With the start of the new academic year, new representatives are being appointed to the University Advisory Council (UAC). We are expressing our thanks to members who have served and are rotating off the Council. The representatives are leaders from a cross-section of the campus constituency who represent the needs and viewpoints of faculty, staff, and students in our community. 

For those not familiar with the UAC, there are two purposes for the Council’s existence. The first is to provide an opportunity for greater University representation and discussion on key institutional matters of concern ― both present and future. As we continue to move through our strategic planning process, the UAC serves as a primary sounding board and point of conversation regarding the plan’s design, content, and progress toward goals. Second, the UAC serves as an integral communication point where we can discuss and share significant and current information regarding both our operations and our future plans to enhance broader awareness and understanding. I believe this occurs as the UAC members serve as communication conduits to the various units, departments, programs, and constituents across the University. The representatives to the UAC for 2015-16 can be found online.

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At the Library’s next Creative Conversations event, Associate Professor of Music Stephen Newby will discuss an oratorio he composed based on the book of Hosea. The event is Thursday, October 22, 3 p.m. in the Library Reading Room.

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Winter and spring reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island. The dates of stay are January 4-June 13, 2016. Reservation requests are due by November 5, 2015. The winter and spring requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by previous summer stays at Casey. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu. Visit the Camp Casey website to request a reservation.

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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 21, is “Seek Justice, Do Justice, and Sustain Justice: Building Community in a Broken World.” The day begins at 10 a.m. in Brougham Pavilion with a keynote address titled “Who Is My Neighbor? Responding to God’s Call for Justice for the Poor,” delivered by Lisa Slavovsky with International Justice Mission. In the afternoon, more than 25 different 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. 

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The next School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean’s Speaker event will be Tuesday, October 27, 9 a.m., in the Library Seminar Room. Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, will tell his personal story, discuss his industry, and talk about ideas from his book, Talentism. Faculty and staff are invited, but space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, contact the Center for Applied Learning at cal@spu.edu or 206-281-2151.

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Faculty and staff (and their family and friends) are invited to the Mistletoe Market on Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at Hillford House, 600 West Dravus Street. The Martins are opening up the SPU president’s residence for a special fundraising event to benefit scholarships in Family and Consumer Sciences. The event features year-round home décor, hostess gifts, one-of-a-kind SPU items, fresh floral arrangements designed by Campus Dining’s Loida Arabia Kennedy, and fresh Christmas wreaths made by SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley. Other items include candles, pillows, throws, hand bags, trays, jewelry, gifts for kids, gift certificates from local businesses, and much more. All profits will benefit Family and Consumer Sciences scholarships. Credit cards and cash accepted. The event is sponsored by Sigma Rho, a philanthropic organization of FCS alumni and friends. For more information, contact Mia Hays in Family and Consumer Sciences at 206-281-2195 or mhays@spu.edu.

The most current data for the Faculty/Staff Directory is in the online SPU White Pages. The Office Directory (office phone numbers, fax machine numbers, mailstops, and contact service providers) section has been updated for 2015-16. The Employee Directory (by last name and grouped by department) section is refreshed every day. If you would like a print copy, visit the online directory.

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Flu shots are now available in Health Services, located in Watson Hall. Current staff, faculty, and dependents (age 15 years and up) who have Cigna coverage through SPU may receive their annual flu shot free of charge as part of the preventive care benefit. For those not covered by Cigna, the cost is $25. Make an appointment by calling 206-281-2231.

University Advancement is looking for student volunteers for Advancement Core (AC), a group that helps plan “I Love SPU” week, serves as student ambassadors at events such as Homecoming and the annual President’s Circle Dinner, and does overall work to create pride, loyalty, and gratitude for the SPU community. If you know students who might be interested and are in their second academic year or later at SPU, have a deep love of SPU, and have strong interpersonal skills and professionalism, send their names to Meranda Clausen in Alumni and Parent Relations at clausenm@spu.edu.

