A Veterans Day celebration will be held on Thursday, November 9, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in the Collegium, located on the garden level of Weter Hall. Light refreshments will be provided. Stop by and get to know your classmates, professors, and staff who have served or are serving in the armed forces. This event is open to the entire community and is hosted by SPU’s Veteran Navigator.

There will be follow-up presentation and discussion about the current war between Israel and Hamas with professors Walter and Shaban on Thursday, November 9, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in Otto Miller Hall room 109. The event is open to all students, faculty, and staff. It will not be recorded or livestreamed.

11–11:30 a.m.: Alissa Walter, assistant professor of history, will provide a recap of the historical context that led up to the Hamas attack on October 7. (If you weren't able to attend the session earlier in October with professors Walter and Becky Hughes, this will be a great chance to hear about some of the key historical factors driving the current hostilities.)

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Sara Shaban, assistant professor of communication, and Alissa Walter will provide summaries and analysis on the recent developments in the war. There will be a time for questions, answers, and discussion.

If you attended the previous events on campus, you are welcome to arrive at 11:30 a.m. to skip the historical recap.

Mark Abbott Lectureship on Preaching: “Preaching Forgiveness in an Age of Contempt”

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 – 6–8 p.m.

First Free Methodist Church Sanctuary

You are invited to come hear Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore lecture on "Preaching Forgiveness in an Age of Contempt.” Rev. Dr, Moore is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and the professor of biblical preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

There is no cost and no need to register. This event will be live-streamed and video-recorded (link pending).

Educational Technology and Media is offering a workshop, "Student agency & assignment options," on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 10:40–11:40 a.m. in ETM. Please join us as we discuss ways to incorporate student agency and choice into assignments, looking at both the opportunities and challenges.

Winter/spring reservation requests are now being taken for Camp Casey's Faculty House for full-time faculty and staff. The dates of stay are Jan. 8–June 10, 2024. Reservation requests are due by Nov. 10, 2023. These requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey.

Please visit this link to request a reservation. If you are curious how the lottery works or how to stay at Camp Casey with discounted faculty and staff rates, check out the Human Resources wiki. Questions? Contact Camp Casey at campcasey@spu.edu.

Join the Pacific Islanders Club of Cultural Arts (PICCA) and SPU Dining Services on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in Gwinn Commons for an immersive experience into the Pacific. Showcasing the islands of Fiji, Samoa, Hawai’i, Māori (New Zealand), Micronesia, and Guam, the event will feature delicious flavors, live music, and cultural performances. With an entrance fee of just one Gwinn meal swipe, everyone is welcome to celebrate the beauty of these cultures alongside PICCA.

The Faculty Diversity Committee and Faculty Life Office invite faculty and staff of color to a networking luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 16, 12:30–1:30 p.m., in the Library classroom on the main floor. Please register here by Wednesday, Nov. 8, so that we can order the appropriate amount of food. Please let us know if you have any questions by contacting Assistant Professor of Communication Sara Shaban at sshaban@spu.edu.

“Preaching Forgiveness & Reconciliation” One-Day Conference

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 – 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

First Free Methodist Church Sanctuary

Register via Eventbrite

Join us for a special all-day conference. The conference will take place at First Free Methodist Church (across from SPU’s campus) from 8:30 a.m.– 4 p.m. Our keynote speaker for the conference is Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and the professor of biblical preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. We will have an additional keynote message from Rev. Dr. Scott Dudley, senior pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church, preaching from Rev. Peter Chin, senior pastor at Rainer Avenue Church, and a panel discussion framed by Rev. Michael Thomas, senior pastor at Radiant Church. Additional breakouts will be led by Dr. Stephen Newby and Rev. Ashley Skinner Creek.

A message from Computer and Information Systems: During October, CIS posted weekly blogs about phishing, spear phishing emails, ransomware, and passphrases and Canary Files as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. There will be a quiz released to employees and students. Receiving 100% on the quiz will automatically enter the user into a raffle. The raffle will have two winners, one student and one employee, who will each receive a prize from CIS! Be sure to check out the CIS blog for more details.

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 every Monday during the academic year, or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. The next deadline is Thursday, Nov. 9. The next issue will be published Monday, Nov. 13.

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.

An article by Robin Henrikson, associate professor of education, titled “Conducting a Community-Level Needs Assessment Through Dynamic Engagement With Stakeholders” was published in the Sage Publishing and Evaluation Review.

A new poem by Mischa Willett, assistant professor of English and writing, tilted, "Transport," was published by Ekstasis magazine. 

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

Cecilia Best, undergraduate admissions counselor, Undergraduate Admissions
Austin Freeman, budget manager, Athletics
Kimberly Frost, executive assistant, Office of Student Life
Gabe Jones, facilities service coordinator, Facility & Project Management