E-Colleague

John Bates began working at the university Feb. 1 as recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator of the football program. He has an extensive background as a football coach, serving as defensive coordinator for coach Chris Casey at Aloha High School (2011 to present) and, before that, as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Neb., from 2004 to 2010. He also coached at Western Oregon University and in Europe – for the Chrysler Vienna Vikings in Austria – in the early 2000s. John earned a master of education degree in secondary education from Whitworth University in 2006 after earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the same school in 2000. He began his coaching career at Whitworth in 2000-01. He lives in Carlton with his wife, Dana, a health and human performance professor at George Fox. They have two children – Ryan (7) and Alexandra (4).

Plant Services hired Gary Eckerdt as a mechanic/fabricator III in late January. For the past two years he’s worked as a senior technician/journeyman for Andy’s Auto & Truck Repair of Sherwood. All told, he’s worked in the auto repair industry for 24 years – four of which he spent in Newberg at Matco Tools (2007-09) and Integrity Auto Body (2009-11). Gary lives in Newberg with his wife Shirley and they have two adult children, Jessica and James. The Eckerdts attend Newberg Friends.

Jennifer Farland joined the university in December as assistant director of international admissions. She comes to George Fox with nearly 10 years of experience in higher education and 15 years of experience working with international students. Since the fall of 2003 she held various positions at Western Michigan University, including operations manager for international admissions and services. Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the University of South Dakota and holds a master’s certificate in holistic health from Western Michigan University. She lives in Sherwood with her dog Lucy and cat Leonard and is enjoying looking for a church home in the area.

Melanie Mock (English) published a piece, “Don’t Sweat the 4/4,” in Inside Higher Ed’s “Career Advice” section Feb. 13. In the article, Melanie advises those starting their academic careers not to write off jobs at teaching-intensive colleges.

Tom Head (Economics) was the “Friend in Residence” for the Montana Gathering of Friends (Quakers) in Great Falls, Mont., Feb. 8-10, speaking on the theme of “Spirit & the Economy: Exploring How Fear & Faith Shape our Relationship to Money.”

Feb. 19            Lisa Bingham, Sue Corbett-Furgal, Jere Witherspoon
Feb. 20            Gina Braden, Scot Headley
Feb. 22            Mark Hall, Valerie Rogers
Feb. 23            Craig Johnson, Mark Weinert
Feb. 24            Wayne Adams, Corey Beals
Feb. 25            Brian McLaughlin
Feb. 27            Joel Schutter
March 1           Michael MacLeod
March 2           Gary Kilburg, Winston Seegobin
March 3           Kayin Griffith, Rhett Luedtke
March 4           Tyler Cuddeford, Sue Harrison

Trevor Woods joined Plant Services as a groundskeeper in January. He has worked as a work-study student the past three and a half years, working part time during the school year and full time during the summer months while earning his bachelor’s degree in Christian ministries from George Fox. He graduated from the university at the midyear commencement ceremony in December. He currently lives in McMinnville and attends Newberg Foursquare Church.

Tom Head (Economics) has been appointed to the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee of the American Friends Service Committee. In 1947, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Quakers worldwide for the work they had done, particularly relief work, between the two World Wars and after World War II. It was accepted jointly by the two Quaker service organizations, the Friends Service Council of Britain and the AFSC. The AFSC, as a past recipient of the Prize, has the privilege of making a nomination each year to the Oslo Nobel Committee, and the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee conducts research and formulates these recommendations on behalf of the Quaker service organizations.

Eloise Hockett (School of Education) presented three papers at the World Federation of Associations of Teacher Education (WFATE) in Nairobi, Kenya, in November: “Using reflective practice as effective professional development at a college in Kenya,” “Cultural humility: Expanding the concept and practice of cultural competency,” and “Kenyan Quaker schools peace curriculum: Implementation and follow-up results.”

She also had an article published in the January issue of Quaker Life magazine titled “Climb the Hill.” Finally, Linda Samek, Scot Headley and Eloise just had an article published in the winter edition of the International Christian Community for Teacher Education Journal, titled “Cultural humility: A framework for local and global engagement.”

