A message from University Ministries: Come join us for our winter All University chapels on Tuesdays, 11:10 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church. These should be office closure chapels, so please look for Chaplain Lisa’s email for “Office Closure” signs for each chapel. Hope to see you there!

Feb. 13 – Sermon on the Mount Series focusing on prayer and the life of faith with Rev. Kelsey Rorem, Associate Chaplain, University Ministries
Feb. 27 – Invitation to Lent with Scott Erickson, artist, author, speaker, and visual curator for spiritual stuff

SPU’s annual biometric screenings return to campus for two days only, Feb. 27– 28. Human Resources, Aetna, and Quest Diagnostics have partnered together to offer free, confidential health and wellness screenings available to SPU employees and spouses who are enrolled in SPU’s Health Plan. On-campus sessions are available Tuesday, Feb. 27, and Wednesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., in Upper Gwinn, Cascade Room.

Conducted by certified health professionals, the biometric screening will take less than 20 minutes, consisting of a brief health assessment, blood pressure screening and comprehensive blood test. Both fasting and non-fasting options are available. Fasting participants should fast 9-12 hours before the event. Participants should drink plenty of water the day before and the morning of the event. Bring your Aetna medical ID card to your biometric screening. Contact Cherylin Shdo in Human Resources at shdoc@spu.edu with any questions.

To schedule an appointment, go to My.QuestForHealth.com to set up a username and password. Note: If you have old Quest Diagnostics credentials once used with Cigna, you will need to set up a new username and password. Enter your unique ID: Aetna WID# from your Aetna ID Card (add S for Spouse). Registration Key: SPU2024

SPU Theatre presents, "The Old Man and the Old Moon," an imaginative musical inspired by Celtic folklore which invites us to remember from whence we have come while inviting us into a new and whimsical future. Audiences of all ages are sure to be pulled into the fun as actors swap banjos and fiddles, shadow puppets and swords, and ropes and sails as imagination takes flight. 

Faculty and staff can redeem two free tickets on the night of their choice by emailing the Box Office at boxoffice@spu.edu or calling 206-281-2959. The Box Office is open 4–6 p.m., Monday–Friday, or an hour before each performance.

"The Old Man and the Old Moon"
E.E. Bach Theatre, McKinley Hall
Feb. 1–3; 8–10 (All shows at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. on February 10.)
Buy tickets online.

The next Center for Faithful Business Coffee Talk is Thursday, February 8, with free coffee and conversation at 7 p.m. at Two Kick Coffee, 3208 Queen Anne Avenue North. Randy Franz, professor of management, will lead a discussion about how people of faith have a rich vision of what it means to be human and how that shapes the way they treat employees.

Mammograms save lives! To help make these essential tests convenient for women in our community, SPU is hosting the Swedish Mobile Mammography coach, Feb. 21–22. Schedule your appointment by going to Swedish Breast Center online scheduler. Bring your medical history form from the online scheduling link, your insurance card, photo ID, and the first and last name of your current primary care provider. The coach will be near Tiffany Loop on Third Ave. W. For more information, contact Cherylin Shdo, Human Resources benefits specialist, at shdoc@spu.edu.

A message from Educational Technology and Media: This quarter we’re running a three-part series looking at ways to support student belonging and engagement in the digital side of your course, interspersed with other campus workshops. We are returning to the format of an in-person workshops on Wednesdays, 12–1 p.m. at lunch which we repeat (and record) on Friday morning, 10–11 a.m. online. On-campus sessions are held in the ETM offices in the lower level of the library. Online sessions are on Zoom.

Week 7: Digital Belonging III: How are your students doing? Using early assignments, canvas data, and mid-quarter feedback to support student engagement.
Feb 14, 12–1 p.m. in ETM and and Feb 16, 10–11 a.m. on Zoom. Contact ETM at etmhelp@spu.edu for the Zoom link.

Other upcoming workshops are Week 6: 'A computer can do that — AI and your course,'" Feb 7, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. and “Week 10: Open Education Week." More information and lunch sign up are coming, but the library is offering a drop-in lab session to let you see how some different AI tools handle your assignments. 

Do you live in the Northend, Shoreline, Bothell, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, or Lynnwood area and are tired of paying for gas? Join our vanpool and enjoy free rides to work! Meet-up and leave times may be adjusted to fit the needs of the group. We meet at the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center. Contact: Christina Traverso at traversoc@spu.edu or Cherylin Shdo at shdoc@spu.edu if interested in joining.

Here are some of the benefits of joining. 

• Save a lot of money on gas: The van, gas, and maintenance costs are all covered by SPU through King County Metro.
• Free SPU parking passes: Get five free single day parking passes per person for each quarter you ride in the van at least once a month.
• Reduce wear and tear on your car: Keep your car in better shape and lasting longer by not accumulating thousands of miles on your personal car.
• Faster than public transportation: Already take the bus or light rail? The vanpool could reduce your commute time by 20-30 minutes.
• Go green: Help Seattle reduce the amount of cars on the road. Even one less car helps!
• Build community: Connect with people from other departments.
• Introverts welcome: Want to use your commute to sleep or read a book? No problem!
• Flexible Commitment: Participants can ride in the van as little as once a month. Meet up and leave times may be adjusted to fit the needs of the group.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year, or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. The next deadline is Thursday, Feb. 8. The next issue will be published Monday, Feb. 12.

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 an episode of the Saturdays at Seven podcast for Christian Scholar's Review, Todd Ream talks with SPU President Deana Porterfield. She opens by discussing her discernment process when considering the calling to serve as a university president for Roberts Wesleyan University and Seattle Pacific University. She then offers advice for younger administrators concerning what practices could help them discern a comparable calling and, should it emerge, prepared them to embrace it. She then discusses the ways the Free Methodist Church and Seattle Pacific relate to one another and enhance one another’s missions. Ream and Porterfield then close their conversation by discussing the theological qualities that define the Wesleyan tradition and in what ways those qualities inform curricular and co-curricular programming on campuses such as SPU.

Kati Barr, assistant director of Learning Support Services, has been appointed primary Fulbright Program Advisor (FPA) for SPU. Former advisor Michelle Beauclair says, "I am confident that she will do a wonderful job in this additional service role for SPU and that she will be an effective and energetic advisor for our students who are interested in pursing a Fulbright Student Award."

Ben Hartley, associate professor of mission and world Christianity, recently received a $6,000 Franklin Research Grant from the American Philosophical Society. He will use the grant to defray the costs of archival trips to Columbia University, Yale University, and the University of Minnesota to complete research for a biography of Nobel Peace Prize laureate John R. Mott (1865-1955). This academic year Ben is also serving as president of the American Society of Missiology and will give a plenary address at that academic professional society’s annual meeting in June 2024.

Mischa Willett, assistant professor of English and writing, was interviewed on the Faith and Imagination podcast on the subject "Why I Am a Churchgoer" for Brigham Young University, College of Humanities.

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

Moriah Graves, Eaton Hall program coordinator (Biology, Chemistry, PPHS, FCS), College of Arts and Sciences
Katrina Hupp, event coordinator, Conference Services

Nate Hoover, program coordinator for the MFA in Creative Writing Program, explains his monthly cartoon: Instead of a typical “out of order” sign, broken escalators could come with one of these sign options. Let me know which one is your favorite! Check out more of my cartoons on Instagram @hoovernathaniel.

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