We have passed the tenth day of classes when we capture the official enrollment statistics for Autumn Quarter. The numbers are reflected below for your review.

Although we fell short of our undergraduate goal, our total enrollment remained relatively consistent with last year. This was due to continued strong retention as well as exceeding our goal for graduate students. 

The results of this past year remind us that we have to work hard each year to achieve our enrollment goals and that we all play a part in the enrollment success of SPU. Work is underway to provide new strategies as we strive to achieve our goals for the coming year. One strategy that we believe will assist us in this effort is to advance a student’s application in the recruitment cycle and enrollment funnel. As of October 13, we have received 877 applications for next fall’s first-year class, which compares to 209 at this same time last year. Additionally, we have received 63 transfer applications compared to 19 at this time last year.

Even if these applications are simply advanced in timing, it provides greater opportunity for connectedness and deeper conversation about the advantage and value of an SPU education.

I know recruiting a student requires involvement and effort across campus. Thank you for all you do to form the type of community that draws students in and encourages their attendance as they journey through this important life decision.

The annual Day of Common Learning offers students, faculty, staff, and the public the opportunity to explore a major issue or interest. This year’s theme is “The Promise and Perils of Power: Fostering Human Flourishing in a Broken World,” and the keynote address will be given by Andy Crouch, executive editor of Christianity Today. Offices will be closed from 9:45-11 a.m. so SPU community members can attend the opening session. There will also be a variety of afternoon seminars led by faculty, staff, students, and community members beginning at 1 p.m. and repeated at 2 p.m.

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The SPU community is invited to the opening celebration of Alexander Hall on Wednesday, October 29, 3-4 p.m. Following the ceremony at the main entrance to Alexander Hall off Tiffany Loop, light refreshments will be provided and Theology Student Union members will be available on each floor to answer questions. October 29 is the 123rd anniversary of the 1891 groundbreaking for Alexander Hall. Learn more about the campaign to restore SPU’s iconic building.

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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 5 through June 16, 2015, and reservation requests are due by November 5, 2014. The winter/spring requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey.

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A message from Conference Services. “As many of you have noticed, the Lake Union Room in Gwinn Commons has been offline for reservations since the beginning of the year in order to evaluate seating needs and reduce wait times for diners. It has become clear that the space is needed to accommodate the high volume of guests at each meal period. Therefore, the Lake Union Room will remain offline and unavailable for exclusive reservations. We suggest that if you are planning a meeting that includes dining services options, you can reserve a nearby room through SPU Room Finder (e.g. Library Seminar rooms are near Common Grounds and the C-Store which offer retail food and the Simply-To-Go meal program). We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation as we feed as many students as quickly as possible in the dining hall.”

Find yourself and learn about others [In] the greater [Context] of history, the Bible, and societal systems. [In Context] is not just for students ― faculty and staff are welcome to participate. Join us through discovery, community, and conversation as we unpack and unveil the realities of race relations, its intersections, and impact on our stories. The weekly commitment to join the group is Wednesdays, October 29–December 3, 3:30–5 p.m. For more information, contact Caenisha Warren in the John Perkins Center at warrec@spu.edu or 206-378-5411.

Join Image journal as they host a free concert on Wednesday, October 22, featuring Sam Rocha performing music from his new album of Augustinian soul music, “Late to Love.” The concert begins at 7:45 p.m. in SPU’s Art Center Gallery. Wiseblood Records describes the album as “an original concept album that performs a reading of Augustine’s Confessions through soul music.” All are invited for this night of music, food, and community.

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Falcon Athletics is excited to launch the first Faculty/Staff Season Ticket package for the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball season. The best part is that it's free. Faculty/Staff package holders receive a number of exciting benefits, and the first 50 to register will receive a Falcons seat cushion. For more information and to register for tickets, visit the website and select the ticket information for faculty and staff. If you have any questions, contact the Falcon Ticket Office at falcontix@spu.edu.

