Rob Wall, Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, will give this year’s Walls Lecture on Tuesday May 2, 7 p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons. Building on Howard Snyder’s historical book on Seattle Pacific’s founding, which notes the University’s “missionary impulse,” this year’s lecture narrates a story that plots the purposeful pairing of Scripture’s instruction with this missional taproot. Rob will explain a Wesleyan missional hermeneutics of Scripture cued by Jesus’s Great Commission (Luke 24:44–49), and John Wesley’s sermon “The General Spread of the Gospel,” followed by a curated history of Scripture at SPU. Doug Strong, dean of the School of Theology and Seminary, will be the respondent. The presentation is free, open to the public, and wheelchair accessible. No registration necessary. More information can be found online.

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In celebration of Seattle Pacific University’s 125 anniversary, the SPU keyboard faculty will present an evening of musical masterpieces on Wednesday, May 3, featuring music written during and around the year 1891. Featured performers will include Myrna Capp, Dan Kramlich, Leslie Martin, Yuliya Minina, Robert Swan, Asta Vaicekonis, and Dainius Vaicekonis. The concert will be held in Nickerson Studios beginning at 7:30 p.m.

In conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, Campus Ministries invites you to join an “SPU Day of Prayer” on Thursday, May 4. The campus community is invited to gather for worship and prayer 12–1 p.m. in Emerson Hall main floor lobby. Music begins at 12 p.m., with the formal program and prayer starting at 12:30 p.m. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to stop in as you can. Beyond this service, we would invite faculty and staff to take time for prayer throughout this day in their classrooms, or with departments and teams.

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The Library’s next Creative Conversations event features 2017 Image Milton Fellow Isaac Anderson on the topic, "The We of Me: Writing the Relations That Define Us." Issac will talk about ways in which writing essays can profoundly change how we conceive of ourselves and others. The event is Thursday, May 4, 3-3:50 p.m. in the Ames Library reading room. Light snacks will be provided.

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A message from Human Resources: Open enrollment begins May 1 through May 19 this year, and where there’s open enrollment, there’s the Human Resources annual Benefits Fair. The HR staff looks forward to having you join us on Tuesday, May 2, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn for the Benefits Fair. Please take a few moments to come by and say hello, stroll around the fair, and enjoy some snacks with a friend. This will be an excellent opportunity to run some numbers with our dedicated Cigna team, as well as discuss any questions or concerns you may have. Presentations will be given about our medical plans, wellness plans, value-added programs, and more. Representatives from BAC (administrator for our health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts), Delta Dental, VSP (our vision plan), and many more will also be present.  These representatives provide information, answer questions, and bring giveaways. Don’t forget the prizes! We look forward to seeing you there. Reminder: Pay careful attention to all communications from HR, particularly during this open enrollment season.

Enjoy a great soccer contest between the MLS Cup Champion Seattle Sounders FC and runner-up Toronto FC at CenturyLink on Saturday, May 6, at 12 p.m. Tickets are $25 and the seats are in the Hawk’s Nest. Tickets can be picked up at the Uni-Com desk. If you have questions, contact Amanda Stubbert in Alumni and Parent Relations at amandas@spu.edu or 206-281-2587. 

GiveBIG is a 24-hour fundraising event made possible by the Seattle Foundation. This year, an SPU donor has provided our largest matching gift ever! One hundred percent of donations will be matched, up to $75,000 (all match dollars will go to the University Fund). You can schedule your gift TODAY online. We hope you’ll consider giving $125 in honor of SPU’s 125 anniversary. Your gift of any amount makes a difference!

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Faculty and staff are invited to celebrate Cinco do Mayo with the Spanish Conversation Table group on Friday, May 5, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. in Marston Hall, room 254. The table meets weekly and is open to anyone who wants to speak with others in Spanish. If you have questions, email adjunct faculty member Vilma Illanes at villanes@spu.edu.

