Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 2005

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Yesterday Pope John Paul II died. We mourn with Roman Catholics around the world. With his death, our students lost a strong role model. The pope was a bit different from many of today's stars: He didn't use steroids, he wasn't vulgar, and he didn't cook the Vatican books. I hope our students remember his courage. He was never afraid to make the hard call. I don't think this pope stuck a wet finger in the air and then led people in whatever direction the wind was blowing. Even in my admiration, I still disagree with some of the church dogma he protected, and I was puzzled about why he wasn't more outspoken on the abuse cases. But courage doesn't always mean change, and it doesn't always mean outspokenness. Sometimes it takes as much courage to be patient as it does to be decisive. Sometimes it takes as much courage to be agile as it does to remain firm. Sometimes it takes as much courage to agree with the majority as to be a prophet. But sometimes courage demands that we stand alone and face the wolves, armed only with the deep belief that we stand for what is right. Pope John Paul II did that, and I hope our students saw this high mark of courage. I also hope our students find and learn courage at Whitworth. The peace of the risen and living Christ to all of you.

Academics

I like to list the speakers we bring to campus; but I like even more to list the honors our great students have been racking up.

• Ashley Gibbs, '07, a double major in physics and biochemistry, became the second Whitworth student in the last three years to receive the highly competitive Goldwater Scholarship. These awards, the most prestigious of their kind in the country, were given this year to 320 engineering, science, math and computer-science students. Ashley's award is for two years. In 2003 Caleb Hug, '04, took home the prize. He is now in a doctoral program at MIT. Ashley conducted research last summer with Professor John Larkin (Physics) and will do further work this coming summer at SRI International. Both Ashley and Caleb received great support from Physics Department Chair Richard Stevens in applying for this coveted scholarship.
• Kamesh Sankaran (Physics) reports that Ben Spaun, '08, who's working with him on his research for NASA, has received a summer research grant: a $5,000 stipend plus travel expenses. I should mention here that brains and speed sometimes come in the same package. Last Saturday I watched Ben bury the competition in two hurdles events at our track meet. And I first met Ashley Gibbs at a cross-country retreat. So I imagine that Track & Field Head Coach Toby Schwarz will figure out a way to take credit for Ashley's and Ben's awards. A coach named Max Ackerman presented me with a goldbrick award during my one year of track; he then told me to go back to baseball.
• Six of our English students -- Matt Geeter, Jordan Karnes, Mary Peck, Tim Grassley, Courtney Varney and Mike Throgmorton -- recently shared their research papers and creative writing with peers from across the country at the National Undergraduate Literature Conference, at Utah's Weber State University.

Our last two faculty meetings have featured examples of the way Whitworth professors contribute to their disciplines. We passed around Transcribed Piano Solos of Oscar Peterson, the latest book by Brent Edstrom (Music), and we also looked at a new volume on Asian philosophy, the seventh book in the Philosophic Classics series by Forrest Baird. Hundreds of colleges and universities use these philosophy texts.

As 25 students enter the final stretch of the four-month long Central America Study Program, Jim Hunt (History) has just joined the group, taking the leadership reins from Michael Le Roy, '89 (Political Science). Terry McGonigal (Theology) and Esther Louie (Student Life) led the first two legs of the trip. Student Chelsea Peterson writes from Costa Rica, "I have learned so much here and have been so challenged that it is going to be really hard for me to have to leave my second home. I guess that's what living in another country is all about; you become connected to another way of life and other people, which is beautiful and painful because then you can never be 'home' again." Participants in our international tours, with few exceptions, echo these life-changing sentiments.

How often can you see a perfect world? You can see one every day until April 22 at Whitworth. A Perfect World, by visiting artist Ric Gendron, is the exhibit currently featured in our Koehler Gallery. Gendron, who works primarily as a painter in acrylic on canvas and mixed media on paper, also conducted a printmaking workshop with our students. His visit was made possible by our grant-funded Visiting Artists in Printmaking program, overseen by Scott Kolbo (Art). Ambrose Bierce defined a perfect world as "a place where the wicked cease from troubling you with talk of their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention while you expound upon your own."

