Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: January 2010

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

I can't imagine it being any quieter. New Year's Eve usually means noisemakers, both human and otherwise. But now, just hours from 2010, I am sitting here in absolute silence. I am also sitting here in relative silence, because most of my beloved noisemakers just left our snow-shrouded cabin. So I peck at my laptop in the stillness. Not more than 20 feet away, a little guy sleeps while his parents devour coveted alone-time. But is he really sleeping? Or is he bluffing? He probably closed his eyes so he could concentrate on ways to make a shambles out of all this tranquility. He's lucky I've given him a lifetime pass to bother me. Maybe he'll help prepare me for next year. On this New Year's Eve I am aware that 2010 holds many promises, but tranquility is not one of them. Our campus will welcome the arrival of a new president, witness the rise of a new science building, and join in the launch of a five-year strategic plan. In its 120th year, Whitworth looks to take giant steps in building upon its venerable history. But the length of those steps depends on our resolve. New year's resolutions won't be enough. Reaching our potential will require a fierce commitment to our mission of honoring God, following Christ and serving humanity. We must give tireless, united and uncompromising service to our high ideals of faithful hearts and curious minds. I believe God's grace and our efforts will join to make 2010 a huge step-up year in our university's ascent. Thanks for your prayers and for your active support in lifting Whitworth to new heights.

Academics

In recognition of Whitworth's 120th year, Dale Soden will expand his 100-year history, A Venture of Mind and Spirit, with chapters that include the last 20 years. Dale always records history in a compelling voice, but this account should be especially engaging. In my opinion, Dale has had the best seat in the house to observe the last 20 years of Whitworth's progress. If you have any great stories or photos that capture Whitworth's legend and lore, please send them to Janet Hauck, our archivist (jhauck@whitworth.edu).

Jan Term begins this week with students traveling to distant lands. Our students are taking fascinating classes in exotic places:

• International Business, with Walter Hutchens and Eric Sartell, '94 (both SGCM), in China;
• Computer Science in a Cultural Context, with Kent Jones (Computer Science), in India;
• British Culture, with Rick Hornor, '70 (Theatre), and Debbie Hansen (Music), in London;
• German Language and Culture, with Elisabeth Buxton (Modern Languages), in Germany;
• Contemporary South Africa, with John Yoder (Political Science), Ron Pyle (Communication Studies) and Jennifer Holsinger (Sociology);
• Thai Culture, with Pamela Corpron Parker, '81 (English), in Thailand;
• Poverty, Altruism and Hope, with Patty Bruininks (Psychology), in Tanzania;
• Intensive Spanish Language and Culture, with Kim Hernandez (Modern Languages), in Guatemala;
• Cultural Anthropology, with Raja Tanas (Sociology), in Hawaii;
• Early Christian Sites, with Jim Edwards, '67, and Jerry Sittser (both Theology), in Turkey.

Last month Tyler Whitney, Michelle Creek and Elorm Atisu represented Whitworth well at Spokane Falls Community College,where the two schools engaged in a public debate akin to the format used in the Denzel Washington movie The Great Debaters. Our team, coached by Joe Vigil, '93 (Communication Studies), successfully defended the position that healthcare is a privilege and not a right. Join us in April for the rematch on our campus as part of the Speakers and Artists Program.

Due in part to its recent growth in the sciences, Whitworth has won a National Science Foundation $587,494 grant. As enrollment in the science majors keeps declining nationwide, America's long-term ability to remain competitive and secure is threatened. In response to this situation, Whitworth's "NSF Scholars: Training Tomorrow's Scientists Today" program will provide financial assistance for 48 students from under-represented groups majoring in the sciences over the next four years. Whitworth is the only liberal arts university in the Northwest to receive this type of NSF funding this year. The National Science Board has identified a critical need for more students to major in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Whitworth has bucked national trends by increasing the number of its sciences majors by 50 percent in recent years, and our growth serves as both a cause and an effect in the construction of the new science building. Referring to this grant, Finn Pond (Biology), the principal investigator for the NSF Scholars Project, says, "We're excited about the grant because it allows us to to bring students to Whitworth who many not have been able to come here otherwise." To view minute-by-minute progress on Whitworth's new science building, visitwww.whitworth.edu/supportingthesciences.