Rodger Bufford (Graduate Psychology) chaired the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation’s site visit to the doctoral psychology program at Loyola University of Maryland Jan. 14-15.

Mark Pothoff (Student Life) and Emily Maynard (Portland Center Site Coordinator) were named employees of the month for December and January, respectively.

Joel Moore (Graduate Admissions) and his wife Meagan, a 2009 George Fox alumna, welcomed a son, Jedidiah Courage, on Jan. 25. Jedidiah was born at Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland and weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces. He was 21 inches long.

Feb. 5            Barbi Doran
Feb. 6            David Kerr
Feb. 7            Tim Tsohantaridis
Feb. 8            Stephanie Fisher, Marcie Gowan
Feb. 9            Bill Stevens
Feb. 10          Debbie Cash, Justin Hudec
Feb. 11          Alex Rolfe, Lynn Scott
Feb. 12          Paul Shew
Feb. 13          Melissa Gilbert
Feb. 14          Ed Gierok, Johanna Schweitzer
Feb. 16          Caleb Wirth

Linda Samek (School of Education) and others received a $740,000 United States Department of Education grant for the Center of Algebraic Thinking, a collaborative four-school math education project designed to inform new teachers concerning students’ struggles with algebra. The center includes an online encyclopedia of algebraic thinking, a catalog of formative assessment problems, a database of technological tools, iPad apps, modules for math methods courses that incorporate research, and a collaborative social network for teachers of algebra. As a result, four universities (George Fox, Willamette, Pacific University and Western Oregon University) will use restructured math methods courses that lead to increased pre-service teachers’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions toward students’ algebraic thinking.

Joel Perez (Dean of Transitions and Inclusion) published an article, “Diversity at Christian Colleges: It’s About Mission,” in the most recent issue of the Christian Higher Education Journal.

Ed Higgins (English) recently published four science fiction poems – “The Visitors,” “formation of a black hole,” “Science Fiction” and “To begin with” – in a new British science fiction publication, Theurgy Magazine. In addition, his piece “Orca Pod” was published in the Jan. 14 issue of The Faircloth Review, an online literary and arts journal.

Jan. 23           Ted Allen, Bill Buhrow, Mike Foster, John Johnson, Kris Molitor
Jan. 25           Julia Hurlow
Jan. 26           Matt Sargent
Jan. 29           Mindy Holland, Leslie Wuest
Jan. 31           Missy Terry
Feb. 1             Andrea Byerley, Bonnie Jerke, Bruce Owen, Tanya Rooney
Feb. 2             Dave Adrian, Justine Haigh, Emily Sheffield
Feb. 3             Mark McLeod-Harrison
Feb. 4             Kristie DeHaven, Gloria Doherty, Chris Schlarbaum

Joel Schutter joined Plant Services as an electrical apprentice in December after working as a temp in the department for the past year. He spent the past four summers working for Plant Services as a work-study student and earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and athletic training from George Fox in 2011. Joel lives in Newberg with his wife Natalie and attends Grace Baptist Church in town.

A 2012 graduate of the university, Tyler Rhys Robertson, joined IT as a media production specialist in December. He served as the technical director of the 14th annual Fox Film Festival this spring while completing his bachelor’s degree in cinema and media communication. He also served as a KFOX radio station manager and as a student media editor during the 2011-12 school year. Tyler lives in Newberg.

Greg Smith (Chief Information Officer) is leaving the university this month to become the chief information officer and vice provost-research at Missouri University of Science & Technology. Greg had served in his position at George Fox for the past eight and a half years.

Cathi Comish (Enrollment Services, Boise) left the university after her position at the Boise Center was eliminated at the end of December. She has accepted a position in the admissions office at Concordia University’s School of Law in Boise.

