Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 1996
An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson
It is a crisp, crystal clear April Sunday morning. Tempted by a warm sun but made cautious by rumors of a big snow in the East, the buds and blossoms are probably conferring among themselves about whether to unbutton their shirts. In a few hours, I will walk across the street and welcome 135 high school juniors and many of their parents to Sneak Preview weekend. It comes at a good time. In mid-April we often feel overwhelmed and even a bit grumpy. It will do us good to stand back and talk to prospective students about what happens to minds and hearts at Whitworth College. This morning in church I told a father how much I felt his son had matured over the past three years. Dad's response: "Praise God." We do.
Academic Affairs
We just received a grant from the Lilly Fellows Program out of Valparaiso University that will enable junior faculty members to meet systematically with Laura Bloxham, professor of English, to discuss issues related to Christian higher education and to monitor our junior faculty members' growth as teachers/scholars. Laura has designed a blend of readings and discussions involving a wide range of senior faculty and faculty emeriti.
One of the most recent contributions by a professor emeritus came from Pat Stien of the Theatre Department. Pat adapted The Book of the Dun Cow, by Walter Wangerin Jr., into a play titled The Dawning of Chauntecleer. We all enjoyed this wonderful performance co-directed by Pat and by Rick Hornor, associate professor of Theatre.
We just completed a visit from James W. Robertson, dean of the School of Business at Portland State University, who also represents the Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association. His purpose was to evaluate our Master of International Management Program being offered at Fairchild Air Force Base. Dr. Robertson's introductory remarks to me suggested that Dan Sanford, MIM director and professor of Political Studies, and John Falvey, associate professor of International Management, have put together an excellent prospectus and that we can reasonably expect approval.
The last several faculty scholarship forums have demonstrated the breadth and excellence of the Whitworth faculty. The three most recent presentations were Art Professor Barbara Filo's "Slovakia's Hidden Treasurers and Archeology," Music Professor Johanne Blank's "I Can't Get No Satisfaction: Visions of the Dissatisfied Masculine in Mozart's Don Giovanni," and Psychology Professor Glena Schubarth's "Interhemispheric Transfer and Integration." I have been asked to give a presentation titled "Galvanic Skin Response to Chronic Alligator-Snapping at Various Body Parts."
As many of you know, Whitworth hosts study tours in which students spend an entire semester studying on location in different parts of the world. The Central America Tour, the France Tour, and the British Isles Tour have all been very popular. This fall, Julia Stronks, assistant professor of History/Political and International Studies, and Rob Wilson, visiting associate professor of Political Studies, will conduct a study tour originating in Amsterdam and moving to Eastern Europe as they look at the relationship of pluralism and politics between Western and Eastern Europe.
Faculty members Lyle Cochran, Gordon Wilson and John Yoder and Professor Emeritus Howard Stien spent their spring break constructing two much-needed faculty offices in the Math and Fine Arts Building. Howard "Slide Rule" Gage barked words of encouragement as he supervised the project.
With hearty congratulations and deep appreciation, we will bid farewell to provost and dean of the faculty Ken Shipps at the end of this academic year. Ken has accepted the position of provost at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. Ken has worked tirelessly on projects ranging from our strategic plan to the development of new programs. We wish him the best in this exciting new chapter of his life.
Admissions & Enrollment
Our biggest challenge in enrollment management is knowing exactly how many new freshmen to admit for this fall. Our intention is to enroll 360 new freshmen and 90 new transfer students. The reason we are able to admit this many transfer students is that they do not require residence hall space in the same proportion as freshman students, and they fill spaces made available by students who leave Whitworth before graduation. Although admissions closed on March 1, we are still receiving applications and will undoubtedly admit a group of our "wait list" students sometime in May.
The Financial Aid Office is busy putting together award packages and reviewing a record number of scholarship applications for some of our special endowed scholarships. At the Honors Forum on May 13, we will announce the scholarship winners.
Well, it was a first for me. A great student from one of our local high schools told me she had finally made the decision to come to Whitworth, then gave me a big kiss. Fortunately, we are related, and her mother and I are very proud that our oldest child will be attending Whitworth. It will probably be kind of weird this September when we say our good-byes at the threshold of her dorm room, tell her we hope she comes home for Thanksgiving break, then travel about 200 yards to return home.
Student Life
This year's luau, sponsored as always by the Hawaiian Club, reached new heights. The food was spectacular, the show was one of the best ever, and the members of the Hawaiian Club gave a special award to Dr. Bill Johnson, their sponsor for many years. Thanks so much to all the students who worked so hard and to the many parents who came over from Hawaii, bringing literally thousands of pounds of food and foliage for this wonderful annual event.
ASWC election results: President - Moses Pulei from Kenya; Executive Vice President - Paul DiRocco from Monterey, Calif.; Financial Vice President - Shelly Maak from Spokane. Throughout this year, current ASWC President Wendi Story and I have met regularly, and I look forward to the same kind of exchange with President Moses. We also elected residence hall presidents, and we are delighted with the quality of next year's student leadership.
