PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2018-19 1
Whitworthians past and present remember hearing about the “pinecone curtain.” The phrase evokes positive and negative experiences students might have during their time at Whitworth. The familiar saying can point to a safe, beautiful and nurturing place that provides an idyllic atmosphere for learning and growth. Or, it can imply that students are cloistered from the real world, and that our piney campus buffers them from the essential realities of life, or that it keeps them from seeing the world as it really is. This tension isn’t unique to Whitworth. When I was in college, my fellow students and I often joked about the “Baylor bubble.” All institutions of higher learning face similar challenges as they create serene campus environments but also develop important opportunities for students to escape those very same tranquil surroundings to engage more fully with the world around them. In this year’s President’s Report, we focus on how Whitworth’s students regularly engage with the world. The truth of the matter is that few Whitworth students remain behind the pinecone curtain for long – most eagerly accept opportunities to serve others in our community with their skills and talents. Campus programs and resources like the Dornsife Center for Community Engagement, campus ministries, internships and service-learning capture students’ minds and hearts and provide meaningful outlets to encounter real opportunities to engage. And today’s students bring a hunger for these opportunities. Even if Whitworth wanted to keep them nestled in the pine trees, our students would quickly create ways to become the hands and feet of Christ to others… in Spokane and around the globe. As Whitworth enters the final two years of the Whitworth 2021 Vision & Strategic Plan, I’m so very grateful for the progress our community is making toward reaching its ambitious goals. I’m also thankful that our community takes seriously its responsibility to serve humanity, on and off campus. In the Whitworth spirit,
Beck A. Taylor President
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2018-19 GOAL HIGHLIGHTS
Heading into the home stretch of Whitworth’s 10-year vision and strategic plan, the university has made great strides in deepening its commitments to academic excellence and to the integration of Christian faith and learning, equipping graduates to respond to God’s call on their lives with intellectual competence, moral courage and deep compassion. Following are select outcomes from 2018-19. To view the full plan, including goals, objectives and key performance indicators, visit whitworth.edu/whitworth2021.
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1 ADVANCE WHITWORTH’S DISTINCTIVE APPROACH TO INTEGRATING CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LEARNING
Assistant Professor of Theology Haley Goranson Jacob was named one of 10 new female theologians of note by Christianity Today. Her new book Conformed to the Image of His Son: Reconsidering Paul’s Theology of Glory in Romans presents, as one reviewer stated, “a powerful and convincing argument that Paul portrays believers as participating in the Son’s messianic rule over creation as adopted sons and daughters.” Professor of History Dale Soden has successfully directed the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning for 20 years. In celebrating this important anniversary, Soden hosted a variety of lectures on timely faith-based topics and published a booklet on the history and work of the center. Sixty-eight students served at more than 40 national and international ministry sites through the Office of Church Engagement’s Summer Fellowship Program; 285 students have served as fellows in the past five years. The fellows make valuable contributions to the ministries while also gaining a greater passion for God and discerning their gifts and callings. The faculty created and approved a new shared liberal arts curriculum that expresses the values of Whitworth’s general education and Core worldview courses by integrating a traditional liberal arts education, steady engagement with contemporary culture and ideas, and a vigorous exploration of faith and worldview, with a special emphasis on investigating Christian belief. The new shared curriculum will be implemented in fall 2020.
2 STRENGTHEN INTELLECTUAL VITALITY ACROSS ALL CONTEXTS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
The inaugural Honors Smithsonian Internship Semester took place in fall 2018. Ten students representing 11 majors earned honors credits and gained significant professional experience in the faculty-led program in Washington, D.C. The students took classes including Core 350 and interned with the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex. Excellence in Whitworth’s undergraduate programs was further evidenced by Whitworth’s interdisciplinary forensics team winning first place out of 19 schools in the National Christian College Forensics Association’s national tournament for the seventh time in eight years, and Whitworth’s Ethics Bowl team winning the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust announced Kraig Wheeler, the Hugh W. Johnston Professor of Chemistry, as the 2018 recipient of the Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Award. Wheeler spearheaded the establishment of the university’s new crystallography center in Robinson Science Hall, the first integrative applied crystallography center in the Spokane area. The faculty research endowment has grown from the $41,000 baseline to nearly $1.4 million, surpassing the strategic plan’s $1 million goal.
