Rooted in Mission: The Founding of Seattle Pacific University, 1891-1916 is now available in the SPU Bookstore. The book by Howard Snyder traces the early history of Seattle Seminary and the critical roles of founders Nils Peterson, Hiram Pease, John Norton, and Alexander and Adelaide Beers, as well as Benjamin “B.T.” Roberts, the founder of Free Methodism. The book is $11, and only available for sale at the bookstore.

As part of a 13-state summer tour, the Peace Corps “Peace Car” will visit campus Wednesday, July 27, 10-11 a.m. Earlier this year, the Peace Corps announced that SPU ranked No. 23 among small undergraduate schools on the agency’s 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are eight Falcons currently volunteering worldwide, and many alumni have served as well. The Peace Car will be in Tiffany Loop. Please stop by and meet Stephanie Nys, the Peace Corps regional representative. 

Prospective students and their families will be on campus for Summer Visit Days July 29 and August 5. 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, August 12, 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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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 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 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, August 4. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, August 8, 2016. 

In recognition of her service to the SPU community, Bobbie Childers was nominated and selected as the July Staff Member of the Month. Bobbie is the program coordinator for music and theatre, and adjunct faculty for social ballroom dance techniques. Visit the Staff Council website to read more about Bobbie and submit a nomination for someone you think should be recognized as a future Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations, Bobbie! 

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Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) faculty members Raedene Copeland and Sharleen Kato presented at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences national conference held in Bellevue in June. Raedene was the featured speaker at the National Coalition for Black Development in Family & Consumer Sciences Banquet. She also offered two roundtable discussions titled “The Time Is Now to Rebrand Your FCS Program” and “Empowering Students in an Age of Student Advocacy.” Sharleen presented a featured educational workshop titled “The ‘Me’ vs ‘We’ Generation: Encouraging Empathic Behavior in Parents, Children, and Teens.”

A chapter by Rob McKenna, chair of industrial-organizational psychology, was published in the newly released book Leadership the Wesleyan Way: An Anthology for Forming Leaders in Wesleyan Thought and Practice. Within a Wesleyan lens and context, the chapter “Leading Well Under Pressure” describes the process of developing leaders who are both convicted and courageous while maintaining their capacity to stay connected to the needs of their stakeholders.

Geri Mason, assistant professor of economics, presented “What Is Microfinance? Classification of Organizations by Levels of Intermediation” at the International Society for Third-Sector Research (biannual conference), June 27-July 1, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Three books by Family and Consumer Sciences Professor Sharleen Kato were recently released through Goodheart-Wilcox Publishers. Careers in Human Services is a new book aimed for use in high school career and technical education programs. Also released were second editions of Lifespan Development and Teaching.

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.

Jon McGinnis, groundskeeper/environmental education specialist, Casey Conference Center
Sierra Sanders, chemistry lab coordinator, Chemistry
Allison Screen, budget manager, School of Business, Government, and Economics