Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: March 1996
An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson
March Madness visited the Whitworth campus this year like no other time in our history. For those not into sports jargon, the term is only loosely related to mental health. March Madness means tournament time; and three out of Whitworth's four winter sports brought home big prizes ... and all of us had a blast. Our men's and women's swim teams finished second and fourth respectively in the national meet in San Antonio, and our men's basketball team played in Idaho on national television for the championship of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Division II. With a miraculous comeback, the Bucs pushed the game into overtime, but eventually fell to a big, talented, well-coached (and well-scholarshipped) team from Albertson College of Idaho, playing in their own backyard. But none of the 1,000 Whitworth fans at the game nor any of the rest of our folks who gathered for TV parties felt cheated. Our guys played their hearts out while thousands of Whitworth fans went nuts. Even Dale Bruner was reported to be profoundly out of control. Thanks to those of you who saw the game on TV and sent e-mail. To those of you who aren't terribly interested in athletics, sorry for the self-indulgence. The game was only a few days ago and we're still glowing.
Academics
Four Whitworth faculty members have been awarded summer research grants by the Pew Charitable Trust. Gordon Jackson's research is titled "Beyond Judea and Samaria -Toward an Expanded Journalism Ethic." Dale Soden will study "Religion and Public Policy in the Northwest," Doug Sugano will analyze "Social and Political Satire in the N-Town Passion Plays," and Jim Waller will continue his research on "Human Nature and Evildoing."
A '95 alumna sent an e-mail note reminding us of a recent honor received by Whitworth Forensics Coach Mike Ingram. She writes, "He received the Judge/Educator of the Year Award from the Northwest Forensics Conference. This is the most prestigious award a coach can receive and it shows that the rest of the Northwest values him as much as we do." Under Mike's leadership, our forensics team took first place in debate and second overall among the 16 colleges and universities in the Northwest. March Smartness!
Judith Schoepflin has again been awarded a grant from the Washington Commission for the Humanities to feature performances of music by women composers. For the past two years, Judith has superbly arranged and performed in these events.
Does perspective exert more influence in some disciplines than in others? Faculty members Bob Clark, Jean Pond, Jerry Sittser, Raja Tanas and Diana Trotter stimulated a high-energy discussion at Faculty Development Day this spring as faculty members examined the influence of perspective in their fields. ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT
Good news from Admissions. As of March 1, our application deadline, we had received 1,250 freshman applications, compared to 1,228 last year at this time. The application pool also looks very strong academically. Even though we have passed the March 1 deadline, it is probably still a good idea for students who wish to attend Whitworth to apply. It is likely that we will have spaces opening up in May that will allow us to grant admission to a certain number of students on the waiting list.
Delays with the federal government in processing financial aid applications have slowed down the Financial Aid Office. We predict that by mid-April all new students will have received their financial aid awards and returning students will have theirs by mid-June.
On February 25, the Office of Admissions hosted over 220 visitors for "Campus Close-Up '96." Most of the students in attendance were seniors in the process of making their college decisions. The program enabled the students and parents to attend information sessions on student life, academics, athletics, admissions and financial aid. Students, faculty and staff all give enthusiastically of their time to make these visitation days successful. The day held two highlights for me. First, I encountered an old friend whom I hadn't seen for 23 years, whose daughter is looking at Whitworth. Second, an unusually high number of parents told me how clear and positive Whitworth seems to be about its mission. That's really good news.
Student Life
No negative campaigning, very modest investments in election campaigns, and no pressure from special interest groups - in these respects the current student government election campaigns at Whitworth contrast sharply with what's going on around us. Whitworth has been blessed with excellent student leadership and, based on the current slate of candidates, next year will be no exception.
A record number of our students participated in intramurals this year. These aerobic activities and team sports help our students deal with current pressures while encouraging lifelong exercise habits. Intramurals also provided entertainment and confidence-building for the students who were lucky enough to play against our 3-on-3 faculty basketball team.
One of the most poignant Forums I have ever attended was presented by the students who went on Jim Waller's "Prejudice Across America" Jan Term Amtrak study tour. Students reported witnessing stories and symbols of injustice that would forever change their lives. This tour received a remarkable amount of media attention, but the real stories were the ones we heard from the hearts of the students in that Friday Forum.
Approximately 370 people attended this year's International Banquet and enjoyed food and entertainment from the many countries represented by our international students. This year's theme was "We Are the Crew of the Earth." It was a wonderful evening.
Finances
Although revenues and expenses are on track with our budget, we have seen a predictable dip in giving to the Annual Fund this past month. Historically, our biggest giving month for Annual Fund contributions has been June, the last month of our fiscal year. History notwithstanding, we get a little nervous about this "just in time" giving pattern and would like to see ourselves entering the end of the budget year in a strong position. We always appreciate your support of the Annual Fund.
A couple of years ago we decided to put the residence halls on a five- to seven-year refurbishing cycle. Hence, one dorm each summer will undergo complete refurbishing. Although this schedule creates demands on labor and finances, it has been a great encouragement to our students and has staggered the inevitable expenses created by normal wear and tear.
Athletics
With more than 300 institutions in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, it is beyond remarkable that one school could have two national Coaches of the Year in the same season. We do. Tom Dodd, who heads up both our men's and women's swim teams, was named NAIA Men's Swimming Coach of the Year, and Warren Friedrichs was honored as NAIA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Congratulations to these two great coaches whose principles and methods of success so well reflect the heart-and-mind mission of Whitworth College. They are the first Whitworth coaches to receive national Coach of the Year honors.