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3 PREPARE WHITWORTH STUDENTS TO BE GLOBAL CITIZENS
Whitworth experienced a significant year of domestic and international off-campus study, with nearly 43 percent of Class of 2019 students having participated in off-campus programs during their undergraduate careers. The university also launched a new study abroad program: History of the Vietnam War. Professor of History Dale Soden led 10 students on the inaugural program during Jan Term. Students gained new insights and understanding into this highly controversial war through visiting key historic locales and engaging with Vietnamese veterans and other citizens. More students are deepening their awareness and understanding of different cultures, religions, economic systems and worldviews through semester-long exchange programs. While national trends reflect a decrease in long-term study abroad, Whitworth recorded a 26.5 percent increase of students in 2018-19 from the previous year. These students studied in more countries as well: 19 compared to 16 countries previously. Whitworth applied for and was selected by the British Council as a participating sponsor of the Study USA British Council program. A fully funded student from Northern Ireland will study business and management at Whitworth for an academic year. Whitworth study abroad now contributes even more to students’ career success. Under the leadership of director Nicholas McKinney, the International Education Center developed a study abroad re-entry workshop and manual to bolster students’ career development. Students learn to identify and articulate the skills and competencies they acquired through their off-campus experience and to leverage these abilities in job and graduate school applications. For the first time, the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship was awarded to a Whitworth student. Political science major Shannon Price ’21 was one of 244 Boren Scholarship recipients selected out of 851 applicants from around the country. Price is studying Swahili in 2019-20 at the MS-Training Centre for Development Cooperation in Tanzania.
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4 DEMONSTRATE COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP IN A DIVERSE WORLD
Whitworth implemented its Diversity Action Plan campus-wide in fall 2018. The plan details strategic priorities in the areas of training for employees; recruiting and retaining students and employees from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations; and advancing student learning outcomes in intercultural competency. Enrollment of students from underrepresented domestic racial and ethnic populations rose again in fall 2018 to its highest-ever percentage. In the full-time undergraduate day program, 28.4 percent of domestic students came from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds (up 2 percentage points from the prior year). The Whitworth Office of Student Diversity, Equity & Inclusion led a professional development series on intercultural competency for faculty and staff during the academic year. More than 100 employees participated in at least one of the 11 workshops. The university instituted in-depth training of hiring committees with the goal of eliminating implicit and unconscious biases in the hiring process. An equity advocate now serves on every job-search committee. Student life worked to increase access and support for underrepresented student groups. The career services office and health & counseling center collaborated with the student diversity, equity & inclusion office and the International Education Center on outreach efforts to underrepresented groups. Residence life focused on recruiting and hiring diverse student leaders.
5 ELEVATE A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION AS ESSENTIAL AND RELEVANT TO ALL MAJORS AND CAREERS
Literary magazine Rock & Sling enters its 10th year at Whitworth with a staff of more than 20 undergraduate editorial assistants. This year, those students will help overhaul the website, launch a podcast, read more than 1,000 poetry submissions and 700 prose submissions, and produce two issues of the top faith-engaged literature in the country. Under the direction of Assistant Professor of English Courtney Barajas, the medieval & early modern studies program is invigorating its interdisciplinary minor. The minor provides historical insight into the roots and development of important issues that carry into the modern world, such as race, gender, national identity, cultural conflict, and radical political and religious thinking. Focusing on the past enables students to think critically about the future of their communities. The Whitworth Honors Program, under the direction of Assistant Professor of English Bert Emerson, continues to expand its vocational and professional development opportunities for students. The program is employing more targeted measures to connect students in liberal arts disciplines with internships and career development opportunities.
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6 ENHANCE WHITWORTH’S STRENGTHS IN GRADUATE AND CONTINUING STUDIES
Whitworth’s marriage & family therapy master’s program was granted initial accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. The program is the university’s most popular master’s in counseling & therapy program and is Spokane’s only M.A. program dedicated solely to marriage and family therapy. Clinical training takes place on campus at Whitworth’s Marriage & Family Therapy Center and in off-site community clinical training locations. The School of Continuing Studies has maintained enrollment despite increased competition, bucking a nationwide trend: Overall three-year postsecondary enrollment is down 2.9 percent nationwide; for students over the age of 24, enrollment has dropped 4.7 percent. In the 2018-19 academic year, the School of Continuing Studies launched a human services program that includes substantive areas of concentration to better prepare graduates for entry-level positions as well as advanced degree programs. The number of students enrolled in Whitworth’s Master of Business Administration program has doubled in the last three years. In 2018, Whitworth added a concentration in executive leadership with three additional courses during the summer. The program aims to enroll at least 100 students during the 2019-20 academic year. In January, Whitworth earned the 2019-20 Military Friendly® School designation by VIQTORY. This is the third consecutive year Whitworth has received this distinction. The university’s support of veterans in the region was strengthened with the hire of Phil Labrie ’11 to the newly created position of assistant director for veterans outreach & recruitment. Labrie’s work centers on all military-affiliated students, including those using parents’ or spouses’ benefits. He also oversees Whitworth’s veterans events including coining ceremonies and the annual Veterans Day service in Veterans Memorial Plaza.
