spirit
GONZAGA FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSLETTER
›› Christmas parties & events ›› Foley re-imagined ›› Parent Friendly DEC. 2015 | VOL 17 | # 4 class wove the project into its curriculum, working on the choreography. Outside the classroom, Heckman worked with fellow student Leo Francovich (’15), a music major who composed the soundtrack.
THE DANCING RIVER
Now, three dancers and a narrator take the show on the road, hauling a sound system with them to local elementary students where they teach about fish, phosphates and renewable energy. “After every show, Miranda was asking how she could make it better,” says Ostersmith. One way was to develop grade-specific lesson plans for the teachers to use in the classroom to complement the production. Teachers and students alike had rave reviews.
Biology major/dance minor Miranda Heckman is making learning more visual and entertaining. – Ryan Sullivan photo Gonzaga University senior Miranda Heckman has found a way to blend her three academic loves: biology, dance and education. Spokane elementary schoolchildren are now learning about the Spokane River through her creativity and inspiring vision in a choreographed dance presentation titled, “The Dancing River.”
dance program director for Gonzaga, Ostersmith was supportive.
It all started at a dance conference in Montana where Heckman and fellow students witnessed a choreographed lesson in forestry and fire science. That was the “aha” moment when Heckman said, “Oh my gosh – you really can combine science and dance.”
Last summer, the senior biology major/dance minor was a nanny, and when the kids went down for their two-hour nap every day, she did her research, emailed her biology instructors, even checked out the science standards listed on Spokane Public School’s website, and put together the pieces of what would become The Dancing River.
When she mentioned the idea of doing a similar project in Spokane to Suzanne Ostersmith,
Giving back not limited to Christmas This Christmas issue of Spirit reflects Gonzaga’s Jesuit mission – the magis, cura personalis and finding God in all things. Gonzaga’s community is giving back year round. You see it illustrated in this front-page
Heckman doesn’t recall what sparked the idea of centering her project on the Spokane River, but “I immediately rolled with it,” she says. “The river is so important to our region.”
Ostersmith’s Strategies for Dance Instruction story on GU students teaching science-of-theriver to elementary students through dance. It is brought to light in the page 2 story on Gonzaga faculty and students bridging art and leadership as a means of addressing mental health issues, and on page 3 where Benefits Manager Lisa Schwartzenburg embellishes an effort to aid those who are disabled and abandoned in China. See how Education Professor Mark Derby and students from various walks of academia
But the best part of doing The Dancing River in local schools is not the kudos from admiring teachers, or the astonishment by administrators who can’t believe college students wrote and produced the whole show. What Heckman enjoys the most is that the kids are so close the performers can hear what they say. “They’re reacting right away to what they see, and they’ll say the cutest things, like, ‘I’m gonna tell my mom we have to go pick up trash today!’ or ‘Did you see that? That looked really hard!’” Perhaps more than anything, Heckman loves that the program validates her chosen fields. “People always ask, ‘So you’re a bio major and dance minor?’ and I reply, ‘Yep! And I can combine them, too.” – Kate Vanskike enrich the lives of young children with learning challenges by teaching them about life, through hockey, on page 4. All around us, Gonzaga people are doing ‘the more,’ caring for each other, and sharing God with all people. May the spirit of this Christmas inspire us all to share our treasures and wisdom with those who need it most. Merry Christmas, and God bless you all. – Editor
DEC 2015
AROUND CAMPUS >> CCASL, longtime partner with Shaw Middle School, is seeking books for Shaw’s library that represent the diversity of its students, both in cultures and interests. This website offers ideas, www.goodreads. com/list/show/9688.YA_Books_With_ Minorities. CCASL also has a list of suggestions of age-appropriate books and authors. New books may be dropped off at CCASL, Hemmingson 206, or in boxes at Dec. 1’s Season of Light celebration in the Hemmingson rotunda. >> Spokane’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity Rally is Jan. 18. GU joins in this annual event celebrating civil rights and the life and work of Dr. King. A program is followed by a march which begins and ends at the Spokane Convention Center. Students, staff and faculty are invited to join a community service project that afternoon, 1-4 p.m. >> Gonzaga Day is coming Feb. 13 with alumni chapter celebrations across the globe, festivities in Hemmingson Center, the first-ever “Zag Talk” in Seattle and halftime announcements at the women’s basketball game vs. Portland at 2 p.m. The men play at SMU at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Stay tuned for more information. CHRISTMAS AT GONZAGA Parties & events Season of Light – Dec. 1, 5:30-7 p.m., Hemmingson Rotunda, GU community gathering and tree lighting ceremony, including music, messages and snacks Big Bing Theory Christmas Concert – Dec. 5, 7-8 p.m., Wolff Auditorium, Jepson Center Candlelight Christmas Concert – Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 12, 2 p.m., St. Aloysius Catholic Church Tickets at http://commerce.cashnet.com/guchoir. $15 adults advance/$20 at the door, $10 students and seniors. Foley Party – Dec. 16, 2-4 p.m., Foley Rare Book Room, lots of Christmas goodies ROTC Party – Dec. 17, College Hall 045, 2-5 p.m. The usual goodies including eggnog (leaded and unleaded) and Gluhwein (totally leaded). Canned and dry goods, cash or check donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank are welcome. President’s Christmas Party – Dec. 18, 6:30-10:30 p.m. Red Lion Inn at the Park, featuring an abundance of food including dessert and drinks. Music and dancing included. RSVP by Dec. 11 to Katie Galassi, ext. 6130 or galassi@gonzaga. edu. Special overnight room rates available. Call 326-8000 and mention “Gonzaga President’s Party” for a $69 rate.