For the first time, Whitworth, Gonzaga and Eastern Washington have joined in a collaborative business-plan competition. With the assistance of the Herbert Jones Foundation and tremendous community support, we are offering a total of $42,500 in prize money for the first-, second- and third-place winners in three categories. This is a very cool program, made especially so by the presence of Nigel Davey as Whitworth's entrepreneur- in-residence this year. I've admired Nigel's energy and intelligence for years, but I wasn't really prepared for the way he's committed himself since last fall to this competition. We could never have successfully participated without his depth of experience and his conscientious advice. In addition, our business faculty have helped students immensely in various facets of the business plans. Kudos to our students, to community entrepreneurs, to School of Global Commerce & Management Dean Kyle Usrey, and to Jack Gambill (SGCM), grant director.

Enrollment

Last weekend we hosted our second Faculty Scholarship Competition. Students came from as far away as Austria and as near as Mead High School. The talent and character level of these students just inspires me. It would be great to see all of them here come fall.

Financial-aid notices have been sent to all new freshmen and transfer students who applied by March 1. If you know a student who filed the FAFSA form by the deadline and who has not yet heard from our financial-aid folks, please have him or her call (800) 533-4668. The FAFSA filing deadline for renewing students is still May 1, though eligible students who receive only a merit scholarship will have their scholarships renewed automatically. Also, May 1 is the deposit deadline for admitted students.

Student Life

We're having some pretty good arguments these days over Ultimate Frisbee in The Loop. As much as I love looking out my window to see students running and jumping and picking their front teeth out of tree trunks, the grass looks like a war zone. Someone will find a compromise. I wish finding a Frisbee field was our biggest problem.

The Whitworth Student Life Office is busy hiring new student leaders for next school year, and ASWC is heavily into elections. ASWC has also sponsored entertainers as well as some interesting speakers who have discussed Social Security reform and the impact of the recent tsunami. Pirate Idol continues to entertain. I almost got sucked into being a judge for the next round. Actually, I hear the talent is great. Also, the annual Hawaiian Club Luau had the best food ever and the students broke out some beautiful new dances this past Saturday. Finally, students are gearing up for April's final flurry of events, like Springfest and the American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life."

Resources

Our alumni office extends gratitude to two groups. First, thanks to all of you who have helped us move toward our $1.2 million Whitworth Fund (unrestricted gifts) budget. These dollars are crucial, and with a strong fourth quarter we'll make it. Second, we're very grateful for the Whitworth Parents' Council, whose members are helping us in a host of ways, particularly with incoming students. I hope to make it back to Spokane to see the council this Saturday. 

Athletics

(from Sports Information Director Steve Flegel, '89)

The baseball team has won four in a row and six of its last seven games to improve to 11-9 overall and 6-6 in the Northwest Conference. All signs point to a strong finish by the Pirates behind the solid starting pitching of Dan Lundeberg, Ben McCracken and Cody Person, a newcomer to the rotation who pitched a complete-game shutout against 2004 NCAA Division III runner-up Eastern Connecticut State.

The Whitworth softball team is 13-12 overall and 8-6 in the NWC, having come through the most difficult portion of the schedule. The Pirates now have a chance to win out and finish very well. Senior Alana Klaus has been a one-woman wrecking crew, leading the team on the mound (6-2, 1.26 ERA) and at the plate (.322 average, eight doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs).

The Pirate men's golf team is on a roll. After a very strong showing against most of the toughest NCAA West Region teams at the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen Invitational, the Pirates went out and won the Pacific Invitational while competing against all the NWC teams. Andrew Parrott was the medalist, while Joe Finley and Mike Van Wingerden were in the top five, individually. The Pirates have a real shot at winning the NWC title in only their second year back as a varsity program.

