The latest SPU Voices podcast features an interview with alumna Karen Springs. She graduated with a degree in theater and communications in 2004, and had no idea her future would include living in Ukraine and working with a Christian broadcasting network to promote adoption. Her new book, Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror, comes out of her latest adventure crisscrossing the United States and interviewing over 60 families who had adopted children from Ukraine.

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Mailing Services is now on Winter Break hours, and there will be no departmental mail/package pickup or deliveries. Please feel free to come by Mailing Services to pick up your mail or packages any time between Monday and Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Between Dec. 27 and Dec. 30, Mailing Services staff will be available 8 a.m.–12 p.m. to sort and process mail/packages only. No front counter sales will be available.

Established by a generous donor, The Shepherd’s Fund provides financial assistance to SPU alumni who are retired or disabled pastors having faithfully served in ordained ministry, and/or their alumni spouses, widows, or widowers. The Fund, which supports alumni across the U.S., is now partnering with Alumni, Parent, and Family Relations to offer this benefit to our alumni. More information, including how to apply.

All 2022 benefit-eligible employees and enrolled spouses can still complete their Biometric Screening for the 2022 Benefit Plan Year and earn $25 toward their Wellness Incentive.

Just go to: My.QuestForHealth.com to set up a username and password.

Enter your unique ID: Aetna WID# (from your Aetna ID card)*

Registration Key: SPU2022

From here, you will be given the option to register for a biometric screening at a local Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center OR download a physician form to complete along with fax or upload instructions. Acceptable physician screening dates range from Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022. All screening results must be uploaded or faxed to Quest Diagnostics by Dec. 31, 2022.

*Note: If you have old Quest Diagnostics credentials once used with Cigna, you will need to set up a new username and password.

Curative, our on-campus COVID testing partner, will permanently close their testing site in the SUB on Friday, Dec. 16. Please take a moment to thank them for their service to our community. Students will have access to COVID testing through Health Services; staff and faculty should seek testing through a community testing location.

The SPU community is invited to a Handel’s “Messiah” sing-along on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. at First Free Methodist Church, adjacent to campus. The concert is hosted by the Northwest Chorale, and admission is complimentary. A free will offering (cash or check) will be taken to benefit local area food banks. More information 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 to your 403b account may take up to seven days to be provided to SPU for processing, so please contact Transamerica by the first of the month prior to your requested change. 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 Cherylin Shdo in HR at 206-281-2816.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly on Mondays during the academic year (or Tuesday, if Monday is a holiday). The next deadline is Thursday, Dec. 8, and the next issue will be published Monday, Dec. 12. The last issue for 2022 will be Monday, Dec. 19, and the Bulletin will resume publication on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.

If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

Brian Chin, professor of music, is now the president-elect of the College Music Society. After being elected, he said, “I am looking forward to facilitating great conversations, designing ideas for improved student and faculty flourishing, and building toward a brilliant future for higher education in music across the globe.” Brian is currently serving as the vice president of CMS, and he will start his term as president in January 2024.

Keyne Law, assistant professor of clinical psychology, and her co-principle investigators were awarded an Innovation Grant from the University of Washington's Garvey Institute of Brain Health Solutions. The grant is for the project, “Decreasing engagement and transmission of suicide-related content on TikTok.” The project will be housed at SPU and involve Keyne’s team of doctoral students and undergraduate student research assistants.

Jordan Shannon, assistant professor of counselor education, had his paper “A Study of Help-Seeking Behaviors for African American Men: Implications for Counselor Education,” recently published online in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development. 

The Clinical Psychology program’s faculty and doctoral students ended 2022 by having their work published in 18 research publications, including the Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of Psychiatric Research, Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, and many more.

Jason Thornberry, receptionist in the School of Education and adjunct instructor of writing, was featured in the new issue of SPU's Response magazine in the article, “Diversity includes disability: Thornberry wins ‘No Limits, No Boundaries’ award.”

Peter Orr, adjunct faculty in the Visual Communication program, pondered an idea: What if Jesus’ Kingdom parables were reimagined in modern contexts children could relate to? After years of development, he’s self-published Living God'’ Way as a board book for young kids to recognize how they can participate in God’s Kingdom daily. Learn more at LivingGodsWayBook.com.

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

Minta Buse, associate director, John Perkins Center
Molly Callison, access services specialist, SPU Library
Andrew Fontana, mental health counselor/clinical supervisor, Student Counseling Center
Ryan Pemberton, assistant director, Center for Faithful Business
Jenifer Smithwick, assistant vice president of finance/controller, Financial Affairs

Amy Mezulis, professor of clinical psychology, was interviewed by GeekWire for an article titled, “The psychological impact of layoffs: Tips for employees and leaders navigating job cuts.”

Former longtime Seattle Pacific trustee and alumnus Leonard (Len) Root '50 passed away on October 20, 2022. Len was known for his great sense of humor, storytelling, and generous kindness to all he met. After World War II, Len enrolled at Seattle Pacific College, where he played on the basketball team, was elected class president, and met the love of his life, Edith Biddulph  '49. Following graduation, Len began a 30-year career in the Tukwila School District as a teacher and elementary school principal. For 65 years, Len and Edith lived out their faith in Jesus together with the Rainier Avenue Church's ever-changing congregational family in Seattle. "I want to be just like Leonard and Edith when I grow up," is a common refrain among church members. Leonard Root will be dearly missed.

Len and Edith invested their time and resources to help support Seattle Pacific, and established the John M. Root Teacher Education Scholarship Endowment. Len served on Seattle Pacific's Board of Trustees from 1968 until 1992. Predeceased in 2017 by Edith, his wife of 70 years, he is survived by his daughter, Janet Root ’75, and son, Daniel Root ’77, three grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and many other family members. Read his full obituary here.

For his monthly cartoon, Nate Hoover, program coordinator in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program, explains this month’s feature: These Christmas carols are hot this year! To see more of my cartoons, find me on Instagram (@hoovernathaniel).

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