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SPLASH Students see impact, learn by ‘doing’ Students from organizational leadership, business, broadcast studies and nursing came together earlier this fall to truly collaborate in creating something for a common good; beautiful in every sense of the word. And they learned a ton from the experience. That’s truly the Jesuit way, isn’t it? It all started with a Management 350 class in human resources with Associate Professor Kristine Hoover. “We were learning about intrinsically motivating jobs. So how do we put this into context? How can we learn and engage with the community?” One of Hoover’s class speakers was Steve Enhaus, peer specialist from Eastern State Hospital, a mental health facility. The students greatly appreciated his presentation about the experiences of people living with mental illness. The management project involved several partners. The Foundation for Hospital Art, whose goal is to add a painting to every hospital in the world, supplied the paintfest kit. Art Chair Shalon Parker and Art Assistant
Organizational Leadership students created “Butterfly Happiness” – composed of six canvases that together measure about 4-by-5 feet – to brighten Eastern State Hospital.
Professor Mat Rude provided the studio to complete the painting. With faculty member Jennifer Miller, nursing students helped fellow students relate to people living with mental illness. Broadcast Studies Director Dan Garrity and his students documented the project as part of a GUTV broadcast on mental health. The finished product now is on the wall at the hospital. “Completing this painting was a way to bless others and brighten their days. To me this exemplifies job enrichment,” one student commented. “I plan to be an advocate for those with mental illness, and if I ever see a situation involving unjust treatment, I will step in and not fear,” another said. Finally, “I am amazed that through one group project we were able to learn more than just course concepts; we learned about a topic that truly impacts our world today,” said a student.
Foley evolving into collaborative workspace What happens in the Foley Center today couldn’t have been imagined by those who designed the building 25 years ago when there was no commonly available Internet. Over the past few years Foley’s staff, university faculty and administrators have reimagined what Foley could be to meet the needs of students and faculty now and into the future. The plan is coming together with major construction on the first floor over the past summer and continuing after finals in December. “We are recreating Foley as a collaborative learning environment, bringing together support people and resources to meet a full spectrum of student needs, in addition to traditional library services,” says Interim Dean Kathleen Allen. “When a student is starting a research project they can begin with a traditional library interview with a librarian and
get help refining their search terms and locating materials. They could next visit the Writing Center to refine their report draft. If they need extra assistance in grasping concepts, they can work with a tutor in the Academic Advising and Support Center. For faculty, support is available through the Center for Teaching and Advising. And future plans call for a digital media center to assist both students and faculty with multimodal research projects using digital production and editing equipment and training,” Allen says. The Virtual Campus production center already creates programming for Gonzaga’s online students. In addition to Allen, leaders in creating this collaborative learning environment include English Professor John Eliason, Writing Center director; Director Deb Stevenson, AA&S; Director Jeff Dodd, CTA; Virtual Campus Dean Mike Carey and Maciej Kosinski, production director; and Academic Vice President Patricia O’Connell Killen.