Switchboard is a new online tool that allows you to connect with the SPU community, a network of over 45,000 faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and friends. It’s a great, trusted network to refer students looking to crowdsource advice, find jobs or internships, connect with professionals for informational interviews, and much more. You can also use it personally to ask for what you need or offer what you have, whether that's subletting your home, offering career advice or services, hiring a nanny, or posting a job offer, among many other things. It takes less than a minute to register and join the hundreds of Falcons already signed up. 

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Through May 12, you will receive two free meals if you purchase a Faculty Staff Block 10 Meal Plan. That’s 12 meals for $77 ($6.42 per meal)! (Limit one per person.) You can use the plan in Gwinn any time during their 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. If you have questions, contact Housing and Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or email housing@spu.edu.

The work of graduating art students in illustration and new pictures will be featured in the Art Center Gallery beginning Tuesday, May 2, through Friday, May 19. The exhibit will feature works by Kyle Beavers, Ali Beeson, Lauren Campbell, Rebecca Morris, Katie Mullen, and Suzi Spooner. The gallery is located at 3 West Cremona. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

From the Wellness Initiative: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Many college students are impacted by mental illness. Unfortunately, there is a lot of stigma against mental illness, which deters many students from seeking treatment. As faculty and staff, there are ways that you can combat stigma against mental health! To learn more, visit the Wellness blog.

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A message from Dr. Matt Whitehead, superintendent, Free Methodist Church ꟷ Pacific Northwest Conference, and tour host: We’d like to invite you to join us for the trip of a lifetime. Come experience where Jesus walked, as well as encourage those who live there today and walk with Jesus. The trip is scheduled for January 29-February 10, 2018. The all-inclusive price includes roundtrip coach airfare from Seattle, four-star hotels in each location, meals, all tips and site entrance fees, and more. There is limited space available. If interested, we encourage you to visit our website for information on the cost, itinerary, FAQs, and a link to a sign-up form. Our tour logistics coordinators are Cathy Tastad and Dean Kato. We'd love to have you join us on this journey! 

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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 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.

As you begin to hire students for summer employment, please remember that on-campus summer housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please advise your student employees to complete an application in the Housing portal by Friday, May 5, if they are hoping to live on campus during the summer. If you have any questions, contact University Services at 206-281-2188 or housing@spu.edu.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2, to have stationery order(s) delivered on May 12. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on May 2 will be delivered June 16. To see deadlines and delivery dates for the remainder of the fiscal year, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

A message from Campus Dining: Enter to win a $300 airline voucher by taking a quick Dining Services Survey. Take the survey online by May 3.  

Monday, May 1
The Cinco de Mayo countdown begins! Today, receive 50 percent off Jarritos Soda at Cocina Del Sol.
Happy National Poutine Day! Enjoy warm fries topped with gravy in Gwinn during lunch service

Tuesday, May 2
It's Day 2 and Taco Tuesday of Cinco de Mayo Week at Cocina Del Sol . Enjoy a taco for only $1.99. 

Wednesday, May 3
Enjoy 10 percent off a burrito at Cocina Del Sol.  

Thursday, May 4
Enjoy 20 percent off a bowl at Cocina Del Sol.

Friday, Cinco de Mayo 
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Celebrate at Cocina Del Sol where all entrees are $5, or join us in Gwinn during dinner service for a Cinco De Mayo feast!

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, May 4. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, May 8.

Katya Drozdova, associate professor of political science, has been selected to participate in Cyber Endeavour 2017 at Carnegie Mellon University, June 20-22. She will present a research paper and participate in a panel discussion. Cyber Endeavour is an annual conference that brings together scholars and practitioners from across government, industry, and academia to address the nexus of cyberspace and national security. This year's theme is deterrence in and through cyberspace, including threats, concepts, and solutions. 

