A message from Louise Furrow, vice president for University Advancement: The “Behold” Christmas special premiered Saturday, Dec. 12. If you haven’t had a chance to view it yet, you can now watch it any time online. 

By the premiere time of 7 p.m., we had 4,040 household registrations in six continents, 27 countries, and all 50 states. As of this afternoon, the special has been viewed more than 6,800 times, which is considered to be an audience of 16,750. Also, there are now available five shorter videos edited from the full-length special, which include "What Child is This," "The First Noel," and "Oh, Holy Night." Coming soon is a Spotify playlist that will included these three songs as well as a handful of other Christmas songs produced and performed by SPU faculty and alumni. We are thrilled with the response and the ability to expand the reach beyond the 2,500 seats available in Benaroya Hall for the traditional Sacred Sounds of Christmas concert. Many alumni have reached out to say how proud they are of their alma mater. The fundraising campaign will continue on, but so far we have received gifts from 698 donors — and along with sponsorships — the total amount is over $80,000 for student scholarships.

THANK YOU to all on campus who worked tirelessly. In particular, I want to recognize the School of Music faculty, University Communications staff, University Advancement staff, and many others on campus. Following all COVID-19 protocols for campus, filming, and music performance was no small feat. Thank you to Dr. Stephen Newby and Director of Alumni, Parent & Family Relations Director Amanda Stubbert who were the creative leads who brought the vision and goals to life, grounded in Biblical truth, and reflecting the richness of SPU’s diverse community.

A message from University Communications: We are excited to introduce a stunning new 360-video which will allow prospective students to walk through Tiffany Loop on a sunny day, visit Gwinn, check out classrooms and labs, and cross the Fremont Bridge to Gas Works Park — all from their home. The 360-tour also gives viewers a glimpse of surrounding neighborhoods and the Puget Sound region including downtown Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls, the Cascade Mountains and more. We encourage you to check out the new video and share it!

From Staff Council: Inspired by The Great British Bake Off, we are holding a baking competition for staff that will take place in your kitchen and on our brand new Instagram account — spustaff.

Between now and Friday, Jan. 15, bake up something festive, snap a photo, and share your recipe! At the end of the competition, we will award Byen Bakeri gift cards for different categories, and gather all submissions for a campuswide digital holiday cookbook. More information and the submission form can be found at this Formstack link. (Please note: we will only accept submissions via Formstack.) 

Could you be Star Baker of the entire SPU campus? Enter and find out!

The Office of Inclusive Excellence invites you to join us 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14, for the workshop, Diversity 101: Exploring the What, Why, and How of Diversity at SPU. Learn more and sign up here.

University Ministries stewards a Benevolence Fund to serve undergraduate students experiencing financial hardship or emergency situations. Typically, an offering for the fund is collected at the annual Thanksgiving Chapel service, but due to the change of the academic schedule this service did not occur. As we come to the close of a particularly difficult year where the fund was in high demand, we invite the SPU community to consider a contribution of any size in support of our students. You can select the “Benevolence Fund” option through University Advancement’s website.

From Niki Amarantides, director of the Center for Learning: Thanks to the on-campus community for all the coats and warm clothing that appeared at the Center for Learning. Although it can feel as if there’s no one on campus these days, your generosity said otherwise. Thanks for helping keep some of our neighbors warmer this winter.

Does your school or department website use the “Page Editor” template (sometimes called the “Marketing Template”) in Sitecore? You can now find a Sitecore tutorial to explain how to make your content updates. On the University Communications website, under Website Assistance, go to Sitecore Tutorials. You’ll find six tutorials, including a new tutorial to help schools and departments using the Page Editor template. You’ll also find tutorials about getting started, updating web pages, uploading images, and more.

Mailing Services hours of operation are 8 a.m.–4 p.m. until Tuesday, Dec. 22. and there are mail deliveries to departments. Faculty and staff are welcome to come in during those hours to pick up mail and/or packages. 

On Tuesday, Dec. 15, the retail counter will be closed 2–4 p.m. for the Office of University Services annual Christmas Party, which we be online this year. If you have mail and or packages to be mailed during that time, please bring them by no later than 1:45 p.m. You can still come by and pickup your department’s mail and packages during the retail counter closure, as student employees will be able retrieve those items for you.