NOTEWORTHY
FOCUS ON... A GUARDIAN ANGEL
New Hires
Annie Ostberg, medical assistant, Health Center; Olena Kudlaieva, custodian; Terence McLure, custodian; Robin Dare, art handler/preparatory, Jundt Art Museum; Laura Hutton, library technician III/event public services assistant, Foley; Ashley Marlow, intern graphic designer, Marcom; Sean Cochrane, network technician I, ITS; Wade Sase, windows system administrator II, ITS; Stephanie Ranstrom, program coordinator/ learning strategies, Student Academic Success; Linda Torretta, lecturer-IR, Nursing; Riccardo Fois, coordinator, men’s basketball analyst/operations; Samantha Briggs, office coordinator, Parent Programs; Peter Clark, assistant athletic trainer; Meghan Montelibano, admissions counselor
New Positions/Promotions
Nathan Mannetter, assistant director, Admission; Falesha Ankton, regional development officer, University Advancement; Sarah Guzman, program specialist, Law Development & Alumni Relations
Goodbyes
Joel Morgan, assistant athletic director/facilities; Kerri Conger, assistant director, Rudolf Fitness Center; Frank Slak, senior lecturerAT, Communication Studies; Therese Thompson, program assistant III, Parent Programs; Debbie Vogel, senior program assistant, Education; Tim Powers, entrepreneurs application administrator, ITS; Erik Hoffman, assistant director, Admission
Cradle Call
JD Morscheck, assistant professor, Finance, and spouse Shannon had a baby boy, Franklin
Anniversaries
10 5
Sam Anderson, grounds keeper; Todd Coleman, grounds
keeper
Schwartzenburg’s passion for the defenseless in China has taken her around the world.
What started out as a trip to Spokane’s sister city, Jillian, China, with Spokane’s Lilac queen, has turned into an outpouring of compassion and support for China’s disabled community by this guardian angel. Gonzaga Benefits Manager Lisa Schwartzenburg, is giving back in big ways “because I can.”
syndrome are super fragile and usually unable to participate in many activities. “We take the boys fishing and play games with the girls,” Lisa says. After three trips to various places in China to care for these special people, Lisa is coordinating her summer trip, with 50 volunteers, to Anshan.
This Louisiana native, who hasn’t lost her twang, feels like she is blessed and can give back to While visiting China in 2012 as part of others. “I like helping others. That’s what I do Spokane’s sister city contingent, Lisa visited here at Gonzaga, and it is a natural extension to a U.S. government-run orphanage. In China, help others on my own time. This is so near and individuals with disabilities are shunned, often dear to my heart. To experience God’s presence divorced from their families, and left with becoming more and more evident overseas is cool orphanages to care for them. She witnessed the to see,” Schwartzenburg says. work of quadriplegic orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jhang Xu, who helped to create a cultural shift Everybody could use a guardian angel like her. after experiencing abandonment by his family following his diving accident. His ministry is in Anshan, a city of about 6 million people. “When you’re disabled in China, you really don’t leave your house,” says Lisa. “With Dr. Xu’s organization, we take disabled children and their parents on field trips to the Pacific Ocean or the mall, or bake cookies. We typically are the only Americans there, and it surprises the population to see us pushing wheelchairs or holding the hand of a child with cerebral palsy. We’re showing others that these people with disabilities are valued.”
Free bus passes making impact; still available
More than 1,600 free Spokane Transit Authority bus passes are being used by Gonzaga faculty, staff and students this fall in the University’s effort to reduce its carbon footprint. For the first eight days of the program in September, 1,500 rides were recorded. The University only pays for those rides used.
Schwartzenburg also went to Tianjin, about 90 miles from Beijing, site of another U.S.-run orphanage called Shepherd’s Field. There, 80 disabled children receive education and medical support. “Infants through adults there interact, and learn enough to survive in the outside world,” Lisa says. “It’s a magical place.”
“People take the bus downtown for meetings to avoid parking hassles, to shopping malls on the weekends, as well as back and forth to work,” says Jim Simon, director of sustainability. “It shows that people here are interested in improving our environment.”
• Washington Dental class II benefits At Agape House, kids with brittle bones increasing from 70 to 80 percent reimbursement cluding 24/7 telephonic/in-person/e-connect • Lincoln Financial new vendor for counseling services; also offers an array of life, voluntary life, long-term disreferral services, and financial and legal assist ability insurance. No changes to programs, at no cost to GU employees employees. • New staff short-term disability program • New Employee SupportLinc through Lincoln Financial program offers work/life balance in-
Free bus passes for employees and students are available at the Welcome Desk in Hemmingson. Simon advises that STA schedules and routes are online, and a bus tracker feature monitors where busses are, and if they are on time. Busses stop near Gonzaga on Division northbound on Ruby, and southbound on Hamilton. A Mission stop takes riders eastbound to Spokane Community College.
