A message from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing; and Jordan Grant, associate vice president for enrollment operations and Student Financial Services: Today we are announcing Tuition Reimagined. We know that rising college costs across the nation are a barrier to students achieving their higher education goals. For years, we have been developing ways to make the nationally ranked academic experience and transformative educational community of SPU more accessible. 

Tuition Reimagined includes lowering our undergraduate tuition rate by 25%, beginning in autumn 2021. We are also restructuring our scholarship offerings and offering a future Tuition Commitment. All of these changes will open the door for more students to be able to receive a world-class education at SPU. Look for more information on the SPU homepage on September 22.

The Day of Common Learning (this year, known as the Days of Common Learning) is a campuswide event in which students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the outside community have the opportunity to engage in deep thought and conversation around a topic of focus, interest, and concern. This year’s event is Oct. 5–9, and the topic is “The Future of Work in the Age of a Pandemic, Sociopolitical Disruption, and Rapid Technological Change.” Monday through Thursday will have a thematic session each day led by a faculty member and an external conversational partner, who together will explore one of the themes of the day regarding the future of work. The week culminates on Friday, October 9, with a 15-minute keynote address by Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, followed by a panel discussion with faculty who led the thematic sessions.

A message from the Office of Inclusive Excellence (formerly the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion): The Office of Inclusive Excellence offers diversity seed grants up to $1,500 to support departmentwide initiatives that advance one or more of the University’s strategic diversity goals. Seed grants are awarded quarterly, with the autumn application cycle opening Sept. 19 and closing Nov. 1. Learn more and apply online, and contact us with any questions!

Watch this year's Orientation highlights, including a message from President Martin, captured in a special video. Background music is by Joseph, the popular band comprised of SPU alumnae.

Whether you’ve attended all or none of CIS’s past training sessions, CIS would love to hear from you! Is there an area of technology and a brief training session you are interested in? New ideas are welcome. Which previously offered technology trainings would you like to see repeated? Please let them know by taking a few minutes to complete a brief survey indicating your interests.

Know a junior or senior who is interested in the intersection of faith and business? There is a weekly small group, Entrepreneur in the Making, that will meet for six weeks using the Praxis Academy materials. This small group is a collaboration between the School of Business, Government, and Economics and University Ministries to provide accountability, networking, and talent management group for SPU student entrepreneurs who want to influence the world with their social impact ventures. For more information, visit the website.

The Office of Inclusive Excellence invites you to join us 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, for “Diversity 101: Exploring the What, Why, and How of Diversity at SPU.” Learn more about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop Series, and sign up online.

A message from the Center for Career and Calling: Please tell your students to join our joint Virtual Career Fair: Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific, and University of Puget Sound, on Wednesday, October 7, 12–4 p.m. PDT. Students will be able to connect with employers and find jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities and more! This virtual fair is an opportunity for your students to present themselves professionally to a potential employer, while showcasing their communication skills. They will have the chance to interact with the employers on a one-on-one and group basis.

For more information on how a virtual fair will look, visit the webpage on Handshake.

From Health Services: We would like to strongly encourage all the SPU campus community to get a flu shot this fall. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide flu shots to staff and faculty on campus this year. But Cigna health benefits cover the flu vaccine, which is widely available in many area pharmacies and walk-in clinics. Health Services will have flu vaccine available on campus for students by appointment.

A message from the Eastside vanpool riders: Do you commute across the Highway 520 bridge? If so, you could be saving as much as $300 a month by joining our vanpool. We meet at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, Monday–Friday at 7:30 a.m., and work an 8 a.m.–5 p.m. schedule. The vanpool is completely free to SPU employees which means the Highway 520 toll, gas, parking, and car maintenance are all covered through the Trip Reduction Program. Can’t ride every day? Even if you can only ride part time, we’d love to talk to you. Please email Marilyn Hancock at mhancock@spu.edu. For more benefits of riding in the van, visit spu.edu/vanpools.

Reusable face masks featuring the SPU flame were distributed in offices, departments, residence halls, and at campus events. If you didn’t receive a face mask, or need some for your office or classroom, contact University Communications at ucofficemgr@spu.edu. Remember, as part of Washington state’s Safe Start plan, face masks must be worn indoors, and outdoors in public spaces if a six-foot distance cannot be maintained. This is a practical way to care for others.

Switchboard is the place for SPU alumni, students, faculty, and staff to connect with each other. This private community is an opportunity for Falcons to help each other by either “asking” for what you need or “offering” what you have to share, ranging from job and internship opportunities or listings, advice, housing, and more. Sign up online.

A message from Health Services: SPU Health Services facilitates health and wellness for our students. However, all SPU students and employees should report symptoms, exposures, and positive test results for COVID-19 to Health Services as soon as possible and stay separate from others until evaluated by a health care provider.

Students and employees who live off campus should stay home and call Health Services as soon as possible if symptoms develop while off campus, if they have been tested for COVID-19, or if they have been notified of a close contact with COVID-19. If new COVID-19 symptoms develop while on campus, the individual should go home immediately and then call Health Services to report the symptoms.

Resident students (who live on campus) should stay in their residence and call Health Services as soon as possible to report their symptoms, tests, or exposures. If Health Services is not available, they should leave a message and students in the residence halls should notify their RA.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, Sept. 28, and the deadline is Thursday, Sept. 24. 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.

For the 2020-21 academic year, the new Staff Council president is Gina Whitehouse, administrative assistant to the deans, College of Arts and Sciences. Here are the rest of the Staff Council representatives.

A chapter co-authored by June Hyun, associate professor and chair of school counseling, was included in the book Demystifying the DSM for School Counselors, (2020. A. Shillingford-Butler & T. Gonzalez, eds). The chapter was titled "Selective Mutism."

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Daniel Kroll, security officer, Safety and Security.

Bradley Hawkins, instructor of cello and music technology, was interviewed for the September/October issue of Strings magazine in an article titled “College in the Age of COVID: With No End in Sight, Music Programs Prepare For a New Educational Landscape.” Strings is the magazine for players of violin, viola, cello, bass, and fiddle.