Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: November 2006

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Our combination board meeting/Parents' Weekend/Homecoming extravaganza turned out great. One of the highlights was the dedication of Duvall Hall, with Fenton Duvall present. The festivities culminated when Fenton, at age 93, stood to address an overflowing room of students, staff, faculty, former students and his whole family. He left us absolutely breathless. After expressing his gratitude (calling upon his astonishing memory to mention dozens of folks by name) he challenged our students with compassion, power and the authority of his years to a deep spirit of humility as they pursue their disciplines, follow Christ and serve humanity. As he sat down, I thought about the old Nike commercial, "I want to be like Mike" -- because not one of us in Duvall Hall cared about being like Mike. We all wanted to be like Fenton Duvall. And I would bet that all of his former students there to celebrate had that same thought 30 or 40 years ago. Fenton changed their lives. Earlier this week Bonnie played a recital at the Wesley Gardens Retirement Village, where she was hosted by Clem and Koreyne Simpson. As contemporaries and soulmates, Clem and Fenton founded our Core Program. And everything I just said about Fenton could be said of Clem. Thirty years from now, Fenton and Clem will happen again. Our current students will come back for Parents' Weekend to see their kids and clean out their wallets. And they will love hearing from old teachers who will still inspire them, just as they are inspiring them today. Fenton and Clem live on.

Academics

On Faculty Development Day, which fell on Friday of our four-day Fall Break Weekend,faculty studied institutional research on student engagement. Quite understandably, their discussions took place while most of our students were deeply engaged with their pillows. Faculty members also saw our Act Six students perform a reader's theatre piece and heard them discuss their own experiences with faculty-student engagement.

November brings great guests to campus

• On Nov. 9, 7 p.m., Jyl Hall, manager of Acting on AIDS, from the World Vision College Advocacy Program, presents "Global AIDS: What is God's heart for orphans and widows in their distress?"
• Grammy Award-winning jazz trombonist Robin Eubanks, who has collaborated with the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Art Blakey and Barbra Streisand, will perform in concert with the award-winning Whitworth Jazz Ensemble at 8 p.m. on Nov. 11 in Cowles Auditorium. "As a trombone player, Eubanks is known for his unparalleled technique and his ability to play anything he hears -- the highest notes, the lowest notes; fast, slow, pretty, angry," says Dan Keberle (Music), director of the jazz ensemble.
• On Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., Tom Schaaf , '79, assistant district medical director of Group Health Cooperative, will deliver the 2006 Science & Society Lecture. He will examine the need for science literacy in his address, "The Color Purple: Why TV Drug Ads Should Give You Heartburn."
• David Brodeur, an associate professor of graphic design at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, creates images that stimulate discussion about social and political issues. Brodeur's works will be featured in an exhibit, Lubricating the War Machine, Nov. 7-Dec. 8 in the Koehler Gallery.

Congratulations to Finn Pond (Biology) and Deanna Ojennus (Chemistry) for the grant they received from LI-COR Biosciences toward the purchase of a DNA sequencer. The chemistry department also received a grant from the Murdock Trust that will provide start-up funds (to be matched) for Drew Budner's lab and courses. The Murdock folks are so smart. They established this program out of the recognition that new science professors need research dollars but have not had the time to write and receive grants. It's perfect.

Governor Christine Gregoire appointed Kyle Usrey (School of Global Commerce & Management) to the Washington State Executive Ethics Board. Kyle is the only citizen-at-large member on the five-person board, which is responsible for seeing that state agencies comply with the Washington State Ethics in Public Service Act. Kyle's background of domestic and international consulting on ethics positions him well to make strong contributions on this board.

This fall's 28 courses that include a service-learning component will have 500 students contributing a total of 10,000 hours to 30 organizations. Additionally, hundreds of students volunteer for service projects that are not a part of academic courses. They volunteer because they care.

November is a great month for instruments at Whitworth. In addition to the annual jazz concert, watch for these events:

• The Whitworth Wind Symphony, recently chosen to perform at the 2007 Northwest Division Conference of the Music Educators National Conference, in Portland, will present its fall concert, Escapes, on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. in Cowles Memorial Auditorium. This group plays with such beauty and power.
• Also, the newly formed Whitworth Concert Band will perform its first concert on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the HUB Multipurpose Room. The band will be joined by Whitworth Jazz Ensemble 2. (This fall, more than 100 Whitworth students are playing in our campus bands and orchestras!)