Hundreds of prospective students and their families will be on campus for SPU Friday Plus, October 22-23, and the Transfer Open House, Monday, October 26. For Friday Plus, high school juniors and seniors will stay overnight in the residence halls, dine in Gwinn Commons, attend informational sessions, and visit classes on Friday. The Transfer Open House includes an afternoon luncheon, a session in the Library Seminar Room, and a tour of campus. Look for these students and their families and make them feel welcome.

Saturday, October 24

Cross country, Seattle Pacific at GNAC Championships, East Lake Padden Park in Bellingham. Women start at 10 a.m. and men at 11 a.m.

Women's soccer vs Saint Martin's, Interbay Stadium, 7 p.m.

For all the latest in Falcon sports, visit the website.

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The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly 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 22. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, October 26.

Professor of English Susan VanZanten served as a workshop facilitator and writing coach for the South Asian Institute for Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) Writers’ Workshop, held in Bangalore, India, last month. Thirty-five participants from Southeast Asia attended, most of whom were seminary or Bible school professors, pastors, or NGO leaders. Sponsored by the Theological Book Network and SAIACS, the workshop’s objective was to enable and assist South Asian voices to speak into the Western academy and church through writing and publishing.

The Oikonomia Network recently published an article by Assistant Professor of Business Ethics Bruce Baker titled “The Spiritual Blessings of Entrepreneurship.” Read the article online.

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Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance Dale Cannavan gave a 60-minute presentation at the National Strength and Conditioning Association's regional conference in September. The presentation was titled ‘Skeletal Muscle Adaptations: Molecules to Hormones.”

Assistant Professor of Political Science Katya Drozdova gave a presentation at the peer-reviewed American Political Science Association annual meeting. Her presentation was titled “Measuring Terrorist Threat Indicators & Warnings: Information-Theoretic Analysis of Cases.”  This work is based in part on her upcoming book, Quantifying the Qualitative: Information Theory for Comparative Case Analysis (forthcoming from SAGE Publications in 2016).

Communications Specialist Jeffrey Overstreet was invited back to deliver more lectures on the art of film at Nashville's annual Hutchmoot arts conference earlier this month. His presentations were titled "A Wild Horse on a Big Screen: Lessons in Artistry From Carroll Ballard's The Black Stallion" and "Through a Screen Darkly: Good News and Bad News About Religious Cinema." He also launched a new version of his arts website, LookingCloser.org

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Faculty from the School of Education (SOE), the School of Psychology, Family, and Community, and the School of Business, Government, and Economics, along with SOE graduate students and an undergraduate psychology major working in Educational Technology and Media (ETM) collaborated on a study that was recently published in the Online Learning journal. The study was a product of a year-long faculty learning community project sponsored by Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development and ETM.

The study, by faculty members David Wicks, Baine Craft, Donghun (Don) Lee, Andrew Lumpe, Robin Henrikson, Nalline Baliram, and students Xu Bian, Stacy Mehlberg, and Katy Wicks, is titled “An Evaluation of Low- Versus High-Collaboration in Online Learning.”

The study explored how the use of high collaboration technologies such as Google Docs and Google Hangouts impacted the level of learning presence students demonstrate while participating in a small-group project. Differences in collaboration were measured using student grades, peer evaluation, pre- and post-tests, and the community of inquiry survey. Read the abstract online.

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From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley. Looking for a perennial that will brighten your fall garden? Don't overlook asters. Their vibrant colors in shades of pink, purple, blue, and white contrast nicely with the surrounding colors of autumn. A few asters are late summer bloomers, but in the Pacific Northwest most start showing their buds mid-September and into October. They're also one of the last great feeding opportunities for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

There are many varieties and classifications of asters ― all are native to North America, and all are fairly easy to grow. To find just the right aster for your garden, consider color and height, and provide as much sun as possible. Some grow in single clumps, while others are more prostrate and in time will make a grand display as a ground cover.

Asters are practically maintenance free. Just cut them down to the ground in the very early spring and you're done. Once the days start to get longer, they will start growing through the spring and summer and be ready to bloom again in the fall.

Like many other plants, once asters become established they will provide just the right touch of color in your fall garden year after year and help welcome in the season.

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