We also received a $65,000 grant from the M. J. Murdock Trust to continue the Ministry Internship Program for another two years.Ministry interns serve as assistants in the chapel programs while completing the master of arts in theology. Our current interns, Melanie Smith and Keith Peterson, have provided great ministry leadership. Last month I had dinner with a student who said he transferred to Whitworth so he could work with Keith.

Scott Kolbo (Art) is exhibiting new prints, drawings and video projections in the art department at Washington State University. His exhibit, "Smoking Ruin," will run Jan. 11-Feb. 12, with an opening reception Jan. 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. There will also be an exhibit walkthrough with Scott at 3 p.m. that day. The exhibit will take place on WSU's Pullman campus, in Gallery II of the fine arts building.

We recorded our Tuesday chapel sermons this fall. Speakers included Dean of Spiritual Life Terry McGonigal, Campus Pastor Mindy Smith, Associate Professor of Philosophy Adam Neder and President Me. You can download these recordings from our website by going towww.whitworth.edu/podcast and clicking on the link at the top of the page.

The Whitworth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition took place Jan. 12. Whitworth students performed selections for voice, strings or piano or submitted original compositions, with up to four winners selected based on performance, repertoire and timing. The winners will perform in concert with the Whitworth Orchestra, under the excellent direction of Philip Baldwin (Music), in March.

Admissions & Enrollment

We've received more applications and admitted more students than was the case last year  at this time. We're thrilled with so many good applicants, but this does force us to be a little more selective as we approach our March 1 deadline.  Hence, this is probably not a good year for prospective students to wait until the last minute to apply.

The FAFSA website is now available for students who wish to renew their need-based financial aid for 2010-11. Families can file the electronic pre-filled FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov. Our priority deadline for returning students wanting financial aid for 2010-11 is May 1. For new students and students who wish to apply for summer work-study, the deadline is March 1. Students planning to attend summer school should contact the financial aid office to discuss their plans. Students who receive only academic scholarships do not need to file the FAFSA form.

In late January, we will mail Federal Form 1098-T to verify full- and part-time enrollment. This form is used to support requests for educational tax credits on your tax returns. Please consult your tax advisor or go to the IRS website, www.irs.gov, for more information on available educational tax credits. There are some new ones this year under the title "American Opportunity Credit." You may also want to take a look at the "Worksheet for Reporting Scholarships/Grants on Federal 2009 Tax Return," to be found on the financial aid office's Forms webpage at www.whitworth.edu/financialaid, to determine if any of the financial aid you or your student received in 2009 is taxable.

Student Life

Student life in December gets swallowed up by Christmas and finals. Festive parties and candle-burning study sessions fill every night. Bonnie and I always get in on some of the students' fun. This year we ladled 1,000 cups of wassail at the President's Christmas Reception, judged Arend Hall's Christmas decorations, hosted a couple hundred Christmas carol singers for a cookie-laden study break (catch us at www.ow.ly/MOsT), attended five Christmas Festival concerts (for which Bonnie played organ), and did the whole Santa Claus thing at the Senior Christmas Party, at Bozarth Mansion. Every soul on campus was ready for the holiday break.

Resources

This month's Whitworth Fund factoid comes to us from Arend Hall, scene of a recently blown water pipe and soggy ceilings. We just made the discovery. Ugh. But this is where The Whitworth Fund comes to the rescue. Your gifts help cover us when we get hit by things we can't anticipate. We are always grateful for designated gifts that support specific areas and programs, but we also need the flexible support. Who's going to designate a contribution to "a busted water line, just in case you have one"?

Thank you to everyone who made a calendar-year-end gift of any kind. We need to be strong as we enter 2010. It's still a bit early to know how our December giving shaped up, but at this moment we already know you were incredibly generous. I especially love seeing gifts, even small ones, from alums to whom I handed diplomas on the stage at Commencement. Thanks!

Athletics

Men's basketball completed its non-conference schedule on a roll. The Pirates went 7-2 in non-NWC games, winning their final six. They capped that run with wins over Wisconsin-Stout and previously unbeaten Wisconsin-Whitewater (then ranked No. 3 in NCAA DIII). The Bucs are balanced this year, with four players averaging between 12 and 14 points. Eric Beal is leading the team in scoring average (14.4) and the NWC in assists per game (6.0).

