Mind & Heart Newsletter: December 2013
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
Missy the Elf has returned to the Taylor home, and that can mean only one thing: Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas is around the corner. Missy, our daughter Chloe's Christmas pal, has made appearances in the month of December since Chloe was an infant. After a long trip from the North Pole, Missy magically appears at Thanksgiving (or a couple of days later, depending on how long it takes Julie and me to remember where the North Pole is in our cluttered garage) to bring joy and excitement to the family as we anticipate Christmas. Each night, Chloe sprinkles Missy with magic dust and puts her to bed. Then, at night, while everyone is sleeping, Missy engages in mischief by making a mess of things or just elfing around. Each morning, Chloe wakes up and eagerly searches for Missy to see what kind of trouble she's found, and to see what small gift for Chloe Missy has placed into her sack, usually a piece of gum, a colorful pencil, or some other knickknack. Then, amidst the excitement on Christmas morning, Missy mysteriously disappears back to the North Pole.
Family Christmas traditions are fun and important, especially with little ones in the house. Although Missy the Elf is a secular creation, this family tradition reminds us, and Chloe, of other Christ-centered lessons of the season. Advent focuses our attention on the coming of someone who will change our lives and the world forever. The excitement each morning as Chloe searches for Missy only mimics, and pales in comparison to, the joyful anticipation we have for the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ-child, Emmanuel. While Missy creates chaos and trouble (albeit pretty benign chaos and trouble), Christ comes into our world to put things back into order. The simple gift Chloe receives from Missy each morning reminds us of the humble way Jesus made his way into our world, and the joy of receiving a gift, no matter how modest, each morning allows us to reflect on God's extravagant mercies, which are new each and every morning. And although Christ left our world to return to his place in heaven, we are promised that he will return.
A very Merry Christmas from the Taylor family to yours!
Academics
The Institute of International Education (Open Doors) has named Whitworth the No. 1 master's-level university for study-abroad participation in the Pacific Northwest for the second year in a row. Whitworth earned the No. 6 spot overall in the nation-wide rankings among U.S. higher education institutions. Among the 595 members of Whitworth's Class of 2013, 44 percent studied abroad.
Whitworth Forensics ended the fall term by winning the Lower Columbia College tournament, defeating 10 teams and winning 56 trophies – the most ever at one tournament. Sam Director, '15, was the top debate speaker and Sarah Sauter, '15, was the top persuasive speaker. Ellie Probus, '16, won first place in the novice persuasive and informative speaking events.
Congratulations to Flint Simonsen (Education) who received a $5,000 grant for the Whitworth Literacy Center from the Red Lion Corporation.
Sondra Willmann, '14 (Education), was chosen for educational advocacy training in Washington, D.C., where she spoke to government representatives regarding educational equity issues.
Science majors Austin Winkelman, Shannon James-Kozlovich, John Koberstein, Brad Hopp, Lauren Christensen and Audré Hyatt, all '14, and Tanner Scholten and Hannah Zeitler, both '15, presented at "Celebrating and Engaging Scientific Discoveries," a conference co-hosted by Lewis & Clark College and the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust. Shannon won a prize for best poster presentation.
Tami Robinson (Library), contributed a chapter, "Professional Development Opportunities Provided by Consortia: What We Can Learn from this Model," to Revolutionizing the Development of Library and Information Professionals: Planning for the Future, which was just released.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, led by Andrew Flint, '15, and Coach Cristal Brown (Softball) organized a food drive through which 90 Whitworth student-athletes collected 3,000 lbs. of food for Second Harvest.
More than 60 Whitworth students and their advisor, Martha Gady (Mathematics), recently assisted in the regional Math is Cool competition. Approximately 350 middle-school students were involved in this competition designed to encourage students' interest and participation in mathematics.
Five teams of Whitworth computer science students solved a series of complex programming problems during the annual Pacific Northwest Regional Computer Programming Contest. Whitworth teams, accompanied by Kent Jones (Computer Science), took part in the Nov. 2 Battle of the Brains competition.
Recent alums Brad Catlett-Rossen, Brayden Hollis, Ace Taylor and Michael Wiedemann, all '13, from Pete Tucker's Software Engineering class, have published an Android-platform app for chess enthusiasts. The application, called Chess Mob, allows users to compete using non-standard chess formations.
