The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is the weekly, internal e-newsletter for SPU faculty and staff. All faculty and staff receive the Bulletin, and most items are submitted by its readers. Faculty and staff are encouraged to submit information to fsb-editor@spu.edu or by selecting “Submit News” at the bottom of the Bulletin.

The Bulletin is published on Mondays (or Tuesdays if Monday is a holiday), and the deadline to submit information is the preceding Thursday. Submissions may be edited for clarity. The editor is Tracy Norlen, director of public information in University Communications. The Bulletin is divided into several sections.

Campus News & Events highlights the major news and events on campus. Only events related to SPU will be accepted. All faculty and staff are encouraged to submit information, including department news, campus events, or guest speakers on campus. Digital photos or graphics are required for each entry. When possible, event information will be published two weeks prior to the event. Remember to plan ahead when submitting information.

Faculty & Staff News is for professional information related to your position at SPU or in higher education. Items of interest are conferences attended, books or articles written or published, presentations made, awards received, or research completed. We especially would like more professional news from staff.

SPU in the News lists most of the print or broadcast media appearances by faculty and staff. If you've been used as a resource for a reporter, let us know by submitting the information to the Bulletin.

From the Archives is a monthly feature showcasing photographs and stories from the SPU archives provided by University Archivist Adrienne Meier. The feature is published the last week of each month during the academic year, and is not published during the summer months.

This Month in the Garden is a monthly feature written by master gardener Jeff Daley and highlights some of the plants, flowers, trees, and landscaping on campus. This feature contains photos taken by Jeff and a description of the plants. This feature is not published during the summer months.

Milestones is for personal news of interest to the SPU community, including births, adoptions, marriages, anniversaries, church services, mission trips, awards, and athletic accomplishments. Digital photos are always welcome. This section is also used for memorial service information.

Drawn Out Puns is a new monthly cartoon by Nate Hoover, office manager in the School of Theology. Nate says, “The name captures both the literal meaning (my drawn content being puns) and the figurative/social stigma of puns being ‘drawn out’ to excess. In addition, one could argue that I am ‘drawing out’ the puns from the reservoir of my sense of humor. I believe there is always another pun that can be ‘drawn out.' I hope to accomplish all these facets in the cartoons.” This feature will appear the first week of every month.

If you have any questions, contact fsb-editor@spu.edu.

In this new video produced by University Communications, students Omni Lott and Jesselyn Cruz talk about how academics, faith, and community all come together for them at Seattle Pacific.

A message from Human Resources: Open Enrollment is October 7–18, This is your opportunity to make changes to your benefit elections, including medical, dental, vision, and flexible spending accounts for the upcoming 2020 benefit year. To help you with your benefit decisions, Human Resources will host our annual Benefits Fair on Thursday, October 10, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Please take a few moments to stroll around the fair and enjoy some snacks with your co-workers. This will be an excellent opportunity to discuss questions or concerns you may have with our dedicated Cigna team. Presentations will be given about SPU’s medical plan, wellness plan, value-added programs, and more. Representatives from BAC (administrator for flexible spending accounts), Delta Dental, VSP (vision plan), Transamerica, and many more will also be present. These representatives will provide information, answer questions, and bring giveaways. Don’t forget the prizes! We look forward to seeing you there. REMINDER: Pay careful attention to all communication from Human Resources, particularly during this open enrollment season.

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.

A message from Campus Dining Services: Faculty and staff will receive two bonus meals if they purchase a Faculty/Staff Block 10 Meal Plan by Monday, October 14. That’s 12 meals for $85 (or $7.08 per meal)! (Limit one per person.) You can use the plan in Gwinn any time during Gwinn’s service hours. Or you can use it to purchase Simply to Go meals at the Corner Place Market, Academic Perks (SUB), or Common Grounds (Weter Hall). Meals can be used for guests, too. Plans can be purchased through Banner. Meal balances roll from quarter to quarter as long as you are employed at the University. If you have questions, contact Housing & Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or mealplan@spu.edu.

From University Librarian Michael Paulus: It is my pleasure to invite you to a presentation associated with the Bill Pollard Faith & Business Research Fellowship and the Library’s Work and Faith Collection on Friday, October 11, at 11:30 a.m. in the Library Classroom. Dr. Darrell Cosden, a returning scholar from the 2018 fellowship program, will present his paper “Honoring God and Developing People: ServiceMaster, Bill Pollard and the Heart of Corporation.” This event is co-sponsored by the SPU Library and the Center for Integrity in Business. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to cib@spu.edu by October 4.

A message from Computer and Information Systems: Did you know that Skype for Business will soon be replaced with Microsoft Teams on all SPU-managed computers? On Wednesday, October 16 at 8:30 a.m. or Thursday, October 17 at 1 p.m., join CIS for a special training led by Microsoft on the benefits of using Teams to collaborate with your colleagues and students. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here.