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7 INVEST IN WHITWORTH’S EMPLOYEES AND SUPPORT A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Whitworth improved its medical benefits for employees by increasing the Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), and by increasing its coverage of premiums for individuals and families. The university selected a new vendor to administer some benefits plans (specifically the HRA and the Flexible Spending Account); the vendor’s technology-based solutions provide improved ease of use for employees. Whitworth administrators made official an increase of paid holidays over Christmas break, providing employees with a total of 16 paid holidays each year. The university also began the initial steps of a compensation study that will continue through this year. Multiple groups of employees received intensive training in intergroup dialogue during the year, learning how to engage in courageous conversations. Several participating faculty members modified syllabi for their courses, and staff members developed programs to implement in their respective areas. The intergroup dialogue workshop will continue to be held for employees, with the goal of developing an inclusive campus community that engages in civil discourse, challenges its members, and supports their learning and flourishing.
8 EXERCISE DILIGENT STEWARDSHIP IN GROWING WHITWORTH’S FINANCIAL AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Whitworth’s endowment continues its robust trajectory, increasing from the strategic plan’s $99 million baseline to its current $156 million, well on its way toward reaching the $180 million goal in 2021. Funded by the generosity of alumni, parents, foundations and friends of the university, the endowment has grown through more than 50 new endowed scholarships as well as endowments for faculty development, science research, the Vocations of the Christian Professor Workshop, and interdisciplinary teaching and research. Recent growth also includes three new professorships, two deanships and a faculty chair position. Thanks to significant donor support, Whitworth continues to build needed facilities and to augment and improve existing structures. The Beeksma Family Theology Center, a $2.8 million addition to and remodel of Seeley G. Mudd Chapel, opened in fall 2018. Barney and Joyce Beeksma, both ’54, provided a $1.5 million gift toward the project, and several other donors contributed gifts including the M.J. Murdock Trust and local philanthropist Jim Cowles. Facilities projects that kicked off in 2018-19 include construction of the Athletics Leadership Center, and renovations of the Cowles Memorial Auditorium stage and the newly named Megan E. Thompson Aquatic Center. Whitworthians once again rallied to make the university’s annual One Pine Day giving event a success. More than 740 donors in 37 states gave $118,706, funding six projects that support students. Our terrific donors also funded three challenges, adding $45,540 in challenge grants.
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THE ARTS: A COMMUNITY COLLABORATION THEATRE Lighting, set design, sound! Two hundred Spokane-area Girl Scouts learned about these and other elements of drama during a summer 2018 workshop led by students in Whitworth’s USITT club (United States Institute for Theatre Technology). The students provided hands-on instruction about scenery, props, makeup, technical components, costumes and more at stations in Cowles Memorial Auditorium, and they concluded the day with a performance. The experience was a win for all involved. The students planned the workshop and taught concepts and skills they had learned in the classroom, while the Girl Scouts boosted their confidence and capabilities. “This was the first backstage theatre experience for many of the girls,” says Maria Sorce, the club’s advisor and auditorium technical director. “They had the opportunity to see how we put all of the theatrical elements together to create the final product for the audience.”
ART The new mural gracing a wall of the A&T Brake Supply building in Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood is the result of a true community effort. Hillyard resident Jack Miller raised money through area businesses, and enlisted the help of Professor of Art Katie Creyts and her fall 2018 Community Arts in Practice class. The students did historical research and then divided into teams to create design proposals. Community members voted for their favorite design, and the class went to work painting the mural. Business owners provided scaffolding, paint and access to a sink for cleanup. “I feel proud,” says Melissa Jones ’20, who served as lead designer. “I drive by with my friends and family.” Creyts says the class did a stellar job. “They worked hard, with positive energy,” she says. “The community shouted encouragement, took photos, offered their thoughts on trains, and looked for painters for other projects.”
MUSIC Music major Carly Bair ’20 has played piano at three Spokane retirement homes as part of Whitworth’s service-learning curriculum. Professor of Music and Director of Keyboard Studies Judith Schoepflin sends her piano students to play at local retirement communities, shelters and group homes. For Bair, the experience is a poignant reminder of the power of music. “The residents and I have a substantial age gap, yet a few familiar songs bring us together,” she says. “Every visit, I am blessed with collaborative music-making with some of the most joyful people I have ever met. This experience has helped me step outside the comfort of my usual social circles and bring the joy of live music to the Spokane community.” 11
SHARING THE JOY OF LEARNING COMPUTER SCIENCE Every time Tom Dale ’19 entered Shadle Park High School in Spokane to help teach computer science, the students’ faces lit up. The Whitworth triple major in computer science, math and applied physics had a lot to teach them. He also knew how to grab their attention, giving short lessons on subjects such as cybersecurity in social media, computer graphics in art, and even distributed systems through the lens of Fortnite, a popular video game. “I had huge freedom to talk about whatever sidetracks the students wanted,” Dale says, “and once a semester I prepared my own hourlong lecture.” Dale volunteered through Whitworth’s CS Outreach course. The popular elective places computer science students in local high schools and middle schools to assist in CS classrooms. Whitworth Professor of Math & “I’ve learned to explain Computer Science Pete Tucker ’91 says this complicated technology helps meet a vital need in the community; like much of the nation, the area has a short to students, and this has supply of K-12 teachers with backgrounds in caused me to have to computer science. At the same time, Whitworth students benefit from teaching what they’ve learned. Since Tucker formed the course four years ago, Whitworth students have served in classrooms at 15 local schools.
strengthen the base of my own understanding.”
