The Seattle Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Drum Corps will perform at the annual Memorial Day service at the Evergreen Washelli Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Monday, May 27, beginning at 1:30 p.m. The cemetery is located at 11111 N. Aurora Avenue in Seattle. The Wind Ensemble is directed by Danny Helseth, assistant professor of music, and the Drum Corps is directed by Dan Adams, director of percussion studies.

A message from the Office of Global Engagement: This spring, we anticipate a record class of international student graduates — approximately 50 undergraduate and eight graduate students — who will complete their SPU degrees and move back to their home countries. These accomplishments could not happen without the extraordinary compassion and care you’ve shown toward them. So often these students report that a highlight of their experience here at SPU has been relationships with faculty and staff. As we enter Commencement season, we look forward to several events that honor these international students. One in particular that we hope you will consider attending is the International Student/Family Grad Reception that will be held right after Ivy Cutting on Friday, June 7, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Moyer Lounge (second floor.) Feel free to stop by, congratulate these students, and meet their families who are traveling far to attend the Commencement events. Thank you for making such a difference in these students’ lives by providing a supportive, hospitable, and robust academic experience for them as they studied abroad at SPU.

A reception for the Visual Communications senior show “EVOLVE” will be Thursday, May 30, 5–7 p.m., in the SPAC Gallery in the Seattle Pacific Art Center at 3 W. Cremona. The show, featuring the work of 16 visual communications graduating seniors, closes June 7. Gallery hours are Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

A message from Campus Dining: Aloha! Join us for our seventh annual Ho’olaule’a Hawaiian celebration, Tuesday, May 21, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., in Gwinn Commons to enjoy ’ono flavors from the islands! We will be featuring recipes from Sodexo Global Chef Ed Costa, University of Hawaii’s Hale Aloha executive chef.

The Music Department hosts three concerts this week:

Jazz Ensemble Concert

Join SPU Music Faculty Dan Kramlich, the Jazz Lab, and the Jazz Ensemble as they explore some of America's original music from the 20th century from swing to cool jazz to fusion. This concert will be held Wednesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Nickerson Studios, located at 340 W. Nickerson Street. This event is free and wheelchair accessible. This concert will be livestreamed.

Symphony Orchestra Concert

The SPU Symphony Orchestra’s final concert of the season explores a variety of western classical music, featuring styles from the calculated brilliance of Mozart to vibrant modern-day composers. Director of Orchestra Julia Tai leads the orchestra. The concert will be held  Thursday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church, located at 3200 Third Ave. W., across from the SPU campus. This event is free and wheelchair accessible. This concert will be livestreamed.

Percussion Ensemble Concert

The concert features a variety of chamber ensembles from the percussion studio, ranging from multiple percussion pieces to ethnic drum ensembles. The ensemble is directed by Dan Adams, director of percussion studies. The concert will be held Tuesday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the E.E. Bach Theatre in McKinley Hall, and is free and wheelchair accessible. The concert will be livestreamed.

The spring issue of Exhibit explores the ways new social justice and history events are sparking important conversations and engagement across departments on campus. Also, read about retiring faculty members and a feature-length sci-fi film created by SPU alumni.

Professors Scott Kolbo (art) and Brian Chin (music) are proud to present Passages: A Fable in Six Cycles on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Triple Door (across from Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle). Passages is a multi-media event featuring an animated film projected on stage by Scott, and a live performance of composed music by Brian and the chamber quartet TORCH. The work comments on contemporary anxieties about security and immigration through six circular loops of imagery and sound, with a heavy emphasis on slapstick humor and absurdity. The piece also tells an inspiring story about resilience and hope in the face of historical tragedy and ecological crisis. 

Brian explains how the project was developed. "The cycle idea was inspired by a testimonial and story I heard in church about two years ago: A woman in El Salvador was working as a police officer when targeted by the organized crime gangs. She immediately fled the country with her child and traveled north to seek asylum. Upon arrival at the U.S. border, they were detained and eventually deported back to El Salvador. Her life still threatened, she simply took her kid by the hand and traveled north again, starting the cycle all over again. Imagine what it would be like to be in this situation — returned to the same physical place, but as a changed person surrounded by different circumstances. How different would you be? How do the systems and people around you change? How many cycles of this could you withstand before you either give up or finally break through?"

Read the first installment of “Diversity Success Stories” and learn more about creating connections through intentional dialogue in the May edition of ODEI Connections.

