Dr. Pete Menjares, provost and senior vice president for Vanguard University in California, has been named interim president of Seattle Pacific University beginning July 1, 2021. Menjares is currently on the Board of Trustees for Seattle Pacific and is also a senior fellow for diversity with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in Washington, D.C. Learn more about Dr. Menjares.

The Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce named Camp Casey Conference Center and Fort Casey Inn the “Large Business of the Month” for June 2021. Camp Casey had received this distinction from the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce in the past, but this is the first time Camp Casey received the award from Oak Harbor. Congratulations, Camp Casey!

On June 17, 2021, SPU’s Senior Leadership Council announced that “All SPU faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by August 16, unless they have applied for and obtained an exemption.” Read the complete email here, which includes information about exemptions. In May, university leadership announced the requirement for all students to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by August 1.

Biology professors Eric Long, Jenny Tenlen, Charlotte Pratt, and Tracie Delgado recorded a presentation discussing COVID-19 and vaccines. They answered some of the most common questions, including vaccines and the immune system, fertility, blood clotting, and more. The video description includes time stamps identifying the start of each question. Watch the video online.

Get to know some of our outstanding graduates, visit the online final projects by graduating seniors in studio and visual art; illustration/new pictures, photography/digital media; visual communication; and interior design, and watch a short video retrospective with new graduates talking about their academic experiences during a year filled with challenges.Visit the Meet the Class of 2021 webpage.

The Ames Library building will be closed July 5–9. Library staff and services will be available online, but item pickup will be unavailable. The Ames Library will reopen Monday, July 12. See our updates page for the most current information about accessing library resources, services, and space.

A message from Computer and Information Systems: SPU will change its primary Single Sign On (SSO) provider for over 50 web-based applications, including Banner and Canvas. The work will continue throughout the summer as we migrate several applications each week. After applications are migrated, they will use the Microsoft SSO login page that you already use to access Webmail, SharePoint, or OneDrive via a web browser. Review the full schedule and FAQs.

This year marks 100 years of certifying teachers at SPU. Read several alumni stories, as well as other School of Education news, in the June 2021 On-Point newsletter.

Camp Casey is slowly reopening and the campground will have limited availability this summer to self-contained RVs for faculty, staff, and alumni groups. There will be no bathroom access, so only dry camping is permitted for trailers and RVs. If you’d like to book, please send us an email to campcasey@spu.edu. The rate is $30 a night and has a two night minimum. In case you have a four-legged family member, pets are not permitted.

Rising 9th–12th grade students can jump-start a tech career with hands-on programs (Aug. 16–20) focused on video game creation, mechatronics, and 3D printing offered by the Department of Engineering and Computer Science. No coding experience necessary. Register to reserve a spot at spu.edu/techcamps.

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.

All faculty and staff who come to campus must complete an online self-screening to attest that they meet certain criteria for being on campus (e.g., not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms). SPU has developed a campuswide tool through Banner (login into Banner and select Personal Menu) to report a daily COVID-19 self-attestation for faculty and staff working on campus (including Camp Casey and Blakely Island). A link to the self-attestation form is also available on the Stay Smart website, which is now highlighted in the top banner on the SPU homepage.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year and every other week during the summer. The Bulletin is now on a summer schedule. The next deadline is Thursday, July 8, and the next issue will be published Monday, July 12. 

If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming the following new SPU staff members:

• Suzanne Hsu, technical accountant, Controller’s Office
• Alex Pedersen, facilities service desk clerk, Facility and Project Management
• Bethany Podgorny, executive assistant, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
• James Short, technology support analyst 1, Computer and Information Systems
• Sheila Steiner, assistant provost, Institutional Effectiveness