The next Chapel is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 11:10 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church with Deacon Frank DiGirolamo, executive director of Operation Nightwatch, whose mission is to "reduce the impact of poverty and homelessness, in keeping with Jesus’ teaching to love our neighbors." The complete Chapel schdedule is available online. All faculty and staff are invited to join a community lunch each week after Chapel in the SUB Fireside Room. Bring your lunch and share fellowship with others across campus.

The Burton and Ralene Walls Center for Applied Learning welcomes retired Microsoft Data Scientist Roy Ma, founder and program architect of STEM Pro Academy, as the Autumn Quarter College of Business and Technology Dean’s Speaker. Ma will speak on, "AI Wins and AI Warnings: The Power — and Peril — of Our Smartest Creation," on Monday, Nov. 10, 4 p.m. in the library seminar room (2nd floor). RSVP to save your seat at cal@spu.edu.

A message from Student Life: International Ed Week is coming Nov.17-21! As part of our celebration of this nationwide initiative, we invite faculty and staff who have been an international student and/or spent a significant amount of time living abroad to tell their stories. If you would like to be featured in our showcase of international stories, please contact Jenny Elsey (elseyj@spu.edu) by Friday, Nov. 7.

A message from Human Resources: Open Enrollment has begun! This is the one time each year when benefit-eligible employees may add/drop coverage, switch plans, or add/drop eligible dependents from the medical, dental, and vision plans. At any other time during the plan year, one must experience an approved Qualifying Life Event to make such changes and specific rules and limitations apply. Flexible spending accounts must be re-elected each year. All new enrollment changes will be effective 1/1/26.

Open Enrollment elections will now be made through Workday. Here’s how:

Step 1: Log into Workday: Look for the Open Enrollment Change task in your Inbox or Awaiting Action.

Step 2: Select “Let’s Get Started." Review current elections.

Step 3: Use “Manage” or “Enroll” to change or add plans; add dependents if needed. Select “Waive” if you do not want the coverage.

Step 4: Confirm beneficiaries and contribution amounts (HSA and FSA’s). Click “Review and Sign," “I Accept,” and then “Submit” (if prompted).

Step 5: Save or print confirmation for your records.

Remember: New enrollment changes will be effective 1/1/26.

Do you have students who might be interested in participating in this year’s Social Venture Plan Competition? Invite them for free pizza and swag at the kickoff meeting on Thursday, November 6, 11:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. in McKenna Hall 117. Students will learn how to get involved in the competition where teams from different majors plan sustainable businesses that meet real needs and make a profit. Check out our website for more information!

In partnership with the Museum of Special Art (MOSA), the Division of Education is honored to welcome California artist Charles Curtis Blackwell on Wednesday, Nov,19, 4–6 p.m. in McKinley Hall. Blackwell will share his life’s journey as a visually impaired African American artist and poet, exploring the courage it took to overcome a life-altering accident and how faith, art, and resilience have shaped his creative path.

His presentation will include poetry readings, storytelling, and a live demonstration of his unorthodox painting techniques. Blackwell’s message beautifully aligns with SPU’s mission of character formation, inspiring us to see how creativity and perseverance can transform challenges into purpose. We encourage you to attend this powerful event and please share with your communities!

Watch this short video on Blackwell.

The Music Department celebrates visionary composers from Čiurlionis to Messiaen with a concert featuring special guest pianist Gabrielius Alekna on Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m in Nickerson Studios. The concert is free and wheelchair accessible. He will also give a masterclass with piano students on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 11 a.m. in Nickerson Studios.

Described by Daniel Barenboim as “a highly gifted pianist and musician,” Alekna has built a prolific performance and recording career bridging the cultures of his birth country of Lithuania and his present home of the United States. After earning over one dozen top prizes in international competition early in his career — including second prize at the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Vienna — he has established himself as a soloist of international renown.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, Nov. 6, and the next issue will be published Monday, Nov. 10.

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 and will be published for two consecutive issues; they can be resubmitted for an additional two weeks.

A new book by professors Katherine Douglass and Brittany Tausen titled, Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community, is now available for pre-order. Here's a short description of the book: The biblical call to “love your neighbor” echoes through centuries, yet remains one of Christianity’s most profound ― and challenging ― practices. In this innovative synthesis of practical theology and psychological science, professors Katherine Douglass and Brittany Tausen bring ancient wisdom from Scripture and cutting-edge research into a conversation that can revolutionize how you build meaningful connections.

A note from Brittany: Get a free digital copy of the book (before it is released) and other exclusive freebies by joining the book launch team. Sign up for the launch team here. Thank you for supporting this interdisciplinary labor of love!

Professor Emeritus of European History Alberto Ferreiro has been invited to join two different research groups. The first is the Ancient Christian Study Bible (ACSB) that will be in the Oxford Annotated Study Bibles series. This will offer a new translation of the entire Bible and integrates the main interpretations of the church fathers. He was assigned the books of Haggai, Micah, and Zechariah. The second research group will publish a three-volume set titled, Reception of the Bible in Early Christianity, to be published by Brill/De Gruyter. He was asked to write the chapter, "Reception of the Bible in Early Christian Hispania: Third through Fifth Centuries."

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Val Bordes, senior accountant in Finance.