We're getting great feedback on our new MBA program. Its modular structure accommodates those who want to take the Baptist schedule (total immersion over 12 months) or the Presbyterian schedule (more of a sprinkling, over 24 months). Students report that they wish they had known what they learned in Craig Hinnenkamp's Organizational Behavior class before they went into business.

As Whitworth's 2006 Endowed English Reader, author Mary Doria Russell presented a lecture, "A Thread of Grace: Christians and Jews in Nazi- Occupied Italy," and read from her best-selling novels, including selections from her upcoming book. After Russell's first two award-winning books, The Sparrow (1996) and Children of God(1998), her third novel, A Thread of Grace, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and is now available in paperback. In A Thread of Grace Russell delves into the story of the Jewish underground in Genoa during the Nazi occupation of Italy.

Enrollment

We're well ahead of last year's record-setting pace for applications. If you know students interested in Whitworth, urge them to get their applications in.

Student Life

October was wild. More than 800 parents came to campus for the monster Parents' Weekend/Homecoming festivities. The Pirates of Penzance, produced by Whitworth Theatre and performed stunningly by our students, had a few twists that would have surprised Gilbert and Sullivan, but they were pretty hilarious. Perfect weather warmed a record Pine Bowl crowd as the Pirates won big on the field. Also, I hear that the students enjoyed the Homecoming Dance after parents went back to their hotel rooms and passed out. As usual, parents transferred considerable funds to the restaurants throughout the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area, much to the students' enjoyment. And Sunday-morning worship, followed by brunch, ended a wonderful weekend well. There were a ton of other activities -- too many to list -- but among the most meaningful events of the month was the Colleges Against Cancer Club's recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in which Whitworth students, faculty and staff lined the sidewalks with small banners bearing the names of loved ones touched by breast cancer. Please pray for those in our community and beyond who now battle this disease.

Resources

I think there must be some cosmic reason for Thanksgiving falling right about the time people consider their year-end gifts. Many of you support Whitworth because you are thankful for the mission and impact of this school. And we certainly thank God for the support you provide that enables Whitworth's excellence. Each year, during this season of thanksgiving, I use the M&H to thank you for supporting Whitworth -- particularly our unrestricted Whitworth Fund. We also attach an envelope to this issue in hopes that you will support the fund again this year. Sometimes we receive gifts designated "for the president's discretion." I only use my "discretionary fund" for one thing -- individual students in financial crisis. The financial-aid office and I refer to it as our "Come to the Rescue Fund." Frankly, The Whitworth Fund does the same thing, although in a more general way. Our ability to meet students' financial need relies immensely on The Whitworth Fund and on endowed scholarships, of which we have too few. So it is with no hesitation or reservation that we ask you to support our students through a gift to The Whitworth Fund. You can use this envelope, or you can go to our website and give online: www.whitworth.edu/give. Thanks so much. You're investing in the future of our world. (By the way, we just heard that Westmont College is receiving a $75 million gift. They're a great Christian school and we're delighted for them!)

We've been fighting for legislation that has finally materialized, and it's great! The Pension Protection Act of 2006 enables you to give from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) without paying taxes on the withdrawal. If you are older than 70 years six months, you can make a gift in 2006 and 2007 -- up to $100,000 each year -- to Whitworth (and to other charities). If you want to know more about this, please contact The Whitworth Foundation by phone at 509.777.4362 or 800.532.4668 or by e-mail at foundation@whitworth.edu. We all owe special thanks to Whitworth Trustee Art Symons, who has been stumping for this for years with every lawmaker who would listen…and some who wouldn't.

Athletics

Whitworth football is having its best season in 45 years. Already 8-0 and ranked 10th in the NCAA Division III polls, the Pirates will end the regular season by taking on their two toughest NWC opponents: Linfield and Puget Sound. (Late bulletin: The Bucs beat Linfield 17-14. 9-0!) The Whitworth defense has been stifling, allowing fewer than 10 points per game. Jay Tully, Ryan Marshall and Casey Clifton are having all-star seasons, but everyone has played well. Joel Clark and Michael Allan have broken long-standing career records this year. Clark, who currently has 62 career touchdown passes, broke Denny Spurlock's record of 57. And Allan broke Sam Adams' career touchdown reception record of 24. He now has 27.

