E-Colleague

Rob Westervelt, director of brand management at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., for the past three years, began as vice president of marketing and communications in May. Prior to his most recent position at Biola, he directed the school’s advertising and publications for two and a half years (2002 to 2005) and worked as director of public relations and publications for two years (2000 to 2002). He also served as editor of the university’s Biola Connections magazine from 1998 to 2008. Rob earned a master’s degree in philosophy of religion and ethics from Biola in 1997 and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Weber State University in 1995. He is married to Melinda and they have moved to Newberg.

Cary Griffith joined marketing and communications as a web development specialist in May. He has worked in the department as a student for more than two years, and he was employed as an intern for the Chicago Title Insurance Company in Portland in 2007. He also has done freelance design work for university, church, and web clients. Cary graduated from George Fox this spring with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. He is married to Kayin, also a 2008 graduate of George Fox, and the couple lives in Newberg. They attend GodSong Community Church in Newberg.

Kayin Griffith has been hired as the administrative assistant in the office of spiritual life. She was the university’s Serve Day coordinator last year and will serve in that capacity again this year. Since December of 2007, she has worked as a project manager and designer for Griffith Design, a design firm she and her husband started out of their Newberg home. Previously, she has worked in George Fox’s student life and admissions offices, as well as in the Murdock Learning Resource Center. Kayin graduated from George Fox with a bachelor’s degree in studio art in 2008. She and her husband, Cary, a web development specialist in marketing and communications, attend GodSong Community Church in Newberg.

Darla Norgren has moved from temporary status to full time as an administrative assistant in the School of Management. She has been an administrative support and volunteer at the Portland Center since April. She also has owned a business, R&D Electric in Mulino, since 2006 and, from 2004 to 2008, she did administrative work at Silverton Hospital. Darla earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Pioneer Pacific College in 2005. She lives in Mulino with husband Robert and children Jared, Jacob, and Rachel. The family attends Foothills Community Church in Molalla.

The following faculty members are leaving the university to pursue other opportunities or retire: Kari Day (Management), Elizabeth Hamilton (Psychology), Gary Adams (Education), Gary Railsback (Education), John Warton (Cinema and Media Communication), Doreen Blackburn (Education), Gennie Harris (Education), Donna Kalmbach-Phillips (Education), David Sherwood (Social Work), Carol Sherwood (Nursing), and Jacqui Cooke (Nursing), Clint Baldwin (Political Science), Kevin Carr (Education), Rick Chromey (Boise Center), Melissa Croteau (Writing/Literature), Jules Glanzer (Seminary), Tom Johnson (Religious Studies), David Myton (Education), Beth Schafer (School of Professional Studies), and Manfred Tschan (Health and Human Performance). Hamilton and Baldwin will continue to teach on an adjunct basis.

Kris Thompson (Graduate Admissions) left George Fox in May to open a restaurant, The Orchard House, in Caldwell, Idaho.

Evan Schanzenbach (Admissions) left George Fox in June to work at American Intercontinental University as a national admissions advisor.

Annie Rilette (Health and Counseling Services) left the university in May.

Sandee Robinson (Management) left George Fox in May.

Stephanie Belt (Tilikum) left the university as an employee in May but will begin George Fox’s full-time MAT program in June.

Sunni York (MAT) will leave George Fox on June 11. She is retiring so she can travel and spend more time with her grandchildren.

Sharon Pilon (Advancement) left George Fox on June 5 to take a position as donor relations coordinator at Westside Christian High School in Lake Oswego.

Greg Smith (IT) was elected to a two-year term as a member at large on the executive committee of the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (nwacc.org). Greg begins his term in June. The NWACC, with members from most of the colleges and universities in the Northwest, fosters communication and collaboration among its member institutions on the development and use of advanced technology for instruction, research, and administrative operations.

