A message from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing: The results of our decision deadline extension from May 1 to June 1 for new freshmen has revealed that we are in a good position to reach our new freshmen enrollment goal for this autumn. We had anticipated reaching 650 new confirmations by June 1, and we ended up achieving 700 new students. In addition to our new freshmen, we are seeing very positive signs that the number of transfer students are on track and could exceed our new transfer student goals.

It is important to recognize that with the myriad of uncertainties in the world we know that our fall enrollment is not settled, but it is a very good sign that students want to be a part of the SPU community. At the same time, I recognize this has been a challenging Spring Quarter related to budgets and personnel impacted due to COVID-19.

In light of what we are hearing from campuses in the region, we realize that these positive results are not common for all private universities. So we continue to be thankful to faculty and staff across campus that have given so freely of their time and energy this year, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. On behalf of the division of Enrollment Management and Marketing, we thank the SPU community and we look forward to greeting these new students in the autumn!

Join the SPU community in celebrating our graduating students — baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral — by viewing the prerecorded Commencement ceremonies at the following times this weekend:

• Graduate Commencement – Saturday, June 13, 2–3:30 p.m.
• Undergraduate Commencement – Sunday, June 14, 4–6:30 p.m.

Ceremony viewing will be available at spu.edu/virtualcommencement. As you view, please post congratulatory messages to our students via social media by tagging SPU and using #SPUgrad. Those messages will be posted on the Virtual Commencement page throughout the ceremonies. We want to thank all of the faculty and staff who submitted video greetings to students (those will also be available on the website), and for the small village of folks who have helped bring all of the details for this year’s high events into fruition. We look forward to celebrating as a community this weekend!

A message from Dining Services: As you may have heard, or assumed, we will not have any outside conference groups on campus this summer. As a result, we have had to make the hard decision to close the dining hall and all retail food operations except for the C-Store, which will be open Monday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Drip coffee will be available

To make sure faculty and staff on campus this summer can still get a meal if they desire, we will offer limited Simply To Go items each day. We want to make sure that the offerings meet your needs. Please take this brief survey to let us know if you plan to shop in the C-Store and what type of items and Simply To Go meals you would like to see offered.

The SPU Art Department is pleased to announce this year’s Studio Art Senior Exhibition, waking/sleeping, featuring work by student Dominic Renz. Typically, we would be celebrating this work on display at the Seattle Pacific Art Center Gallery on campus. However, for the 2020 remix, this student work can be enjoyed in an online gallery found at the SPAC Gallery website, spacgallery.com and at www.dominicrenz.com. Dominic’s work at SPU has encompassed a wide variety of material approaches, including painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. In this body of work, all of these media are presented with equal thoughtfulness; exploring what is seen and unseen. 

There will be a Zoom reception this Thursday, June 11, 5-6 p.m. where Dominic will share briefly about his work in a live setting. If you are interested in joining this celebration, contact Assistant Art Professor Alison Stigora at stigoraa@spu.edu to receive a Zoom link!

The Center for Career and Calling is open for virtual appointments all summer to help students with their job search, including our 2020 graduates. Plus, LinkedIn Learning is offering 14 free courses to help students and professionals navigate searching for a job at this time — including Digital Body Language, Video Interview Tips, Learning LinkedIn, Digital Networking Strategies, and more. Companies are still hiring, and we want to help our students be prepared!

The Office of Human Resources has been hosting a Retirement Ready webinar series as we come to the close of the academic year. 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 industry and those serving our specific SPU plans. We hope that you have been able to join us live, or will be able to take advantage of these recorded events.

The last session of the series is:

Understanding Your Post-Employment Health Benefits 

Christina Fendley, Institution Client Relationships Manager with Emeriti Retirement Health; and Lauren Hach-Wilkins, Medicare Account Manager, Aetna
Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 12:30 p.m.

Watch for specific webinar details and links to come by email. Each webinar will be recorded for those that cannot attend live with links posted to our HR wiki once they are ready.

Family and Consumer Sciences invites you to its virtual 2020 Interior Design Portfolio Show, Tuesday, June 9, through Tuesday, June 30. These FCS seniors have prepared digital portfolios, résumés, and associate business papers to launch themselves into their new careers as interior designers. Explore these pages to see what students have accomplished during their time at SPU — and help us welcome them into a bright future.

In a season of upheaval, the School of Business, Government, and Economics community is finding innovative new ways to serve. Read practical advice, student stories, and news from students, faculty, and alumni in the latest issue of the SBGE Shareholders e-newsletter.

Seattle Pacific Art Center invites you to participate in this year’s Visual Communication Senior Show, “Off the Grid,” by following them on Instagram or Facebook @spuviscom20, or by visiting the official site at viscom20.spu.edu.

The Online Field Guide offered by the Center for Career and Calling can now be taken for credit. The guide provides career, vocation, and spiritual offerings that help students understand themselves better, lean into their core strengths, build their professional skills and materials, and learn discernment tools to help them navigate decision-making now and for the rest of their lives.

