Mind & Heart Newsletter: January 2017
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
C.S. Lewis once said, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." The quiet, snowcovered Whitworth campus was the perfect place for me to enjoy plenty of hot tea and interesting books over Christmas Break. I look forward to interludes in the frantic academic calendar to make a dent in the stack of books that grows as the day-to-day demands of the job keep me from settling down with that cup of Earl Grey. So when the students leave, I dive in. I don't usually do this, but I thought I'd share some of my reading list. You'll find that I have eclectic tastes, and that I tend to read mostly nonfiction. Here are a few titles that might interest you. My daughter Lauren is taking Terry McGonigal's Jan Term course Biblical Theme of Shalom, so I decided to read the texts with her. They include Randy Woodley's Shalom and the Community of Creation, N.T. Wright's Simply Jesus, and Matthew Sorens and Jenny Yang's Welcoming the Stranger. Michael Lewis' The Undoing Project details the unique and creative relationship between Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, whose partnership generated the field of behavioral economics. I finally got around to reading Andy Crouch's Strong and Weak. Andy was our guest for the Whitworth Institute of Ministry two summers ago, and his very accessible book explores the paradox of exhibiting both strength and humility as we minister to others. The president's cabinet and I are currently reading John Inazu's Confident Pluralism, which explores how our country can have constructive dialogue despite being increasingly polarized. And I just started Naoki Higashida's The Reason I Jump, which is an autobiographical journey through the life of someone who has autism. Finally, I'm always looking for a good devotional. I've just begun Kenneth Boa's Face to Face. Even though those quiet, book-filled days of Christmas Break are over, there's still nothing better than stealing a few moments to open a great book. Happy reading!
Academics
During Jan Term, 194 Whitworth students and 13 faculty members are participating in off-campus programs across the country and around the world: Anthropology in Hawaii (Raja Tanas); Christianity in Britain (Keith Beebe); Core 250 – Europe (Forrest Baird); Ecology and the Bible – U.S. (Jonathan Moo); Education in Hawaii (Keith Lambert, '91); Education in Tanzania (Ann Teberg); History and Culture of Mexico (Rafaela Acevedo-Field); Math History – Europe (Donna Pierce); Media Impact Across the Contemporary U.S. (Kevin Grieves); Oral French – France (Bendi Benson Schrambach); Power and Politics of Art – Italy and Germany (Richard Strauch); Race across America (Jason Wollschleger); Spanish Language – Chile (Katherine Karr-Cornejo); The Actor's Experience – New York City (Brooke Kiener, '99); The Meaning of Life – New York City (Adam Neder).
Professor Cynthia Wright (Athletic Training) was elected chair of the Washington State Department of Health Athletic Training Advisory Committee, which oversees state licensure for athletic trainers.
Robin Henager (School of Business) has been named to the editorial board for the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning. She also presented research from her award-winning article Financial Literacy and Long- and Short-Term Financial Behavior in Different Age Groups at the National Endowment for Financial Education, in Denver.
The Arguing Bucs of Whitworth Forensics brought home 10 speech awards and 12 debate awards from the Linfield College tournament, taking fifth place overall. Alums Ellie Probus, '16, and Lori Welch, '90, were guest judges at the tourney.
The Arts
Gordon Wilson (Art) exhibited 18 paintings in two December invitational shows, including an exhibit in the Marmot Art Space, in Spokane's Kendall Yards. Much of the work resulted from a painting trip Gordon took to Orvieto, Italy.
Sage Paisner's art exhibition, Mi Familia Es Todo, runs through Jan. 27 in the Bryan Oliver Art Gallery of our Lied Art Center.
Student Life
Whitworth was all a-sparkle in December as students decorated their rooms with Christmas lights, and campus buildings were draped in red and green. Student traditions like Arend Hall's Deck the Halls competition and Boppell Hall's coffeehouse, Drive In, highlighted this Christmas season, and the Class of 2017 got all gussied up for its annual formal party at North Spokane's Bozarth Mansion. Finally, the English club, Westminster Round, and the Swing and Ballroom Dance Club collaborated to host a Harry Potterthemed Yule Ball that featured much merriment and butter beer, "a popular wizarding beverage described as tasting 'a little bit like lesssickly-sweet butterscotch,'" according to Harry Potter Wiki.
Financial Aid
If you haven't completed your FAFSA for the 2017-18 school year, please do so now. The financial aid staff will begin sending awards to freshman students in mid-January. Returning students will begin receiving their financial aid awards in mid-March.
Tuition Tax Form 1098T will be available online at the end of this month. To print the form, go to www.whitworth.edu, access the Student Accounts section on WhitNet (under Pirate Port), and click on 1098 Electronic Form. The 1098T supports your request for educational tax credits on your tax return. For more information, please consult your tax advisor or visit www.irs.gov.
Admissions
It's not too early to submit enrollment deposits. Freshman and transfer students admitted for fall 2017 can submit their enrollment deposits any time before May 1 at www.whitworth.edu/enrollmentdeposit. The $350 deposit holds a student's place in the incoming class and also offers priority consideration in housing and class registration. The deposit is refundable until May 1, so it's a can't-lose proposition for admitted students who are seriously considering Whitworth.