The women's golf team is getting outstanding rounds from Kelli Parker and Sarah Shogren. The pair are shooting scores low enough to challenge for All-NWC positions at the NWC championship tournament April 17-18. Sarah, by the way, was just selected All-Region second team in basketball and plans to attend medical school this fall.

Men's tennis heads into the final two weeks of the regular season with a 6-6 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the NWC. The Pirates should be seeded fourth at the NWC tournament April 15-16 in Yakima. Michael Carlson has put together a 7-5 singles record and teamed with Scott Donnell to post a 6-4 doubles record this season.

Women's tennis is also 6-6, with two weeks left in the regular season. Krista Shrader (7-4) and Rachael McCoola (6-4) have winning singles records for the Pirates this year. A likely sixth seed at the NWC tournament April 14-15, the Pirates hope to pull an upset in the first round, allowing them to finish third or better.

The track-and-field teams are performing very well. On April 2, both the men and the women won at the Buc Scoring Invite on Boppell Track, defeating NCAA Division II Northwest Nazarene and fellow NWC member UPS. Derrick Dewindt has provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships in the hammer throw, Doug Blackburn is on the cusp of qualifying in the 5,000 and 10,000 distances, and freshman Ben Spaun has been strong in the hurdles. Austin Richard is in a great position to defend his conference title in the shotput at the NWC championships April 22-23. On the women's side, Nicole Brown is having an outstanding senior season in the sprints, leading the conference in the 100 and 200 dash. Kristi Dickey has been very strong in the long distances, winning the 5,000 by a large margin at the BSI. Andrea Carnahan and Elaine Heinemann have been very good as well in the middle distances.

Save Thursday, June 9, for the second annual Whitworth Westside Golf Classic. Like last year, the tournament will be played at The Golf Club at Newcastle, overlooking Bellevue and Seattle. The shotgun start will be at 1 p.m., with both lunch and dinner provided. Please contact Athletics Director Scott McQuilkin, '84, (smcquilkin@whitworth.edu) for further information. I had fun at this event last year as I tried to cheat equitably for each group.

Alumni

The list of alumni who have already registered for the Alumni Family Weekend of fun and celebration will be available online at www.whitworth.edu/familyweekend after April 15. And remember, the deadline for receiving your early registration discount is May 27.

Online registration is now available for Leonard Oakland's Core 650 events in Colorado Springs on April 30 and Denver on May 1. Visit the alumni website (www.whitworth.edu/alumni) or call the office for more information.

Miscellaneous

The Whitworth Art Department Senior Exhibition will take place April 26-May 14, with an opening reception April 26, from 5-7 p.m., in Koehler Gallery.

Godspell is here! See it April 8, 9, 15, 16 at 8 p.m., and/or April 10 at 2 p.m. in our Cowles Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $5.

Closing Thoughts

I don't think I've mentioned that our two oldest children are getting married (not to each other) this summer...on the same weekend. Because they have relatives all over the world, but none west of the Mississippi, the kids thought their best chance of getting kinfolk to show up would be to schedule the nuptials on back-to-back days. Fortunately, both weddings were going to be in Spokane anyway, and both kids are marrying great people (Whitworth alums) who don't know our relatives well enough to object. Yesterday, I was at Men's Wearhouse, talking on the phone to our son in Egypt about a tuxedo. After he told me he preferred something trim, I reminded him that when he was in junior high he would take as many as three steps before his clothes moved. From baggy man to Spiderman in 10 short years. Even though Bonnie has commandeered my schedule and put me on about a one-inch leash for most of June, I'm just loving this passage for our children. The college years turn kids into adults in a remarkable way. Lately, I've seen a lot of alums I remember as college freshmen. They are barely the same species. At this point, it's best for me to sit back and enjoy the maturation process without worrying about how much influence we've had or haven't had on our children and our students. Our investments are in the bank. It's no longer about us. It never really was. It's now time to cheer for the great ways in which God will use these amazing young people. Thank you for being partners in our callings as teachers and parents.