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.

The office will close at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, for the annual Office of University Services Christmas event, and reopen on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 8 a.m.

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 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. 15, and the next issue will be published Monday, Dec. 19, which will be the last issue for 2022. 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.

A message from Jeff Jordan, vice provost for student formation and community engagement: Dan Lepse has been named SPU's interim athletic director. He will serve in that role for the remainder of the current academic year and to the end of June 2023.

We are pleased and honored to have Dan provide leadership for SPU athletics during this transition time period. Dan brings a great deal of experience about college athletics and specifically for our Falcon athletics program. We know Dan will provide stability and support for the teams and our staff during this time. We are blessed knowing his commitment and experience will provide a strong foundation. Read the full news release here.

On Dec. 3, Alissa Walter, assistant professor of history, presented a paper titled “Neighborhood Leadership and Legitimacy during the U.S. Occupation of Baghdad” at the Middle East Studies Association annual conference in Denver, Colorado.

Please join us in honoring Assistant Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions Ineliz Soto-Fuller for 16 years of dedicated service to SPU at a Disney-themed reception on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2–4 p.m. (program at 2:30 p.m.), in the Emerson Lobby. You can honor Ineliz in one of two ways (or both ways!): Attend her reception in your Disney gear (if you have it), and/or submit a short video to honor Ineliz (follow these Video Submission Instructions). We cannot wait to celebrate Ineliz and her amazing dedication to this place. We hope you can join in doing so! Please help us pass this along to others outside of the SPU community (alumni, friends of SPU, past colleagues, etc.).

Jason Thornberry, receptionist in the School of Education and adjunct instructor of writing, had his poem, “Eternity Tree,” published in the winter 2022 issue of Door is a Jar literary magazine. It was Jason’s 20th publication of 2022.

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

Zach Jacobsen, assistant director, School of Theology and Seattle Pacific Seminary
Michael Labrum, interim coordinator for spiritual formation, University Ministries
Dan Lepse, interim athletic director, Athletics
Sheila Richardson, administrative assistant, Family and Consumer Sciences
Ethan Soriben, security officer, Safety and Security