A message from Louise Furrow, vice president for University Advancement: We are deeply grateful for all of the generous contributions we receive from our alumni throughout the year. Occasionally we receive a significant gift that we want to celebrate with you. One such gift was recently received from Daryl and Claudia Vander Pol, both SPU Class of 1966. The Vander Pols have been active supporters of SPU and can often be seen at men’s basketball games. They transferred shares in a limited liability company that owned a medical office building in the Seattle area to SPU. Once the building was sold, the University received nearly $1 million ($969,819). After consulting with President Martin, the Vander Pols have agreed that $700,000 will be used to establish a new men’s basketball scholarship endowment, with the remainder supporting other athletic initiatives. Thank you, Daryl and Claudia!

Mr. Darwin's Tree , the acclaimed British one-man play about Charles Darwin, will be performed in the E.E. Bach Theatre on Thursday, October 3, at 7 p.m. The production will be followed by a faculty panel who will respond to the performance and answer audience questions. The event is free, wheelchair accessible, and open to the public.

Written by noted playwright and director Murray Watts, and starring leading British film, TV, and theatre actor Andrew Harrison, Mr. Darwin's Tree has been described as “a brilliant, fast-paced and beautifully detailed performance” (Church Times). Broadway Baby reported that “Mr. Darwin’s Tree explores not only science, but religion, the divine intricacies of the soul, and what it is to be human…. A rare treat.”

The play is produced by Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford (SCIO), the UK Centre of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), and underwritten by the Templeton Religion Trust and The Blankemeyer Foundation. The play explores the life and work of Charles Darwin and his impact on science and religion.

Faculty are encouraged to incorporate the show into fall courses as appropriate.

Three SPU professors and poets, Scott Cairns, Jennifer Maier, and Mischa Willett, will read from their work and discuss the writing process at the Seattle's Hugo House, one of the country’s leading centers for writers. Their event, titled "Language as a Way of Knowing," is Thursday, September 12, at 7 p.m.

Each Autumn Quarter, University Ministries holds a Church & Ministry Fair to give students an opportunity to learn about their local worship options. If you would like your church to be represented at the fair, email your church name and contact email to umconnects@spu.edu, so we can send an invitation. This year’s event is Thursday, October 3, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Martin Square (rain location: Weter Hall).

Staff Council and Master Gardener Jeff Daley invite you to join Jeff for a walking tour of our campus gardens Wednesday, August 21, at 12 p.m. Gather near the rose garden in front of Peterson Hall with your brown-bag lunch and questions. Jeff looks forward to introducing you to SPU’s gardens, plants, and practices that may be new to you.  This event is a result of an SPU staff member’s Good Idea.

Get ready! Come to the bookstore Friday, August 23,  and enjoy 50% off all clearance items! Store hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and no coupon or ID is necessary. Also, check out the new gear and new graphics on T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and more. Be ready for the upcoming Autumn Quarter in SPU swag. See you then!

A message from Tracy Norlen, director of public information: We are launching a new webpage to highlight faculty and staff research and expertise. This page will mostly be used as a resource for the media, but it will also be helpful for anyone looking for a knowledgeable person on a certain subject. If you would like to be included in this new resource, complete this online form. (Password protected.) The form is designed so that you can easily copy and paste information from your current CV or resume. You will find more details on the online form. If you have questions, contact Tracy at tcnorlen@spu.edu or 206-281-2977.

The South Kirkland Park and Ride Vanpool would like to invite you to a Vanpool Information Brownbag on Tuesday, August 20, 12–1 p.m. in Marston 253. If you are interested in learning more about vanpooling, please join us. If you have questions, email Marilyn Hancock mhancock@spu.edu or Lynn Anselmi lynnanselmi@spu.edu. We will have homemade chocolate chip cookies to share.

More than 3,000 parents and families of returning and incoming students received the August 2019 In the Loop newsletter earlier this month. Families could view a video about faith at SPU, read Voices stories about young alums, hear from SFS, and more.

A message from Computer and Information Systems: Are you interested in learning more about creating and managing Wiki spaces, using OneNote, navigating SharePoint, or similar software? Join us for a 30-minute, CIS-led survey of university productivity tools on Wednesday, August 28, or Thursday, August 29. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here.