“I’ve had a number of students tell me that they gained a better understanding of foundational programming concepts because they had to teach them to someone else,” Tucker says. That was the case for Dale, who quickly realized he loved sharing his knowledge in the classroom. “I’ve learned to explain complicated technology to students,” he says, “and this has caused me to have to strengthen the base of my own understanding.” Dale liked his experience so much that he took CS Outreach for two semesters and volunteered on his own at the high school last spring. “I loved the effects CS Outreach had on me and Shadle Park,” he says. “This program is so important. It has bettered my own communication skills and has helped dozens of students to understand the joy of learning computer science.” Tucker hopes that by seeing the difference they’re making in schools, Whitworth students will be inspired to continue sharing their knowledge in the future. “One of the most important things students learn from this experience is that they can use their skills in service, and not just in building software,” he says. “This sort of learning can really only happen outside of the classroom.”
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STUDENTS DIG INTO ‘PAWSITIVE’ PRISON PROGRAM Last spring, Assistant Professor of Sociology Jacqueline van Wormer assigned a doggone interesting service-learning project to the 25 students in her Courts & Corrections class. The project grew out of research she had conducted and published in The Prison Journal on prison inmate dog-handler programs. Van Wormer assigned her students to analyze the Pawsitive Dog program at Airway Heights Corrections Center. The 10-week program pairs prison inmates with rescue dogs. The inmates first receive training and then teach the dogs skills, from responding to basic commands to performing advanced tricks. The dogs even sleep in the inmates’ cells. Research has shown that the program has a positive impact on all involved. Van Wormer’s study revealed that inmates who participate in the program have fewer grievances and less infractions, which helps create a safer prison environment. Her students attended the Pawsitive Dog graduation ceremony and then worked with the inmates in-person to compile a SWOT analysis, identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the program. “We welcome students into our program to learn the systems and to educate them on the programming to change behavior of the incarcerated,” says James Key, superintendent of Airway Heights Corrections Center. “It gives the students the real-life perspective of prison versus what they see on TV or read in a book.” The students presented their findings to prison officials during the last class of the semester. Their ideas, based on the inmates’ feedback, included creating a newsletter to keep all informed of the benefits of the program, familiarizing the center’s staff with the program’s guidelines so everyone can be successful, and taking pictures of the inmates with their dogs at graduation. Their findings were well-received, and officials told the students their ideas would be considered. Van Wormer hopes her students will be able to continue studying the program. Next time, she’d like them to focus on how and why training rescue dogs aids in the rehabilitation of inmates. 14
MEETING A NEED TO READ Eight years ago, more than 80 percent of U.S. children living in poverty were not meeting grade-level standards in reading. That statistic didn’t sit well with Whitworth Professor of Education Lisa Laurier. While on sabbatical from Whitworth, Laurier offered to work for the Mead School District for free. She identified that intervention efforts would be more effective if more resources were made available to support Title I teachers. “I was blessed with advanced education in reading difficulties, including their causes and best practices for intervention,” Laurier says. “It is my obligation to use that gift to serve others.” Laurier created Whitworth’s Professional Development School program, similar to the model used to train medical doctors. Laurier’s education students practice reading intervention with her at Evergreen Elementary in the morning, and then move into classrooms and work with a minimum of three children during the semester. This is a final field experience before their student-teaching practicum, and it follows a minimum of two additional independent field experiences. Each Evergreen student – about 550 total – receives an average of two hours of literacy instruction a day: one hour in the main classroom and another hour in a small skills group or comprehension support group. Students receive individualized instruction based on frequent testing. The results are then input in a database that is accessible to all teachers. Laurier also provides weekly coaching, consulting and problem-solving for Evergreen’s teachers. When Laurier started the program, 139 of Evergreen’s 550 students could not read at their own grade level. By the time the first group of kindergartners reached sixth grade, every one of those same students could. “In the beginning, skill grouping was hard, time-consuming and took a lot of collaboration from all involved,” says one Evergreen teacher. “Five years later, I would never imagine doing anything different. I am able to better meet the specific needs of all of my students and collaborate with my grade-level team in a manner that benefits all of our students.” A pilot of the Professional Development School program is now underway at Shiloh Hills and Brentwood elementary schools. Whitworth education professors Kathryn Picanco and Stacy Hill have joined Laurier, each placing their own Whitworth students to train in these schools.
