Mind & Heart Newsletter: September 2016
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
What an amazing week, and not just because I'm writing this as I fly over the Pacific Ocean toward Honolulu. As an aside, I'm visiting with alumni and donors on a very quick (48 hours) trip to the islands of Oahu and Kauai. But frankly, the next six hours on this airplane will be the first time I've slowed down since we welcomed the Class of 2020, and all of Whitworth's newest students, to campus last week. I've witnessed a lot of orientation weekends in my career at several different universities, and you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that anyone does it better than Whitworth. Hundreds of volunteers, faculty, staff and students welcome our newest Pirates with open arms. Sometimes that means lugging boxes and refrigerators up three flights of stairs, or comforting nervous parents, or distracting a younger sibling as a student begins to make an empty dorm room her new home. Here are just a few statistics on the freshman class:
- The Class of 2020 is 600 students strong – the fourth largest freshman class in Whitworth's history.
- It is the most diverse class in history, with 28 percent of domestic students coming from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, and nearly that same percentage calling themselves first-generation college students.
- Students hail from 25 states and 24 foreign countries, making Whitworth's reach as broad as ever.
- The most popular names for females are Sarah and Emily, and for males, Jacob and Andrew.
- The class is academically gifted, with an average high school GPA of 3.76.
- The most common academic interests are pre-med, elementary education, business management, nursing, physics and biology.
Thank you for praying over this class as they begin their Whitworth journeys. By God's grace they'll leave this place in four years equipped to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity. May God bless the Class of 2020!
Academics
We are pleased to welcome these new faculty members: Cody George, Kevin Parker, '96, and Brad Petersen (Business); Martin Hughes (Continuing Studies); Wendy Bleecker, Horatius Gittens and Steven Smedley (Education); Bert Emerson (English); Valeriy Smirnov (Chemistry); Mark Robinson (History); Steven Zemke (Physics and Engineering).
Robin Henager (School of Business), was named 2016 Journal Article Award winner by the Association of Financial Planning and Counseling Education. Her article, on financial literacy and behavior, appeared in the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, vol. 1, issue 1.
George Whitworth Honors Program student and English major Christopher Volk, '17, won the spring 2016 de Jager Prize for a research seminar paper he wrote at Oxford University (United Kingdom) through Whitworth's Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford Program.
History buffs Michelle Bodman, Samantha Schweizer, Hannah Tweet, all '16, and Josh Tuttle, '17, presented papers at the Pacific Northwest Regional Conference of Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honors society. Hannah's paper, "Catholicism in Central Colonial Mexico: Local Sources of Religion and Boundaries of Orthodoxy," won the conference prize for the best undergraduate paper. Arlin Migliazzo (History) chaired a session and served as commentator.
We welcome 36 international students from countries including Australia, Austria, Bhutan, Cameroon, Colombia, Ethiopia, Paraguay, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Spain, Sweden and Zimbabwe. We're glad you're here!
In June, Angeles Aller (World Languages & Cultures) presided over an electoral table in the Spanish national elections in Madrid.
The Arts
One of the world's greatest jazz and classical musicians, renowned three-time Grammy winner and Tony nominee Branford Marsalis is coming to Spokane to play with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble! Marsalis, a saxophonist and composer who has been named an NEA Jazz Master, is the head of Marsalis Music, the label he founded in 2002 that allows him to produce both his own projects and those of the jazz world's most promising artists. Tickets for the annual Whitworth Guest Artist Jazz Concert, which will take place at the Fox Theater on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m., are now on sale through Ticketswest and the Fox.
A painting by Gordon Wilson (Art), Chuck's Story, is being shown in Biola University's "Seeds" exhibit, Epitaphs.
The art exhibit Between the Shadow and the Light runs Sept. 13-Oct. 28 in the Bryan Oliver Gallery of Whitworth's Lied Art Center. In June 2013, artists and educators from the United States and six African countries gathered in South Africa for two weeks. They undertook an intensive program of engagement with South Africa's history, culture and contemporary reality. This exhibit is the culmination of that experience.
The Music Man is coming soon! This funny, warm and touching musical is great family entertainment. Meredith Willson's 1957 musical comedy won six Tonys and is a story to be shared with every generation. Dates: Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. Admission: $12; seniors (62-plus) and non-Whitworth students: $10; Whitworth students: free with valid I.D. Questions? Contact Kim Dawson at 509.777.4374, kdawson@whitworth.edu, or www.whitworth.edu/theatretickets. Join us!
Student Life
To honor the upcoming dedication of Cowles Music Center, this year's Orientation Week theme was "The Sound of Music: Composing the Song of the Mind & Heart." Students enjoyed the music of singer/songwriter Josh Garrels and sang residence-hall chants to one another, and new students competed in the annual Mock Rock lip-sync competition.
Financial Aid
The Whitworth Financial Aid Office encourages all parents and students to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool process, if they haven't already done so, for their 2016-17 FAFSA. This will ensure that accurate tax data are reflected in their FAFSAs for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years. Families should use the DRT process even if they have already completed their 2016-17 FAFSA.
Alumni & Parents
We'll host gatherings this fall for alums, parents and friends in Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Boulder, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles and Missoula! Visit connect.whitworth.edu for more information and to register.
Don't miss out on Homecoming Reunion Weekend, Oct. 7-9. All alums are invited to celebrate, and members of the classes of '56, '66, '76, '86, '96, '06, and '11 are invited to return to campus to celebrate their milestone reunions. There will be special activities for alumni who were involved in the music program as well as for alumni who participated in varsity tennis, baseball, softball and swimming. We'll also celebrate our four Alumni Award winners, Breean Beggs, '85, Dianna (Cooke) Pategas, '92, Sam Aylor, '99, and Morgan McKeown, '03. Register today at connect.whitworth.edu.
I'm grateful for the 360 alums who participated in this summer's Alumni Discovery Project. Our 18 student ambassadors interviewed proud alums from throughout the eras in cities all across the West. If you're invited in the future to participate, we hope you'll join one of our students and share your story. For more information on this exciting opportunity for alums, visit www.whitworth.edu/alumni/discovery.
Family Weekend is Oct. 14-16. All parents and families of current students are invited to join us for one of the year's best weekends. Visit www.whitworth.edu/familyweekend for more information and to register.
Parents of current students: If you're on Facebook, please join us in a special group there. The Parents & Families of Current Whitworth University Students 2016-17 welcomes parents, grandparents and guardians of current Whitworth students from all classes to connect, celebrate and ask questions. It's also a conduit for pertinent information from Whitworth to you during the 2016-17 academic year.
Admissions
We are excited to welcome the Class of 2020! They will add to our community in amazing ways. Our admissions counselors are hitting the road to recruit the classes of 2021, 2022 and beyond. Please encourage college-bound students you know to connect with these counselors either at their high schools or at college fairs in their areas.
Our first Why Whitworth Day visit event is Friday, Sept. 23, and our Snapshot program for high school seniors is Oct. 9-10. Campus visits allow students to sit in on classes, take a campus tour, enjoy a meal in our dining hall, and connect with current students, professors and coaches. There is no better way for students (and parents) to find out whether Whitworth is a good fit. For more info and to sign up, go to www.whitworth.edu/visit.
The Campaign for Whitworth
The Cowles Music Center opens later this month to the sounds of music and the applause of those who get to use and enjoy this beautifully augmented and renovated facility. Thanks to those of you who have given our students the space to learn, rehearse and perform. Join us as we celebrate the grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 8, during Homecoming Weekend. Bravo! Molto bravo!
Remember your first day of school? Remember walking The Loop and shouting in excitement when you saw your BFF for the first time after three long months? Remember your first day in the dining hall, wondering if you'd be eating alone or joining others? Remember nervously arriving to your first CORE class? This month, our first-year students are experiencing many things for the first time, and many returning students are experiencing those same things for the 50th time. Please help them by making a gift, whether it be your first or your fiftieth, at www.whitworth.edu/give.
Whitworth Serves
As you may know, this is Servestember, our second annual service emphasis month. Enjoy stories of service from 30 alumni, parents and other Whitworthians at www.whitworth.edu/servestember. Then share your own story at www.whitworth.edu/whitworthserves.
Sports
The football team welcomed 115 players to camp. The Pirates are looking for big things under Head Coach Rod Sandberg. The team was ranked 19th in the D3football.com preseason poll and 15th by The Sporting News. Junior TE Nick Kiourkas and sophomore K/P Rehn Reiley are D3football.com preseason All-Americans. Whitworth suffered a heartbreaking 50-49 loss in overtime to Central College (Iowa) in the season opener, then rebounded with a 60-0 victory over Whittier College (Calif.).
Volleyball will have a new look in 2016 with four new starters. And fourth-year Head Coach Kati Bodecker is preparing her squad to qualify for a third straight NCAA tournament appearance. Junior OH Cassandra Mendoza earned all-tournament honors as the Pirates finished 3-1 at the UCSC Slugfest over Labor Day weekend.
Men's soccer rolled to an impressive 4-1 win over Occidental College in its opener. Under Head Coach Morgan Cathey, Whitworth is aiming for a third straight NWC title. The Pirates will rely on the talent of senior GK Timmy Costa, who has started 40 matches and has a lifetime goals-against average under 1.00.
Bryan Olson, a long-time assistant for men's soccer, is the new head coach of the women's team. The team gave him his first win, a 5-1 victory, at Minnesota's Carleton College. The Pirates looked great, thanks in part to the efforts of senior D Hannah Langbehn, a two-time All-NWC honoree.
The cross country teams competed at the Clash of the Inland Northwest, a meet featuring most of the Div. I programs in the region, along with Whitman and Lewis-Clark State. Junior Kayla Leland was the first non-Div. I runner across the line; she finished third overall. The Pirate women finished ahead of both LCSC and Whitman, while the men lost to both non-Div. I schools.
Women's golf opened its season first, taking fourth place at the PLU Women's Invitational. Emily Guthrie is the women's coach. The men's team, defending NWC champions under Head Coach Warren Friedrichs, play their first match this weekend at the PLU Men's Invitational.
Mark your calendars for Pirate Night 2016, Nov. 10, at the Hotel RL at the Park.
Closing Thoughts
As you know, service to humanity is a bedrock value for Whitworthians around the globe. This month marks our annual emphasis on service: Servestember! As part of The Campaign for Whitworth, we've encouraged you to give to causes that are important to you. The Whitworth Serves initiative has logged more than 82,000 hours of service since its launch, in 2014. I encourage you to participate in this unique and mission-focused effort. Thank you for all of the ways in which you serve humanity!