The men's soccer team ended its season this week against Whitman. The Pirates had another good year and ended up 10-5-3 overall and 9-3-2 NWC, but they came up just short in their attempt to win a third straight NWC title. Niko Varlamos, Ali Seyedali, Chris Johnson, Sean Lambrecht, Adam Loeffler, Tucker Hopp and Kevin Bostock are seniors who put together stellar careers as Pirates. Over the course of their four seasons, the Bucs' overall record is 57-15-6; their conference record is 43-8-5.

The women's soccer team also ended a very good season this weekend. The Pirates finished at 12-4-2 overall and 10-4-1. They have played competitively with the top teams in the region, like UPS, UC Santa Cruz and Willamette. Meghan Johnson, Katy Jones and Nicole Starkey will be missed as key senior leaders on this year's team, but they have built a foundation that next year's players just may parlay into a championship.

The volleyball team went through a rebuilding effort this season and is now looking to the future. Angie Florence, Tamra Stark and Nicole Vander Meulen conclude their careers having been a part of one of the greatest stretches in Whitworth volleyball history, including 2005's run to the regional final. The Pirates finished at 7-19 overall, but they really improved in conference play.

The Whitworth cross-country teams both finished fifth at the Northwest Conference championship meet. Julie Lauterbach, the only senior on the women's team, finished third individually to earn All-NWC honors for the second straight season. Jo E. Mayer finished 21st, and Andrea Carnahan was 30th. The leading men were Jacob Deitz, finishing 19th, and Jeff Grassley and Dusty Caseria, in 24th and 27th places. The season will continue at the NCAA West Region championships on Nov. 11, where berths to the NCAA championships will be determined.

The swimming teams are off to a good start, dominating the season-opening meets in Oregon. The Pirate men's and women's teams raced to victories in both the NWC Sprint Pentathlon at L&C and the NWC relay meet at Linfield.

Alumni

There's still time to sign up for Professor of Biology Craig Tsuchida's Core 650 presentation, "Christian Evolutionist: An Oxymoron?," on Nov. 18 in Vancouver, Wash., and Nov. 19 in Seattle. The alumni office has all the details and online registration is available at www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.

Here's your annual opportunity to combine a delicious dessert with sweet jazz. On Nov. 11, the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble will perform with Grammy-winning trombonist Robin Eubanks. The evening begins at 6:45, and tickets are only $15 for dessert and a reserved seat for the concert; register at www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.

From the George F. Whitworth Dinner to a picnic lunch where 1,700 were served and a football game that welcomed a crowd of nearly 4,000 people, Homecoming/Parents' Weekend was a roaring success. I already mentioned the great time we had with Fenton Duvall and his family, as well as the fun we had at Whitworth Theatre's Pirates of Penzance. Our alumni and student-life offices did a great job of pulling this chock-full weekend together.

Miscellaneous

Just a reminder: If you receive this M&H in time, be sure to attend the fall jazz concert with Grammy-winning trombonist Robin Eubanks and the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble. As I promised last month, they'll blow the roof off the joint Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Get your tickets through TicketsWest or the Whitworth Music Office (509.777.3280), or at the door.

And come December, you won't want to miss our Christmas Festival Concerts, From Out of Darkness, We Have Light:  Dec. 1, 8 p.m., Chapel Hill Presbyterian, Gig Harbor; Dec. 2, 7 p.m., First Presbyterian, Bellevue; Dec. 3, 3 p.m., First Presbyterian, Seattle; Dec. 8, 8 p.m., First Presbyterian, Spokane; Dec. 9, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., First Presbyterian, Spokane. Tickets are now on sale. Call 800.532.4668 for information.

Closing Thoughts

Tonight I traded e-mails with a friend of mine, a Whitworth dad. I mentioned how we try to help our students hear God's voice in their gifts and passions. Following that voice, which we call vocation, enables us to live in the sweet space where our abilities intersect with what we love and what the world needs. I was reminded at a volleyball match last Friday how the need for career clarity hits different people at different times. I was sitting with a friend as her 3-year-old raced around with another kid the same age. In a split second while they came to rest behind us, one kid asked the other, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" A puzzled look crossed his face as the boy declared, "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, I just know what I want to be for Halloween." We set hopes a bit higher than that for our students. And sometimes we have the thrill of being with them when they hear the voice. May the peace of God that passes all understanding be yours in this season of thanksgiving.