Whitworth alumni serve at Honduran orphanage

For the past year, Whitworth alums James and Ashley (McFarland) Bettis, both ’07, have put their skills in teaching and nursing into service at Montana de Luz orphanage, in Honduras.

Montana de Luz is a faith-based organization that provides comprehensive care for 32 children and adolescents who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Many of the children have parents or family members that are still living, but because of the current economic situation in the country they are unable to care for their children.

Whitworth Institute of Ministry, July 8-12, to feature nationally-recognized theologians

Dr. Carolyn Gordon

The Whitworth Institute of Ministry will present its 38th annual program for pastors and their families July 8-12. This year’s theme, “For Such a Time as This: Ancient Christian Wisdom for Postmodern Times,” will focus on current transitions in the life of the church. WIM will take place on the Whitworth campus and will feature speakers James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College (Mich.); Carolyn Gordon, associate professor of communication in the School of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary (Calf.); and Whitworth theology professors Jerry Sittser, Karen Petersen Finch and James Edwards, ’67.

Whitworth president emeritus William P. Robinson elected chair of Princeton Theological Seminary board of trustees

Whitworth president emeritus William P. Robinson was elected chairman of the board of trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary on May 22. Robinson began serving in his new role immediately.

"Historically, Princeton has made a huge contribution not only to the Presbyterian church but also to the global church,” Robinson says. “It has a 200-year history of training leaders. The opportunity to help the seminary think in terms of what's needed for the next generation of pastors and scholars is very exciting to me.”

Whitworth senior receives prestigious Critical Languages Scholarship from U.S. State Department

Whitworth senior William Pollock, an engineering physics major from Pullman, Wash., has been selected from among 5,000 applicants nationwide to receive a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. State Department. Pollock will be studying Urdu abroad through the scholarship program this summer.

Pollock is among roughly 600 undergraduate and graduate students who have received such scholarships to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu. He and his fellow scholarship recipients will spend seven to 10 weeks in intensive language institutes this summer in 14 countries where these languages are spoken. The CLS program provides fully-funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. CLS participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and to apply their critical language skills in their professions.

Whitworth professor is honored for innovation in students’ service-learning

Michael Artime, visiting assistant professor of political science, was recently recognized for his efforts in Whitworth’s service-learning program. The Inland Northwest Service-Learning Partnership (INSLP) honored Artime with the Service-Learning Impact Award, which honors a professor, course or community agency for the innovative use of students’ service to help meet the needs of the community.

Whitworth accounting students surpass expectations

Ashley Sievers, '15, is one of four Whitworth students
selected to attend 2013 Navigate Your Career

Four Whitworth accounting students were selected for the 2013 Navigate Your Career (NYC) Summer Leadership Conference. The conference, run by Moss Adams, an accounting firm, is highly selective, with only 30 spots available throughout the Inland Northwest.

“Receiving four of those spots this year is an incredible accomplishment and a true testament to the hard work, commitment, and exceptional performance being demonstrated by students during this process,” says Heather Rogers, associate professor of accounting and chair of the business and economics department at Whitworth.

Whitworth biology professor receives $30,000 grant from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Whitworth University Assistant Professor of Biology Grant Casady, Ph.D., recently received a $30,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to fund two summers of research at Whitworth’s Verbrugge Environmental Center (VEC).

The VEC occupies 605 forested acres about 35 miles northeast of Spokane. The land, which has been entrusted to the university, serves as an educational resource for environmental research and allows students to have field experiences.

Whitworth physics department launches seniors into prestigious graduate programs

This May, Whitworth’s physics department is sending 8 graduating seniors and two alumni to prestigious graduate programs around the country. The students listed below have been accepted into the following programs:

• Dennis Goulet, University of Washington, for Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry
• Brayden Hollis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, for Ph.D. in robotics and computer science
• Peter Landgren, Princeton University, for Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Alvin Le, University of Utah, for M.S. in biomedical engineering
• Nicholas Meisner, Oregon State University, for M.Eng. in mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering
• Katie Olleman, University of Washington, for M.S. in mechanical engineering
• Andrew Ritchie, University of California, Los Angeles, for Ph.D. in theoretical physics
• Micah Spaun, University of California, San Diego, for Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering

Whitworth teams take first, second, and third places at regional business plan competition

Perspectives: Clothing & Apparel with judges

Whitworth placed first and second, and second and third place in two separate categories in the 2013 Inland Northwest Business Plan Competition, winning a total of $9,500 in prize money.

Nine teams of students, from Whitworth University, Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, Spokane Falls Community College, and Spokane Community College captured a total of $22,500 in cash awards for proposals they submitted for the competition, which is open to graduate and undergraduate students from throughout the region. Three Spokane High Schools also competed for $3500 in cash awards in their respective division.

Whitworth history students and faculty present research in Portland

University of Portland

Six Whitworth students presented research papers at the regional Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society Conference at the University of Portland, April 4-6. After a long drive with professors of history Arlin Migliazzo and Dale Soden, who gave presentations at another conference in Portland, these six students represented Whitworth’s history department with a wide range of paper topics.

The Whitworth Choir will tour Norway’s historic cathedrals in spring 2013

The Whitworth Choir begins its 2013 spring tour with its “Bon Voyage” Concert Saturday, May 4.  The concert will take place at 8 p.m. at the Martin Woldson Theater in the Fox at 1001 W. Sprague Ave. Admission is $7 for the general public and $5 for students and seniors (62+). Tickets are available at the Fox box office, at (509) 624-1200.

The May 4 concert is the kickoff event for the choir’s upcoming spring tour, in Norway. The Whitworth Choir will tour Norway for two weeks, beginning May 20. The students will perform at Oslo Cathedral, Røros Church, Trondheim’s Our Lady’s Church, Egersund Church, and the Stavanger Cathedral, which is the oldest cathedral in Norway, dating back to the 12th century.