Ed Higgins’ (English) poem, “First of all, it’s dank in here,” was published in the quarterly online e-zine Ancient Path Literary Magazine. Also, two of his poems, “as i was looking back” and “Self-deception As Self-knowing,” were published in the Dec. 17 edition of the online poetry journal Dead Snakes. Finally, his poem “Summer Rue” appeared in Brevity Poetry Review, an online poetry journal, on Dec. 14.

Jan. 8           Kristin Bontrager, Jonathan Morell
Jan. 9           Mary Cameron
Jan. 10         George Byrtek, Keith Schneider, Larry Shelton
Jan. 11         Ginny Birky, Debbie Penkin
Jan. 12         Tim Rahschulte
Jan. 13         Andrew Bradford
Jan. 14         Jim Steele
Jan. 15         Janeen Dillow, Deborah Hawblitzel
Jan. 16         Nate McIntyre
Jan. 17         Christine Austin, John Libemday
Jan. 18         Dwayne Astleford, Robin Baker, Matt Dyment, Dot Tobey
Jan. 19         Ken Badley, David Liu
Jan. 22         John Smith

Rachel Powell has rejoined the university to work as a nursing coordinator II. She was originally hired in 2006 as a visit coordinator for admissions and, more recently, was an administrative assistant for admissions for a year and a half before her position was eliminated in May.

Joanne Wiitala (School of Education) left the university in late November.

Three professors in the university’s Graduate Department of Counseling presented at the Western Association of Counselor Education and Supervision Conference in Portland Nov. 15-18. The conference was organized and led by the department’s Keith Dempsey (WACES president) and Michelle Eave (WACES vice president). Eave presented “The Experience of Novice Counselors Working with Clients Who Are Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse”; Daniel Sweeney presented “The Practical Use Of Sandtray Therapy Across Therapeutic Settings”; and Lorraine DeKruyf presented “Grounded Theory Insights into School Counseling Site Supervisor Development,” “Centering the Pendulum: Training School Counselors to Claim a Balanced Identity” and “A Statewide University Collaboration Model: School Counselor Educators Partner for Comprehensive Success.” Also participating was Amber Russell (a GDC alumna, PsyD student and WACES graduate student representative), who presented “The Multiracial Individual as a Unique Population within Diversity: What Educators, Supervisors, and Clinicians Ought to Know.”

Gary Tandy (English) led this fall’s “Seminar by the Sea” at Twin Rocks Friends Camp, speaking on “The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis.”

Ed Higgins (English) published three poems in the November issue of the online magazine Silent Things.

Dec. 4           Alan Kluge
Dec. 6           Rodney Birch, Carlos Taloyo
Dec. 7           Marie-Christine Goodworth, Amy Lutz
Dec. 8           Kerry Irish
Dec. 9           Patrick Kelley, Mike Wirta
Dec. 10         Carlisle Chambers
Dec. 11         Tatiana Cevallos
Dec. 12         Isabelle Corneaux
Dec. 13         Steve Grant, Marcey Keefer Hutchison
Dec. 14         Janelle Olivarez
Dec. 15         Paul Corbett-Furgal, Rick Muthiah, Cliff Rosenbohm
Dec. 17         Gary Buhler, Viki Defferding
Dec. 18         Carol Huthinson, Katy Turpen
Dec. 19         Andy Campbell, Kimberly Newton, Phil Smith
Dec. 22         Robin Ashford, Jenny Getsinger
Dec. 23         Rodger Bufford
Dec. 24         Jeong Ahn, Greg Allen
Dec. 25         Abby Burgess, Debby O’Kelley
Dec. 28         Robert Simpson
Dec. 30         Cris Banton, Lori DeKruyf
Dec. 31         Sherrie Frost, Kathleen Hummel-Berry
Jan. 1           Raelene Fendall, Bob Harder, Mandria Montplaisir
Jan. 3           Julie Green, Sarah Marvin
Jan. 4           Brenda Graf, Chris Koch, Dan van der Water
Jan. 5           Joy Reimann
Jan. 6           Merrill Johnson
Jan. 7           Cathy Peterson

Patty Vanier joined the Murdock Learning Resource Center library staff as a circulation coordinator last week. For the past two years she has worked as a student store coordinator at Southwest Christian School in Beaverton. Prior to that, she served as principal of Wilsonville Christian Academy from 2000 to 2005. Patty earned certificates in early childhood education and early childhood education administration from Vanguard University in 2003. She lives in Beaverton with her husband of 25 years, Mike. They have two sons who attend George Fox: Justin, a junior, and Jake, a freshman. Patty is active at Southwest Bible Church, where she serves as a women’s council member, Moms 2 Moms ministry coordinator and welcome center volunteer.

