A message from Louise Furrow, vice president of University Advancement: Seattle Pacific University is strengthened by generous supporters who give for myriad reasons. The commitment to give is expressed in a number of ways — large gifts, small gifts, estate gifts, and monthly gifts. Some donors graduated from SPU recently, others decades ago. Some have had the joy of seeing their children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren graduate from SPU. Others simply support the values and education offered here. Many are SPU’s faculty and staff, even those who have recently joined us.

Yelena Bailey joined the faculty in 2016 as an assistant professor of English, also acting as the social justice and cultural studies capstone coordinator. Yelena had been on campus only a short time when Dean of Arts and Humanities Debra Sequeira shared about the Joe Snell Minority Student Scholarship Endowment. This fund was established to ensure that a new diversity initiative at SPU would continue, and that the important work of the late Joe Snell, former assistant director of student programs and director of intercultural affairs, would be recognized. This immediately resonated with Yelena.

“Giving is distinctly Christian. It isn’t always easy, but, if you believe in something, you have to give a portion of your income,” Yelena explained. “Even starting with a small gift, your giving will still have an impact. For me, I just think about being part of something bigger.”

Thank you, Yelena, and to each of you who so generously give of yourself through your work and resources. We are grateful for you!

A message from Campus Dining: We are excited to announce the launch of our new SPU dining website. Our new website enhances the user's experience through a mobile-first design with trending design elements. View upcoming events and promotions, read our news blog, find out our dining hours, and navigate through our new e-commerce store.

Works by graduating seniors in visual communication will be on display at the Art Center Gallery through Friday, June 8. The show is titled "Momentum."

From the Wellness Initiative: Summer is here! Let’s end the school year on a hopeful note and talk about positive psychology. To learn more, visit the Wellness blog. 

The last chance to order stationery for the 2017–18 fiscal year is 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5, with stationery items delivered on June 15. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on June 5 will be delivered in July. 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.

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 you wish to make to your 403(b) account contributions must be made by the 10th of the month. 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 Mardeth Hughes in HR at 206-281-2816.

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, June 7. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, June 11. Beginning June 11, the Bulletin will be published every other week until September 17.

A message from Rob Wall, the Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies: With deep appreciation and love for my colleagues, I give thanks for this volume of essays published in honor of our work together over many years. To say I was surprised by its publication is a huge understatement; I was utterly stunned by it! I’m so grateful for the apt title the editors (Professors Castelo, Koenig, and Nienhuis) gave the volume, The Usefulness of Scripture, since it captures nicely the controlling idea of my more functional theology of scripture, which I prayerfully approach as God’s word formed by and in order to form God’s people as a means of God’s sanctifying grace.

Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences Sandra Hartje was the lead author on the chapter titled "Universal Design in Housing" in The Introduction to Housing, (second edition), which provides a compressive approach to understanding housing in the United Stated and abroad. The university level text was published by the University of Georgia Press.