It is so nice to have begun Spring Quarter! Not only do I love it when the students return to campus, but it is so nice to see trees and flowers blooming. My sons had a soccer game last week in the foothills of the Cascades, and it was simply a beautiful setting. Aren’t we blessed to live amidst a remarkable landscape (the Pacific Northwest as well as the park-like setting of our campus)?

It was a delight having two incredible women among our community last week. First, it was an honor for SPU to host Madeleine Albright on Thursday and Friday. The Downtown Business Breakfast continues to be a great success and was attended by 1,100 business and community leaders. The event continues to draw Seattle’s eyes to us for the day and provides an opportunity to highlight the University’s strength and growing influence. At the Breakfast, and in front of 1,800 people in Royal Brougham the night before, Secretary Albright spoke words that were a source of encouragement as well as challenge. 

Second, alumna Doris Brougham ’53 returned to campus last Thursday for a special event with the Heavenly Melody Choir. Doris has been one of the leading English language teachers in Asia and was co-founder of an international gospel radio and television network. The group is currently on tour in the United States, and it was a blessing to have SPU be one of the stops. Doris’ life and ministry in Asia was featured in SPU’s Response magazine in 2002.
 
Vice President Searches

Both of the new VP positions have been posted by our consultant, Price Harding with CarterBaldwin. He has been managing the applications and having conversations with interested individuals. 

The application period will draw to an initial close on April 15, but we will certainly discuss the assignments with intriguing candidates past that point. Beyond the work of Price, I have been aggressively soliciting nominations from approximately 50 friends and colleagues throughout the nation. We are attempting to build a deep pool of candidates and believe SPU is at a level of prominence and reputation that will draw the interest of highly gifted professionals to join us in our mission.

The interview committee for the Enrollment VP search has been established. I have asked Don Mortenson to chair the committee. The remaining committee members are:  Janet Ward, Jordan Grant, Ruth Adams, Jacqui Smith-Bates, John Glancy, Ineliz Soto-Fuller, Debra Sequeira, Joseph Williams, and Karisa Pierce.

The interview committee for the Advancement VP is still in development but will include both campus personnel and external experts in the fundraising field.

Please continue to keep these searches in your prayers. If you know of any qualified candidates, please do not hesitate to submit their name for consideration.

University Chaplain

The University Chaplain position has been posted. Jeff Jordan has agreed to serve as the chair of the interview committee. Other committee members include: Joel Perez, Scott Jackson, Bo Lim, Doug Strong, Deb Nondorf, Chris Johnson, and Cara Wall-Scheffler. Two additional members will be added.

As with the VP positions, there are a number of us that are contacting colleagues across the nation and soliciting nominations or identifying those we may recruit to the role. The work of the Campus Ministry Task Force has been very helpful in this process and was a great resource for the development of the job description. It has also served as a great starter conversation regarding the current and potential context of the work in this vital area of our campus.

Your prayers for God’s guidance and leading in this process are most desired.

Strategic Planning

Winter Quarter was busy with a host of faculty and staff from across campus working on fleshing out potential strategies and action steps in support of each of our identified objectives. Beyond the Senior Leadership Team and Deans’ Cabinet that have been involved and among many others that have contributed, I am grateful for the work of these individuals that have led portions of this process:

 • Susan VanZanten
 • Bob Drovdahl
 • Carla Orlando
 • Jacqui Smith-Bates
 • Sharon Barr-Jeffrey
 • Margaret Brown
 • Denise Daniels
 • Margaret Diddams
 • Doug Koskela
 • Melani Plett
 • Owen Sallee
 • Doug Thorpe
 • Bob Zurinsky
 • Paul Kim
 • Ross Stewart
 • Cindy Price
 • David Wicks
 • Cherry Gilbert
 • Rick Steele
 • Paul Yost

The data is in process of being compiled and incorporated into a single draft. The Senior Leadership Team will continue to work on refining the document during the first part of the Spring Quarter in preparation for the Board of Trustees meetings on May 14 and 15.

I will keep the community updated as the process continues to unfold.

Global Initiative

The initiative has been launched and is in the early assessment phase. Ross Stewart has been meeting with faculty and staff across campus as well as attending conferences and interacting with senior international officers from other universities. He anticipates announcing the makeup of his task force and resource group in the very near future.

Reconciliation Initiative

The work of the initiative has begun under the leadership of Brenda Salter McNeil. She is leading a campus-wide assessment effort that will involve surveys, focus groups, and other tools, and she plans to finish her work by the end of June. Given a number of demands on Brenda's schedule, she will turn over the role of "faculty champion" for this initiative to Nyaradzo Mvududu (who will work closely with Susan Okamoto Lane, the "staff champion") as of the next academic year. The members of the Reconciliation Task Force will be selected before the end of Spring Quarter.

Additional University Initiatives

Work is also underway on the charter documents for the Vocational and Character Formation initiatives. Both of these initiatives are expected to launch this coming fall.

Professor of Philosophy Steve Layman examines the question “How does Christ’s life, death, and resurrection put us right with God?” in the annual Winifred E. Weter Faculty Award Lecture for Meritorious Scholarship on Thursday, April 10, 7:30 p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons.

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Please encourage students and alumni to attend SPU’s annual Job and Internship Fair on Tuesday, April 8, 3-5 p.m., in Upper Gwinn. This is the first time the Center for Career and Calling and the Office of Student Employment are combining efforts to create a huge hiring event for students. More than 60 employers will be on hand, offering jobs, internships, and part-time opportunities. Learn more at the website.

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SPU’s Theatre Department presents the Internet Cat Video Festival on Friday, April 11, 7:30 p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons. The festival will be followed by a Q&A with SPU alumnus Will Braden, award-winning creator of the Henri le Chat Noir film series. The late film critic Roger Ebert called Henri 2, Paw De Deux “the best Internet cat video ever made.” All proceeds of the festival benefit SPU’s Theatre Program.