Starting this summer, the CCC will offer all four modules of the Online Field Guide, each as a separate course. These four online courses, each worth one credit, are available for the upcoming summer sessions and for the 2020-21 academic year. As always, the guide will also remain available as a non-credit bearing course for any student at SPU who wishes to take it voluntarily. It currently resides on every student’s Canvas dashboard.

GS 1004: Online Field Guide: Explore Career Options (1-credit, online)

GS 2004: Online Field Guide: Discover Your Calling (1-credit, online)

GS 3004: Prepare for Life After College (1-credit, online)

GS 4004: Launch into Your Next Steps (1-credit, online)

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.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, June 15, and the deadline is Thursday, June 11. Beginning June 15, the Bulletin will be published every other week during the summer until September 7. 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.

From the Office of the Provost: We have six faculty retirements at the end of this academic year. Each week in the Faculty/Staff Bulletin we've highlighted one retiring faculty member. This is our last honoree.

Lorie Wild, dean of the School of Health Sciences. Eight years of service.

Lorie Wild has had an impactful eight-year run as dean of the School of Health Sciences, bringing more than 30 years of nursing practice and leadership to the role. Lorie previously served as the chief nursing officer at the UW Medical Center, a leading academic medical center. Her vast experience included clinical operations for the medical center, overseeing nursing education, research, and professional practice for the nursing population. Her experience translated well to her academic role as professor and her administrative role as dean.

Shortly after taking on the role of dean, Lorie coined the tag line "robust academics, relationship-centered learning grounded in Christian faith and values" to describe the SHS experience. This phrase has embodied her leadership for the school and served as a compass directing the path of growth and excellence.

Under Lorie’s leadership and innovative thinking, SHS programs have seen growth including the introduction of the Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) degree program. The addition of the DNP has kept SPU competitive in the market for APRN education and continual recognition of excellence in graduate nursing education. In addition, the undergraduate pre-licensure program has transitioned to a rolling admission process, admitting smaller cohorts each quarter while overall increasing program capacity and enrollment from 128 to 192. The increased capacity not only addresses the national nursing shortage, but also supports SPU's continuing enrollment, and most important, our SPU students.

One of the most significant and impactful contributions to the SPU nursing program that has come during Lorie’s term as dean is the new home for the nursing program at 6 Nickerson. The new facility features an expanded Clinical Learning Lab that includes a large skills training area, flex classroom, simulation suite, and clinic exam room. Students are well served in the building’s four, 40-person classrooms and two seminar rooms that support the nursing theory courses. The building provides an excellent learning environment that will serve the Lydia Green Nursing Program well for decades to come.

In the days to come, Lorie looks forward to spending more time with her family. Fully committing to her dutiful role of grandma is foremost on her mind as daughter, Jennie, and son-in-law, Kyle, live close by with grandson, Lucas, and a granddaughter that is due in May. Her son, Thayer, is a travel enthusiast and Lorie looks forward to joining him on many travel adventures. Speaking of adventures, she may even join her husband, Silas, on a few of his. Silas has a love for the outdoors and travel, and it is fair to describe him as an avid skiing fanatic! While we don’t expect to see her on the slopes, she may tag along on some of the travel excursions. Lorie will continue her work in the area of global health as the board chair for SCOPE (Strengthening Care Opportunities through Partnerships in Ethiopia). She also will give back to the nursing community through teaching and other volunteer roles.

In recognition of her service to the SPU community, Michelle McFarland, associate director of Undergraduate Admissions, was nominated by her peers and selected by Staff Council as the June Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations, and thank you, Michelle! Learn more about Michelle and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website.

Adjunct education faculty member Jennie Warmouth gave a presentation for the Seattle Aquarium's Lighting Talk series on May 28 titled "Get the Spork Out of My Ocean: Translating Global Conversation into Local Action for Kids." Jennie is also a second grade teacher and National Geographic fellow who traveled to the Arctic last summer. Her presentation is available on YouTube.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Laura Hartley, provost, Office of the Provost. 

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate Marci Walden in her new appointment as program and budget manager, College of Arts and Sciences.

Merrilyn Lingren died February 10, 2020, at the age of 82 in Bellevue, Washington. Wife of Wes Lingren, professor emeritus of chemistry, Merrilyn met Wes at church while she was working as a flight attendant for United Airlines. They married in 1961. Once their children were in school, she worked as a real estate agent in Bellevue and then in the admitting office at Group Health Hospital in Redmond. She retired in 1999. An animal lover, Merrilyn was a breeder, owner, and exhibitor of champion Shetland Sheepdogs and West Highland White terriers. She was the founding president of the Puget Sound West Highland Terrier Club. 

She is survived by her husband, Wes, a brother, son Eric Lingren ’86, daughter Leslie Lingren Fletcher ’89, six grandchildren, and numerous nephews and nieces. Her obituary was published in The Seattle Times on February 16, 2020.