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Faculty and students in industrial and organizational psychology (IOP) recently gave presentations at the annual Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Dana Kendall, assistant professor in IOP, and Robert McKenna, associate professor and chair of IOP, along with IOP doctoral students Heather Kohlman Olsen, Reetu Sandhu, and Keith Price, presented research on networking titled "Swipe Right: Building Purposeful Strategic Networks." Rob, along with doctoral student, McKendree Hickory, presented research on leadership titled "Making Leaders Great Again." Paul Yost, associate professor of IOP, along with business researchers and professionals, gave a presentation titled "Innovations in Leadership Development: Up, Down and All Around." Paul and doctoral students Amy Nagley, Teanna Blees, Matthew Magill, and Hilary Roche, gave a presentation titled "Work-Life Framing: A Mixed Method Approach."

Jarrett Mentink, assistant professor in health and human performance, is giving a series of anti-bullying talks to local schools with the support of the Seattle Mariners and Comcast. Jarrett began addressing bullying through writing children’s stories and books, highlighting professional Seattle athletes, including Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez. Each book supports a charitable cause, and he has donated thousands of books to schools and during Major League Baseball events, such as the Miguel Cabrera (Detriot Tigers), and Mother’s Day giveaways. Last week, Jarrett began his anti-bullying talks and author visits at Rainier View Elementary, and he is scheduled to visit West Seattle, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Roxhill elementary schools.

The newest entry on the Homeroom podcast features Professor of Education Bill Nagy. The Center for Professional Education's Homeroom podcast features discussions about educators, with educators. Several of the published interviews are with professors who teach in universities around the nation.

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The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome Karen Eisenhut, assistant director in the Study Abroad program.

From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley. As we transition into May, we see the world of flowering trees and shrubs waking up around us. The colors, textures, and fragrances overwhelm our senses and bring joy even on an overcast, gray Seattle day.

And speaking of colors and fragrances, I just returned home after spending two weeks in Japan, where the flowering cherry is the highlight of local gardens in Kyoto, Uji, and Osaka.

Cherry trees have been celebrated by the Japanese for centuries, and the act of viewing the cherry blossoms is called Hanami. This is a big event throughout Japan. TV weather reports give daily forecasts of where to see the most trees in full bloom for each region. Families and friends come together seated on tarps and tatami mats for picnics under the flowering cherries. People eat special foods, sing karaoke, blow bubbles, and toss Frisbees. In the evenings, the celebration continues as the gardens come to life with outdoor lights highlighting the cherry trees. Lanterns also illuminate the pathways, creating a festive atmosphere. I experienced it all, having had the chance to share in their excitement.

On campus, our cherry trees brighten the community as well. Seeing students taking pictures of the blossoms with their phones is proof to me that people all over the world have a common fascination with these trees in a surprisingly similar way.

Here at SPU, we have several varieties of cherry blossom trees that are worth mentioning.

Near Demaray Hall, the large pink flowering Prunus serulata "Kwanzan"  presents a dazzling display of dark pink, multi-clustered flowers.

In front of Peterson Hall, the white flowers of the Prunus serulata "shirotae," or Mount Fuji flowering cherry, look especially white up against the red brick of the building.

Along the boulevard in front of Emerson Hall, we are growing the Prunus x yedoensis "Akebobo" Yoshino Cherry. Here, when the petals fall, the lawn and sidewalk appear to be covered with a light pink floral snow.

And just east of Watson Hall are the Prunus x subhirtella Autumnalis. This is a particularly fun variety that blooms twice a year, with a light bloom in the autumn and another in the early spring.

But be warned! Not every pink flowering tree is a cherry. That "cherry tree" you're admiring could very well be a flowering plum, a pear, or in the lawn east of McKenna Hall, a flowering Japanese Crabapple or Malus Floribunda. These equally gorgeous trees extend our flower viewing season, as they bloom right after the cherries are completing their cycle. This also gives us extra time for Hanami picnics! So take advantage of every fleeting moment during this very special season of blooming trees. Happy Spring!

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