The High Events Team would like to acknowledge the many staff volunteers from a variety of departments across campus who generously gave of their time on Friday and Saturday to make all of the high events – Ivy Cutting, Graduate Commencement, Baccalaureate, and Undergraduate Commencement – truly special celebrations in the lives of our graduating students and their families. Are you a staff member who was not able to join in the fun this year? Please mark your calendar for next year’s high events (June 8-9, 2018), as we would appreciate your assistance. Select the link to see a photo of the volunteers. (Not pictured in the photo are SPU’s amazing Facilities Crew and Jim Kim, photographer.)

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Please note that, starting June 12, Mailing Services will deliver and pick up departmental mail in the afternoon only. Feel free to go to Mailing Services if you need your mail prior to the afternoon delivery. If you have modified summer hours for your department, contact Elaine Stevens in Mailing Services at estevens@spu.edu and they can accommodate your mail pickup or delivery.

Need to make changes or updates to your website? Bring your laptop (if you have one) and join University Communications staff members on Thursday, June 15, noon to 1 p.m. in lower Weter Hall. If you plan to attend, email Kathy Henning in University Communications at kathy@spu.edu. Bring any website changes you need to make, and the UC staff will show you how. Feel free to bring your lunch, and sweets will be provided. Sitecore/Contribute brownbags occur the third Thursday of every month except December and July.

A message from Tiffany Shelton, assistant director of conference services: As the 2016-17 academic year comes to a close, I wanted to remind you about an upcoming change to Upper Gwinn reservations. Effective July 1, 2017, Upper Gwinn room setup (Dining Services labor costs) for your internal events will no longer be paid for by Conference Services. This was announced in the 2015-16 academic year, along with the Upper Gwinn policy changes that went into effect on July 1, 2016. In anticipation of this, all 2016-17 Upper Gwinn invoices have included these charges as an informational note, to help you budget for this increase, and potentially adjust your room configurations.

Beginning July 1, 2017, “setup fees” will appear on your Upper Gwinn invoice in addition to the room charge. Both the room charge and setup fee will be charged to your budget number via semimonthly interdepartmental charge, per the existing process. Note that if you are also ordering catering for your event, setup fees should be quoted on your catering event order as well. If you have questions, contact Conference Services at conferenceservices@spu.edu.

An open house at SPU's Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island, an historic military fort built at the turn of the 20th century, will be held Friday, June 16, 12-4 p.m. The event will feature tours of the barracks, mess hall, and Fort Casey Inn, which was formerly used as officers' housing prior to World War I. Visitors will have the chance to join a guided tour of the Colonel’s House, which is used predominately as a retreat space for SPU leadership and special groups. Steve Kobylk, a Fort Casey Volunteer Battalion member, will lead the tour, and SPU Professor of History Bill Woodward will deliver an historical lecture prior to the tour. These tours will be held at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Complimentary coffee and snacks will be provided as well. Guided tours of Fort Casey State Park, adjacent to the Camp Casey Conference Center, will also be held at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

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A message from Dr. Matt Whitehead, superintendent, Free Methodist Church ꟷ Pacific Northwest Conference, and tour host: We’d like to invite you to join us for the trip of a lifetime. Come experience where Jesus walked, as well as encourage those who live there today and walk with Jesus. The trip is scheduled for January 29-February 10, 2018. The all-inclusive price includes roundtrip coach airfare from Seattle, four-star hotels in each location, meals, all tips and site entrance fees, and more. There is limited space available. If interested, we encourage you to visit our website for information on the cost, itinerary, FAQs, and a link to a sign-up form. Our tour logistics coordinators are Cathy Tastad and Dean Kato. We'd love to have you join us on this journey! 

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The Manhattan String Quartet, well known for their performances of 20th century classics, has established a significant international reputation with regular concert appearances throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The quartet will be guests of Conference Services in June, and they are inviting the SPU community to free concerts on Wednesday, June 21, and Saturday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church. Visit the website to learn more about the group and the repertoire for the concerts.

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Technology has become a part of college students’ daily lives, impacting how they live, work, and communicate. It also has an impact on mental health. Technology has been related to some negative effects on mental health like depression, anxiety, and cyberbullying. However, students may also use technology to stay connected with friends, receive support from others, or engage with mental health treatment. To learn more, visit the Wellness Initiative blog. The SPU Wellness Initiative is a group of faculty and staff working to improve the mental, physical, and emotional health of undergraduates. The monthly posts on the Wellness Initiative blog provide information about common mental health problems that students deal with on a daily basis. This will help faculty and staff identify students that may need extra support, and provide faculty and staff with campus and community resources that are available for students.

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The Center for Career and Calling and the Office of Student Employment are excited to announce our transition to Handshake—an online college recruiting platform and career resource center for SPU undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni. Handshake replaces SPULink, and offers  a more intuitive platform to post on campus positions and assist students with their career needs. In the coming weeks, Handshake will invite you to activate an account. In the meantime, please back up any documents and pending applicant information you have in SPULink, as they will not be saved. If you have an open job posting, you will need to re-post it in Handshake. If you need more information, visit Handshake's Employer website or contact the Center for Career and Calling at 206-281-2485.

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Beginning Monday, June 19, the Faculty/Staff Bulletin will be published every other week during the summer months until September 11. 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 15. The next Bulletin will be published on Monday, June 19.

An article by Pete Renn, director of the Center for Professional Education, was published in the May issue of the Washington Educational Research Association journal. The article was titled "Looking in the Mirror: An Examination of Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs about Diversity."

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A paper by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders was recently published in the Journal of Value Inquiry. The paper was titled, "The Necessity of Moral Reasoning."

An article by Associate Professor of Sociology Karen Snedker titled “Beyond the ‘Revolving Door?": Incentives and Criminal Recidivism in a Mental Health Court” was published online by SAGE journals (Criminal Justice and Behavior). This mixed methods analysis of mental health courts was done in collaboration with Lindsey Beach, University of Washington doctoral student and SPU alumna, and Dr. Katie Corcoran from West Virginia University.

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The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome Erik Skipper, assistant coach for men’s soccer in Athletics.

A photo gallery from Ivy Cutting by Seattle Times photograph Greg Gilbert was published at seattletimes.com on June 9. 

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KOMO-TV covered the SPU Commencement ceremony on June 10 at Key Arena. The text version of the story is available online.

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Robyn Myers, manager of conference services for Camp Casey and Fort Casey Inn, was featured in the Whidbey News Tribune on June 9. The story featured highlights of the upcoming Camp Casey Conference Center open house on June 12. 

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An article by Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology Joey Collins and doctoral student Amanda Munsterteiger was recently published in Light and Life magazine. The article, titled “Leveraging Free Will in Change,” suggests the use of motivational interviewing as an effective tool for leaders to help guide others through change. Light and Life is a monthly publication published by Light & Life Communications, the  publishing division of the Free Methodist Church. 

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