< LISA LAURIER
ON THE FRONT LINES OF FOOD INSECURITY
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WHITWORTH STUDENTS WHO TOOK NUTRITION LAST YEAR
254
COLLECTIVE HOURS THEY VOLUNTEERED IN THE COMMUNITY
TOP VOLUNTEER SITES:
West Central Episcopal Mission’s Dinner Table House of Charity Meals on Wheels Rogers High School
Associate Professor of Health Sciences Elizabeth Abbey ’03 is a registered dietitian and teaches Whitworth’s Nutrition course each semester. She is a director on the Spokane Food Policy Council, working to foster a resilient local food system. “I grew up serving meals at a homeless shelter and collecting canned goods for the local food pantry. The people I served were food insecure, so the natural solution seemed to be to give them food, no matter how poor its quality. It wasn’t until I served as an AmeriCorps member and had frequent, direct contact with individuals struggling with food insecurity that I became aware of the great complexities that contributed to this problem. People who are food insecure need food, yes, but that is the product of larger, systemic factors. Coming to Whitworth, I wanted to provide my students in Nutrition with these same insights. I could talk about food insecurity in the classroom, but I knew that the best teacher is experience coupled with honest reflection. I decided to make Nutrition a service-learning course to introduce students to local organizations fighting food insecurity. I ask students to grapple with their preconceived ideas of the population served, and to consider how their faith and worldview influence their ideas. I can’t replicate that in a classroom. No nonprofit organization can address every level of the food insecurity puzzle, but students usually come away with a clearer understanding of helpful, and maybe not-so-helpful, ways to address food insecurity. Most importantly, they have the opportunity to see that food insecure individuals are not ‘the problem,’ but are unique individuals in difficult circumstances who are still valued by God.”
< ELIZABETH ABBEY ’03 16
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Service-learning perfectly supplements the Nutrition course by urging students to leave their comfort zones and directly witness the impact that food insecurity has within the community. My experience volunteering at the House of Charity homeless shelter opened my eyes to the daily struggle that some people endure just to receive basic human needs. The issue of food insecurity was no longer simply summed up by statistics I learned in class. Instead, it became a tangible problem attached to personal life stories.â&#x20AC;? Victoria Tochinskaya â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20 Health Science Major
TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT Kindergarten through high school students at the Salish School of Spokane learn the Salish language, the ancestral language of Native Americans in the region. As most native speakers are now elders, the school seeks to preserve and revitalize the Salish language and culture. For the past five years, Whitworth education majors and Master in Teaching graduate students have been doing their intercultural fieldwork at the Salish School, a nonprofit charitable organization whose students teach the education students the language. “It has been a delightful surprise to have Whitworth University reach out to us in solidarity to honor and support our mission by placing students with us,” says Chris Parkin, principal of the Salish School. “We hope the students learn, and really take into their hearts, how high-quality, differentiated instruction and strong teacher support can help students who are English- or other-language learners. It also gives our students pride in themselves to teach their language and culture to Whitworth students.” Now, Whitworth has become part of an extraordinary collaborative effort to familiarize the Spokane community with the region’s first language. The Whitworth School of Education has joined the Salish School and the Spokane Public Library system to create the Salish Word Book. The book will introduce words and phrases from the four Southern Interior Salish languages: Colville-Okanagan Salish, Spokane-Kalispel Salish, Wenatchee-Columbian Salish and Coeur d’Alene Salish. An audio component will accompany the book; the group felt that since Salish is rooted in an oral tradition, hearing it spoken would allow people to truly experience the language. The project is supported by a Whitworth Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion grant awarded to Assistant Professor Anne Wilcox, director of the English Language Learner Endorsement program in the Whitworth School of Education. The Spokane Public Library system is assisting with funding, and the Salish School has developed the book and the auditory component. Both will be available at Spokane’s public library branches this fall.
