Whitworth biology student wins top scholarship from the Center for Advanced Energy Studies

Dylan Laug, a junior majoring in biology at Whitworth University, has received a $3,000 scholarship from the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES). The center, which is a public/private partnership between the Idaho National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the state of Idaho, through its three research universities—Boise State, Idaho State, and the University of Idaho—gives the scholarship to a student who has interned at the Idaho National Laboratory and who is interested in pursuing a career in an energy-related field.

Laug, who interned at the laboratory this summer, worked on the characterization and storage supply chain of cellulosic feedstocks that are used in bio-refineries.

"Upon earning my graduate degree, I hope to be able to address and quantify regional issues that may have significant influence in feasibility of various bio-refinery feedstocks across the United States and the globe," Laug says.

This is the second year that CAES has given out one $3,000 scholarship and seven $1,000 scholarships to student interns. The center launched the program last year to help fulfill its mission to increase the number of students entering energy-related fields. Recipients are selected based on an abstract each intern writes describing their internship work, as well as a brief essay about their career interests and the energy challenges facing the U.S. and the world.

"These students have an impressive array of career interests related to energy," says Oren Hester, deputy director of CAES. "Their interests range from nuclear energy, modeling and renewable energy to public policy and influencing public opinion."

The students who won the seven $1,000 scholarships this year hailed from Idaho State University, Boise State University, Kansas State University, Brigham Young University, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, North Carolina State University and Carnegie Mellon University.

CAES says it's committed to the scholarship program and plans to continue awarding scholarships in the future. For more information, visit http://www.caesenergy.org/.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of 2,700 students, offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Kortny Rolston, Idaho National Laboratory, (208) 526-0962 or kortny.rolston@inl.gov

Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu

U.S. News ranks Whitworth a top 10 university, value in West for 10th straight year

Whitworth also recognized for extraordinary undergraduate teaching

Whitworth University is again ranked among the 10 best regional universities and best values in the West in U.S. News & World Report's annual America's Best Colleges guide, which this year also recognized Whitworth for extraordinary undergraduate teaching.

Whitworth is tied for No. 10 in U.S. News' 2010 rankings of 116 master's-level universities in the 17-state region of the West, and is No. 6 in the ranking of best values for the same category. In the magazine's new ranking of schools where professors are known for having an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching, Whitworth was ranked No. 5 in its category.

Whitworth President Bill Robinson says he appreciates that high rankings draw attention to Whitworth's academic excellence and value, but he cautions students and parents against placing too much emphasis on rankings when selecting a college.

"We do what we do to serve students and to be faithful to Whitworth's mission to provide an education that integrates Christian faith and learning and encourages rigorous, open intellectual inquiry," Robinson says. "It's great that our efforts are recognized every year by U.S. News, but we try not to make too much of the rankings and don't recommend that prospective students do either. There are far more important things that determine whether Whitworth or another school is the best fit for a particular student."

The rankings, which U.S. News has published annually since 1983, were posted to the magazine's website (http://www.usnews.com/) today and will hit newsstands on Aug. 24.

U.S. News has consistently ranked Whitworth among the best colleges and best values in its category. This year, Whitworth also was ranked No. 39 in Kiplinger's top 50 best values among all private universities nationwide, was designated “Best in the West” in Princeton Review's 2010 Best Colleges: Region by Region guide and was one of the top 10 liberal arts schools in the Pacific Northwest in Forbes' 2009 America's Best Colleges rankings.

The U.S. News rankings are based on various indicators of an institution's quality, including academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, freshman retention, graduation rate, financial resources and alumni giving.

Whitworth's student selectivity has increased dramatically as the number of freshman applications has grown more than 525 percent to 5,862 for fall 2009, from 1,115 in 2000. With a freshman class of 546 students last year, Whitworth's 51 percent acceptance rate was among the lowest of its peers, and the average high-school GPA and SAT scores of its 2008 freshman class were among the highest. At the same time, the university has achieved all-time highs for freshman retention and six-year graduation rates in recent years.

"The growth of Whitworth's applicant pool – both in overall numbers and in academic qualifications – reflects a commitment to excellence that is also seen in the rankings," says Whitworth Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Fred Pfursich. "The fact that our graduation rate and retention rate are among the best in our peer group is a clear indicator that we are attracting excellent students and are helping them to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Those outcomes are even more important to us than high rankings."

U.S. News' best-values rankings are based on academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of need-based financial aid.

Whitworth will provide more than $31 million in grants and scholarships to undergraduate students this year. The average total of grants and scholarships awarded to Whitworth students receiving aid for 2009-10 is $15,233.

"We especially appreciate being recognized as a best value because it highlights Whitworth's commitments to both academic quality and a strong financial-aid and scholarship program," says Pfursich. "The high rankings in U.S. News and Kiplinger's affirm that Whitworth students get a tremendous return on their investment in terms of small classes, personalized attention from faculty and opportunities to be involved in athletics, performing arts, study-abroad and other extra-curricular activities."

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of 2,700 students, offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Fred Pfursich, vice president for admissions and financial aid, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4348 or fpfursich@whitworth.edu.

Greg Orwig, director of communications, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4580 or gorwig@whitworth.edu.

Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu.

Whitworth journalism professor chosen as finalist for prestigious research award

Jim McPherson, associate professor of communication studies at Whitworth, was recently selected as one of six finalists for the esteemed 2008 Frank Luther Mott/Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award for his book, The Conservative Resurgence and the Press: The Media's Role in the Rise of the Right (Northwestern University Press, 2008). Named in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mott, the annual award is given for the best book on journalism and mass communication based on original research published that year.