Tony Clark (History) has two new books being published this month; they include A Voluntary Exile: Chinese Christianity and Cultural Confluence since 1552 (Lehigh University Press/Rowman & Littlefield), for which he served as editor.
In celebration of more than 35 years of Laura Bloxham's Summer Reading List, the English department invites contributions for a publication, Laura's List, to be published in April. Submissions should be 100-250 words and they should remind us of the pleasure of reading a good book at the behest of a wise friend and mentor. E-mail submissions to lauraslist14@gmail.com by Dec. 15.
The Arts
Visit our Bryan Oliver Gallery (Lied Center for the Visual Arts) to see Poetics & Public Projection: Layered History – Redrawn Memory, by Rose Bond. Bond's work, on display through Feb. 7 and open during university hours, employs research and animation to create multi-channel animated work that coexists with architecture – work that merges spectacle with content.
Whitworth singers won five awards at the recent District NATS auditions at Central Washington University. More than 140 singers from colleges and universities in the Eastern Washington/Western Idaho District auditioned for adjudicators and received feedback and critiques. Whitworth awardees (directed by the music department's Scott Miller and Amy Porter) were as follows: Will Czifro, '15, first; Alexis Pursel, '17, first; Lise Hafso, '15, second; Sarah Nadreau, '15, third; Mariah Priebe, '16, third.
Whitworth presents Stage II Shorts: A Festival of Short Plays, on Dec. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. These performances (in Stage II of Cowles Auditorium) showcase the work of our directing students, and admission is free.
Student Life
Midnight Madness, a gigantic pep assembly for our basketball teams, was a November highlight that included introductions of the teams, a half-court-shot competition for free tuition, a slam-dunk contest, and free T-shirts to all who attended. And although we'll be in just the first part of December when you receive this newsletter, students are already preparing for the Million Meals in May event. As I mentioned in last month's M&H, ASWU voted to join the rest of the Whitworth community in attempting to pack one million meals (each feeds four) with Generation Alive, a local organization that feeds the hungry and works against child sex trafficking. No group has ever packed this many meals at one time, so the next several months will be spent fund raising to get the $250,000 necessary to purchase food and to get volunteer packers. If you're interested in joining us by contributing or packing, please contact ASWU Financial Vice President Matt Valdez at hvaldez14@my.whitworth.edu.
Alumni & Parents
Summer reunions are in the works! During the weekend of June 20-22, the classes of 1954, '64, '65, and '74 will celebrate their reunions on campus. The Central America group from 1999 will reunite on campus July 18-20. Registration will open in late winter for all reunions.
Are you a parent or adult family member of a Whitworth current student? We have a new Facebook group just for you, Parents and Families of Current Whitworth Students; we've also launched a new incarnation of The Loop, the parents' newsletter. Join in the conversation on both sites and receive information and updates just for you!
Oct. 10-12, 2014, will mark a great Whitworth event. We'll celebrate Whitworth's 125th anniversary, we'll host Homecoming reunions for the classes of 1984, 1994, 2004, and 2009 as well as all choir and tennis alums, and we'll welcome Family Weekend guests to visit their students. Whether you're a part of one of those groups or not, please plan to join us for this celebration of Whitworth at 125!
Alums and parents, we know many of you spread the word about Whitworth to prospective students and their families.Thank you, and please keep it up! Your influence and experience play a major role in prospective students' decisions. The next time you have the opportunity to talk about Whitworth to a prospective student (or his or her family), please share your unique story freely and point student and family to the admissions team at www.whitworth.edu/admissions.
Admissions & Financial Aid
Incoming freshman students admitted with honors for fall 2014, watch for an invitation to attend one of our Honors Colloquium weekends Feb. 15-16, March 8-9 and March 15-16. Though two full-tuition scholarships are at stake at each event, participants consistently report that they have fun and enjoy connecting with their fellow competitors and with academics at Whitworth. Don't dawdle, because attendance is capped at 120 students for each event, and registration is handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The holidays are a good time for students to investigate and apply for outside scholarships to help fund their education. Whitworth covers as much of students' financial need as our resources can afford, but outside scholarships often make the difference in a student's ability to attend. There are many scholarship resources online, including on our financial aid site: www.whitworth.edu/scholarships. Also, Whitworth's departmental scholarships (based on a student's major) are determined by each academic department, so students are encouraged to learn more by contacting the academic program assistant in their department and by watching for information from the department.
