The Office of Human Resources will host a Retirement Ready Webinar Series this week May 4–6, 2021. It is an opportunity for faculty and staff who are making plans or preparing to retire in the near future to hear from professionals in the retirement industry. We hope you will be able to join us LIVE or take advantage of these recorded events. Watch for specific webinar details and links this week!

The 19th annual Erickson Undergraduate Research Conference will be held online on Friday, May 7, 2021, 3–6 p.m. This event showcases the outstanding research and design contributions students are making in the fields of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, engineering, health and human performance, mathematics, physics, and sociology. The keynote speaker will be Ryan Bebej, associate professor of biology at Calvin University, who will discuss his research on the early evolution of marine mammals. For more information about the conference, including links to oral and poster presentations, please see the Erickson Conference website.

Falcon Connect is the new way for students to connect with SPU alumni, staff, and faculty, and for alumni to connect with each other. It’s a great way to find help on the career journey. Search for people by major, job title, industry, company, or even by the SPU club of which they were a part. Falcon Connect replaces Switchboard, and you can still post Switchboard-type asks and offers on the Falcon Connect discussion board. Check out Falcon Connect here.

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.

As you begin to hire students for summer employment, 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 Thursday, May 6, if they hope to live on campus during the summer. If you have any questions, contact Housing and Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or housing@spu.edu.

You’re invited to the School of Education’s EdTalks dialogue event with a focus on building numeracy skills through community partnerships. Omo Moses, former executive director and founding member of the Young People’s Project, will reflect on his experiences learning and teaching math and working with students, families, and teachers employing math skills as a catalyst for upliftment, liberation, and systemic change. When: Thursday, May 6, 4–5:30 p.m. PDT.  Register for the virtual event here.

From The Office of Human Resources: Transamerica representative Ronee Dakin will be available for one-on-one phone consultations Wednesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 13. She will be available to discuss your retirement strategy over the phone. Please have access to the internet during your phone consultation. Make an appointment here.

College Cafe, hosted by First Free Methodist Church, is a new space for the SPU community to take a break and be served by your FFMC neighbors. Every Monday, 9–11 a.m. at College Cafe, you can get an espresso drink — just bring your SPU ID, and, if you are able, a $2 donation would be appreciated to sustain the ministry. Entrance is at First Free under the sky bridge.

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.

Faculty and staff are invited to join intramurals virtual yoga classes during Spring Quarter with yoga instructor Haley Bjerkestrand. Take a break and join the Thursday classes at 5 p.m. or 6:15 p.m., beginning April 29. Sign up through Calendly. Questions or issues? Email intramurals@spu.edu.

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, May 10, and the deadline is Thursday, May 6. 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.

The 2021 virtual Celebration of Service held on April 29 honored faculty and staff who reached special milestones for years of service (five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45!), as well as the faculty and staff of the year winners. The Celebration of Service and video can be found online.

The 2021 winners

• Joshua Tom, assistant professor of sociology, was named Undergraduate Professor of the Year by the Associated Students of Seattle Pacific.
• Dana Kendall, associate professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and director of Industrial-Organizational Research, was named Graduate Faculty Member of the Year by graduate students. 
• Michelle McFarland, director of enrollment services in Undergraduate Admissions, was named Exempt Staff Person of the Year by Staff Council.
• Lauren Campbell, program coordinator for the Seattle Pacific Art Center, was named the Oral V. Hemry Non-Exempt Staff Person of the Year by Staff Council.

Matthew Benton, assistant professor of philosophy, was interviewed in Psychology Today’s Hope + Resilience blog on religious disagreement, and how to relate to others across such disagreements: Finding Common Ground Through Religious Disagreement.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Ephrame Sirak, food service technician/plumber/low-voltage electrician, Facility and Project Management.

Human Resources would like to congratulate Vivian Rogers on her new staff appointment as store manager, Facility and Project Management.

The School of Psychology, Family and Community wanted the SPU community to know about their MFT students who sent note cards to each of the Marriage and Family Therapy faculty members to encourage them and their families in these difficult times. The students divided into groups so each faculty member would get five to six notes.

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: Otto Miller Hall was originally the ArcWeld Manufacturing Company building. Seattle Pacific acquired the building in 1973, and contracted with architecture firm Durham Anderson Freed to convert the fabricating plant into a science learning center. From the beginning of the process, Seattle Pacific wanted to keep as much of the existing structure as possible, use recycled materials, and build for energy efficiency. The architectural firm replaced the original corrugated metal exterior with plywood siding, and installed long horizontal windows to fit with the original metal framing and provide natural light to the building. An intermediate concrete slab floor held up by steel trusses created the upper level, and doubled the total floor space of the building. The new Miller Science Learning Center opened in 1976, and received an Energy Conservation Award in 1978. For more on Otto Miller Hall, see the SPU Archives wiki article.