The Whitworth men's swim team finished second in the NAIA National Swimming and Diving Competitions held last week in San Antonio, Texas. For the first time in their history, the men captured national championships in the 400 freestyle relay (Guy Mikasa, Jerry Rice, Jeremiah Pappe and Jeff Rice) and in the men's 200 individual medley, won by Jeff Rice. Ironically, Jeff beat his twin brother, Jerry (who finished second), for the first time ever in this event. Maybe that's why these two identical twins fooled everyone at the meet, except their teammates, by switching positions on the awards stand (totally in character for the Rice brothers). Other high finishers included John Rasmussen, Steve Schadt, and Dan Welch. All but one of these guys captured more than one medal.
Whitworth's women's swim team finished fourth in the country, with Dorian Reese winning the national championship in the 200 individual medley. The women also took home the title in the 800 freestyle relay (Dorian Reese, Carley Bush, Jan Okada and Shannon Braun). Other swimmers who scored big points in the tournament included Shannon Braun, Tena Embley, Liza Rachetto, and Mary Ryan.
It is also notable that for the first time in its history, the men's swim team won the conference championship, while the women's team took second. Many individual and relay championships helped cap a great season and launched the teams for their successful showing at Nationals.
If there's ever been a more exciting men's basketball season in Whitworth's history, nobody remembers it: undefeated on their home court, conference tournament champion, a 13-game winning streak (the longest on record), national TV, national Coach of the Year, and one missed shot away from winning the national championship. Great fun! Led in the national tournament by seniors Nate Dunham (All-Tournament), Roman Wickers (All-Tournament), Jeff Arkills and John Beckman, along with juniors Gabe Jones (All-Tournament), and Nate Williams (All-Tournament), the team gave Whitworth fans a year to remember. Also contributing to the Pirates' success were sophomores Jeff Mix and Sean Weston. Not since coaching legend Paul Merkel won the national title in 1960, when he led the Pirate baseball team to the NAIA World Series in Sioux City, Iowa, had the Bucs come this close. With the score tied at 61, and 3 seconds on the clock, Whitworth had a good chance to win it all, but our shot rimmed out, forcing the game into overtime. All year long, we received great coverage from the Spokane media, particularly from radio station KSBN and The Spokesman-Review. Rather than have me try to tell you any more about the season or its exciting conclusion, let us know if you would like to receive copies of several excellent articles in The Spokesman-Review that give a blow-by-blow account of the final game and pay warm tribute to the basketball team in particular and the college in general. The Spokesman has given us permission to reprint these articles. Just call Tim Wolf or Terry Mitchell in our Publications Office at (509) 466-3218, or e-mail Tim at twolf@whitworth.edu to request copies of these articles.
And this just in: Nate Dunham has been named to the NAIA Division II All-America first team, and Roman Wickers has received All-America second-team honors. Nate and Roman are Whitworth's first basketball All-Americans since 1952. Congratulations to these two great players whose contributions to the 1995-96 men's team and to the Whitworth basketball program have been huge.
The women's basketball team finished its season with a very encouraging run. Playing quite well in the last part of their schedule, they gained a respectable fourth-place finish in the conference and then gave conference champion Willamette a very tough game in the opening round of the post-season tournament. The team was led all season by juniors Jennifer Tissue and Sherri Northington. Coach Helen Higgs and the team look forward with excitement to a successful season next year.
I'll update our spring sports in the next issue of Mind and Heart.
Miscellaneous
Good news from three former Whitworth College presidents: Phil Eaton, '65, former interim president, trustee and 17-year faculty member, has been named president at Seattle Pacific University. All of us who know Phil and Sharon, '64, are biased, but we have no doubt that Phil will bring the same superb leadership to our very fine sister school in Seattle that he provided for Whitworth. Last Friday night, Bonnie and I, along with Duncan and Dorothy Ferguson, were hosted for dinner by Art De Jong and his wife, Joyce, in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The De Jongs couldn't be happier, with Art filling his time writing a book on Christian higher education and creating beautiful wood carvings he sells in his downtown "Hare and Tortoise" shop. Finally, Mark Koehler, '37, and his wife, Clara Belle, send best wishes from Tucson, Ariz., where Mark is active in pastoral duties at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
Last weekend, Bonnie and I attended a meeting of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities in Asheville, North Carolina, where we had the privilege of hearing speakers Sharon Daloz Parks, '64, of the Harvard Business School and Kennedy School of Government, and Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart. The association is developing several promising new ways to connect to our denomination. I would ask all of you who might be so inclined to pray that the peace and unity of Christ will dominate the General Assembly this summer in Albuquerque.
We'll be glad when Old Man Winter takes a hike. Lately, he seems to enjoy teasing us with spring-like temperatures and then dumping six inches of snow on our heads. He thinks he is cute; our physical plant people think he is obnoxious. The bright side is great spring skiing.
Dates to Remember
March 25 Wind & Jazz Concert
March 28-31 Theatre Production: "The Dawning of Chauntecleer"
April 7 Easter
April 13 Hawaiian Club Luau
April 25-26 Board of Trustees Meeting
May 5 Bloomsday
May 7 Jazz Choir Concert
May 17-19 Commencement Weekend
May 23 1996 Pirate Golf Classic
September 19 Pirate Night III
Closing Thoughts
I just received a letter from a recent grad who teaches school in inner-city Los Angeles. After describing a struggle with one of her fifth-grade students, she writes, "He needs a teacher who can love him, push him and encourage him. Please pray for us both, because neither of us will make it without God's amazing grace." Thanks to all of you for helping us do our part in serving those who will serve others. The victories won in these fifth-grade hearts are the ones that really matter.
