In 1981, who could have known that the young man walking across campus to take his first college ID photo would someday become the prime minister of the country of his birth. Yet, that is what happened when Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani arrived at Seattle Pacific University to begin English language classes in the fall of 1981. While his time on our campus was short, he created fond memories of his experience in Seattle, the students that he met, and specifically Seattle Pacific.

In May of 2016, he made a surprise visit to SPU while in the United States. He came to celebrate the graduation of his oldest son from the University of Colorado at Denver and to deliver the Commencement address. He then made a brief stop in Seattle and visited our campus. It was during this visit that he shared his affection for our campus and university and invited us to stay in contact with him.

Following his time at Seattle Pacific in the early 80’s, he went on to complete his undergraduate degree in policing science at the Durham Military College in England. Once back in Qatar, he served his country in a variety of safety and security roles leading to his appointment in 2005 as the minister of state for internal affairs. Then in 2013, he became the prime minister and minister of the interior. In his role as minster of the interior, he has responsibility for Qatar’s security, and in his role as prime minister, he represents Qatar interests in the region and around the world.

He followed-up on his campus visit by inviting an SPU delegation to visit him in Qatar in September of 2016 to discuss various avenues of partnership between the University and Qatar’s interest in higher education. When we visited, we quickly realized Qatar’s progressive trajectory, most notably seen through the Qatar Foundation’s development of Education City. Qatar has assembled a cluster of universities from the United States to provide academic expertise and cultural engagement. The colleges present in Education City are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth University and Georgetown University. During the visit we were also able to see the astonishing scope of responsibility that the prime minister carried. He shared the vision for Qatar that is summarized in Qatar’s National Vision 2030. It boldly called for the unequaled pursuit of balanced advancement in the areas of economic, social, human, and environmental development.

As I reflected on such a rare former student and the significance of his role and leadership, I proposed to our Board of Trustees that we should honor him with an honorary doctor of laws degree. In February of 2017, the board unanimously agreed and we determined to find a time to recognize him. An opportunity to present him with this honorary degree quickly developed this past month and we were able to travel to Doha, Qatar, last week to present him with this honor.

Seeing his grateful and authentically appreciative response to this honor, I was reminded of the tremendously significant role we play in the lives of students and their formation. Our mission of Engaging the Culture; Changing the World has been present all along the journey of reconnecting with the prime minister. We have seen that Seattle Pacific’s distinctive space as a Christian university that engages the broader world allows us to have an impact far beyond what we can imagine when a student steps on campus for the first time. I wanted to share this story with you and encourage us to look at all of our students with new eyes so that we can help them see how God has gifted them for something significant.

The Night Against Procrastination (NAP) is Tuesday, October 17, 5 p.m.–12 a. m. in the Ames Library. NAP events have been happening across Europe and the U.S. and began at SPU in 2016. The goal is to get as many students as possible in the Library working on papers, projects, and exam prep — and to avoid procrastination and have fun getting their work done. Please tell your students to come. There will be food, raffles, study tables, and writing tutors to help students prepare for midterms.

President Martin and Pam Martin invite SPU faculty and staff to the Hillford House (600 West Dravus Street) for an Autumn Celebration and Open House on Thursday, October 19, 2-6 p.m. Celebrate the season as a community with fellowship, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts. 

Also, to celebrate both the start of a new year and Seattle Pacific’s institutional commitment to address homelessness in Seattle, faculty and staff are invited to participate in Project Cool’s drive for school supplies for homeless students ages 14-18. Project Cool is one of SPU’s previous CityQuest partners, and has supported more than 30,000 homeless students since its founding 28 years ago. This will be a great moment to restock Project Cool’s supplies as they provide backpacks, school supplies, and basic health items to hundreds of homeless children and teens. Here is a list of items Project Cool has requested. The items will be collected at the Autumn Celebration and Open House. 

Crayola crayons (box of 24)
Crayola colored pencils (box of 12)
Thick colored markers (box of 10)
Highlighters
Pens (black and blue)
#2 Pencils
Pink erasers
Glue sticks (non-toxic)
Toothbrushes (individually wrapped)
Toothpaste
Floss (containers of 40 yards+)
Wide- and college-ruled filler paper
Wide- and college-ruled 1-subject notebooks
Wide- and college-ruled composition notebooks

Staff Council is pleased to host its Fall Forum event on Monday, October 30, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. Provost Van Duzer will give an update on Seattle Pacific. This staff event is a time to celebrate SPU successes, hear about new directions, and even get some budget updates for this school year. Light snacks will be provided. We hope you’ll join us.

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 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.

Winter/Spring reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at the Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island. The dates of stay are January 2 through June 11, 2018. Reservation requests are due by October 20. The winter/spring requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu. Request a reservation online.