CRUNCHING NUMBERS FOR THE GREATER GOOD April 15: Tax Day. A date many Americans dread. But for many Spokane County residents, Tax Day has become less painful thanks to Whitworth accounting students in the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) service-learning course. VITA is a nationwide IRS-sponsored initiative that has grown significantly since its creation in 1971. For more than 10 years, Whitworth students have prepared local residents’ income tax returns from early February to April 15 at United Way and various AARP sites in the county. In 2018, Whitworth students prepared nearly 5,000 tax returns (up 3 percent from 2017). Tim Henkel, president and CEO of Spokane County United Way, says the students’ work is indispensable. “I look forward to the upcoming tax season as we continue to provide valuable volunteer experiences for Whitworth students to use their tax preparation skills by serving the community,” Henkel says. The students primarily serve the elderly, military personnel, immigrants and residents who qualify as low income. Last year, 13 IRS-certified Whitworth accounting students participated in the VITA program, including business administration major Jordan Cain ’20. “It was important for me to participate in a program like this because the typical college route in accounting is to complete your coursework and enter the workforce automatically,” Cain says. “Through the VITA program, I got to be a crucial tool for the community, and I got to experience what it’s like to use your technical skills to give back. Accounting is often seen as a profession that is purely money-motivated, but this opportunity shows that our skills and resources can be used for a greater good.” Whitworth Associate Professor of Economics & Business Candice Correia says students often start the VITA service-learning course thinking it will help bolster their résumé, but they finish it inspired by how much their knowledge can help others. “VITA empowers students to gain real-world experience and find new meaning,” she says, “while at the same time helping so many in our community who cannot afford to hire a tax professional.” 19
EVERY STORY MATTERS Ray Wheeler, a retired project manager, never dreamed he’d write memoir and – of all things – poetry. But that’s just what he did last spring in Whitworth’s student-led Writing in the Community course. Wheeler, who lives at the Rockwood at Whitworth retirement community, says he loved every second of the experience. “You could feel the energy and enthusiasm from the Whitworth students and the Rockwood residents,” he says. “We took our assignments seriously, and a bonding took place between the students and residents.” Associate Professor of English Nicole Sheets, who created the Writing in the Community course, says her students, through designing and leading the weekly workshops, gain real-world experience, develop their leadership skills and creativity, and more. “Working with various community groups helps make us better listeners and makes us more aware of what’s going on in our city,” Sheets says. English major Taylor Meredith ’22 co-led Wheeler’s workshop and says a primary goal was helping participants realize their ideas matter and their stories have value. “It was amazing to hear the histories of the participants,” she says. “Every one of their stories deserves to be told.”
When Am I Old? By Ray Wheeler The question “Am I old?” keeps going through my mind. And what does “old” really mean, anyway? Is it the age of a person? If so, what age would you say is old – 40, 60 or 80? Les, who’s 100 years old, exercises on a NewWay machine with his cellphone tuned to his music and all of that set up for the Bluetooth to his hearing aid. Does that sound old? Methuselah lived to 969 years of age. But then you would need to decide if that is fable or truth. What does age have to do with getting old? Is it our health that makes us old? Or could it be how we look? Does our outward appearance actually make a difference? Is it the wrinkles, the gray hair, the bent position of our body, the number of pills we take? Maybe, but probably not. Could it actually be our self-confidence and attitude toward life? When we look in the mirror or remember the past, do we smile or frown? Do we remember the good times or the bad? Is it taking the hard things as just part of life? Is it laughing in the face of the rough times? Are we happy with who we are and have been? Do we look forward to today and hope for tomorrow? Maybe that is what staying young is all about!
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THE NUMBERS Whitworthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial health is sound, thanks to steady enrollment figures, generous donors and consistent management of existing institutional resources. The strong financial position documented in this report is possible due to your generosity and your steadfast commitment to our mission. On behalf of the entire Whitworth community, thank you.
WHITWORTH ENDOWMENT CURRENT: $156 million (total endowment) BASELINE: $99 million (total endowment) CURRENT/PAST PERFORMANCE (as of 6/30/2019)
$150 M
$100 M
$50 M
$0 M
Total net assets & liabilities
TOTAL NET ASSETS
2018 2019 $4,231,605 $15,611,481 $202,327,709 $106,452,677 $328,623,472
$18,502,138 $17,557,333 $9,820,643 $9,279,629 $79,336,421 $77,449,981 $107,659,202 $104,286,943 $214,900,141 $224,336,530 $322,559,344
$328,623,472
22
$200M
224.3 M
ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $4,172,963 Receivable $13,784,452 Investments and other assets $201,025,130 Net plant $103,576,799 Total assets $322,559,344 LIABILITIES Accruals, other liabilities Annuities Long-term debt Total liabilities Total net assets
