What’s happening at SPU? This is where you’ll find the latest news about research, events, activities, achievements, and milestones in the life of SPU and its people.
Tyler Copp has been named the inaugural women’s golf head coach at Seattle Pacific University; Director of Athletics Dan Lepse announced Friday. The program is set to begin competing in the fall of 2024.
Women’s golf becomes the SPU's 13th varsity sport in the fall of 2024. The Falcons join the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the fall of 2024. They’ll compete against familiar foes in Montana State University Billings, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin's, Simon Fraser, and Western Washington. Since women's golf was added to the conference in 2010-11, six GNAC teams have achieved top-10 regional finishes.
“We are thrilled to announce Tyler Copp as the inaugural women’s golf coach at Seattle Pacific University,” Lepse said. “His coaching experience, enthusiasm, and connections to the Northwest golf community will help form a fantastic foundation for this first-year Falcons team.
Seattle Pacific’s School of Education hosts "Fostering Educational Justice: Promoting a Sense of Belonging for Each and Every Individual," a virtual conference for P-12 educators on Saturday, Mar. 9, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. The conference features researchers and practitioners addressing and enhancing the learning for educators as they support their students. The event is free and clock hours are available for Washington state educators.
The SPU Library has created three exhibits in honor of President Porterfield’s inauguration. Items on exhibit have been selected from the University Archives and Special Collections.
The SPU String Orchestra, directed by Professor Christopher Hanson, and the Wind Ensemble, directed by Corey Jahlas, will perform in concert on Wednesday, Mar. 6, 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church, adjacent to campus. The concert is free and wheelchair accessible.
The Seattle Pacific University Percussion Ensemble presents its Winter Concert on Thursday, Mar. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in E.E. Bach Theater in McKinley Hall. The repertoire includes works by Joel Smales, Mark Ford, Kyle H. Peters, Earl Hatch, Mitchel Peters and Jim Casella, and features solo performances by SPU students Spencer Long, James Loffink and Olivia Callen. Admission is free.
The Chamber Ensemble, featuring small group ensembles performing a wide variety of musical styles, will perform in concert on Wednesday, Mar. 13, 7:30 p.m. in Nickerson Studios, 340 West Nickerson Street. The concert is free and wheelchair accessible.
The Mar. 6 and Mar. 13 concerts will be livestreamed at LIVE! from SPU Music.
Spokane Public Schools’ Adam Swinyard Med ’08, EdD ‘15 was named 2023 Superintendent of the Year by the Washington Association of School Administrators.
The award recognizes the outstanding leadership of active, front-line superintendents and pays tribute to those who lead Washington’s public schools.
“Dr. Swinyard is a champion for equity, as he brings a consistent and unwavering commitment to achieving more equitable outcomes for all students in the Spokane Public Schools,” said WASA Executive Director Joel Aune.
The SPU community will observe Ash Wednesday on Feb. 14 with a short service sponsored by the Associated Students of Seattle Pacific and the School of Theology. A reflection on Lent will be provided by ASSP Officer of Ministries Kyler Granados, followed by the reading of one of the seven penitential psalms and an accompanying reflection by Professor of Biblical Studies Sara Koenig. The service will conclude with the imposition of ashes by students. The first 100 people will receive a "Lent in a Bag" with aids for prayer and devotional time during this Lenten season.
Weddings are magical events. Guests arrive to a beautiful setting, impeccably decorated with stunning floral arrangements. Music plays in the background. The bride sweeps down the aisle in a dazzling gown and joins hands with the groom. Vows are exchanged; love is promised; and a new family is formed. Then the party starts. Each detail is flawless. The whole evening is perfect. And behind it all? A wedding planner like Holly Patton Olsen ’08, founder and creative director of Perfectly Posh Events, and one of Seattle’s premier wedding planners.
New research by professors at Seattle Pacific and the University of Washington Bothell on teaching physics outlined how teachers implemented case studies to teach about energy and the realities of power plants. The study looked at educators who are incorporating case studies on power plants to teach students about the scientific, ethical, ecological, and cultural impacts of energy decisions.
Read the article in SciTech Daily: New Research: Energy Production Is Powered by More Than Just Physics.
The next Center for Faithful Business Coffee Talk is Thursday, February 8 with free coffee and conversation at 7 p.m. at Two Kick Coffee, 3208 Queen Anne Avenue North. Randy Franz, professor of management, will lead a discussion about how people of faith have a rich vision of what it means to be human and how that shapes the way they treat employees.
Dr. Christopher Jones ’94 hopes the families in his medical practice never need to ask: “Is my kid sick enough that I should pay for a doctor’s visit?” Medical director of HopeCentral, a nonprofit health center, he and his team have adapted the concept of concierge medicine to a diverse Seattle neighborhood.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders earned a $10,100 Graves Award in Humanities for his research project, “The Structure of Moral Judgement: Philosophical Perspectives.” His research responds to recent arguments that human beings’ concepts of morality are just a quirk of evolution and don't connect to anything deeper.