The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is excited to host “SPU Comes to You” Week, April 20–25. SPU Comes to You (or SPUCY) is a series of virtual experiences designed for admitted students (and their parents) to highlight all that SPU has to offer. SPUCY takes the place of what would have been two Admitted Student Preview in-person events. Students can choose from a number of academic and co-curricular webinars, student panels, and admitted student hang-out sessions. Check out the SPUCY webpage for all the offerings. The Admissions team would like to thank all of the faculty, staff, administrators, and students who have pre-recorded sessions or who are leading live webinar presentations. We are grateful for your partnership and support in helping to yield our next class of amazing SPU students. The time between now and May 1 is a critical one. Please pray that we receive a number of commitments (via enrollment deposits) over the next few weeks!

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers diversity seed grants up to $1,500 to support department-wide initiatives that advance one or more of the University’s strategic diversity goals. Seed grants are awarded quarterly, with the spring application cycle closing Friday, May 1. Apply for a seed grant here, and contact us with any questions!

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, University Communications will highlight stories of SPU community members involved in sustainability and conservation efforts, as well as previous articles on Blakely Island and the Sea Lab at Camp Casey. Look for these stories in the SPU social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram), along with a chance to promote a favorite nonprofit working on sustainability.

A message from Shelly Ngo, editor of Response and SPU Stories. Do you have a good news story to share during this COVID-19 pandemic? It might be a story of how a student has creatively managed the remote learning environment or helped another student during these stressful times. Maybe you have a story of how you have responded to someone's need or how someone has helped you. We would love to share some interesting, good news stories on social media, on our website, and possibly in our magazine. Please send your stories to me at sngo@spu.edu.

The annual Social Venture Plan Competition Showcase takes place online on Wednesday, April 22. Students, friends, family, and SPU faculty/staff can view student teams pitch social ventures via video at spu.edu/SVPCShowcase2020. Vote for the People’s Choice award and enter to receive virtual door prizes. Join us for a livestream at 6:30 p.m., when School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean Ross Stewart will announce winning teams and award $15,000 in cash prizes.

SPU’s Mentor Program continues to serve students year-round, locally, across the U.S., and internationally. Learn more about the program, the different tracks, and how students can apply today. If you have questions, contact Kate Barker, program coordinator in the Center for Applied Learning, at kbarker@spu.edu.

The Center for Career and Calling; Alumni, Parent, and Family Relations; and the Communication Department have partnered on a new Switchboard campaign for communication alumni and students. Ask Me Anything: Communication is a chance for alumni and students to connect, share advice, ask questions, and be a resource for one another. You can join, too. Post encouragement, advice, or expertise, and connect students to people you know, or offer a quick chat. See what alumni and community members have posted!

A message from the Athletic Department: This year in Falcon athletics can be described in many ways: unprecedented, record-breaking, remarkable, heart wrenching, and ultimately, hopeful. With so much uncertainty surrounding us, we invite you to take a moment to enjoy this year’s 2020 Year in Review, showcasing a number of incredible and hopeful moments that you helped us achieve. Thank you! We could not do it without your support!

The Office of Student Life launched a new, weekly newsletter for undergraduate students called The Falcon Flyer. The newsletter highlights the many ways students can connect with Student Life, Athletics, and Ministries for community, services, and inspiration. If you have an item of interest to undergraduate students, contact studentlife@spu.edu.

The John Perkins Center is inviting campus to reflect on spaces where they find hope in community during this present season. The next Chapel on April 21 will focus on developing a lens to see hope in action within our communities. The JPC team is inviting campus to create a presence on social media, highlighting “hope in action” from your communities. Look for #JPCHopeinAction this spring. Join the live Chapel worship on Tuesday, April 21, at 11:10 a.m. 

The Spring Quarter hours for Mailing and Copying Services will be 8 a.m.–4 p.m.. These hours of operation will be reevaluated, and may change as needed.

In the latest Voices Podcast, take a break from the news and walk down memory lane with couples Kyle Brown '15 and Erin Barber Brown ’15, and Amanda Heath Stubbert ’95 and Corbett Stubbert ’97, as they share beloved memories of their time at Seattle Pacific University.

From University Ministries: We would like to invite you to join us in praying for our undergraduate students by name and sending them a personalized email during the next few weeks. We want to let them know we are praying for them and are here to encourage and support them. We will provide a template that you can personalize. The UMin team is currently writing 2,200 emails and we would love a little help covering 300 more. Please click here to sign up to pray and email a student. Thank you!

As we move through this season of social distancing, University Ministries is continuing to find ways to bring our community together. Staff and faculty are invited to join one of two small groups specifically targeted for them, both led by Minister of Discipleship Deb Nondorf. Sign-up here at any point in the quarter.

• Spiritual Rhythms for Disruptive Seasons: Friday, 12–1 p.m. 
• Enneagram and Spiritual Practices: Monday 12–1 p.m.. (This is a continuing group from Winter Quarter, and open to those who already know their number.)

Read how the School of Education is meeting the latest challenges, using what SOE Dean Nyaradzo Mvududu calls “strategic agility.” You’ll find creative approaches, alumni achievements, practical advice, and more in the latest issue of the On Point e-newsletter.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, April 27. The deadline is Thursday, April 23. 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.

Kristine Gritter, professor of curriculum and instruction, has been added to the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a tenure of three years. The Fulbright Specialist Program, which includes a very competitive selection process, is part of the larger Fulbright Program. It pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad to share their expertise and strengthen institutional linkages. Congratulations!

Gene Lemcio, professor emeritus of New Testament, has written “Daniel as an ‘Historical’ Sign of the Eschatological Ancient of Days and Most High God? Reading Bel et Draco in Eschatological Contexts: Apocalyptic, Prophetic, and Sapiential.” It appears in Orthodoxy and Orthopraxis. Pickwick Publications [Wipf and Stock], 2020. Pages 101–108. Gene also continues bimonthly preaching at Ascension Episcopal Church in Magnolia, most recently on Maundy Thursday.

The National Book Club for Kids, started by Kristine Gritter, professor of curriculum and instruction, and Michigan colleague, Deb Van Duinen, was recently featured in the Holland Sentinel. The article, “Virtual book club helps keep kids engaged in reading,” noted that this virtual book club brings in authors to talk and answer from the fourth- through sixth-grader participants before breaking up into smaller groups. By the second meeting, over 250 kids had signed up from across the country. The small groups’ languages include English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

Amy Mezulis, professor and chair of clinical psychology, was interviewed by The Seattle Times for an article titled "Technology’s had us ‘social distancing’ for years. Can our digital ‘lifeline’ get us through the coronavirus pandemic"? The article was published online April 16.

Albert Erisman, emeritus executive in residence, was interviewed by KIRO-TV about "essential work" during the current pandemic. During the interview he says, "And my hope is what will come out of this is we will carry that on and recognize the value and importance of everybody's work." Watch the news story online.