Here are this week’s Campus Dining specials for faculty and staff.

Gwinn Commons Dining Hall Specials:

• Tuesday: National Pasta Day! Enjoy delicious pastas in Gwinn for lunch and dinner to celebrate the amazing combinations of noodles and sauces.
• Wednesday: Enjoy Gwinn's fresh baked chocolate cupcakes on National Chocolate Cupcake Day.
• Thursday: We are hosting our first "Elite Event" of the year. For one meal swipe plus $5, or two meal swipes, get an exclusive BBQ Bacon Cheese Burger with onion rings.

Retail Dining Specials:

• Shmearful Special! Try our new Shmearfuls. One for $0.99 or three for $2.59 at Einstein Bros. Bagels all week long.
• Bertona Street Grill Rice Bowl of the Week: Nan's cooking up some delicious Coconut Curry Chicken.
• On WILD Wednesday, October 18; Get a WILD DEAL of three Tacos for only $5.99 at Cocina Del Sol.

$5 Fridays. This month get these awesome $5 deals every Friday:

• Common Grounds and Academic Perks: Grande Mocha and a cookie
• Bertona Street Pizza: Pepperoni Pizza
• Bertona Street Grill: Teriyaki Turkey Burger
• Einstein Bros. Bagels: Pork-N-Pretzel Sandwich and a medium coffee
• Cocina Del Sol: Nachos
• C-Store: Your choice of one pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream

For the latest information on Falcon sports, visit the Falcons online.

Thursday, October 19
Men's soccer vs Northwest Nazarene, Interbay Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
Women's soccer vs Western Washington, Interbay Stadium, 7 p.m.
Volleyball vs Alaska Anchorage, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.


Saturday, October 21
Women's soccer vs Montana State Billings, Interbay Stadium, 2 p.m.
Men's soccer vs Montana State Billings, Interbay Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
Volleyball vs Alaska Fairbanks, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.

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 19. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, October 23.

Please join University Communications for a farewell reception for Hannah Notess on Thursday, October 19, 2:30-3:30 p.m. in lower Weter Hall. Hannah’s career at Seattle Pacific spanned seven years as managing editor – and more recently as editor – of Response magazine. She first came to SPU as an adjunct professor of English and the Milton Center Fellow at Image journal in 2008. She edited several award-winning issues of Response, and helped develop the magazine’s online platform. She is also an accomplished author and poet, winning several awards for her work in poetry. Please join UC in wishing Hannah well as she pursues a new career.

Regina Schlee, professor of marketing, is ranked No. 24 among “Key Authors in Business and Management Education Research” by Arbaugh (et al., June 16, 2017). The article examined 7,209 business education authors who published 4,464 articles in influential business education journals from 2005 to 2014.

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Bruce Baker, professor of business ethics, will speak at a two-part event exploring faith, values and artificial intelligence titled “Right, Wrong, and Artificial Intelligence: What’s at Stake?” on October 18 and 26. Specialists in artificial intelligence, theology, and business ethics will offer insight into the complex ethical and cultural issues surrounding these topics, and provide a basis for ongoing cross-spectrum discussion. The first event is Wednesday, October 18, 7-8:30 p.m. at University Presbyterian Church in the U-District, and the second event is Thursday, October 26, at Union Church in South Lake Union. The event is free and open to the public.

Writing Instructor Mischa Willett will read poems with SPU guest Lauren Camp, author of One Hundred Hungers, at the Hugo House on Monday, October 23, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro was again a visiting summer professor in the Centro Fray Luis de Leon at the University of Salamanca in Spain. He taught students from WWU, SPU, and Eastern Oregon University. This is his 28th year of teaching at the university. Other highlights were personal trips to Caceres, Spain (World Heritage Site), and Budapest for rest and research. Lastly, he enjoyed a Real Madrid-Barcelona match at the Bernabeu with friends.

Assistant Professor of Urban Studies Katherine Nesse presented a paper, co-authored with Leah Airt, titled, "How Useful Is Google Street View as an Environmental Observation Tool? An Analysis of the Evidence So Far." She gave the presentation at the annual meetings of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning in Denver on October 13. 

Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of Global Development Studies Brad Murg recently chaired two panels at the Central Eurasian Studies Society annual conference at the University of Washington. His article, titled an "Author-Critic Forum” and co-written with colleagues from UC-San Diego, the U.S. Naval War College, and the University of Pittsburgh, was accepted for publication in the journal Caucusus Survey. The article examines Jesse Driscoll's recent book Warlords and Coalitions in Post Soviet States.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Brad Murg was interviewed for an article in Forbes magazine on October 6 on Cambodia's recent political crackdown and its implications for foreign investment. Read the article online.

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