The annual Day of Common Learning offers the SPU community the opportunity to gather together to study and discuss a major topic as we seek to live out the mission of our institution.

The theme of this year’s event on Wednesday, October 17, is “Creation Care and Sustainability.” The day begins at 10 a.m. in Brougham Pavilion with a keynote address titled “Green Jesus: Embracing a Sustainable Faith,” delivered by A.J. Swoboda, director of Blessed Earth Northwest. In the afternoon, numerous seminars led by SPU faculty, staff, students, and community members will be offered at 1 p.m. and repeated at 2 p.m. Regularly scheduled classes, labs, and seminars before 3 p.m. are suspended; classes and labs after 3 p.m. are held as usual. Visit the website for all the information. 

The Center for Applied Learning presents the first installment of the School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean’s Speaker Series for the 2018-19 academic year. Molly Moon Neitzel, founder and owner of the Molly Moon’s Ice Cream chain, kicks off the series on Tuesday, October 9, 12:50 p.m. in the Library Seminar Room. She will speak on how she went from being a political activist to an entrepreneur and how her values are embedded in her business. Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend. Space is limited, so RSVP in advance by emailing cal@spu.edu. 

Learn some video basics to help improve the quality of your videos during a one hour session offered by Educational Technology & Media on Thursday, October 11, 1-2 p.m. in the ETM offices in the library (lower level). The session will cover topics like shot composition, lighting techniques, and some basic affordable setups to help you get started. All are welcome to attend. If you would like lunch, register by emailing Library Budget Manager Cari Lui at luic@spu.edu  by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10.

Please invite your first-year and transfer students to the library for a night of studying and food on Tuesday, October 9, 6-10 p.m. This annual event called NAP (Night Against Procrastination) is to get as many students as possible working on papers, projects, and exam prep — and avoiding procrastination and having fun getting their work done. Study Table tutors, faculty, and reference librarians will be available, as well as support from the Research, Reading, & Writing Studio.

Educational Technology & Media offers drop-in hours on Tuesdays 12–2 p.m. and Thursdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the ETM offices in the library, lower level. Come and visit for help with Canvas and other digital tools.

Shop for home décor, hostess gifts, accessories, gift certificates, and much more in a festive holiday atmosphere at this year’s Mistletoe Market, Friday, October 26, 9 a.m..–7 p.m. and Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church Fine Center. There will be gifts for everyone on  your list. Cash, checks, and credit cards accepted. This event is hosted by Sigma Rho, a philanthropic organization of Family and Consumer Sciences. All proceeds support student scholarships.

A message from the Office of Global Engagement: For many international college students at SPU, November 22 will mark their first American Thanksgiving experience. As U.S. students return home to celebrate the holiday, many international students cannot do the same. The SPU Home for the Thanksgiving Holiday program is an opportunity for international students to enjoy a traditional holiday celebration with members of the SPU community.

The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) is seeking faculty and staff host families to match with one or more international students this Thanksgiving Day. All you need to do is set one more place at your table. We will match you up with a student (or two if you want!). (Students may or may not need help with transportation.) This unique opportunity not only allows students to experience a major aspect of American culture, it is also a chance for them to connect with American culture beyond the classroom or residence halls. Last year, over 15 faculty and staff volunteered to host. Here are some of your colleague’s experiences from last year:

A student from China joined Professor Emerita Evette Hackman’s family for the Thanksgiving meal. Evette provided a unique experience for this international student from China who is pursuing a degree in nutrition as she was even included in meal preparations

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Nursing faculty member Carol McFarland welcomed a pre-ded major from Ghana to her family Thanksgiving meal. With several family members practicing in the medical field, this international student not only received the gift of an American holiday meal but kind and gracious career mentoring.

Will you consider becoming an SPU Home for the Holidays Thanksgiving host? If so, contact Sharleen Kato, director of OGE, by October 15.