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Do you want to keep updated on the service and community engagement of the Perkins Center? You can stay connected to where campus is serving in both urban and global contexts, and reflect with the Center around issues of justice and reconciliation. You’ll also learn about the Center’s events and events in the larger Seattle region. Sign up for the weekly newsletter by emailing Caenisha Warren in the Perkins Center at warrec@spu.edu. You can read the first newsletter of the academic year online.

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The Tent City 3 Host Committee is sponsoring a series of community education forums around the topic of homelessness. The next event is a screening of the award-winning documentary “Invisible Young” on Wednesday, October 22, 7-9 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. The documentary looks at youth homelessness primarily through the stories of four Seattle young adults who talk about their childhoods, their parents, and why and how they ended up on the streets — and how they survived. Discussion will be facilitated by Associate Professor of Sociology Karen Snedker and the director of the documentary, Steven Keller. The event is free and wheelchair accessible.

Are you interested in learning about how your pursuit of personal wellness could impact more than your health? Find out about the incentives available to faculty and staff through the “Motivate Me” program by attending a 30-minute session in the Library Seminar Room. For more information, contact Human Resources at 206-281-2809.

Thursday, October 23, 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, November 4, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, November 5, 1 p.m.
Thursday, November 6, 1 p.m.

Common Grounds and Academic Perks: The special on Caramel Apple Cider continues with a grande-size for $3.99. Pastries are also 20 percent off after 12 p.m. Monday through Friday until the end of October, so stop in and try one of the delicious homemade treats!

Subway: The $5 footlong for October is the meatball sub, and the $3 six-inch special is the ham sandwich.    
 
Sandella’s: For a limited time, the Milan Chicken Panini is only $6.49. Stop in and try it, and don’t forget to grab a Jamba Juice smoothie. Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for new menu items at Sandella’s.
 
C-Store: 20-ounce bottles of Pepsi are currently two for $2.50. Whenever you buy two, you’ll be entered into a raffle for a free Kindle.
 
Einstein Bros. Bagels: There are lots of pumpkin-flavored specials, including a pumpkin bagel with pumpkin shmear and a small coffee for $4.09.

For all the latest in Falcon sports, visit the Falcons online.

Thursday, October 23
Men's soccer vs South Dakota School of Mines, Interbay Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 25
Men's soccer vs University of Mary, Interbay Stadium, 7 p.m.

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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 Bulletin will be published Monday, October 27. The next deadline is Thursday, October 23.

Professor of History Bill Woodward spent the summer wandering in the past. Some of this was in an environmental context: California redwoods, Crater Lake, Lava Beds National Monument, the Nevada and Oregon high desert, the Canadian Rockies, and chinook spawning streams on the upper Fraser River. Some was nostalgic: riding a vintage train through the San Lorenzo Canyon (as well as Amtrak to Portland); hiking the old Great Northern rail bed west of Stevens Pass (“Iron Goat Trail”); wandering the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum in Toppenish (as well as Sacramento’s grand California Railroad Museum); attending his wife’s high school reunion and visiting her family’s ancestral sawmill; visiting his college roommate; enjoying an impromptu reunion with six couples who started married life together over 40 years ago. (Sadly, one of them succumbed to cancer in mid-September.)  Some of this time-travel was intensely educational: wandering through diverse historic villages in Indiana, Oregon, and British Columbia; exploring the WWII Internment Center at Tule Lake; revisiting mighty Grand Coulee dam; touring the sprawling processing plant of 100-year-old Boston Fruit Company and then hard-cranking an antique cider press; retracing the routes of fur trader and explorer David Thompson through the Canadian Rockies; drawing out the life story of a career CIA agent who negotiated Cold War arms agreements with Russia; and, most rewardingly, learning to drive a Model T (select the link at the end to see a photo). Professional contributions along the way included leading several tours of Fort Casey, speaking about providence in history (with reflections on the SPU shooting), and lecturing on “Lincoln’s Gettysburg Gospel” at the Kennewick (WA) library.

