The culture and climate of filmmaking in Seattle is the topic for SPU Library’s “Creative Conversations” series on Thursday, April 24, noon in the Library Reading Room. The event will be a casual conversation about the creative process of Shep Film's latest sci-fi short film Prospect, which recently premiered at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival and was directed by two SPU alumni.

Executive chef Russell Lowell is the guest for the next School of Business and Economics Dean’s Speaker event on Tuesday, April 22, 9 a.m. in the Library Seminar Room. Lowell is the executive chef and owner of Russell’s Restaurant in Bothell, Russell’s Catering, and The Garden Café at Molbak’s. His talk is titled “Against the Odds.” The event is free and open to all faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Space is limited, so we encourage interested parties to RSVP to cal@spu.edu.

John Perkins, SPU’s co-founder of the John Perkins Center at SPU, will give his annual lecture in Chapel on Tuesday, April 22, beginning at 11:10 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church.

As you begin to hire students for summer jobs, remember that on-campus summer housing is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applications, including location and price, are now available in the Office of University Services and must be received by Friday, May 9, at 4:30 p.m. Advise your student employees to complete an application if they are hoping to live on campus during the summer. If you have any questions, contact University Services at 206-281-2188 or housing@spu.edu.

May is Bike-to-Work month. If you’re thinking about commuting to SPU by bike, plan to attend an informal meeting with regular SPU bike commuters and get some tips. The brown-bag lunch meeting is Wednesday, April 23, noon in the University Communications conference room in Lower Weter Hall. Faculty and staff bike commuters will be on hand to answer your questions and help plan your route. Also learn about the Cascade Bicycle Club’s annual “Commute Challenge” in May. If you sign up with an SPU team, you get free access to the locker rooms in Brougham, free guaranteed ride home if needed, and access to an ORCA card to pay your fare on buses and trains in the Puget Sound region. If you have questions, contact Tracy Norlen in University Communications at 206-281-2977 or tcnorlen@spu.edu.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year. Deadlines for submissions are Thursdays. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, April 28. The next deadline is Thursday, April 24.

Professors Patrick McDonald and Benjamin McFarland will participate in a panel discussion titled “ID or Evolutionary Creation: A Forum on Origins” at University Presbyterian Church on Friday, May 9.

An article by Tali Hairston, director of the John Perkins Center, was published in the Spring 2014 issue of Mutuality, produced by Christians for Biblical Equality. The article is titled "Agents of Reconciliation.”

Reed Davis, chairman of the Department of Political Science and Geography, recently presented two papers at the annual conference of the International Studies Association in Toronto, Canada. The first paper was titled “The Contemporary Relevance of a Classical Thinker” and was for a panel discussion dedicated to the international thought of Raymond Aron. Reed also chaired the panel. The second paper was titled “Biopolitics on Purpose: The Significance of the New Biology for International Relations Theory.”

A paper written by Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro titled "Secundum quod sancta synodus: Advancing the Mission of the Church through Conciliar Legislation after the Third Council of Toledo (589)” was published in Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum 44 (2014) 27-46. This is an invited paper that he delivered at the Mission und Evangelisierung als Thema von Synoden uns Konzilien, Ein interdisziplinäres Symposium an der Universität Freiburg Schweiz in September 2012. In keeping with the theme of the symposium, this paper articulates how the mission of the church was advanced by goals set forth at the Third Council of Toledo (589), one of the most important councils in Visigothic Spain.

On April 13, KUOW2 broadcast an episode of the CBC program “Tapestry,” in which host Mary Hynes interviewed Communications Specialist Jeffrey Overstreet about his experiences as a film critic and his book Through a Screen Darkly. The episode “Poems That Make Grown Men Cry” is streaming on the Tapestry website.

An article by Joseph Williams, dean of the School of Business and Economics, was recently published in IT Professional, a bimonthly publication of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society for developers and managers of enterprise information systems. The article, “Hands-On CIO Tackles Healthcare IT,” features an interview with SPU 2012 alumnus Jason Wood.

Associate Professor of Political Science Caleb Henry appeared on KING-TV on April 6 about the recent Supreme Court ruling on political contributions.

Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Richard Scheuerman, co-author of Harvest Heritage, was interviewed by Capital Press newspaper about his new book documenting the history of agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. Capital Press is the Northwest’s premier agricultural newspaper.