for 2021–23. Bill’s designated talk is titled “Recovery or Retreat? Lessons from the Postwar Post-Pandemic 1920s.” It examines transformations in the American economy and society in the aftermath of World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, violent street protest, social reform movements, and technological innovation — all of which reveal remarkable parallels with our own time. He then invites discussion of the question of what might be expected in "our Twenties.” This will be the ninth such tour for which Bill has been selected since the 1980s.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming these new SPU staff members:

• Emily Clement, graduate enrollment counselor, communications specialist, University Communications
• Anna Segovia Monjaras, custodian, Facility and Project Management
• Jason Thornberry, receptionist, School of Education

Human Resources would like to congratulate David Haslam on his new staff appointment as facilities services manager, Facility and Project Management.

Peter Moe, assistant professor of English and director of campus writing, had his book, Touching This Leviathan, highlighted by the Seattle Met in “3 New Books for Your Seattle Spring Reading.”

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: On February 28, 2006, John Perkins gave the very first lecture in the series named for him. He spoke about "the power of reconciling leadership in the wake of tragedy" in the First Free Methodist Church sanctuary. Other talks in this 15-year-old lecture series can be heard online at Digital Commons @ SPU.