Mind & Heart Newsletter: February 2014
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
One hundred years ago, in 1914, baseball legend Babe Ruth made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox. That same year, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line became the world's first airline to schedule passenger flights in heavier-than-air craft, and President Woodrow Wilson signed the first Mother's Day into existence. A century ago, the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States opened for business, the events that started World War I shocked the globe, and an upstart film star named Charlie Chaplin made his debut in the short comedy Making A Living. It was also in 1914 that a group of Spokane business leaders, led by land developer Jay P. Graves, lured Whitworth College from its home in Tacoma to its third and final home, in the Inland Northwest. For years, Whitworth had struggled to find sufficient enrollments in Tacoma, and the promise of a new start for the college in Spokane must have seemed like a godsend. Graves generously donated a large tract of land in north Spokane, approximately half of which was to be used for the new campus; the other half was to be sold to developers to pay some of the college's bills and to seed the college's endowment fund. Construction of McMillan Hall, which still stands today, began in May that year. As Whitworth University begins a new calendar year, we remember how far we have come, by God's grace. We are thankful for the enduring mission that sustains us, then and now – to provide our diverse students an education of mind and heart, equipping graduates to honor God, follow Christ, and serve humanity. It's been a great 100 years in Spokane!
Academics
Patty Bruininks (Psychology) received a prestigious Lilly Fellows Summer Fellowship, which will allow her to participate in a summer seminar on what it means to be human (and Christian) in a consumer culture.
Congratulations to Katie Creyts (Art) for being awarded a $12,450 grant from the McMillen Foundation. The grant, Enhancing 3-D Art Education, will provide needed equipment for her glass courses.
Patrick Van Inwegen (Political Science) will present on creating a Spokane carbon market at the Washington Higher Education Sustainability Conference Feb. 6-7. He also will display a poster there about the Whitworth Sustainability Tour, which students in his Environment & Society class helped to create, and he will present a paper on Costa Rica's "pacifism" at the Western Political Science Association conference, in April.
In January, faculty led courses around the world: They taught Core 250 while touring historical sites in Europe; instructed students in anthropology and science courses in Hawaii; and took a group to Great Britain for classes about the arts. In addition, Christian spirituality was the focus of learning here in Washington, and students examined early Christian sites while studying in Turkey. Honors freshmen learned about the biblical concept and practice of Shalom through a course in Costa Rica; faculty members taught business as well as technology and culture in Asia; a group of students learned about poverty and altruism in Tanzania; and students toured South Africa to study the history, media and politics of that country. This spring, faculty will lead programs in Costa Rica, Tanzania and throughout Central America. Forty-four percent of Whitworth students study abroad.
This spring, Whitworth sent students off to study in exchange programs in the UK, Sweden, Nicaragua, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Czech Republic, France, Spain, New Zealand, Italy, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition to these exchanges, Whitworth will welcome students from Switzerland, Malaysia and Guatemala to campus.
On Feb. 27, the Whitworth Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl team – the Philosoraptors, coached by Mike Ingram (Communication Studies) and Keith Wyma (Philosophy) – will compete at nationals, in Florida. The team returns to the tournament, after a "final-four" finish last year, hoping to reclaim the national championship Whitworth won in 2012.
The Arts
Diana Trotter (Theatre) returns to the stage as Dr. Vivian Bearing in Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Wit, about a prominent scholar who suddenly finds herself the subject of research as she undergoes experimental chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer. The play will take place at Lake City Playhouse, in Coeur d'Alene, Feb. 21-March 9.
Join us at the Arts Ceramics Invitational, featuring Terry Gieber, Gina Freuen, Lisa Nappa, and Chris Tyllia, from Feb. 18-April 4 in the Lied Center for the Visual Arts. The opening reception for this exhibit takes place Feb. 18, from 5-6 p.m., with a panel discussion following at 6 p.m. The gallery will be closed March 22-30 for Spring Break.
Congratulations to Anneliese Dailey, '14, who was recently named the winner of the National Opera Association's annual scholarly paper competition. Her Love and Redemption: The Unfulfilled Passion, the Dissatisfied Dream, and the Chivalric Duty in Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" will be published in the spring 2014 issue of the NOA Journal. Anneliese is completing majors in both history and music.
Student Life
January in Spokane was cold (duh), but it wasn't as snowy as usual, so students had to head to the mountains for skiing and snowboarding. The outdoor rec office was very busy renting equipment and organizing ski vans for student outings in Montana, Idaho and Washington. Intramural sports sponsored numerous three-on-three basketball tourneys and three-point shooting contests in the new U-Rec, which was warm, dry and a great place to spend the coldest month of the year.
This month, renowned speaker and theorist Peggy McIntosh will hold sessions with students, faculty and staff regarding her research on white privilege. Right on the heels of the McIntosh sessions, Cultural Awareness Week will begin and will include campus-wide awareness activities as well as other educational and entertaining events, all coordinated by student clubs and organizations.
Alumni & Parents
Portland Whitworthians and their families are invited to gather at the Feb. 21 basketball games at Lewis and Clark as we cheer on the Bucs in their final games of the regular season. Mingle with other alumni and parents between the women's and men's games for cookies and cider. The games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. Following the men's game, we'll head off to the after-party at Flying Pie Pizzeria, in Lake Oswego, to eat with our teams and hear from the coaching staff. For more information and to register, visit www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.
All Spokane and Denver/Colorado Springs-area alumni, parents and friends are invited to join Whitworth professors Ron Pyle (Communication Studies) and Melissa Rogers (Psychology) as they present Shaping Perception, Building Relationships. Ron and Melissa will lead us in a conversation about some of the factors that influence our perceptions and our relationships. For just $5, you can join Ron and Melissa in downtown Spokane on Feb. 22 or in Denver on March 1. For more information and to register, visit www.whitworth.edu/alumnievents.