Kappa Tau Alpha, the national college honor society, founded in 1910, for scholarship in journalism and mass communication, has recognized research contributions to the field since the inauguration of the award in 1944. The winning author receives a $1,000 prize. Entries are judged by a panel of university professors of journalism and mass communication and national officers of Kappa Tau Alpha.

"Kappa Tau Alpha has been giving the Mott award for 65 years, and it has a great reputation, so that makes the recognition even more gratifying," McPherson says. "Of course, at Whitworth our primary concern is teaching, but I was able to incorporate much of what I learned in writing the book into my classes. I'm pleased that the judges found it to be meaningful research."

In his book, McPherson asserts that while conservative talk radio and Fox News were credited with Republican political gains over the past 30 years, direct mail and strong, nationwide political organization did more to contribute to the Republican resurgence that began with Ronald Reagan in 1980 and continued in 1994 with Republicans taking control of Congress for the first time in 40 years. McPherson also recognizes the parallels between Reagan's and President Barack Obama's rise to popularity through stirring convention speeches and compelling campaign rhetoric.

McPherson began writing the book while working on the seventh and final volume in a history of journalism in America: Journalism at the End of the American Century, 1965 to the Present (Praeger Publishers, 2006). His research identified several trends that call into question media's inclination and ability to continue playing the traditional roles of government watchdog and reformer. A former journalist and editor, McPherson argues in his book that mainstream media have failed to cover the resurgence of conservatism adequately and, in many ways, have also become more conservative. He calls on the press to focus greater attention and resources on its role in helping Americans govern themselves.

The winner of the 2008 Mott Award was Kathy Roberts Forde, author of Literary Journalism on Trial: Masson v. 'New Yorker' and the First Amendment. Steven Casey took second place for Selling the Korean War: Propaganda, Politics and Public Opinion 1950-1953. Other finalists were Janice Peck for The Age of Oprah: Cultural Icon for the Neoliberal Era; Loren Ghiglione for CBS's Don Hollenbeck: An Honest Reporter in the Age of McCarthyism; and Jan Whitt for Women in American Journalism: A New History.

McPherson teaches mass-media history, media criticism and journalism skills at Whitworth. He holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in journalism, history and political science from Washington State University and has written on a variety of topics, focusing primarily on American journalism since 1960.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university enrolls 2,600 students in more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs.

Contacts:

Jim McPherson, associate professor of communication studies, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4429 or jmcpherson@whitworth.edu.

Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu.

Whitworth professor's new book explores the heart of Karl Barth's theology

Adam Neder examines Barth's concept of "participation in Christ"

As a pastor, university professor, and the primary author of the Barmen Declaration, which resisted Nazism in the German Church, Karl Barth was a towering figure in 20th-century theology and church life. He was even once described by Pope Pius XII as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas (1225-74).

In his new book, Participation in Christ: An Entry into Karl Barth's 'Church Dogmatics' (Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), Whitworth Associate Professor of Theology Adam Neder offers a fresh perspective on a central theme in Barth's theology. By focusing on the role that participation in Christ played throughout Barth's 13-volume magnum opus, Neder shows that the concept was at the very core of Barth's theology, rather than a peripheral aspect of his thought, as some have believed.

"In more than 9,000 pages, Barth attempted to re-think the whole of Christian doctrine and ethics from a starting point in the person of Jesus Christ," Neder says. "The result is an unusually rewarding work of theology that is also notoriously difficult to understand. Until one develops a feel for the style and content of Barth's prose, reading the Church Dogmatics can be as disorienting as it is exhilarating."

Neder continues, "As I was trying to find a foothold in Barth's argument, I began to notice how often the theme of participation in Christ appears in Church Dogmatics. Eventually I realized that it is part of the fundamental core of Barth's theology, is present in virtually every part of the Church Dogmatics, and that understanding it is essential for understanding the work as a whole. That insight was the key that unlocked the Church Dogmatics for me."

Neder's work has been well received by a number of Barth scholars.

Richard Burnett, professor of systematic theology at Erskine Theological Seminary and author of Karl Barth's Theological Exegesis, says, "Given the enormous importance of the concept of participation in Barth's theology, Neder's work is most welcome. This is a clear, cogent, informative and edifying tour through the Church Dogmatics with no unnecessary detours. Well worth the trip."

Kimlyn Bender, author of Karl Barth's Christological Ecclesiology, highlights the significance of Neder's claim that Barth's doctrine of participation in Christ constitutes a major contribution to the church's understanding of salvation as participation in the being of God.

Bender writes, "Neder demonstrates that while Barth indeed resisted any traditional essentialist notions of deification, he was not adverse to the questions they attempted to address. Barth's own answer was a covenantal, historical understanding of participation in the life of God through union with Christ. This answer is ably set forth and examined by Neder, who illumines the ecumenical promise of Barth's understanding of participation and skillfully dispels common misunderstandings of Barth's theology along the way."

Participation in Christ: An Entry into Karl Barth's 'Church Dogmatics' is available for purchase at the Whitworth bookstore (509-777-4524), and from major bookstores online.

Adam Neder has taught theology at Whitworth since 2004, and was voted most influential male professor by the senior class of 2008. He received his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of 2,600 students, offers 53 undergraduate and graduate programs.

Contacts:

Adam Neder, associate professor of theology, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3743 or aneder@whitworth.edu.

Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu.