Mind & Heart Newsletter: January 2018
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
Happy New Year from Spokane! As I write this, students are well into their Jan Term activities. Whitworth’s innovative mini-semester uses the first three weeks of the year to provide students with unique opportunities to study and travel. Many on-campus courses ask students to tackle ideas outside of their majors, or they combine distinct fields into creative interdisciplinary enrichment opportunities. Fun examples this Jan Term include Coffee Chemistry, Epic Fails in Engineering, Writing for Digital Media, Sports Psychology, Foreign Policy and Film, Belief in Weird Things, and Wrestling with God’s Wrath. Don’t those sound interesting? Students report that they enjoy the different pace that Jan Term provides, allowing them to concentrate on just one course. Campus activities are also adjusted to allow for the different rhythm. For example, community chapel hosts students on Tuesday and Thursday evenings rather than mornings, and worship time focuses on hearing from a variety of students and faculty as they share personal stories of faith. About half of our students use Jan Term to study away. Students and their faculty mentors spread out all over the globe to explore and learn together. This Jan Term, students are taking courses like The Arts and Christian Worship, which explores how music, art and architecture have shaped and been shaped by Christian worship practice from the early church to the present. Students in that course will be in Rome, Geneva, Florence, Paris and London. Sign me up! Another popular course is Monasticism: Old and New, which invites students to Tall Timber camp, near Leavenworth, Wash., where they are immersed in a monastic lifestyle, devoid of modern technology, cellphones and the internet. Students live in community, read great texts from the history of spirituality (e.g., Augustine’s Confessions), study Scripture, meet daily in small groups, and follow various practices that apply what they are learning to life at Tall Timber and to life once they return to campus. Sounds nice. All in all, Jan Term is one of those Whitworth-y experiences that help define our students’ time here, and I’m grateful that they take full advantage.
Academics
Several Whitworth faculty were featured on Inside Higher Ed’s Academic Minute radio show. Over the course of a week in December, the following faculty discussed their research on the show: Erica Salkin (Communication Studies), Casey Andrews (English), Elizabeth Abbey (Health Sciences), Robin Pickering (Health Sciences) and Dawn Keig (School of Business). Take a listen!
The Office of Church Engagement has been awarded two large grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. The first, for $1.5 million, funds the “Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative,” and will allow the OCE to continue to support churches in its network as they discern their callings and design new ministries to serve their communities. The second, for $500,000, titled “Sustaining the Vision, Expanding the Network,” continues to support the OCE and provide funds to expand two existing programs: Summer Ministry Fellows and The Preaching and Teaching Academy.
Nathan King and Josh Orozco (Philosophy) received $2,500 from the Society of Christian Philosophers to fund an Alvin Plantinga reading group, meant to foster the ongoing discussion of faith and reason.
Lisa Laurier (School of Education) received a $20,500 grant from the Hagan Foundation for the literacy work she and her students are doing in public schools as part of her Literacy Intervention Model project. The project will be showcased at a reception in Orlando, Fla., in April.
Jason Wollschleger (Sociology) received a $30,000 grant from the Louisville Institute for a research project called “Bombingham,” which seeks to discern the social causes of bombings and burnings of black churches.
Karin Heller and Will Kynes (Theology) were each awarded $10,000 Teaching of the Bible Grants from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Heller received a 2018 grant for a textbook on “Great Themes of the Bible: A Woman and Gender Friendly Perspective.” Kynes received a 2019 grant to develop curriculum for an honors service-learning course titled Defiant Faith: Biblical and Contemporary Responses to Suffering.
The Arts
Gordon Wilson (Art) will be included in a three-person exhibit at the Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene. The exhibit opens on Feb. 9 and continues through February.
Student Life
The U-Rec had a busy fall. Students arrived on campus in early September and immediately began discovering the multitude of indoor and outdoor recreational activities that are available. The U-Rec had more than 30,000 card scans, 100-plus students exploring the outdoors via adventure programs, 300-plus participating in intramurals, and 1,500 bouldering and top roping the climbing wall. Please feel free to check out the recreational facilities if you visit Whitworth. I’m glad that our students are taking care of their bodies, as well as their minds.
Whitworth’s Office of Student Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is planning the third annual Diversity Monologues. In this program, students will address the following question in no more than five minutes each: How did you come to know beauty? Students think critically about how their lived experiences have informed their concept of beauty and offer diverse perspectives on this topic. In collaboration with the theatre department, the Diversity Monologues showcase will be hosted in Cowles Auditorium on March 15. Questions may be sent to David Garcia at dgarcia@whitworth.edu.
Financial Aid
For continuing students, the FAFSA awarding priority deadline for the 2018-19 academic year is March 1. The financial aid office staff will start awarding incoming freshmen in mid-January and then begin awarding continuing students in mid-March. Students selected for verification will only be awarded financial aid for 2018-19 if all required documents have been received by the financial aid office.
Alumni & Parents
Your opinion matters to us! Alumni, during January we’re conducting a survey and we want to hear from you. Your responses will help guide how we connect with alumni in coming years. Check your inbox (and your clutter folder) for an invitation. If you did not receive one yet, email us at alumni@whitworth.edu. Thank you for providing valuable feedback!
Spokane-area alumni and their families are invited to enjoy free admission to our annual Alumni Night at the Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 27! Join us as the Pirate basketball teams battle Puget Sound in a Northwest Conference doubleheader (women tip off at 4 p.m. and men at 6 p.m.). Visit connect.whitworth.edu to register. There will be raffles throughout the night and dessert served during halftime of the men’s game. Go Bucs!
Whitworthians in Portland are invited to a reception between games as the Pirate basketball teams play Lewis & Clark on Saturday, Feb. 3. To learn more and to register, visit connect.whitworth.edu Go Bucs!
Do you know Whitworth alumni who are influencing the world in unique ways? Please nominate one of those deserving alums for one of four annual alumni awards. Visit whitworth.edu/alumniaward by Jan. 31 to submit a nomination for 2018.
Admissions
The regular admissions application priority deadline is March 1. The final Early Action application deadline passed on Jan. 15. Early Action applicants will receive admissions decisions within three weeks of submitting their applications. They also will receive early financial aid awards if they submitted their FAFSAs to Whitworth by Jan. 1. The admissions application is free and can be accessed at whitworth.edu/apply The Class of 2022 is shaping up nicely.
It’s not too early to submit enrollment deposits. Freshman and transfer students admitted for fall 2018 can submit their enrollment deposits anytime before May 1 at whitworth.edu/deposit. The $350 deposit holds a student’s place in the incoming class and also gives students the opportunity for priority consideration in housing and class registration. The deposit is refundable until May 1, so it’s a no-lose proposition for admitted students who are seriously considering Whitworth as a college option.
Auditions will be held Feb. 3-4 for students seeking talent scholarships for music and Feb. 17 for interested theatre students. Information about scheduling auditions is available online at whitworth.edu/music or whitworth.edu/theatre. Live auditions are preferred, but recordings also are accepted. Students who participate in Whitworth’s excellent music ensembles and theatre productions are eligible to audition for talent awards – regardless of their major. Talent awards also are available for students who participate in art, Ethics Bowl, forensics (speech and debate), journalism and Young Life. Information will be mailed to students who indicated interest in these programs on their Whitworth admissions application.
The Campaign for Whitworth
Have you made your list of 2018 resolutions yet? Consider adding a monthly gift to Whitworth to that list! Your regular donations greatly benefit our students and make a difference in their experience at Whitworth. To make your gift today, please visit connect.whitworth.edu/monthlygiving.
Mark your calendar for Feb. 21-22, our annual day devoted to engaging all Whitworthians in support of unique projects and fun challenge grant opportunities. More information is coming soon.
Sports
The Whitworth swimming teams recently returned from a post- Christmas trip to south Florida. The Pirates put in nearly 15,000 yards of training per day during their twice-a-day sessions, but still found time to have fun, including a visit to the Florida Keys. Whitworth’s first dual meet in 2018 was at NCAA Division I Seattle University, and four Pirates won events against the Redhawks, including a sweep of the women’s and men’s 200-yard backstroke by Hannah Galbraith, ’20, and Bryon Rossmiller, ’20.
The men’s basketball team is 12-1 overall and has started Northwest Conference play 4-0. The Pirates have reached No. 3 in the D3hoops.com top-25 poll. Ben College, ’20, continues to lead the team in scoring, while Jared Christy, ’19, leads the NWC in rebounds and double-doubles.
The women’s basketball team is 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the NWC. The Pirates have suffered some key injuries, which has reduced their roster numbers and impacted the height of the lineup. Madison Moffat, ’19, has stepped up to average more than 13 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game.
Closing Thoughts
Speaking of Jan Term, our Lauren, Class of 2020, is spending her January in Cameroon, shadowing doctors on the Mercy Ship, an international hospital ship that takes needed care to populations with urgent but untreated medical conditions. As a pre-med student who is also interested in Christian missions, this unique opportunity allows Lauren to observe lifesaving surgeries, experience a different culture, and continue to discern God’s calling on her life. Lauren’s experiences are replicated hundreds of times over as Whitworth’s students honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity. Thanks for praying for our students as they experience all that Jan Term has to offer.