Investment Return Disbursements
$100M
$20M 2019
NET ASSETS
2019
2015
Outside Trust Internally Managed New Additions to Corpus
2018
2010
2017
2005
2016
2000
2015
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES OPERATING REVENUES Net investment income for operations Gifts and grants for operations
Tuition and fees less financial aid $52,908,310
8%
Auxiliary revenue (e.g., room and board) $14,524,270
9%
Gifts and grants for operations $6,980,231
Auxiliary revenue
Net investment income for operations $6,363,112 Total operating revenue $80,775,923
18%
65% Tuition and fees less financial aid
OPERATING EXPENSES Auxiliary
Instructional $39,901,488
13%
Auxiliary $10,817,757 Institutional
Institutional $15,568,101
19%
Student services $15,709,945 Total operating expense $81,997,292 Net assets from operating activities ($1,221,369) 19% Student services
49% Instructional
NON-OPERATING REVENUES Net long-term investment income/gains (losses)
$5,139,902
Contributions for endowment and capital projects
$4,859,737
Actuarial adjustment to retiree health benefits Net assets from non-operating activities Change in net assets
$658,119 $10,657,758 $9,436,389
Net assets, beginning of year
$214,900,141
Net assets, end of year
$224,336,530 23
THE CAMPAIGN FOR WHITWORTH The ninth year of The Campaign for Whitworth was marked by significant generosity, as more than $15 million was contributed from alumni, parents, friends, foundations and other granting entities, setting a university record for a single fiscal year. In addition, campaign giving totals surpassed $127.5 million, with $35.6 million earmarked for capital projects, $29.3 million providing for future health in the endowment, and $18.1 million for annual gifts. The campaign will end on June 30, 2021, which coincides with the conclusion of the vision and strategic plan. This year saw significant progress on a number of campaign-related facilities projects, as a $1 million lead gift supported an extensive remodel of the 1985 aquatic center; construction commenced on the $13.2 million Athletics Leadership Center; and replacement of the Cowles Auditorium stage got underway. And, over the course of the campaign, more than 50 new endowed scholarships and six endowed faculty/staff positions have been funded by generous members of the Whitworth family. Gifts and market gains in the endowment took the university over the $150 million mark for this significant resource, and staff members continue to be notified of future gifts that are being augmented by current giving as part of the Legacy Challenge. If you notify Whitworth that the university is in your estate plan for an eventual gift in the years ahead, a generous alumni donor will complete a gift to the university today. Currently, $24.4 million in future gifts have been promised as part of the campaign. For details on the Legacy Challenge, current and previously funded campaign initiatives, and how you can continue to be part of The Campaign for Whitworth, visit whitworth.edu/campaign. You will also find a link to the live construction webcam for the Athletics Leadership Center. Follow Whitworthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress!
FIVE-YEAR GIVING SUMMARY TOTAL*
THE WHITWORTH FUND
OTHER UNRESTRICTED
UNRESTRICTED TOTAL
RESTRICTED TOTAL
2014-15 $10,913,218 $1,185,473 $1,169,881 $2,355,354 $8,557,864
2015-16 $13,101,529 $1,145,363 $852,258 $1,997,621 $11,103,908
2016-17 $10,124,012 $1,102,591 $751,348 $1,853,939 $8,270,073
2017-18 $12,751,852 $1,124,839 $678,070 $1,802,909 $10,948,943
2018-19 $15,444,998 $1,252,322 $869,095
$2,121,417 $13,323,580
*Reflects all gifts, including payments received this year on prior-year pledges
24
THE WHITWORTH FOUNDATION: DEFINE YOUR LEGACY NEW GIFTS TO THE WHITWORTH FOUNDATION
$50K
We at The Whitworth Foundation are grateful to all of you who have included Whitworth University in your estate plans. Because of your gifts, your legacy lives on, both at Whitworth and through Whitworth, as students become equipped to serve, lead and give to a world in need.
$56,680
$100K
$42,279
$150K
$72,630
$120,577
FIVE-YEAR TOTAL: $326,250
$34,084
2018-19
2017-18
2016-17
2014-15
0 2015-16
The Whitworth Foundation upholds Whitworth Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital mission of educating the minds and hearts of students. Since 1972, the foundation has helped alumni and friends define their legacy at Whitworth through establishing deferred gifts that benefit the donor today and the university for years to come. The foundation staff, along with an experienced and knowledgeable volunteer board of directors, works with donors to develop gift plans based on their financial objectives, tax considerations and deep desire to support Whitworth.
REALIZED BEQUESTS BY FISCAL YEAR
TOTAL DEFERRED GIFTS UNDER MANAGEMENT
FIVE-YEAR TOTAL: $6,106,579
As of June 30, 2019
$1.5M
$18,437,144
$500K
25
2018-19
2016-17
2015-16
0 2014-15
2018-19 life income gift maturities transferred to Whitworth University: $4,206,072
$778,848
$1M
$201,654
$3,451,095
Other $22,460 Total assets
$2M
$485,990
Life insurance cash value
$178,392
2017-18
Pooled funds
$1,792,426
$2,292,588
Charitable gift annuities
$2.5M
$2,347,499
Trusts $12,992,771
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Rev. Peter B. Barnes, D.Min.
Andrea Lairson ’81, J.D.
Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church Winston-Salem, N.C.
Self-Employed Attorney in Private Practice Redmond, Wash.
James S. Bennett Jr. ’89
Octavio J. Morales Sr.
President/CEO, Luvo Wealth Advisors Bellevue, Wash.
