As we approach Easter this year, I want to share this brief video with you.

My prayer is that all of us encounter the risen Christ. In the words of the psalmist: “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.” (Psalm 25:4–5 NRSV)

SPU is a community of active, living Christian faith expressed in diverse and meaningful ways throughout our campus, in Seattle, and beyond. My prayer for the whole of SPU is that this Easter would be a season of renewal and hope for you and your loved ones.

May God abundantly bless you and our University this Easter season.

The Faculty Life Office is pleased to invite you to the spring Winifred E. Weter Lecture on Tuesday, April 12, at 7p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons. Join us as Michael Paulus Jr., dean of the library, assistant provost for educational technology, and associate professor of information studies, presents his topic — “Artificial Intelligence and the Apocalyptic Imagination: The Ends of Artificial Agency.” Entry is free, and refreshments will be provided.

Join us for the 16th annual Social Venture Plan Competition Showcase Wednesday, April 13, 2–6 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Hosted by the Center for Applied Learning and the School of Business, Government, and Economics, the SVPC invites you to come engage with entrepreneurial projects presented by innovative students passionate about addressing social issues through sustainable business models, and vote for the People’s Choice Award!

You are invited to “No Limits, No Boundaries” on Monday, April 11, 5:30–7 p.m., in Nickerson Studios, a biannual event presented by SPU’s Disability Support Services. Jason Thornberry, School of Education receptionist and adjunct professor, will read from his poetry and nonfiction. Light refreshments will be provided. Jason’s work has appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, North Dakota Quarterly, Soundings East, Broadkill Review, Sledgehammer Lit, and elsewhere.

The 2022 Celebration of Service on Thursday, April 28, honors faculty and staff members with milestone years (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40) of dedicated employment. The event will be held in Brougham Pavilion at 11:10 a.m. for an in-person celebration. Come support your colleagues and express your appreciation for their committed service. The Staff Members of the Year and Undergraduate and Graduate Faculty of the Year will be announced. Following the event, light snacks will be available. All offices will be closed so faculty and staff members can attend.

The Student Counseling Center is offering a series of Wednesday virtual workshops, 3:30–5 p.m. for students to provide them with tools and perspectives that will support their mental health amidst difficulty. Three unique workshops — Mindfulness and Acceptance; Thoughts and Mood Management; and Coping and Calm — will be repeated multiple times during the quarter. Students can drop in any Wednesday that works for them by logging on to Engage and finding the events.

Networking luncheons for faculty and staff of color are hosted to provide a point of connection with OIEX and as an opportunity to network with colleagues across campus. The next luncheon will be Friday, April 22, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion, Hendricks Falcon Club. Please register online by Monday, April 18.

The Center for Learning needs your help inviting promising candidates to apply for the peer academic coach (PAC) program supporting first-year students in the residence halls and across campus. PACs will help create positive, inclusive academic communities and promote time management and study-skill strategies, as well as highlight campus resources. We hope to interview a diverse group of rising sophomores to seniors with outstanding academic and interpersonal skills. Send recommendations to cfl@spu.edu, and we will let the student(s) know they have been recommended and encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 22, 2022.

Andy Ekblad ’84 is the founder and director of Beautiful Gate Ministries and provides training to pastors and leaders in developing nations, principally in Africa. He received much of his training in The School of Life, raising a profoundly disabled daughter until her death in 2013 and serving as a pastor for 30 years. Hear more about his story on the latest episode of the SPU Voices Podcast.

Interested in learning how poetry can inspire healing among youth who have experienced trauma? Join Pongo Poetry Project’s presentation at SPU, Tuesday, April 19, 11 a.m.–12 p.m., Demaray Hall 150. Please invite your classes to this event, which focuses on options for vocational training for students who want to work with kids in Seattle. This Pongo program and its training focuses especially on kids in our mass incarceration system. If you have any questions or would like more information, email Rachel Johnson, administrative assistant for humanities, at johnsonr10@spu.edu, or Kimberly Segall, professor of English, at segalk@spu.edu.

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to a gathering on Thursday, April 21, in Demaray 150, to hear from a family who has recently crossed from Afghanistan to Seattle. This event is sponsored by Social Justice and Cultural Studies. If you have any questions or would like more information, email Rachel Johnson, administrative assistant for humanities, at johnsonr10@spu.edu, or Kimberly Segall, professor of English, at segalk@spu.edu.

Check out the School of Education’s March 2022 On Point e-newsletter for alumni success stories, faculty publications, and educational resources, including recent EdTalks and “10 Myths About Seeking Counseling” with Jordan Shannon, assistant professor of counselor education.