Between Dec. 28 and Dec. 31, Mailing Services will have limited operational hours of 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., with no counter sales. If you wish to pick up departmental mail during that week, come to the back door for assistance. On Monday, Jan. 4, Mailing Services resumes normal business hours, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., with afternoon department mail and package deliveries.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact Mailing Services at 206-281-2077.

All faculty and staff who come to campus must complete an online self-screening to attest that they meet certain criteria for being on campus (e.g., not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms). SPU has developed a campuswide tool through Banner (login into Banner and select Personal Menu) to report a daily COVID-19 self-attestation for faculty and staff working on campus (including Camp Casey and Blakely Island). A link to the self-attestation form is also available on the Stay Smart website, which is now highlighted in the top banner on the SPU homepage.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, Dec. 21, and the deadline is Thursday, Dec. 17. The last Bulletin for 2020 will be published Dec. 21, and the Bulletin will resume publication on Jan. 4. 

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.

In recognition of his service to the SPU community, Gabe Jacobsen, director of Residence Life, was nominated by his peers and selected by Staff Council as the December Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations and thank you, Gabe! Learn more about Gabe and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website.

A short essay by Matthew Benton, assistant professor of philosophy, titled “White Noise and White Silence: Evangelicals and Race,” was published in Marginalia (a channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books) on Dec. 4. It discusses race, epistemic injustice, and the social conditions of sharing knowledge, particularly in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd.

Katie Clum, assistant director of graduate admissions and 2010 SPU alumna, along with band members and fellow alums Ellen Kilcup ’09, and Aaron McConkey ’11, released a Christmas EP earlier this month. The band goes by "OK Carol" and their EP is titled “An OK Christmas Carol.” The album is available on all streaming platforms.

An article by Katya Nemtchinova, professor of linguistics, titled “Developing intercultural competence in a Russian language class,” was published in the edited volume The Art of Teaching Russian (Georgetown University Press). Her chapter examines different models of intercultural competence (IC) and discusses how IC objectives and assessment practices can be integrated into traditional foreign language learning activities.

Alberto Ferreiro, professor of European history, was interviewed in a live broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Programa de Estudos Medievais da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - Pem-UFRJ-Brasil. The Institute of Medieval Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is the largest in all of South America. The focus of the interview was Alberto's new book, Epistolae Plenae: The Correspondence of the Bishops of Hispania with the Bishops of Rome: Third through Seventh Centuries, Medieval and Early Modern Iberia Series, 74. Brill, 2020; and his current research projects.

Cara Wall-Scheffler, professor of biology, gave a lecture to members of the International Womxn in Biomechanics for their December 2020 meeting. Wall-Scheffler spoke about her research on the evolution of human sexual dimorphism and how a “broad pelvis explains some of the advantages of women's gait.” You can listen to her lecture on YouTube. 

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Chad Marsh, director or technology support services, Computer and Information Systems.

Peter Moe, assistant professor of English, was quoted in the Dec. 8 Queen Anne/Magnolia News article “Seattle seasons appealing for different reasons.”

Professor Emerita of Nursing Lilyan Snow passed away on Nov. 29, 2020. She served in the School of Health Sciences for 14 years before retiring in 1998.

This brief bio on Lilyan appeared in the spring 1998 issue of Response magazine upon her retirement. “Lilyan Snow came to Seattle Pacific to teach community health nursing in 1984. She has been the curriculum development expert for the School of Health Sciences, and has served as co-director of the graduate nursing program and chair of the Nursing Graduate Studies Committee. The former faculty chair also participated in the Japanese and Taiwanese nursing exchange programs. In addition to her work at SPU, Snow was a volunteer for Shanti, an organization that provides support for people affected by AIDS. After retirement, Snow plans to spend time with her husband, Donald, and family. She traveled to England for the SPU C.S. Lewis Study Tour this summer, and will continue her studies of theology and work as a coordinator of volunteers at her church.”

She and Donald were active in the emeriti faculty group. Her colleague, Professor Emerita of Nursing Ruby England, said, “She was such a bright light, critical thinker, poet, and friend. She brought wisdom, optimism, smiles, and kindness to our faculty.”

Lilyan’s obituary was published in The Seattle Times on Dec. 13, 2020. Memorial services will be scheduled at a later date.

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: The students of Seattle Seminary published the December issue of their literary journal The Cascade, 106 years ago. The table of contents features Christmas artwork and lists the items inside: stories, poems, and essays written by students; reports on student clubs, alumni, and school news; and advertisements for local Seattle-area business. To read this slice of SPU history, download the full issue on Digital Commons.