A message from the Center for Applied Learning: Do you know SPU students with entrepreneurial instincts? Or recent alumni who would like to launch a small business? Encourage them to look into the new SPU Launch Fund, a pool of grant money designed to help SPU entrepreneurs get their ventures off the ground. Awards can be for as little as $250 or as much as $2,000, and the next round of grants will be given out this June. Interested parties can learn more and find out how to apply on our website. Questions? Contact the Center for Applied Learning at cal@spu.edu.

Join Seattle Pacific's Center for Biblical and Theological Education, School of Theology, and Seattle Pacific Seminary for a special event highlighting our faculty authors on Tuesday, May 21, 3–4:30 p.m. in the Fine Center in First Free Methodist Church. 

The event will feature these authors and their publications:

Mediating the Wesleyan Liturgical Heritage by Dr. Matthew Sigler
Cultivating Teen Faith: Insights from the Confirmation Project by Dr. Katherine Douglas
Refugee Diaspora: Missions amid the Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of the World by Dr. Miriam Adeney
The Marks of Scripture: Rethinking the Nature of the Bible by Dr. Rob Wall & Dr. Daniel Castelo
Live The Questions: How Searching Shapes Our Convictions and Commitments by Dr. Jeff Keuss

Visit the website for more information and to register.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every week 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 23. Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the next Bulletin will be published Tuesday, May 28.

A message from Jeff Jordan, vice president for Student Life:  As we wish retiring staff members Susan Okamoto Lane and Steve Maybell well, we are pleased to announce two staff appointments. Beginning July 1, Sharon Barr-Jeffrey will be the director of the Student Counseling Center, and Serena Manzo will be the director of Multi-Ethnic Programs. Sharon is in her fifth year serving as assistant director of the SCC. She previously served as a mental health counselor in the SCC and as a residence life coordinator and assistant director in the Office of Residence Life. Serena is completing her fourth year in MEP, having served as program coordinator and, most recently, as assistant director. Additionally, Jacqui Smith-Bates’ responsibilities will shift to focus on retention and assessment of co-curricular learning outcomes. In her new role as associate vice president for Student Life, she will continue to direct the Center for Career and Calling. Please join us in celebrating these staff appointments!

Two students of Owen Ewald, the C. May Marston Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Civilizations, gave papers at the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on the Ancient World at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, on April 27. Both papers — one on the Phrygian goddess, Cybele, at Rome and the other on the prophetess, Cassandra, in ancient drama — grew out of University Scholars Honors Projects under Owen's direction.

Instructor of English and Writing Mischa Willett has been awarded a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in order to promote a love of the arts among the congregants at Saint Ambrose Anglican Church in Capital Hill. Read more about the grant program.

Alberto Ferriero, professor of history, presented “Sancti Vincenti, Beatus vir qui in sapiencia morabitur: The Martyr Vincent of Zaragoza in a Catalán Sermon of Vicent Ferrer” at the 54th International Congress on Medieval Studies, May, 9–12 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The presentation was for the session “Multi-disciplinary Approaches to Ibero-Medieval Texts and Authors II: Self-Fashioning, Identity Formation, and Models of Life (papers in honor of Mark D. Johnston). He also chaired a session for the International Medieval Sermons Society. He was also in a roundtable discussion group on the La Corónica International Book Award written by Philip Daileader, Saint Vincent Ferrer, His World and Life: Religion and Society in Late Medieval Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

The Office of Human Resources would like to welcome Susanne Jordan, administrative assistant in Student Health Services.

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of global development studies, was quoted in Voice of America in the article, “In Cambodia, Japan Digs in to Keep China’s Rise in Check.”

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: The 1957 Commencement ceremony, shown in this photo, took place in McKinley Auditorium (now McKinley Hall) on Monday, June 10, 1957. Graduates and family members were seated on the main floor, and members of the faculty and Board of Trustees were on the platform. The Commencement address, “Great Expectations,” was given by J. Wesley Crum, MS, PhD, the dean of instruction at Central Washington and a member of the SPC Class of 1936. An honorary degree, doctor of science, was presented to SPC Professor of Mathematics Burton Beegle (for whom Beegle Hall is named). Degrees were conferred by acting president Otto Miller (for whom Miller Hall is named), as President C. Hoyt Watson and his wife, Elsie, were on a trip around the world in the spring and summer of 1957. For more on the Commencement ceremony, see the attached page from the 1957 Commencement program. Select the link for a larger image of the program and the photo.

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