Sign up for In Context, a discussion series on racism and capitalism run through Catalyst, a leadership team working with the Associated Students of Seattle Pacific (ASSP) vice president for intercultural affairs to address the issues of race, ethnicity, and justice through discussions, collaborative programming, and support of campus events. Their goal is to equip SPU community members to work toward a better world by thinking critically about systems of exploitation. All SPU students, staff, and faculty are welcome! This quarter we will be meeting consecutively from weeks 4 to 9 on Mondays from 4:30–6 p.m. The specific dates are April 18, April 25, May 2, May 9, and May 16. Register here and contact Patti Fong with Catalyst at fongp@spu.edu if you have questions.

The 16th Annual John Perkins Lecture Series welcomes the CCDA Pacific Northwest Regional Conference, “Imagine CCDA,” to campus on Tuesday, April 26. At 11 a.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons, Dr. Joyce del Rosario will speak, and the evening plenary at 6:30 p.m. in Upper Gwinn welcomes Lenore Three Stars. The CCDA, a national organization co-founded by Dr. John Perkins, is a network of Christians committed to seeing people and communities holistically restored. The morning plenary and evening plenary sessions are free and open to the campus community. The full conference is also open to the public at a cost of $49 per person, which includes workshops and lunch. You can find more information and register for the full conference online.

Upcoming lunch and dinner specials in Gwinn Commons.

• Tuesday, April 12: Grilled Cheese Day. Grilled cheese bar at lunch.
• Friday, April 15: Good Friday — Seafood Pop Up. For an extra swipe, enjoy the Seafood Bar at dinner.
• Easter Sunday, April 17: Easter brunch
• Friday, April 22: Earth Day — Weigh the waste at lunch so we can promote how much we are wasting.
• Tuesday, April 26: Pretzel Day — Hot pretzels and cheese at lunch.
• Wednesday, April 27: Baked potato bar — Baked potato bar at lunch.
• Thursday, April 28: Pay It Forward — PB&J Drive at lunch with a sandwich station for students to make sandwiches to donate to charity.
• Friday, April 29: Pasta Bar at dinner

Upcoming specials in SPU’s retail locations.

• Wednesday, April 13: Subway: $6 Footlong Meatball — Also Win it Wednesday on Instagram.
• Sunday, April 17: Easter Special C-Store — Strawberries and Devour Chocolate Dip for $12.99.
• Monday, April 25–Friday, April 29: Common Grounds and Academic Perks offer half-off pastries during their last hour.

The Office of Inclusive Excellence invites you to join us Thursday, April 14, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. for Diversity 101: Exploring the What, Why, and How of Diversity at SPU. This workshop is required of all new employees. Learn more and register here.

University Communications needs help identifying outstanding students from this year’s graduating class. This request is for undergraduate and graduate students. These students and their achievements will be pitched to media outlets prior to Commencement, as well as used for promotional purposes. Please send the name(s) of the students and a short description about why you are recommending them. Examples would be students who overcame obstacles to graduate, were involved in community service projects, participated in innovative research, started a new venture, took a class that changed their career direction, or did something really interesting. Basically, anything that would make a good story! We will follow up with the student and get permission to use their profile. Send information by email to Director of Public Information Tracy Norlen at tcnorlen@spu.edu.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, April 14, and the next issue will be published Monday, April 18. 

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.

Cara Wall-Scheffler, professor of biology, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work in the Anthropology Department at Charles University in Prague during the 2022-23 academic year. She will be expanding her research on human locomotion with Charles University colleague Dr. Martin Hora. Congratulations!

Becky Hughes, associate professor of history, presented the paper, “St. John’s Community Centre and the Future of Kenya: Urban Missions in Colonial Nairobi, c. 1956–64” at the Faith and History Conference at Baylor University on April 1, 2022.

Alison Stigora, assistant professor of art, was recently one of 15 international artists invited to exhibit at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, a historic French castle focusing on contemporary art. For this commission, Stigora created a new large-scale sculpture, titled "Flux," responding to the history and landscape of that region. Select the link to see the sculpture.

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Alberto Ferreiro, professor of European history gave the talk “Commandments of God” on April 3 for the group in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Bothell, Washington. This was the last of the five scheduled talks for this cycle. The talk stressed the continuity of the Ten Commandments with the Beatitudes. There was much discussion of the challenges we face in trying to live these out.

Jason Thornberry, receptionist for the School of Education and adjunct professor, recently had his short story, “The Cake Eater,” published in Broadkill Review. Jason’s work has appeared in OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, The Los Angeles Review of Books, TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics, and elsewhere.

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

• Tommy French, security officer I, Safety and Security
• Breana Jacobs, office manager/administrative assistant, Facility and Project Management
• Samantha Parks, customer service specialist, Casey Conference Center
• Xanasha Rose, certification officer, School of Education