Celebrate your colleagues and express your appreciation for their committed years of service during the annual Celebration of Service. The Professor of the Year and Staff Members of the Year will also be announced. The event will be held in Royal Brougham Pavilion on Thursday, May 11, at 11:10 a.m. There will be a community reception immediately following the event. All offices are closed during the celebration so faculty and staff can attend.

This week: Retirement Ready Seminar
Tuesday, May 9, 4 p.m. 
Hendricks Falcon Club, Royal Brougham Pavilion
Seasoned professionals in the retirement industry will discuss investment strategies, and estate planning. Whether retirement is years or decades away, a smart strategy begins now! 

Light refreshments will be served. You are welcome to bring a guest. Sign up here!

Social Security 101 Virtual Workshop
Wednesday, May 17, 1 p.m. 
Sign up here!
Speaker: Kirk Larson, Washington State Public Affairs Representative, Social Security Administration. 

Kirk has over 30 years’ experience in Social Security Administration, including published articles and media appearances discussing Social Security topics. Prior to attending the workshop, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount to create a my Social Security account and print out your Social Security statement.

Get Ready to Retire Webinar
Tuesday, May 23, 1 p.m.
Select webinar link here!

Speaker: Join Transamerica Consultant Ronee Dakin for an informational webinar to learn about strategies for transitioning into retirement and the questions you should be asking now to prepare.

Transamerica Individual Appointments
Tuesday, May 23–Thursday, May 25, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Human Resources Conference Room

Our Transamerica Consultant Ronee Dakin is back on campus for the first time since COVID. Seize this opportunity to discuss your personal retirement investment strategy or to get your plan started. Sign up here!

A message from Human Resources: Did you know May is spring open enrollment for long-term care insurance? We encourage you to learn about the Unum insurance plan and determine if it is a good fit for your needs. In 2021, Washington state introduced the WA Cares Fund and this started a national conversation about state managed long-term care (LTC) programs. Learn more (PDF) about which states (CA., GA, NY, PA, WA) are currently evaluating a state LTC program.

Seattle Pacific University is providing you an opportunity to apply for coverage with group advantages which may be beneficial if your state implements a LTC program. Learn more, view rates, and apply online. You can also speak with an LTC benefits expert at 877-286-2852.

Fall/winter reservation requests are now being taken for Faculty/Staff House at the Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island for full-time faculty and staff. The dates of stay are September 11, 2023, through January 2, 2024. Reservation requests are due by May 20, 2023. The fall/winter requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey. Please remember: If you will be away from your SPU email over the summer, provide an alternate email to contact you, should your name be drawn. If you are curious how the lottery works or how to stay at Camp Casey with discounted faculty and staff rates, checkout the new HR Wiki.

Visit the Camp Casey website to request a reservation. Questions? Contact Camp Casey at 360-678-5050 or campcasey@spu.edu. We look forward to seeing you this winter or sooner!

A message from Campus Ministries. Here are some spiritual care resources for faculty and staff. 

Mini Spiritual Care Retreat
We will be offering a Mini Spiritual Care Retreat led by Jen Manglos.
Grounded in Love | Wednesday, May 17, 3–5 p.m.
Planted. Rooted. Grounded. These words, familiar in springtime, also point to a trust that the ground will hold, regardless of the situation. In Ephesians 3, Paul offers the image of a person being rooted and grounded in God’s love. But what does it look like to be grounded in love when we live in a world of fear? Join us for our second micro-retreat of the quarter for space to rest and remember the love of God that steadies and supports us. You can sign up online.

Spiritual Care Room SUB 110.
Open Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
We have converted room 110A on the ground floor of the SUB into a Spiritual Care Room. This is a reflective space where you can pull away to catch your breath for a moment. Inside you will find warm and comfortable seating, coffee and tea, and food. There will also be spiritual resources such as self-guided prayer practices, Lectio Divina, and other interactive stations handcrafted to care for you.

Online Spiritual Care Resources
If you are unable to make it over to our Spiritual Care Room (SUB 110), we have posted all of our faculty and staff spiritual care resources online, which can be found here.

A message from Mailing and Copying Services: We just launched an improvement to our operation by using the Mailing and Copying Services webpage to give staff, faculty, and students the ability to know the status of mailing operations throughout the day. The four main mailing tasks will be updated throughout the day, so you can get a quick glance what has, or has not, been accomplished.

Our goal is to save staff and faculty from making wasted trips to the SPU Mail Center to learn if departmental and/or student mail has been sorted, to know if the FedEx run to Ballard has happened, and to know when the mail has left Mailing Services for the day. We hope this will make better use of your time without wasted trips and phone calls.

The Faculty Diversity Committee and Faculty Life Office invite faculty and staff of color to a networking luncheon on Tuesday, May 23, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Hendricks Falcon Club in Royal Brougham Pavilion. Please RSVP by emailing the Faculty Life Office at flo@spu.edu by Thursday, May 18, so that we can order the appropriate amount of food from Cactus.

From the Office of Human Resources: SPU’s Transamerica retirement plan gives you access to a dedicated retirement planning consultant. If you need help improving your financial wellness, navigating inflations monetary impact, or transitioning to retirement, Ronee Dakin, our Transamerica retirement planning consultant will be available to provide the support you need to keep you on course.

Schedule your appointment here at a time convenient for you.

Tuesday–Thursday, May 22–24
8 a.m.–5 p.m.
HR Conference Room

Gabrielle Turner graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2017 with a degree in music, but she was just beginning to find her voice. Building on her general music degree, she immediately began working on her vocal strength and building up her courage as a soloist. Now she is the Seattle Sound Music Awards Best Female Vocalist. Lister to her story on SPU Voices podcast.

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, May 11, and the next issue will be published Monday, May 15.

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 Michael Paulus, dean of the library: After 14 years of outstanding and faithful service to SPU, Cindy Strong is retiring at the end of this academic year. Please come by the Library Seminar Room on Thursday, May 18, between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to wish our soon-to-be education librarian emerita well. Light refreshments will be served.

An essay by Professor of Art Katie Kresser titled “Iconic: Contemporary Portraiture and Sacred Personhood” is included in the new book, Religion and Contemporary Art: A Curious Accord. The book “sets the theoretical frameworks and interpretive strategies for exploring the re-emergence of religion in the making, exhibiting, and discussion of contemporary art. Featuring essays from both established and emerging scholars, critics, and artists, the book reflects on what might be termed an ‘accord’ between contemporary art and religion.”

An article by Mohammad Qadam Shah, assistant professor of global development, titled “The Rise of Centralistic Governance in Spatial Planning in Indonesia and Australia: A Comparative Study,” was published in the journal Bestauur.

A paper co-written by Brittany Tausen, associate professor of psychology, and three recent undergrad alumni was published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. The paper is titled, “When dehumanization does (and does not) matter: Exploring the relationship between social justice motivations, avoidant behaviors, and intentions to help individuals experiencing homelessness.” 

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

Jess Flores, office manager, assistant to the chief information officer, Computer and Information Systems
Fernando Ornelas, communications officer/dispatcher, Safety and Security

Nate Hoover, program coordinator in the MFA-Creative Writing Program, explains his monthly cartoon: Let’s call it a slight remix of the biblical version you may have heard. To see more of my cartoons, find me on Instagram: @hoovernathaniel.

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