Almost 3,000 SPU families received the September In the Loop parents newsletter recently, in which they were invited to join a new Facebook group for SPU parents and families, participate in the Parents’ Prayer Network, read a student’s perspective on preparing for, and performing in, The Sacred Sounds of Christmas, and more.

The SPU Voices Podcast showcases personal stories of universal impact of alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Everyone has a story. The more personal the story, the more universal the impact. Tune in every first and third Thursday of the month and learn about the incredible things the SPU community is doing. Plus, sign up for the email newsletter to get bonus content and join the Facebook group to discuss show topics with other listeners. With 12 episodes available now, start listening on the SPU Voices Podcast website or wherever you get your podcasts.

A message from Housing and Meal Plan Services: To encourage interaction between faculty and staff and students outside of the classroom, Dining Services provides five free meal passes each weekday that students can use to take a faculty or staff member to Gwinn Commons for a meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). Tickets are available at the Office of University Services during business hours (9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.). Tickets must be picked up on the day they are to be used. (If a breakfast meeting is scheduled before the office opens, students may pick up a ticket the day before). The ticket is for the faculty or staff member; the student must use their own meal plan, Falcon Funds, or cash to enter the dining hall. Tickets are provided on a first come, first served basis.

Get connected and share the ride. Our new vanpool web page will give you the resources you need to find a vanpool/vanshare in your area. Fill out the vanpool questionnaire to get connected. Note: If you filled this form out last week, please resubmit your questionnaire. A technical glitch broke the link to the form so your data was not captured. For further information, contact Transportation Manager Heather Eide at eideh@spu.edu.

The 2019 Palmer Lecture will be Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School, will give a lecture titled “The Land as Kin: Renewing Our Imagination.” For more information about the lecture, visit the website.

In addition to the lecture, faculty are invited to a luncheon with Dr. Davis on Wednesday, October 9, 12–2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. To RSVP for the luncheon, contact Nate Hoover at theology@spu.edu.

Bloodworks Northwest will host a blood drive on campus October 10–11, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. near the entrance of Tiffany Loop. Schedule an appointment online.

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 Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) during the academic year. 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, October 3. The Bulletin will be published on Monday, October 7.

Randy Beavers, assistant professor of finance, presented the paper, “Using the University Budget as a Business Case,” at the 2019 Financial Education Association Conference in Savannah, Georgia. He also received the award for best paper in pedagogy from the 2018 annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. That paper was titled “Incorporating SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) in an Introductory Macroeconomics Course.”

Dana Kendall, associate professor of industrial-organizational psychology, and her former student, Kristen Voetmann, PhD, had their article, “Seeking Quality Mentors: Exploring Program Design to Increase Mentor Participation,” recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Organizational Psychology. This piece describes a study that employed an experimental design to determine which organizational policies motivate mentors to effectively invest in the development of junior employees. Results indicated that the most effective strategy was to allow mentorship dyads to meet during work time, suggesting the importance and desirability of integrating employee development into the job itself.

Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of Global Development Studies Brad Murg gave an invited talk, "US-China Relations: Long Term Crisis or Short Term Conflict?" at Mohidol University in Bangkok on September 18. Later that day, he was invited to serve on a panel at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand exploring Sino-Cambodian relations. Earlier in the month, Brad was invited by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung to lecture in Phnom Penh, discussing "The US-China Trade War: Implications for ASEAN and Cambodia." On September 26, Brad presented his recent research on China's Belt and Road Initiative at the annual China Forum conference in Washington D.C. and joined a series of workshops organized by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

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

Gabe Jones, tradesworker, Building Maintenance
John Harvill, security officer, Safety and Security
Patrick Pappalardo, assistant coach, rowing, Athletics
Mike Schubert, CRM enrollment communications coordinator, University Communications

Caenisha Warren, executive director and minister of reconciliation ministries, was interviewed by KIRO-FM (97.3) on September 27 about SPU's CityQuest, SPU's annual day of community service.

Bo Lim, associate professor of Old Testament, was a contributor to the 10th anniversary edition of the API magazine inheritance with his article, “What Has San Francisco to Do Wth Babylon: An Asian American Missional Theology.” 64.2 (2019) 126–135.

This new addition to the Bulletin will feature a monthly cartoon by Nate Hoover, office manager in the School of Theology. Nate says, “The name captures both the literal meaning (my drawn content being puns) and the figurative/social stigma of puns being ‘drawn out’ to excess. In addition, one could argue that I am ‘drawing out’ the puns from the reservoir of my sense of humor. I believe there is always another pun that can be ‘drawn out.' I hope to accomplish all these facets in the cartoons.” Select the link for "Logging In." 

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