In the February Board of Trustees report, I identified several strategies and goals around the areas of racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. One of the goals was to create an internal website for faculty, staff, and students to mark our progress related to various data points and reports.

On July 1, we launched a new Sharepoint site that includes some diversity information on undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. We are still in the process of identifying and gathering more information, and will add it as it becomes available.

I encourage you to visit the site and become familiar with the resources. The site is available only to faculty, staff, and students, so you may have to log in with your SPU credentials to view it.

I want to thank students from the Justice Coalition who participated in the development of the site, as well as University Communications staff members who organized and will continue to work on the site as we go forward.

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The Office of University Communications will be closed July 11-13 for its annual in-house organization and planning. Although the office will be closed, the UC staff will be on site and available to assist clients in the case of emergencies. If you have an urgent need, call Office Manager Julia Weir at 206-281-2051, and she will connect you with the appropriate staff member. If you are currently working with UC on a project, your communications specialist will ensure that the closure does not cause any delays. Please call your communications specialist if you have questions or concerns. Thank you for helping us prepare for a new academic year.

On Friday, July 15, prospective students and their families will be on campus for Summer Visit Day. This series of summer events hosts more than 100 guests as they explore SPU, learn about admissions, and meet current students, faculty, and staff. Please look for these students and their families and make them feel welcome!

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2, to have stationery order(s) delivered on August 15. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on August 2 will be delivered September 16. To see deadlines and delivery dates, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

A message from the Wellness Initiative: Faculty and staff positions involve many stressors, and employees in these roles often neglect to take care of themselves. This can have many negative effects on well-being, including depression, anxiety, and burnout. This month the Wellness Initiative focuses on helping faculty and staff develop their own self-care plans. To learn how, read the Wellness blog.

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Bloodworks Northwest will host a blood drive on campus Friday, July 15, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. near the entrance of Tiffany Loop. There’s an extra need for donations during the summer, so encourage friends and family members to stop by and donate. Schedule an appointment online.

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Here are the retail dining specials for July 11-15.

Einstein Bros Bagels is now open 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday-Friday. It’s Customer Appreciation Week. Get 10 percent off all sandwiches, bagels with shmear, and pizza bagels.

Common Grounds: 20 percent off any size cold espresso drinks. (Does not include Frappuccino drinks.)

C-store: 20 percent off all Naked and Odwalla beverages; 50 percent off Matador beef sticks; and two, 28-ounce Gatorade beverages for $3.33.

The Gwinn Commons dining hall summer hours are posted online. The hours will be updated daily for the upcoming week. Remember that dining hall hours are based on Conference Services clients and internal groups and are subject to change. Contact conferenceservices@spu.edu if you have any questions.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every other week during the summer. 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, July 21. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, July 25, 2016. 

On July 5, Jackson Stava from Azusa Pacific University was named the new SPU athletic director. He worked in various capacities at Azusa Pacific, including senior admissions counselor, campus athletics liaison, assistant director of undergraduate admissions, executive administrator for athletic student enrollment, Athletic Department compliance administrator, and eventually associate athletic director. Jackson will begin his new role at SPU in August. He succeeds Tom Box, who has been serving as interim athletic director since August 2015. Welcome, Jackson!

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Assistant Professor of Communication and Journalism Peg Achterman attended the VisCom30 conference in Utah last month. She and student Mikayla Puterbaugh presented a content analysis of KGW-TV (Portland) and their online presence. It was titled “On-Air or Online: Examining Priorities in Local Television News.”

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of global development studies, presented a paper on sustainability and education at the International Association for Business and Society Conference in Park City, Utah. He subsequently gave a talk at the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education conference at Fordham University in New York on the political economy of institutional change. He is spending the summer as a visiting scholar at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia where he will be completing field research for a book examining the impacts of China's rise on human rights and the rule of law in less developed countries.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome the following new employees. Contact information can be found in the SPU online White Pages.

Rachel Francis, director, Institutional Research
Teryn Loland, gymnastics instructor, Athletics
Katy Tangenberg, dean, School of Psychology, Family, and Community

A message from SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley. Many people ask me about the container gardens around campus. Though the large campus containers might be rather grandiose for the average backyard deck or patio, the same plants can be used in your smaller containers.

I have put together a list of my easy-to-find, favorite summer annuals for successful container gardening. My hope is that the list will be inspiring and helpful enough for you to at least give it a try. If you would like my suggested plants for containers, email me at jeffrey@spu.edu. Select the link below to see photographs of campus containers from this year and in past years to give you an example of different flower combinations. 

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