Resources
We rely on everyone in the Whitworth community to lift up our mission and to keep a mind-and-heart education within financial reach for all who seek it. It's exciting to think of what we could accomplish if everyone reading this newsletter were to make even a modest gift. Many of you have already responded to our requests, and we are deeply grateful for all the ways in which you've given this year. December is a – perhaps the – pivotal month in reaching our goal for The Whitworth Fund, which goes directly to student scholarships, international initiatives, student life and buildings and grounds. So while I boldly ask that you help us reach these goals, I also thank you with all my heart for your past gifts. It's my privilege to witness the amazing ways in which our students and alumni support people in need. Thanks for your faithfulness in providing tax-deductible contributions that help to make Whitworth academically rigorous, beautiful, and more affordable for our students in 2014 and beyond.
Costa Rica
Life is busy at the Costa Rica Center. From director Lindy Scott: "The courses on Latin American history, music, women authors and religion, conservation and human rights are chugging along at full speed. Students are finishing papers, debating, giving presentations and getting ready for finals. November featured two important field trips – first to the fishing village of Tarcoles, on the Pacific Coast, where students fished with nets and lines and learned how fisherfolk were making their profession sustainable for generations to come. Then on to Havana, Cuba, where students heard from Cubans of a wide range of political and economic persuasions and talked to a top economist, the Methodist bishop, U.S. government representatives, and local artists. We also experienced museums, fortresses and 'the most beautiful colonial downtown in all of the Americas.' Finally, the CRC became even more beautiful with the return of the migrating egrets."
Sports
Women's cross country finished as runners-up in the Northwest Conference and took third place at the NCAA West Region championships. Amanda Blankenship and Christina Williams, both '15, earned First Team All-NWC and All-West Region honors. The Pirate men finished sixth at the NWC meet and 12th at the West Region championships.
Football finished the season with a rousing 61-28 win at Lewis & Clark. The Pirates finished at 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the NWC. TE Wade Meyer, OT Dalton Cosby and DB Casey Monahan, all '14, were named First Team All-NWC.
Volleyball finished 15-13 overall and 9-7 (third place) in the NWC. Hitter Jalana White, '14, was a First Team All-NWC honoree.
The men's soccer team earned a second-place finish in the NWC with an overall record of 12-3-3 and a Northwest Conference mark of 10-2-2. Defenders Balin Larson and Andrew Flint and midfielder Sam Selisch, all '14, received First Team All-NWC recognition.
Women's soccer endured a spate of injuries and illness to finish 7-7-6 overall, 4-4-6 in the NWC. Tiara Pajimola, '16, the Pirates' leading scorer this season, was named First Team All-NWC.
The swimming teams are 4-0 in NWC dual meets. Jackie Beal, '17, and Alisa Stang, '15, have both posted conference-leading times so far this fall. The men's team has lost just three races (out of 44) during their four NWC dual meets.
Women's basketball is 3-1 following the season-opening tournament. KC McConnell, '16, is averaging more than 20 points per game, and the team went undefeated in its California trip, beating Redlands and U.C. Santa Cruz in a tournament at the home of the Banana Slugs.
Men's basketball is 2-1 following wins over Trinity (Texas) and SUNY Old Westbury (N.Y.) and a loss to Colorado College. Colton McCargar and Dustin McConnell, both '14, are ready to lead the Bucs this season.
Closing Thoughts
As I write this, Julie and I are preparing to host the President's Christmas Reception and Dinner, one of our favorite events of the year. The entire campus community is invited to the HUB for a festive time of food and fellowship. Julie and I enjoy serving hot wassail as people come in from the cold. We'll see hundreds of students and employees, and it serves as a great opportunity for us to say thank you and Merry Christmas to so many people who make Whitworth a special place. Thank you for the many ways you continue to support Whitworth. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