Other annual events coming up in April include Mac Hall in Concert (which used to be called Mac's Follies, until Professor Pat MacDonald put her foot down), the Spring Formal on Lake Coeur d'Alene, and a charitable fun run for the benefit of the Caritas Center, sponsored by ASWC Intramurals.
The 1995 yearbook has been recognized with an "Award of Excellence" and has been selected for inclusion in The 1996 Yearbook Yearbook published by Taylor Publishing Company. Congratulations to Editor Amanda Smith and advisor Tad Wisenor on a great job with Natsihi.
Finances
We are beginning to develop the rather uncomfortable feeling that we were early rather than ahead in Annual Fund giving. As of this writing, we are still ahead of last year, but we need just over $350,000 in unrestricted gifts before the fiscal year ends. Thanks to all of you who have been able to support Whitworth in this way.
We'll be doing an experiment with the May Mind and Heart. I try not to use this newsletter as a fund-raising tool; you get enough of that from us. However, instead of the usual Annual Fund appeal letter that we send out in early June (the last month of our fiscal year), we are going to send the May Mind and Heart in an envelope that will also contain a return envelope addressed to the Annual Fund. We're doing this primarily because we can save money on mailing costs, and we assume you would prefer we spend your gifts on education rather than solicitation.
Athletics
The date for our third annual Pirate Night has been set for Thursday night, September 19. Our speaker will be Whitworth legend and former NFL player Sam Adams. Those who played with Sam, and those who played for Sam when he coached here, remember his incomparable athletic ability. But those who really know him agree that the best of Sam Adams is in his heart and mind. We look forward to this wonderful event. Incidentally, two nights ago, Warren and Cindy Friedrichs and Bonnie and I hosted a dinner for eight that was purchased at the last Pirate Night for $1,000. Based on the post-meal comments, I'd say it was a bargain.
Last month Sarah Ewan joined the list of my unintended omissions from Mind and Heart. Sarah, a member of our fine swim team, helped our women to their excellent fourth-place finish in the nation.
(Thanks to Terry Mitchell for doing the sports reports below).
After a great start, the Buc baseball team has encountered a few bumps in recent days. The Bucs took a doubleheader from Central Washington University - a doubleheader in which Larry Turner went six-for-seven with two doubles, a triple and a home run, and James Holmes and Bill Koder each pitched complete-game victories. But then they lost a killer to Gonzaga, 6-5. Then Willamette came to town and subdued the Pirates with good pitching and solid defense; the Bearcats won all three weekend games, including an 11-inning heartbreaker to round out the series. The Bucs hope to get back on the winning side this weekend as they travel to Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Larry Turner, Chris Fukai, Sean Peterson and Ryan Stevens are the Pirates' current standouts, providing excellent play and strong team leadership.
Women's tennis is getting ready for the NCIC Tournament. Coach Jo Wagstaff reports that the Pirates are currently 9-7, after splitting a pair of NCIC matches last week. The women lost at Whitman (and we hate to lose at Whitman), 5-4, on Wednesday; then, on Thursday, the Bucs came back with a 6-3 win over Lewis and Clark on the A. Ross Cutter Courts here at Whitworth. Wagstaff says that she has a very deep, talented team that's working hard to get ready for the all-important NCIC meet. "We could end up first or we could end up fourth," she said. "It's that close." The conference championships will be held April 26-28.
The men's tennis team is also gearing up for conference championships. The team is currently 5-5, getting ready for a busy weekend before the NCIC tournament April 26-28. Coach Pat Dreves promises more information about men's tennis for next month's Mind & Heart, including information about our top players and results from the conference championships.
The track and field teams had a great meet last week here at Whitworth's Boppell Memorial Track. Both the women and the men came in second, with the women just three points behind a very strong team from Linfield. Trina Gumm, last year's NAIA Division II National Champion in the javelin competition, continues to excel, throwing the javelin more than 150 feet and winning the shot put, as well. Coach Kirk Westre also mentions Kara Kirkland (hurdles), Chet Doughty (long jump), Amy Schenkenberger (pole vault) and Ben Vaday (sprints) as team leaders who help set the pace for their fellow Whitworthians.
Miscellaneous
On April 24-26, the Whitworth College Board of Trustees will be meeting. From noon Wednesday until noon Thursday, board members will meet for a retreat at which they will think about and discuss what it means to be a board member at Whitworth. It will also be a time to work at enhancing their relationships with one another and with God. The facilitator for the retreat will be Buck Smith, former president of Chapman College and current consultant to our Development Office. Among other important items under consideration will be decisions on the possibility of a new residence hall and a new faculty center. Whitworth is blessed with a talented and dedicated group of trustees.
Dates to Remember
April 24-26 Board of Trustees
May 5 Bloomsday
May 7 Jazz Choir Concert
May 17-19 Commencement Weekend
May 23 Whitworth Annual Golf Tournament
July 22-28 Institute of Ministry
September 11 Fall Semester Begins
September 19 Pirate Night III
Closing Thoughts
Thanks to all of you who care about Whitworth. In spite of our mistakes and shortcomings, something very rich happens to all of us who come here to learn. We hope you will always feel welcome on this campus you have so enriched.
