A message from Student Life: Please join us on Tuesday, April 21, in Chapel for the annual Perkins Lecture Series as we welcome distinguished speaker Dr. Robert Chao Romero, author of Brown Church and professor at UCLA Department of Chicana(o) and Central American Studies and vice chair/director of graduate studies. Please note that Chapel will start earlier than normal at 11 a.m. to pay a special tribute to the late Dr. John Perkins.

Chao will also present an evening workshop a 7 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church on "Migration as Grace: A Biblical Exploration of Migration and the Current Immigration Crisis." For times and locations, visit the Perkins Lecture website.

A message from Educational Technology and Media: The next ETM workshop on Thursday, April 23, invites faculty to explore questions and practices around teaching in the digital age of AI. Come join Grace, Liz, Traynor, and John as we discuss AI literacy efforts, explore questions you have, and reflect together on current tools and practices. By request this is a repeat of our workshop from last quarter. The workshop is from 9:30–11 a.m. on campus in the library classroom or online via Teams. Register online. Registration is encouraged (to help us prepare), but not required — walk-ins welcome. 

SPU Night at T-Mobile Park is Tuesday, May 19. Join President Porterfield and other colleagues to cheer on the Mariners as they take on the Chicago White Sox. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. This donor-funded event is open to all benefits-eligible SPU employees. To reserve your ticket and a “plus one,” just email Staff Council President Kevin Deschler at deschlerk@spu.edu. Be sure to include whether you want one or two tickets and the email address associated with your Ticketmaster account so we can transfer your tickets a few days before the game.

University Communications needs help identifying outstanding students from this year’s graduating class to feature on the SPU homepage and to celebrate in social media. (Here is the Meet the Class of 2025 feature.) This request is for undergraduate and graduate students. Please send the name(s) of the students and a short description about why you are recommending them. Examples would be students who overcame obstacles to graduate, were involved in community service projects, participated in innovative research, started a new venture, took a class that changed their career direction, or did something really interesting. Basically, anything that would make a good story! We will follow up with the student and get permission to use their profile. Send information by email to Director of Public Information Tracy Norlen at tcnorlen@spu.edu.

A message from Human Resources: All benefit eligible employees wanting to utilize the Tuition Discount Benefit for the next academic year, Summer Quarter 2026–Spring Quarter 2027, must complete one of the following:

• Tuition Discount Benefit Initial Application

  Prior to an eligible employee’s or eligible family member’s initial use of the tuition discount benefit, the eligible employee must complete a Tuition Discount Initial Application.

• Tuition Discount (Annual) Benefit Renewal Form

  To continue a previously approved tuition discount benefit, eligible employees must complete a Tuition Discount Benefit Renewal Form for each academic year they or eligible family members continue to access the tuition discount benefit.

  Additional Note:  If you are an eligible employee taking classes yourself, then each quarter you are required to relay how you want the benefit applied, EITHER one free class – up to 5 credits OR the applicable tuition discount percentage off all credits per quarter:

  • Undergraduate 90%
  • Graduate 80%

  Email your choice to Cherylin Shdo, senior benefits specialist, at shdoc@spu.edu.

  More information and applications found here:  8.3.15 Tuition Discount Benefit Policy for Employees - Human Resources - SPU Wiki

SPU Theatre Company, a student club, presents the classic story of "Little Women," April 16, 18, and 23–25 in Bach Theatre in McKinley Hall. Directed and adapted by student Josephine Partridge and featuring SPU students, this is the company's first production as a student-run club. Performances are 7:30 p.m. with matinees on April 18 and 25. SPU faculty and staff members can redeem two free tickets on the night of their choice by emailing the Box Office at sputcboxoffice@gmail.com. 

Each April, SPU joins the Sexual Assault Awareness Month national campaign to recognize the importance of consent in relationships and support for survivors. Consent is given by words and/or actions. It is freely and voluntarily given, never assumed, can be withdrawn at any time, cannot be given if they are high, asleep, unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated, and can only be given at the time of the activity — not before or after. Consent for one activity is not consent for other activities.

This month, the Office of Safety and Security invites you to visit the Elephant in the Room display in the SUB to write an encouraging message to survivors on the elephant. While you're there, pick up an "ask me why I'm wearing denim today" button and wear it with your jeans on April 29 for Denim Day; a day of awareness that protests misconceptions about sexual assault.

Human Resources will host a series of upcoming events designed to get you ready for retirement. Whether retirement is a distant dream or just around the corner, these events are designed for you. Watch for upcoming series details and links to sign up.

Retirement Ready Seminar
Thursday, May 7, 2026
4-6 p.m.

Transamerica individual appointments
Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, 2026

Medicare individual appointments
Wednesday, May 20, 2026

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year.The next deadline is Thursday, April 23, and the next Bulletin will be published on Monday, April 27. 

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.

Abel Cruz, assistant vice president and chief information officer, was mentioned in a Security Boulevard blog post titled, "Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch in Seattle’s Higher Education Industry."

Professor Emeritus of History Alberto Ferreiro gave the talk titled, "The Ten Commandments" to about 35 in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (in person) and Pius X parishes (via Zoom) on April 12. Topics explored were: continuity and discontinuity between the two covenants, adaptation and relevance of the commandments in modern living, and their relationship to the beatitudes. This was the last of his talks for this liturgical cycle.

On April 16, Professor of Art Katie Kresser's third book, Church Beautiful: Sacred Art and Spiritual Healing, was published by Cascade Press. Kresser provides an synopsis: "This book argues that certain global art forms, independently developed across cultures, are necessary for spiritual health and reflective of humanity's relationship with the transcendent. We use these artistic and liturgical forms to embody our relationship with a deeply intuited God, and without them, we feel unmoored. How can these ancient gestures of relationship be re-incorporated into our lives today?"  Church Beautiful is available on Amazon in both hard copy and Kindle editions.

Professor of Old Testament Bo Lim was interviewed by David Fitch, professor of theology at Northern Seminary, regarding Lim's recent book, Contextual Theological Interpretation (Baker Academic, 2025). The interview was for Fitch's podcast, "Theology on Mission."

Mohammad Qadam Shah, assistant professor of law and politics, attended the regional retreat of the Christian Legal Society at Cannon Beach, March 27-29.

Alissa Walter, associate professor of history–Middle East, gave a public lecture at Simon Fraser University in Canada on her book, Contested City: Citizen Advocacy and Survival in Modern Baghdad (Stanford University Press, 2025).

An opinion piece by Christy Barnes, adjunct instructor and Center for Professional Education program coordinator, was published in The Seattle Times on April 10, 2026. The piece was titled. "Funding change puts valuable co-op preschools at risk."