Registration is open for our Honors Colloquium scholarshipcompetition weekends. All incoming freshmen admitted with honors (along with their parents) are invited to attend one of our scholarship weekends, Feb. 11-12, Feb. 18-19, or March 11-12. Approximately 100 students attend each colloquium and vie for the four-year, full-time tuition scholarships (2) and $2,000-peryear scholarships (10) awarded at each event. Participants also connect with current students and faculty, stay overnight in residence halls, and plug in to campus activities. This is a great way for prospective students to experience life at Whitworth. Eligible students can register online at www.whitworth.edu/honorsscholarship.
Auditions will take place Feb. 11 for students seeking talent scholarships for music or theatre at Whitworth. Information about scheduling auditions is available online at www.whitworth.edu/music and www.whitworth.edu/theatre. Live auditions are preferred, but recordings are accepted. Students who participate in Whitworth's excellent music ensembles and theatre productions are eligible to audition for talent awards regardless of their majors. Talent awards are also available for students who participate in art, Ethics Bowl, forensics (speech & debate), journalism, and Young Life. Information will be mailed to students who indicated interest in these programs on their Whitworth admissions application.
Late this month we'll host more than 200 high school speakers and debaters for the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association national qualifying tournament. This gathering will give us a great opportunity to showcase our campus and promote our national-championship forensics program to a large group of potential future Pirates. I just won't be starting any arguments with them.
The Campaign for Whitworth
Thanks for making your end-of-the-year donation to Whitworth. We successfully completed our Light the Way campaign, with 2,654 donors participating. Your generosity directly supports students, both through scholarships and by helping faculty give these students a mind-and-heart education. Thank you!
Are you one-half of a Whitworth alumni couple? If so, did you know that when you make one gift as a couple, you count as two alumni donors? One goal in Whitworth's 2021 strategic plan is to achieve a 25-percent alumni-giving rate. When alumni give, it helps with college rankings and grant applications, and, of course, it helps students afford a Whitworth experience. When you and your alumni spouse donate, you help in many ways!
Whitworth Serves
Now is the perfect time to share your story of service with Whitworth. Our streamlined form takes only a few minutes and allows you to list all of your volunteer hours for the year for every organization you have served. We value your stories, and we hope you will share them with us at www.whitworth.edu/whitworthserves.
Alumni & Parents
We'll host our annual Alumni Night at the Fieldhouse on Friday, Jan. 27, as the basketball teams battle Willamette. Alums and their families will be admitted for free: Just register and print the coupon found on the calendar at connect.whitworth.edu. The women play at 6 p.m., and the men tip off at 8 p.m. Join us for a brief reception for all alums and their families behind the bleachers during halftime of the men's game, as well.
On Sunday, Jan. 29, I'll be speaking at 9:30 a.m. in Stone Hall at National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., on "The Opportunities and Challenges Facing Christian Higher Education." If you're in the Greater D.C. area, I'd love to see you there.
We need your nominations for our four annual Whitworth Alumni Awards. Go to www.whitworth.edu/alumniawards for more information and to nominate deserving alums. All nominations are due by the end of the day on Jan. 31, and the awards will be presented during Homecoming Weekend 2017.
It's a busy winter for alumni and parent gatherings. Join us in Newberg, Ore., on Jan. 21 for basketball and a reception; in Tacoma, on Feb. 10, for more basketball and a reception; in Spokane, on Feb. 16, for a paint-and-sip event; or in Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 25, for an On the Road event with Forrest Baird (Philosophy) and Kathryn Picanco (School of Education). Learn more and register at connect.whitworth.edu.
Please add Homecoming Weekend 2017 to your calendar! All alumni and their families are invited to return to campus Oct. 6-8. Alums who've been a part of Young Life are also invited back for a special reunion. Details to come. Interested in helping plan your reunion? Email alumni@whitworth.edu.
Whitworth clans, make sure you have Family Weekend 2017, Oct. 13-15, on your calendar. We'll send (and post) more information this spring and summer.
Sports
Men's basketball is 10-1 and ranked 5th in the nation in the current D3hoops.com poll. The Pirates are shooting the ball very well, leading the country in free-throw percentage and ranking among the top three teams nationwide in three-point shooting.
Women's basketball is 4-8. The Pirates just returned from a threegame trip to Southern California, where they played at La Verne and in a tournament at Whittier College that included a game against Wheaton (Ill.).
The swimming teams earned several individual victories at The Logger Invitational, in Tacoma. Hannah Galbraith, '20, and Patrick Wilber, '18, won two races apiece, sweeping the backstroke events. The Pirates returned to campus during the second week of Christmas Break to train their brains out for their demanding upcoming schedule.
Closing Thoughts
On behalf of Julie and our family, I want to wish you a very happy new year. I pray for all of the blessings of Christ to be yours this year. I know 2017 will be a great year for our students. Thanks for all you do to support them.