Women's basketball heads into conference play after posting a 4-5 record against non-conference opponents. The Bucs have played well, but there seems to be a lid on the basket. If the women can improve their shooting percentage, they'll be tough to handle in conference play. Cassie Pilkinton leads the team in scoring (11.1) and rebounding (5.8).

The swimming teams concluded the fall with their annual Christmas training trip. The swimmers put in high-mileage workouts (yes, miles) in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and concluded their stay there with a meet against Cal Lutheran. Early in December, Natalie Turner, Rory Buck and Michael Woodward all competed at the U.S. Senior Short Course National Championships – the highest-level meet in the country. Rory qualified to compete in the evening finals of the 200-yard breaststroke, and his season-best time in that event currently leads all of Div. III. (I just found out one of the vans carrying our swimmers was in a bad accident a few hours ago. We're grateful that there were no broken bones, but stitches and bad bruises will set back five or six members of the team. Your prayers are appreciated.)

Alumni

Alumni can enjoy free Pirate basketball the entire month of January. We will hold our annual Alumni Night at the Fieldhouse (free admission, snacks, and door prizes) on Jan. 22, when the Bucs take on Linfield.  All other home games (Jan. 8, 9, 19, 22, 29 and 30) are also free to alumni and their families. Start times and matchups are available on the athletics website at www.whitworth.edu/athletics.

Whitworth will host alumni reunions for the classes of 1960 and 1950during Commencement Weekend, May 15-16. All alumni from 1959 and earlier are invited to the festivities, and we encourage graduates from 1960 and 1950 to come back to campus to celebrate.

On Jan. 9 and Jan. 31, I'll be joining the Whitworth Office of Alumni & Parent Relations for receptions in Honolulu and Washington, D.C.,respectively. In addition to providing a university update, I'll share some thoughts on what I've learned about leadership over the past 17 years as Whitworth's president. I would love to see alumni, parents and friends at these events. Register online at www.whitworth.edu/presidentsreceptions.

Director of Alumni & Parent Relations Aaron McMurray, '95, will host a reception for alums and parents at UPS, in Tacoma, on Jan. 15. Both the men's and women's basketball games will feature teams that regularly battle for the conference title. The men play at 6 p.m. and the women at 8 p.m. Complimentary refreshments will be served near courtside during the intermission between the men's and women's games, and attendees will have a chance to hear season updates and projections from coaches Higgs and Hayford.

February is Heritage Month. We will celebrate Whitworth's 120th anniversary with a series of events including art exhibits, lectures, readings and the second annual Leonard A. Oakland Film Festival. All of the details are available at www.whitworth.edu/heritagemonth.

We've launched a fun way for alumni and friends to stay connected with their favorite Whitworth people. It's a video series called Didier's Tuesdays at Whitworth that plays off the immensely popular Tuesday specials offered by our local frozen yogurt shop. The first interview, with Ron Pyle (Communications), can be viewed by going to our site at www.whitworth.edu/alumni or to www.YouTube.com/whitworthuniversity.

Closing Thoughts

I started this letter last year. Unfortunately, Jan. 1 turned out to be one of those days where I just couldn't make sentences. Football gave me writer's block. I was trapped in a sports-induced state of distraction, existentially speaking. I'm a slow writer, and I get slower if anything in the universe sneaks into my wandering field of vision. Why would I think my laptop will do anything but hibernate when I'm watching sports? But today my focus, adrenaline and optimism are back. I'm plotting and praying for a great year in a great decade. We need an outbreak of redemption to blanket the world. It is never too late for redemption – to turn hunger into health, victimization into justice, waste into productivity, hurt into kindness, strife into peace, decay into restoration and evil into good. That's what God did for us. "...[I]t was not with perishable things such as silver and gold you were redeemed...but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish..." (1 Peter 1: 18). One of the great tenets of Presbyterian theology is that God's redemption plans didn't end with souls. We are commissioned to participate in the redemption of all creation. That's a big assignment, one that will require more than a New Year's resolution. It is the calling of all who have tasted Christ's redemption. It is the calling that forms the foundation of Whitworth's mind-and-heart mission.