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Blood donors needed. The Puget Sound Bloodmobile will be parked in front of Tiffany Loop April 10-11. Bring your photo ID when you donate, and reserve a time online.

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The 15th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. It must be submitted to HR by the 15th of the month, prior to your dependent's access to new coverage. Otherwise, the change can only occur the subsequent month, and any premiums paid will not be refunded. Changes might also include events that are expected to impact your benefits and deductions, such as your spouse or children gaining or losing coverage due to employment, birth, marriage, etc. Additionally, any changes you wish to make to your 403b account contributions must be made by the 15th of the month. For changes to your 403(b) account, contact Transamerica Retirement Solutions 1-888-676-5512 (5 a.m.-6 p.m. PST), or 1-800-755-5801. If you have any other benefits-related changes, call Carrie McCrimmon in Human Resources at 206-281-2676.

The works of graduating students in the Art Department are now on exhibit in the Art Center Gallery. The first exhibit titled “Corpus Lingua” features paintings, photography, sculpture, and mixed media. Four student artists explore the marvels and mysteries of the human form, and each artist’s perspective demonstrates the body's sanctified presence. The exhibit runs until April 18, with an opening reception on Thursday, April 10, 5-7:30 p.m.

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Once again, interdisciplinary student teams are working hard on plans for sustainable businesses that meet real needs — and make a profit. Their entries for the eighth annual Social Venture Plan Competition will be on display from 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in Weter Hall lounge. Encourage students to vote for a $500 “People’s Choice Award” winner. The event is sponsored by SPU's Center for Applied Learning. For more information, contact cal@spu.edu or visit the website.

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Do you know a student who demonstrates Christian character, has made a commitment to on or off campus service, shows a willingness to take on tasks regardless of recognition or challenge, demonstrates leadership, and is currently a junior? If so, we encourage you to nominate them for the Barnabas Servant Leadership Scholarship. Recipients of this scholarship receive a $750 cash grant and a contribution of $250 given in their name to a charity of their choice. Online nominations are due by April 11, 2014, and can be found on the University Ministries Student Leaders website.

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Track & Field -- Seattle Pacific at Washington Open, Husky Track at the University of Washington, 9 a.m.

For all the latest information on Falcon sports, visit the website.

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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 14. The next deadline is Thursday, April 10.

Professor of Management Denise Daniels and co-authors Mark Bolino and Anthony Klotz had their article titled “The Impact of Impression Management Over Time” published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 29(3). Another article by Denise about the glass ceiling appeared in the Sociology of Work handbook, published by Sage Publications, Inc. Read the management article online.

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Professor of English Susan VanZanten has been awarded a Kilian McDonnell Fellowship and will serve as a scholar in residence at the Collegeville Institute during the 2014 fall semester, while she is on sabbatical from SPU. Located on the campus of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Minnesota, the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research is a residential center where scholars engage in their own rhythm of study, reflection, and writing, while also gathering weekly for seminars, prayer, and shared lunch with other scholars, institute staff, and monastic liaisons from Saint John’s Abbey. Since 1968, the institute has brought together more than 450 scholars, including such notable theologians and thinkers as Henri Nouwen, Don Saliers, Joan Chittister, Parker Palmer, and Kathleen Norris. Susan will be working on a book considering the role of reading in the Christian life.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to join us in welcoming Daniel Lantz, developer/analyst in Computer & Information Systems.

From SPU Master Gardner Jeff Daley. Living in the microclimate of the Pacific Northwest, we can experience many flowering plants, trees, and shrubs that are fun, exciting, and downright amazing. As a collector of plants, I don’t find it easy to focus on just one plant each month for this garden feature. I have so many I want to share with you. A great little plant I have come to enjoy is Hepatica nobilis. In the natural world, this tough little early bloomer is one of the first flowering plants to bring color to woodland thickets and lowland mountain forested areas. Closer to home, this little plant brings the same excitement when planted in our own gardens.

With the garden beds around Alexander Hall temporarily under construction, the picture that I am sharing with you is of my own Hepatica that I have had growing at home in the same container for the past six years. Believe me, this container has frozen solid several times in past winters ― now that is hardy! You can't beat the nice show of bright periwinkle blue flowers that last for about three weeks. Some of the Asian varieties like Hepatica japonica can be light blue, rose, hot pink and white, or some with double blossoms that resemble little roses. When flowering is over, leave the seed pods and you might get a few seedlings that are always welcome. Notice in my picture, there are a few seedlings that have started right in the container. Because the three-lobbed leaves are so attractive, the plant presents well in the garden throughout all the seasons.

Hepatica is a great example of how important it is to use a plant’s botanical name, especially when common names are vast and confusing. Some of Hepatica's common names are crystal wort, golden trefoil, herb trinity, ivy flower, mayflower, squirrel cups, kidney wort, heartleaf, liver moss, liver balsam, and liverleaf. Medieval herbalists believed Hepatica could be used to treat liver and kidney problems. (Now we know the plant is actually poisonous, especially in large doses.) Most common plant names which include the name of a body part were used medicinally in the past (another reason to use the botanical names and be certain whether or not they’re ingestible). Look for Hepatica plants in the upscale nurseries and at the specialty plant sales that will be starting up shortly. I don't think you will find them on display in the large box store nursery departments. Believe me, this plant is worth the time to track down. Enjoy! Select the link for a photo of Jeff's potted Hepatica.

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“This is Bacon, the most photogenic of our three pet chickens. She is a chicken with a lot of attitude and a great egg layer.” Elena Brezynski, assistant professor of biology. Select the link for a larger photo of Bacon.

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