Brian Michaelson, assistant men’s basketball coach
BENEFITS UPDATE Following are changes in our employee benefit plan beginning Jan. 1.
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DERBY HOCKEY On first glance, you might think this was just a neighborhood skating party. Kids, young adults and parents having fun times on the ice. But upon closer examination, this is an extraordinary outreach by Gonzaga special education Professor Mark Derby and several Gonzaga students from various walks of academic life, to kids ages 3-22, who battle to overcome learning and communications challenges. Every Friday night for 10 weeks over the winter months Derby and more than a handful of Gonzaga students – some special ed majors, others from counseling psychology, psychology and even business – assemble at Riverfront Park Ice Arena Derby was a clinical faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before returnto help the youngsters become more socially adept ing to his hometown 20 years ago. – Ryan Sullivan photo and open to learning through the sport of hockey. Some kids here are skating for the first time, others communicate more effectively. Derby, with the stories being shared, you’d certainly think have been in the program since its inception in two undergraduates and one graduate student, otherwise. 2008. conducts the research. “The most poignant moment for me is when a Last year Derby’s program caught the attention “Hockey allows us a social context whereby kids longtime participant with severe autism calls of the National Hockey League, and last fall can identify things to talk about through an me every other week beginning in the fall and became a part of the Canucks Autism Network, activity they’re all engaged in. They learn skills asks when hockey starts . . . it’s special to hear his coordinated through the Vancouver Canucks NHL to interact with others and to follow directions voice every time,” Derby says. team. The hockey organization brings expertise within a group context,” Derby says. The program is funded through donations, which in training mentors how to teach hockey to the “The best part of the program is our pizza party cover ice rental, equipment and the pizza party. kids. Gonzaga brings a research component that at the end, where unless you knew these kids No child is ever charged to participate. will help analyze best methods to teach children had some special needs, by the laughter and with developmental disabilities to learn and
Caring for our Home “So often we think of what is ours, right in front of us, but seldom pause and place ourselves in what’s around us, our common home,” offers Jim Simon, director of sustainability and cocoordinator of Gonzaga’s approach to discerning the Pope’s recent encyclical. The encyclical’s subtitle says simply ‘On Care for Our Common Home.’ “We wouldn’t want to trash our own homes. What about our common home? And just as our family members are an integral part of and share fully in the life and love of our own homes, so ought all our brothers and sisters who inhabit this Earth with us be integral parts of our common home and share fully in the life and love that it supports and sustains,” Simon says. Campus reading and discussion groups are vetting the question, “How best
to care for our common home.” In addition, a series of campus panel discussions are exploring wealth, poverty and environmental degradation; and economical advocacy, among others. A November film presentation explored damnation and what dams do to the ecosystem. More films are planned, Simon says. More information is available at www.gonzaga. edu/Campus-Resources/ sustainability/Engagement. asp. Philosophy Professor Brian Henning and Assistant Vice President for Mission Fr. Jim Voiss, S.J., are working with Simon to spearhead these efforts, which will continue through this academic year. The encyclical is available at www.gonzaga.edu/ popesencyclical.
PARENT FRIENDLY Amy Swank met a mom and a dad through Bridge, a pre-orientation program offered through UMEC. Its focus is bridging relationships and diverse environments. Neither of these parents had completed high school, and they were very anxious and uncertain about leaving their eldest son at Gonzaga for his freshman year. Swank, founding director of GU’s Parent and Family Relations office, says “They found me in my office on Sunday of orientation, broke down and cried.” They told her that because of the warm welcome Gonzaga’s community had given to them and their son, their anxieties had been relieved. Swank had checked on them throughout orientation week, and that made them comfortable leaving their son. “They saw me as an extension of their family . . . that’s what makes this job so special. And their son is doing great,” Swank says.
Amy Swank (center) is flanked by student assistants Shelby Wells and Brooklyn Beeler, who Amy is mentoring to become future parent and family professionals, and liaisons with Gonzaga parents. – Rajah Bose photo For her efforts to care for parents and families of GU students, and particularly for her work in training student leaders to be liaisons with parents, Swank was named Outstanding Professional, a national award bestowed by the Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals for 2015. The award is given for commitment to the field, innovative contributions and promise for future leadership roles in the profession. “The greatest part of my job is when a parent tells me that Gonzaga is the right place for their child; and it happens all the time,” Swank says.
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