The Office of University Communications (UC) invites faculty and staff to an open house on Thursday, October 11, 2:30–3:30 p.m. in lower Weter Hall. Learn about the many ways UC supports the university, departments, and offices and see some of the more than 1,000 projects produced each year. Get questions answered about Seattle Pacific’s new visual and messaging identity and learn how it’s being used in advertising, print, on the web, and more. Everyone who comes to the open house can be a judge in the “Best Branded Homemade Treat” contest (goodies made by UC staff), and will also be able to enter a raffle for a special, one-of-a-kind newly branded gift.

Staff Council presents "Next Steps with the New Brand," Thursday, October 18, 3:15–4:15 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. Come at 3 p.m. or stay afterward to receive a staff gift!

You’ve heard about the new brand. You’ve seen it. Maybe you’ve even worn it. Now, what questions do you have as we live into it? Staff Council’s Fall Forum is an opportunity to engage with the new brand as we map out the next steps for our campus and individual areas. Come join us!

A message from University Communications: With the rebrand, SPU faculty and staff are asked to adopt the same email signature convention. This will provide more consistency across campus. UC has provided instructions on how to update your email signature to the newly branded signature. Because graphics cannot be consistently delivered through email on mobile devices or when an email is forwarded, UC is not recommending use of the new SPU flame for email signatures. UC is also recommending “Arial” as the default font for email correspondence. If you have any questions, contact UC at 206-281-2051 or ucofficemgr@spu.edu.

A group exhibit examining "drawing from the fringes" is now at the SPAC (Seattle Pacific University Art Center Gallery.) The exhibit will open to the public on Thursday, October 18. Zack Bent, assistant professor of art, is the curator for the exhibit. “Drawing is taken as a core skill and way of knowing in art education,” he explained. “My approach here has been to find those experimental places where artists are exploring in their practice ways of seeing that have a loose or direct connection with drawing expressed through a host of mediums- text, printmaking, sculpture, photography, video, painting and found object/appropriation.”

SPAC is open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Admission is free. (Image credit: Hanita Schwartz Relicaptia, P. 50, 2015-18, Photograph After The Raft of the Medusa by Géricault.)

Update: The interchange at W. Nickerson Street and 15th Avenue West will be closed through Monday, October 22. Please expect delays and detours, and plan your commute to SPU accordingly to allow for extra time. The Nickerson Repaving Project is now in its third segment of construction. Visit the Seattle Department of Transportation website for more information.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every week 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 11. The next Bulletin will be published on Monday, October 15.

Cultivating Teen Faith: Lessons From the Confirmations Project by Katherine Douglass, assistant professor of educational ministry and practical theology, and Richard Osmer, Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and Evangelism at Princeton Theological Seminary, was recently published by Eermans Publishing Co.

Jeff Keuss, professor of Christian ministry, theology, and culture, presented a paper in the material religion section of the 19th biennial International Society of Religion, Literature, and Culture conference at Uppsala University in Sweden titled "Soren Kierkegaard, Slavoj Žižek, and Dynamic Incarnationalism: Towards a Lived Material Theology of Personhood." Jeff additionally serves as chair of the literature section of the conference, which hosted six distinct panels addressing in the intersection of literature and religion.

A theological essay by Rob Wall, Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, titled "What’s ‘Catholic’ about the Catholic Epistles Collection?" was included in Acts of Interpretation: Scripture, Theology, and Culture (T. Cummins and J. Zimmerman, eds., Eerdmans, 2018). The editors of this collection wrote: "Wall’s essay explicates the literary aesthetic and theological integrity of the Catholic Epistles (i.e., James, 1-2 Peter, 1-2-3 John, Jude) and shows the collection’s crucial contribution to, and completion of, the apostolic witness and the biblical canon." Adds Rob: "Should any of you want to know what their summary actually means(!), I would love to sit down with you over coffee and tell you more about this collection of biblical writings, which was John Wesley’s 'canon within the Canon.'"