Mark J. Benson
Vice President of Public Affairs PotlatchDeltic Corp., Spokane
Charles L. Boppell ’65
President & CEO, Worldwide (Retired) Restaurant Concepts, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Jeremiah Case ’01
Senior Director of External Reporting, Nike Inc. Beaverton, Ore.
Scott C. Chandler ’85
Senior Vice President of Operations, Tierpoint Liberty Lake, Wash.
David G. Myers ’64, Ph.D.
John Dirk Werkman Professor of Psychology Hope College, Holland, Mich.
David M. Nelson ’71, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, Western Washington University; CEO and Founder, Finance & Resource Management Consultants, Inc., Bellingham, Wash.
Walter M. Oliver ’67
Senior VP-HR/Administration (Retired) General Dynamics Corp., Phoenix, Ariz.
Managing Partner, Franklin Court Partners LLC Littleton, Colo.
Shelly O’Quinn ’97
Randy E. Clark
Rev. Eric Peterson ’85, D.Min.
Chairman of the Board, Farmer Brothers Inc.; Whitworth Volunteer, Spokane
Travis Downs III ’85, J.D.
Partner, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP San Diego, Calif.
Rev. Scott Dudley, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor, Bellevue Presbyterian Church Bellevue, Wash.
Andrew Erickson ’84 Bellevue, Wash.
Dr. David J. Flesher ’81
Surgeon, Orthopedic Associates Oklahoma City
Nicholas F. Fowler Owner, Orion Ventures LLC, Albany, Ore.
Rev. Nancy Trumble Fox, D.Miss.
Parish Associate, National Presbyterian Church Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Md.
Alycia A. Gebbers
CEO, Innovia Foundation, Spokane Senior Pastor, Colbert Presbyterian Church Colbert, Wash.
L. Denice Randle ’07
Executive Director, Peace Community Center, Seattle
Dr. Jennifer V. Ratcliffe ’86
Physician & Medical Director, Advanced Fertility Associates Medical Group, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Andy Robblee ’95
President, Six Robblees’ Inc., Seattle
Kenneth M. Roberts ’68
Chief Investment Strategist Palouse Capital Management, Spokane
Rev. John Sowers ’88
Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church Spokane
Fred Stockton
Retired Entrepreneur, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Anne McCulloch Storm ’74
Gebbers Farms, Brewster, Wash.
Community Volunteer Newport Beach, Calif.
Rev. Robyn Hogue ’77
Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor, Skyline Presbyterian Church Tacoma, Wash.
Gary J. Hopkins ’77
President & CEO, George C. Hopkins Construction Glendale, Calif.
Josh Hug ’00
Co-founder & COO, Remitly, Inc., Seattle
John Kaites, J.D.
Owner, Global Securities Innovative Strategies (GSIS) Phoenix, Ariz.
Brian Kirkpatrick
CFO (Retired) T-Mobile USA, Bonney Lake, Wash.
President, Whitworth University, Spokane
Jason Thackston ’92 (Chair) Senior Vice President for Energy Resources Avista Corp., Spokane
Kevin Thompson President & CEO, Solarwinds, Inc., Austin, Texas
Rev. Mark Toone, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor, Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church Gig Harbor, Wash.
Brenda Williams
Vice President, The Williams Group Olympia, Wash.
Terri R. Wilson ’78
Vice President of Operations (Retired) Spokane Teachers Credit Union, Tucson, Ariz. 26
WHITWORTH FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kathy Beal ’71
Mark W. Lupton ’99, ’00 Wealth Management Advisor Northwestern Mutual
Vice President Whitworth Auxiliary
Scott A. McQuilkin ’84, Ph.D.
William P. Curry ’73
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Whitworth University
Chairman of the Board Huntron Instruments Inc.
Benson A. Nielsen
W. Peter Enkema ’69
Architect (Retired) Northwest Architectural Co.
Sales Associate Tomlinson Black North Inc.
Julie H. Olds, J.D.
Mina J. Gokee ’00
Self-Employed Attorney Estate Planning & Corporate Taxation
Vice President (Retired) Spokane Regional Convention Center
Lawrence K. Probus
Daniel L. Hulsizer ’89, J.D.
Attorney Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC
Vice President for Business & Administration Whitworth University
Dawn Keig
Kenneth M. Roberts ’68
Associate Professor, Economics & Business Whitworth University
Chief Investment Strategist Palouse Capital Management
Frank C. Knott ’64
L. Jerald Sheffels
President Ott-Knott Inc.
President L. Sheffels and Sons Inc.
Ray Lawton
William A. Sperling Jr. ’63, ’68
CEO (Retired) Lawton Printing
Vice President (Retired) The Seattle Foundation
Richard E. Lewis ’72, J.D.
Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D. President Whitworth University
Attorney at Law Richard E. Lewis, P.S. 27
whitworth.edu 28