Members of the classes of '64 and '65 will gather June 20-22 to celebrate their 49th- and 50th-year class reunions. Members of the Class of '63 are also invited to join in the festivities, and attendees are invited to stay on campus as a part of the celebration. Registration information will be out in March. Please note that the '54 and '74 reunions have been moved to the October celebration weekend (see next item).
Celebrate Whitworth's 125th year with us this Oct. 10-12 in Spokane. It's going to be a great weekend for reunions of the classes of '54, '74, '84, '94, '04, and '09, as well as for all choral, tennis, baseball and swimming alumni. We'll also celebrate McMillan Hall's 100th year. This will be a dynamic weekend on campus, combining Homecoming, Family Weekend, and the President's Leadership Forum all in one. The weekend's schedule and registration information will be available in late spring or early summer. Mark your calendar now: You don't want to miss these historic events!
Parents and families of current students, do you know about The Loop, our parent and family blog? You can find The Loop at www.whitworth.edu/theloop. Also, join the parent and family Facebook page for your student's year by searching on FB for parents and families of current Whitworth students.
Join the Whitworth community as we pray for specific needs. The On Bended Knee prayer blog is published each week and can be delivered straight to your inbox. You can find the blog and subscribe at www.whitworth.edu/onbendedknee.
Admissions
The priority deadline for high school seniors to submit their admissions applications to Whitworth is March 1. Students can access our online application or the common application at www.whitworth.edu/apply. We can accept transcripts, test scores and letters of recommendation after that date, but the sooner we get a complete application file the sooner we can send out admissions decisions, financial aid awards and other important information.
Incoming freshmen admitted with honors for fall 2014 should have received information about an amazing opportunity to study in Costa Rica during Jan Term 2015. The class always fills up quickly, so don't wait until mañana if this is something that interests you. And you'd be crazy if it didn't. Read more about it online at www.whitworth.edu/costaricajanterm.
Spring Break is a great time for sophomores and juniors to begin visiting college campuses and for seniors to make that final, and potentially deciding, campus visit. We have extra "Why Whitworth?" visit days planned during the weeks when most Northwest high schools schedule their spring breaks. We also are launching a new overnight visit program, April 4-5, for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations. And individual visits are always welcome. It would be best to avoid ourSpring Break (March 22-30) so you won't miss out on visiting classes, staying in a residence hall, meeting professors and current students, etc. To schedule a visit, go to www.whitworth.edu/visit.
Financial Aid
We are beginning to review files for new freshmen and transfer students for the 2014-15 academic year. New students who have filed the FAFSA by the March 1 deadline will begin receiving their financial aid awards in March. Continuing students who meet the May 1 priority deadline for filing the FAFSA will receive their financial aid awards, beginning in May and June, electronically. Students can confirm that we have received their FAFSAs by checking WhitNet on Pirate Port. Academic scholarships are automatically renewed.
Resources
With Valentine's Day at hand, I'm reminded that many Whitworthians met their soulmates right here. I'll admit that a Whitworth Fund gift is not that romantic, but it IS meaningful. Showing a little love to Whitworth and making an annual gift counts for double participation for couples. In order to meet our giving goal, we need 1,500 more alumni donations by June 30. No matter when you met, we're glad to share a Whitworth connection with you!
Costa Rica
CRC Director Lindy Scott reports, "We've just finished our busiest Jan Term ever. Thirty-four honors freshmen studied Shalom with Dean of Spiritual Life Terry McGonigal. Cynthia Wright (Health Science) led 10 majors through a month of medical internships, medical Spanish, homestays and field trips. And nine budding scientists traipsed all over Costa Rica with Grant Casady (Biology) as they measured clams and studied quetzals, frogs and spiders in a preservation project in the fishing village of Tarcoles."
Sports
Women's basketball is 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the Northwest Conference. The Pirates' only conference losses have come against teams ranked nationally among the top 10 in NCAA Div. III. This weekend they dropped 90 on Lewis and Clark, winning by 28. Kayla Johnson, '14, recently surpassed 1,000 points in her career and is leading the team in scoring average (18.1 points per game).
The men's basketball team is 13-4 overall and 7-1 in the NWC as it turns the corner to the second half of the conference season. The Pirates grabbed first place in the standings with a rousing win at Whitman on Jan. 21, and they held on to that lead with a weekend drubbing of Lewis and Clark. Dustin McConnell, Colton McCargar and Robby Douglas, all '14, are providing great on-court leadership for a team that includes a mix of 11 freshmen and sophomores.
The swimming teams are unbeaten in NWC dual meets. Both are coming off a Christmas Break training trip to Coronado, Calif., that included nearly 100,000 yards of practice for many of the swimmers. They turned that work into impressive dual-meet wins over Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran in January. Jackie Beal, '17, leads the NWC with her times in both women's backstroke races. Brandon Smith, '16, has the NWC's best times in the distance freestyle races.
The indoor track and field season began with a meet at Washington State University. Future meets will take place at the University of Idaho, back at WSU and at the University of Washington. The NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held March 14-15 in Lincoln, Neb.
Spring sports are just around the corner. In fact, the softball and men's tennis teams are just days away from their first competitions. More on them, and on our other spring sports, in the March issue of M&H. Go Bucs!
Closing Thoughts
We've experienced a relatively warm and dry January in Spokane. Unfortunately, I think I've seen the sun peeking through the overcast skies only a few times this month. Julie and I plan to get a quick dose of Vitamin D this weekend when we dash down to Phoenix for a few days before the busyness of the spring semester begins. A few winters in Spokane have taught us what we need to make it through. As Whitworth begins its spring term, and its 100th year in Spokane, I thank you for all of the ways you support us through prayer, partnership and philanthropy.