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Rob McKenna, chair of the Department of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and executive director of the Center for Leadership Research & Development, was listed among the 30 most influential industrial-organizational psychologists alive today by Human Resources MBA, an online resource guide for exploring and choosing the best human resources degree programs. The 30 were chosen based on their publications, impact on organizational practices, influence on future research directions, and awards and recognitions. Rob’s scholarship and practice span the boundaries of corporate, public sector, and ministry contexts with a specific focus on leadership development, sacrificial leadership, and leading well in times of high pressure and adversity.

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Theology and Philosophy Librarian Steve Perisho was recently featured as “Member of the Week” by the American Theological Library Association. Read the feature online.

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Assistant Professor of Business Ethics Bruce Baker, with the help of School of Business, Government, and Economics (SBGE) professors Randy Franz, Ross Stewart, and Geri Mason, presented an interfaith dialogue and presentation at the first Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Regional Meeting North America, held in Seattle October 10-11, 2014. PRME is the business education wing of the United Nations Global Compact. This inaugural PRME regional meeting focused on responsible management education practices in business schools across the region. Attendees of the workshop were positioned at the forefront of an influential new horizon in business education and responsible management. The SBGE-led session was well received and opened up some important dialogue around creating space for faith in responsible management education. Other thought-provoking debate occurred on crucial issues such as climate change, how to embed PRME into the curriculum, and gender equality in the classroom.

Professor of Education Arthur Ellis presented a paper titled “The Nature and Structure of Educational Innovations” at the 2014 Innovations in Education Symposium, held October 7-9 in Moscow, Russia. The meetings were sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Russian Ministry of Education, and the Moscow Institute of Education of the Russian National Research University. The paper is based on excerpts from his forthcoming book, Research on Educational Innovations (5th edition, Routledge).

The School of Education is pleased to announce the publication of an article by Assistant Professor of Teacher Education David Denton in the latest issue of TechTrends. The article, titled “Using Screen Capture Feedback to Improve Academic Performance,” reviews the effects of written, audio, and video feedback and examines how personalized video comments promote student learning in a case study design. Portions of the article are available online.

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Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean of the School of Education Dan Bishop gave a keynote address and four breakout sessions at the International Schools of China Teachers Conference 2014 in Beijing, China. His presentation "Called to Community” highlighted the importance of community as foundational to professional learning and the shifts in instructional practice needed to improve student learning. In addition, Dean of the School of Education Rick Eigenbrood presented three invited breakout sessions focusing on educating children with special needs.

A bibliography by Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro was published over the summer. This is the fifth bibliography on Visigothic Iberia and Gaul, and is titled The Visigoths in Gaul and Iberia (Update): A Supplemental Bibliography, (2010-12. Medieval and Early Modern Iberian World. E.J. Brill. xxxiv-365 p.).  It contains over 1,500 internal cross index references, an index of over 600 referenced journals, 2,581 entries, and comprehensive subject and author indexes. He has started work for the 2013-15 installment.

Associate Professor of Psychology Margaret Brown is the lead author on an article that was recently accepted for publication in the journal, Personality and Individual Differences. The article, titled “Self-enhancement Biases, Self-Esteem, and Ideal Mate Preferences,” provides an empirical examination of why people seek ideal romantic partners who are similar to themselves.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to join us in welcoming the following new staff members. Contact information can be found in the online SPU White Pages. 

Erica Giegler, mental health counselor, Student Counseling Center
Dyana Herron, receptionist, School of Education
Heather Ingersoll, administrative assistant, Center for Scholarship & Faculty Development
Amanda McGovern, senior visit & events coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions
Diane Tomhave, clinical placement coordinator, School of Health Sciences

Les and Leslie Parrott, co-directors of the Center for Relationship Development, were recently featured on the nationally syndicated radio show “Focus on the Family.” They offered practical suggestions for couples to increase the enjoyment of their relationship, no matter how long they've been married. Les is a professor of psychology.

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