Bethany Hoff, assistant professor of psychology, will give the 2026 Winifred E. Weter Lecture on Tuesday, April 28, 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Her lecture is titled, "Thawing the Seattle Freeze in the 'Anti-Social Century:'" Christian and psychological perspectives on cultivating community." 

The annual Winifred E. Weter Faculty Award Lecture for Meritorious Scholarship provides a public platform which the claims of the liberal arts in the Christian university are espoused. Delivered each year by a SPU faculty member selected by the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Weter Lecture honors Winifred E. Weter, SPU professor emerita of classics. Her teaching career spanning 40 years (1935-75) exemplifies a life of Christian character and integrity. Her love for the study of classical languages and literature inspired a similar enthusiasm in thousands of her students, and this lecture continues that tradition of inspiration.

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. 

Retirement Ready Seminar
Join us for two informative presentations from a Transamerica retirement planning consultant and a Medicare health plan expert. Spouses are welcome to attend as well! No registration required.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
4-6 p.m.
Royal Brougham Pavillion, Hendricks Falcon Club

Transamerica individual appointments
Scott Jozefowski, retirement planning consultant
Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, 2026
Human Resources Conference Room

Sign up for an appointment: TRANSAMERICA

Medicare individual appointments
Dan McCarley, Medicare health plan broker
Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Sign up for an appointment: MEDICARE

Please join Seattle Pacific Seminary for the annual Paul T. Walls Lecture on Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons. The speakers will be Walls Professor of Wesleyan Studies Doug Strong, Associate Professor of Worship and Historical Theology Matthew Sigler, and artist, speaker, minister, and poet Lo Alaman. Together, they will consider if an awakening similar to the early Wesleyan movement is happening among Gen Z.

The annual Faith Formation Project spring summit is titled, "Becoming the Faith Communities Kids Need," with writer and Pastor Meredith Miller. Workshops will be led by Seattle Pacific Seminary Dean Brian Lugioyo and SPS alumnus and Director of School Connect Dianté Dancy. SPU staff and faculty can receive a discount by using the code SPUHALF when registering. Students can attend for free. If you know students who would like to go, have them email Program Director Tiffany Acker at ackert@spu.edu for a free code. 

Thursday, May 7
9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Upper Gwinn Commons

Register and learn more at the Faith Formation website

The Faith Formation Project, led by led by Katie Douglass, associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology, brings together families and congregations together to support children as they grow in their faith. Thanks to a generous $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the project also offers yearly grants to local congregations in support of family ministries.

The School of Theology and Seattle Pacific Seminary will host a watch party for the first episode of the new Fox series, "The Faithful: Women of the Bible," on Thursday, May 7, 6:30–8:15 p.m.in Bach Theatre in McKinley Hall. This episode stars Minnie Driver playing Sarah. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to join. Following the episode will be a 30-minute discussion of the episode with Old Testament professors Sara Koenig and Bo Lim.

A message from the Center for Career and Calling: We are excited to invite you to support and help spread the word about our upcoming First-Generation Career Panel on Wednesday, May 6, at 3 p.m. in Emerson Hall. This will be an inspiring event designed to empower and connect students with first-generation professionals as they share how they landed their first jobs and how they navigate the professional world. There will be goody bags for the first 30 students.

Jeffrey Overstreet, associate professor of English and writing, will share highlights from his new memoir, Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema (Broadleaf Books, 2026), answer questions, and ask questions at a book reading and signing on Tuesday, May 12, 3:30 p.m. in the Ames Library Reading Room. Overstreet says, "This is a life story, a deep dive into film criticism, and a distinctly SPU story!"

In a book review, Pulitzer Prize–winning film critic Justin Chang at The New Yorker wrote, "The gorgeous, jewel-like essays in Lost & Found in the Cathedral of Cinema add up to a singular confession of faith, a revelatory memoir of artistic discovery, and a much-needed reminder of God’s presence in all spaces where light and darkness converge."

University Communications needs help identifying outstanding students from this year’s graduating class to feature on the SPU homepage and 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

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year.The next deadline is Thursday, April 30, and the next Bulletin will be published on Monday, May 4. 

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.

An article by Bethany Hoff, assistant professor of psychology, which explores the ways we frame goals in terms of the means or ends across different goals, was published in the American Journal of Psychology. (Hoff, B. F., Ruedas-Gracia, N., Tiwari, A., & Napolitano, C. M. (2025). Means or Ends: Goal Focus Across Different Goals. The American Journal of Psychology, 138(4), 385-398).

An article co-authored by Professor of Sociology Jennifer McKinney and Karen Snedker titled, "Community as Coping: Mental Illness and Homelessness in a Tent Camp," was published in Health & Place on ScienceDirect, the world's leading source for scientific, technical, and medical research.

Mike Hamilton, professor emeritus of history, gave a two-part lecture on “White Christian Nationalism and the Politicization of Evangelicalism” at each of the four campuses of Wesley Homes Senior Living Communities in Des Moines, Auburn, Puyallup, and Bonney Lake.

Emily Huff, field placement director in the College of Humanities, Education, and the Arts, was featured on Boston's NPR affiliate WBUR-FM in a recap story on this year's Boston Marathon on April 20. This was Huff's third Boston Marathon.