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of Global Development Studies, served on two panels as part of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s annual China Forum conference in Washington, D.C., September 28–29. He presented on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its implications for southeast Asia and U.S. policy toward the region, as well as on China’s response to the middle-income trap and its medium-term economic growth prospects.

He was also appointed last week to the scientific advisory board of Le Réseau National des Pôles Régionaux d'Innovation du Québec (the National Network of Regional Innovation Centers of Quebec), which seeks to foster economic development across the diverse regions of the province.

Lena Hristova, associate professor of nursing, achieved board certification as an adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist from the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center, marking her scholarship of practice and recognizing her expertise within the discipline of nursing.

Antwinett Lee, associate dean of undergraduate nursing, was named by the University of Washington School of Nursing as one of the 100 Nurses of Influence. Antwinette was nominated by peers in the community for her influence as a nurse. She was recognized as a part of the UW’s Celebrating 100 Years of Nursing Centennial.

April Morgenroth, assistant professor of nursing, co-authored a research study to be presented at the Global Cardio-Oncology Summit in Tampa, Florida, later this month. April worked with principal investigator, Dr. Kerryn Walck Reding ’16,  in developing the study, "Cardiovascular outcomes in relation to use of anti-hypertensive medications in those with and without cancer."

The Office of Human Resources would like to welcome the following new faculty and staff to the University.

Tracey Coleman, program coordinator, Seattle Pacific Seminary
Mary Conyard, enrollment marketing specialist, Enrollment Communications 
Kerry Dearborn, professor emerita of theology, tutoring professor, Seattle Pacific Seminary 
Hope Evans, communications manager for recruitment, University Communications
Dan Gesick, resident manager, Blakely Field Station, Blakely Island 
Elaine Gesick, guest services coordinator, Blakey Field Station, Blakely Island 
Riley Kua, staff accompanist, Music
Luke LePage, residence life coordinator, Residence Life 
Mamta Ouyoumjian, continuing education course coordinator, Center for Professional Education
Kristine Robertson, CIB office coordinator, Center for Integrity in Business
Rebecca Weygandt, residence life coordinator, Residence Life
Reneè Zografos, gymnastics instructor, Athletics

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate the following staff members on their new appointments:

Logan Cadorette, maintenance mechanic I, Facility and Project Management
Matt English, facilities services manager, Facility and Project Management
Joel Matulich, lead maintenance electrician, Facility and Project Management
Sylvia Monreal, assistant director, internal operations, Center for Career and Calling

From Master Gardener Jeff Daley: Gardens are captivating places for me. But something that can boggle my mind is a part of the garden we can’t see: foundations within the soil. Soil is home to thousands of living organisms: moles, earthworms, centipedes, millipedes and grubs all living around roots anchoring plants and trees in place. There are also a myriad of mycorrhizal fungi connecting our garden plants together in a vast network of threadlike fibers — providing amazing benefits to the plants and building soil structure in the process.

As Professor of Biology Eric Long says, fungi are like icebergs; most of the organism is completely underground. Last week as I was walking through Emerson Park near the big old apple tree, I noticed a large clump of mushrooms growing in the lawn there. You’d be surprised how similar mycorrhizae are to apple trees: Imagine the branches of the tree inverted beneath the ground. Tree branches are very much like those threadlike fibers, and apples, the fruiting bodies of the tree, correspond to those of the fungi: mushrooms! That's one reason it’s difficult to rid an area where mushrooms continue to show up. Fortunately, not only can we enjoy the flowers and fruits of plants above ground, but we can also learn to appreciate mushrooms.

There is quite the competition for scouring edible mushrooms on campus, but I highly suggest you know your mushrooms before you harvest any to take home for a culinary experience. Enjoy a few photos I took on campus of some early mushrooms, and an illustration of a mushroom network underground. And, just know, the season is just getting started!

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