University Communications has created a Vendor List of trusted vendors for apparel, stickers, awards, and other items. These vendors are familiar with SPU’s color and logo requirements. Campus departments are free to use other vendors.

Seattle Pacific University now uses Quality Press for campus stationery orders. Through Quality Press, you will access a “Storefront,” allowing 24/7 ordering. Business cards ordered by Thursday at 6 p.m. will be delivered the following Wednesday. Allow five to seven business days for all other orders. Note: Orders will be delivered to Mailing Services and to your office via your normal campus mail delivery. Go to Banner >> Employee Menu >> Stationery Products Menu >> Create an Order.

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 29. Due to the Labor Day holiday, the next Bulletin will be published Tuesday, September 3. The Bulletin will resume weekly publication on September 16.

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of global development studies, recently presented his paper “The Indo-Pacific Vision: Opportunities and Challenges for ASEAN” at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s conference on the future of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in the context of shifting geopolitics in Phnom Penh. Brad was also appointed to the academic advisory board of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a division of the Royal Academy of Cambodia under the Council of Ministers and advises the Royal Government on foreign policy questions.

Professor of Education Bill Nagy presented a paper titled "Predicting Word Knowledge from Age of Acquisition Ratings and Age-related Variables Derived from Grade-level Frequencies” at the 25th annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading in Toronto, Canada, in July. He was also second author of a paper titled “Addressing the Presence of Proper Names in School Texts,” presented by Elfrieda Hiebert, founder of TextProject.org, at the same conference.

Peg Achterman, assistant professor of communication, attended the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in August. She gave a presentation titled “Video Virtuosity: Teaching Sequencing with Instagram” in the “Innovative Teaching Tips” session.

In April, Professor of Music Stephen Newby presented at the Sacrament and Story Conference hosted by Fuller Seminary’ Brehm Center. His presentation was titled “Embodiment and the Story of African American Sacred Song.” He also performed and premiered as narrator on African American composer George Walker’s composition, “Sinfonia No.5 Visions,” for two performances with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall.

The School of Education's Online Learning Task force (professors David Wicks, Julie Antilla, June Hyun, Munyi Shea, and Jorge Preciado) submitted a proposal titled, "Breaking out to develop creative sustainable online programs," to the OLC (Online Learning Consortium) Accelerate conference in November. Their submission received the “Best-in-Track” award in the “Leadership and Institutional Strategies” track.

The Office of Human Relations would like to welcome the following new employees:

• Elia Castleman, gymnastics instructor, Falcon Gymnastics Center
• Kendal Keyes, gift processing manager, Advancement Services
• Stella Ma, senior accountant, Controller’s Office
• Jeremy Raymond, systems analyst engineer, Computer and Information Systems
• Carlee Wilson, receptionist, School of Education
• Rashmi Shrestha, assistant to the vice provost

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate the following staff member on a new appointment:

Madison Richardson, clinical placement coordinator, School of Health Sciences

Jenny Tenlen, associate professor of biology, was interviewed for “Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge” a program on Global News Radio, Calgary, Alberta. The interview was in response to the news about the crash landing of a lunar lander on the moon, which carried (among many other things), dehydrated tardigrades. To listen, select August 9 (audio date) and 2 p.m. (audio time). Jenny's segment starts at about the 32-minute mark.

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of global development studies, was quoted in the August 3, 2019, edition of Los Angeles Times in the article, “Chinese money transformed a sleepy beach town in Cambodia. Then came disaster.” He also had another op-ed published in Asia Times on the continuing U.S.-Cambodia crisis.

Bryan Jones, senior gift planning officer, and his wife, Kristen Jones, nurse practitioner in SPU's Health Services, climbed Mt. Rainier earlier this month. They summited on Sunday, August 4, around 6:30 a.m. with a climbing team of four friends from the Boeing Alpine Society (BoeAlpS), who they met through a four-month basic mountaineering class. They are now certified mountaineers, and this was their first climb since graduating. Said Bryan, “We made this climb to fulfill our own personal goals and love of the mountains.” Congratulations, Bryan and Kristen! Select the link to see a photo of Bryan and Kristen at the top.

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