Cheryl Pippin (Nursing) left the university earlier this month.

Cherice Bock (Religious Studies/Seminary) is writing a paper, “Wisdom and Love: A Theological Basis for Quaker Ecological Action,” for this month’s American Academy of Religion meetings in Chicago. The paper, for the Quaker Studies Group at AAR, is coauthored by Rebecca Artinian-Kaiser.

Tom Head (Economics) was the keynote speaker for an all-day workshop on “Envisioning an Ethical Economy” presented by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon in Portland on Nov. 17.

Ed Higgins’ (English) prose poem “Finding Paradise” is in the current issue of The Red River Review, a Texas-based online quarterly literary journal.

Michael MacLeod (Political Science and International Studies) made a presentation, “Scaling Environmental Sustainability Through Investor-Driven Financial Market Governance: Shareholder Activism in Canada and the US,” at the Sixth Annual International Conference on Business & Sustainability at Portland State University on Nov. 9. His review of William T. Cavanaugh’s “Migrations of the Holy: God, State and the Political Meaning of the Church” will be published in the next edition of the academic journal Politics and Religion.

Mark McLeod-Harrison’s (Religious Studies) article, “Relaxed Naturalism and Caring About the Truth,” will be published in the spring 2013 issue of Forum Philosophicum.

Have e-Colleague news to share? Send it to Sean Patterson at spatterson@georgefox.edu.

Nov. 21         Dan Kimball, Ryan Tafflinger
Nov. 22         Vern Choin, Corban Harwood
Nov. 23         Laura Simmons
Nov. 24         Waneen White, Tamara Reams, Mark Sundquist
Nov. 26         Larry Weber
Nov. 28         Peg Hutton, Clella Jaffe
Nov. 29         Arden Butler, Michelle Conrad
Nov. 30         Melanie Hulbert
Dec. 3           Davida Brown, Brad Lau

Mark David Hall (Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Political Science) published a book, Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic, through Oxford University Press last month. The book explores Sherman’s political theory and shows how it informed his many contributions to America’s founding. Sherman was a member of the five-man committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence and an influential delegate at the Constitutional Convention. As a representative and senator in the new republic, he had a hand in determining the proper scope of the national government’s power as well as drafting the Bill of Rights.

Bonnie Jerke (Career Services) is part of the leadership/advisory team creating the new Council for Christian Colleges & Universities Career Services Professionals group. Her unique contribution was the development of a benchmarking survey for career centers of the CCCU schools and a written summary of the results to be published on the new organizational webpage. This organization is currently in the beginning stages of creating structure and establishing leadership roles.

At the recent annual meeting in Forest Grove, Ed Gierok (Security Services) passed off his gavel as president of Western Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators to Ben Moseley from the College of Idaho. Ed will remain on the board for the upcoming year as ex-officio president and will continue to attend the quarterly board meetings.

Ed Higgins (English) published a poem, given the title “fermented fun” by the publication, in a “best of” collection of poems in Parody, an online journal dedicated to humorous poetry.

Nov. 7         Doug Campbell
Nov. 9         Jack Lyda
Nov. 11       Denise DeCicco, Sean Patterson
Nov. 12       Kelly Borror, Aleida Polanco
Nov. 14       Colleen Huffman, Jan Lefebvre
Nov. 16       Carol Jaquith
Nov. 17       Sue O’Donnell, Abigail Rine
Nov. 18       Kathleen Jones, Shary Wortman
Nov. 19       Bob Hamilton, Heather Rainey