I hope you will be able to join me for our final “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session of this academic year. We will be meeting on Thursday, May 28, 9-10 a.m., in the President’s Dining Room in Upper Gwinn to once again discuss issues related to the present and future of SPU.

In case you missed the previous two sessions, these events are a chance to ask questions regarding our work together at SPU. It could even be a question exploring something you have always wondered about at SPU or find curious in some way. These sessions are a great opportunity to seek clarification, understanding, or gain awareness about current operations or something related to our future. I have greatly enjoyed our previous two gatherings, and am looking forward to another lively conversation next week.

Here are just a few of the topics we discussed last month:
• The purpose of higher education, and how SPU is being shaped by that conversation.
• Reflections on this year’s Downtown Business Breakfast.
• Current fundraising goals and successes.
• Expansion of graduate programs, and its implications.

I hope to see you this Thursday!

Fall and winter reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island.  The dates of stay are September 28, 2015, through January 4, 2016.  Reservation requests are due by June 5, 2015.  The fall and winter requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu. Visit the Camp Casey website to request a reservation.

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SPU’s Theatre Department presents the musical revue “Oh, Coward!” about the life and work of British legend Noel Coward, a successful playwright, composer, lyricist, librettist, director, and actor. The production runs through Saturday, May 30, in the Backstage Theatre in McKinley Hall.

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The student MODE Fashion Club presents their annual fashion show on Saturday, May 30, 7:30 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The theme is “Perspectives” and is a showcase of student talent from the apparel design and merchandising majors. Admission to the event is free and open to all students, alumni, and community members.

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The Art Department is currently presenting an exhibit in the Art Center Gallery featuring the work of graduating visual communication students. An opening reception will be held Thursday, May 28, 5-7 p.m. The exhibit highlights multiple mediums of visual communication including motion, interaction, exhibit design, print, and brand identities. The gallery is open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., and the exhibit runs until June 12.

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The Percussion Ensemble will present their last concert of the academic year on Tuesday, June 2, 7:30 p.m. in E.E. Bach Theatre in McKinley Hall.

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SPU’s Ivy Honorary presents “The Last Lecture of Professor George Scranton” on Wednesday, May 27, 6 p.m. in Emerson Hall lobby. George is a professor of theatre and will retire this year after more than 40 years at SPU. Students, faculty, staff, and the general public are welcome to attend. The concept of a “Last Lecture" is based on a 2007 lecture and 2008 book by Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor who died from pancreatic cancer in July 2008. In subsequent Last Lectures, professors reflect on what matters most and what wisdom they would hope to share with others. Ivy Honorary is SPU's chapter of the National Mortar Board Honor Society.

Faculty and staff are also invited to attend the annual Ivy Honorary induction on Saturday, May 30, 10-11:30 a.m. in Upper Gwinn. Faculty members Kathleen Braden and Priscilla Pope-Levison were chosen for the “Top Prof” award by the Ivy Honorary, and Kathleen will speak at the induction.

Staff Council welcomes all SPU staff to join an afternoon celebrating staff and everyone’s favorite dessert — pie. The event includes a pie-eating contest and a pie-baking competition, plus an opportunity to eat pie and socialize with your co-workers. Join us Thursday, May 28, 2:30-4:30 p.m. in Martin Square.

If you need to order stationery in this fiscal year ― and have it delivered and billed by June 30, 2015 ― you must order by June 2. Orders made by June 2 will be delivered June 12 and billed before June 30. If you have questions, call Hope McPherson in University Communications at 206-281-2552.

SPU’s choirs will present a spring choral concert on Thursday, May 28, 7:30 p.m., at First Free Methodist Church. The performance will feature the 70-voice Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, directed by David Anderson, assistant professor of music and director of choral music. The Men’s Choir will perform selected works and is directed by Interim Director Justin Cormier. Finally, the 48-voice Women’s Choir will perform “Hymn of Grateful Praise” by Northwest composer Joan Szymko; “Sing Creation’s Music On” by Stephen Paulus; and other selected works. The Women’s Choir is directed by Beth Ann Bonnecroy, SPU instructor of voice. Admission is free.

The Symphony Orchestra will present the concert “What Love Tells Me” on Friday, May 29, 7:30 p.m., at First Free Methodist Church. The concert will feature pianist and SPU Concerto Competition winner Hannah Chong. The repertoire will include works by Tchaikovsky, Liszt, and Mahler. The concert is directed by Eric Hanson, professor of music and director of the Symphony Orchestra. Admission is free.

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 28. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, June 1.

An article by School of Psychology, Family, and Community faculty members Paul Kim (Psychology) and Dana Kendall (Industrial-Organizational Psychology) was published in the most recent print issue of Journal of Counseling Psychology. The article examines the role of mental illness etiology beliefs and their influence on an established model of Asian American professional help-seeking.

Gerhard Steinke, professor of management and information systems, delivered a keynote speech on May 8 at the annual Griffiths School of Management Conference at Emanuel University in Oradea, Romania. The talk was titled "Future Trends in IT." He also presented a paper, "Big Data Ethics In Romania: A Study of Consumer, Business, and Societal Perceptions," which he co-authored with Ryan LaBrie, associate professor of management and information systems.

An essay by Professor of English Susan VanZanten titled “'The Headstrong Historian': Writing With Things Fall Apart,” was published in the summer 2015 issue of Research in African Literatures, the top peer-reviewed journal in African literary studies. This essay grew from seeds planted and cultivated in her annual teaching of “Elements of Narrative” and her biannual course in African Literature.

Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro was a panel speaker invited to comment on the La Corónica International Book Award given to Nicola Clarke for The Muslim Conquest of Iberia: Medieval Arabic Narratives (Routledge, 2014). The event took place at the 50th International Congress, May 14-17, at Western Michigan University. The book offers many new insights and suggests lines of research that need to be pursued. It brings to the table several Arabic sources that enlighten the topic.

An article by School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean Joseph Williams and Associate Professor of Management and Information Systems Ryan LaBrie was recently published in Measuring Business Excellence (2015), Vol. 19 #1 pp. 81–91. The article is titled “Unified Communications as an Enabler of Workplace Redesign.”

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From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: "In 1966, the campus looked radically different than it does today. Ames Library and Demaray, Eaton, and Emerson halls did not exist, and Otto Miller Hall was more than a decade away from being acquired by Seattle Pacific. Ashton Hall was called “Upper,” and Adelaide Hall and the imaginatively named “Science Building” stood where the Dravus Parking Lot is now. This hand-drawn campus map appeared in SPC publications including advertisements and pamphlets." Select the link to see the map.

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From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley: “The Japanese snowbell tree, Styrax japonicas, is one plant that is really fun to watch this time of year. Each little white flower opens one at a time along the branches of the tree; each branch looking like it carries a chain of clustered little white bells ringing, albeit silently, in the spring breeze. The variety "Pink Chimes" has light pink flowers. Don't miss out on their light and fresh baby powderlike fragrance, especially on a warm day. It also presents nicely in the fall as the leaves turn yellow. Styrax prefers to be planted in full sun and in a sandy loam soil. During our dry months of July and August some supplemental watering will be needed once the tree becomes established. We have several medium-sized Japanese snowbell trees on campus. I think this is a foolproof tree for anyone to grow in the Pacific Northwest.” Select the link for photos of the tree around campus.

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