Reid Kisling (Registrar) completed a year as president of the Oregon Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers by presiding over the association’s annual meeting in Klamath Falls, Ore., in May. He now assumes the role of past president for the association until next May. Reid also had an article, “My Staff Are Competent, Right?,” published in the February edition of the AACRAO strategic enrollment management trade journal, SEM Source. The article addressed the creation of a competency-based system for the evaluation, development, and promotion of enrollment services staff, specifically addressing character as an essential component often missing from other systems.

Dave Johnstone (Student Life) received the Ruth E. Bamford Award for Distinguished Service at the annual Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) conference at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, June 2-5. The award, given to a professional in the field of student affairs with fewer than 15 years of experience, is based upon outstanding contributions to ACSD and to the field of student development.

Ed Higgins (Writing/Literature) had a poem, “she said,” published in May on the online e-zine Best Poem: A Poetry Journal. Another of his poems, “Bottoms up,” was published in the June issue of the e-zine NthPosition.

Becky Ankeny (Academic Affairs) will go on sabbatical in the coming school year to complete her executive MBA and work with Northwest Yearly Meeting as an elder and recorded minister.

Lindsay Peterson and Travis Morgan (Admissions) presented at the annual North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals conference at Gordon College June 3. The title of their presentation was “Defeating the Curse of Knowledge: Crafting Messages that Stick in the Minds of Students.”

Mark Benjamin (Student Life) and wife Erin welcomed their third child, Myla Benjamin, on April 30. She was 7 pounds, 14 ounces. She joins two older brothers.

June 10        Tim Goodfellow
June 11        Janet Moats
June 12        Gary Adams
June 13        Robby Larson
June 14        Michelle Cox, Loren Wenz
June 15        Esther King
June 16        Craig Taylor
June 17        Neal Ninteman
June 18        Sherri Moore-Harrison
June 19        Carla Hagen, Mark McMinn
June 20        Janet Herron, Christine Stacey
June 21        Sarah Baldwin
June 22        Sarah Myhre, Daniel Sweeney
June 24        Terri Crawford
June 25        Mike Rader, Karen Wedeking
June 26        Lisa McMinn, Rachel Powell
June 27        Sean McKay
June 28        Dan Schutter
June 29        Mary Peterson
June 30        John Heitz
July 2            Kathy Grant
July 6            Doreen Blackburn, Lisa Burton
July 7            Bob Buckler

The following faculty members will be on sabbatical in the next academic year. Bryan Boyd (Spring 2009) will complete a fully developed scene design for Artist’s Repertory Theatre of Portland Center Stage. Tom Head (Fall 2008) will conduct a one-semester project, “Biblical Perspectives on Economic Justice.” Gary Kilburg (Fall 2008) will continue work on a research proposal, “The Good Shepherds: Addressing Resistance in a K-12 Mentoring Program for All Teachers.” Mike Magill (Fall 2008) will pursue work on “Serving Christ as a Design Engineer for Engineering Ministries International (EMI)” and will use his structural engineering background to design facilities for Christian organizations around the world. Roger Newell (2008-2009) will work on a project titled “From Resistance to Revolution: Political Theology in Germany from Barmen (1933) to Leipzig (1989).” Paul Otto (2008-2009) will conduct research on “Beads of Power: Wampum and the Making of Early America.” Kent Yinger (2008-2009) will research, write, and initiate publication of a book for a general Christian audience tentatively titled A New Perspective on Christian Salvation.

Joel Perez (Student Life) presented “Act Six Leadership Initiative: A Practical Strategy for Campus Change and Urban Transformation” at the inaugural Christian in Diversity Conference in Pomona, Calif., on April 23.

Brent Weaver’s (Performing Arts) musical work Snapshots for piano and winds will be performed in concert by the Alder Street Sextet, a Portland ensemble, at First Presbyterian Church of Portland June 1 at 3 p.m. Also, his work Devotional for cello and piano will be presented this summer at the Music08 Festival at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music June 15-22 in Cincinnati. He will also be participating in the festival, which features contemporary composers Steve Reich and Frederick Rzewski and the ensemble Eighth Blackbird.

Bruce Strom (School of Professional Studies) wrote an article, “Business professionalism: Are you measuring up to your goals?,” for the May/June issue of BizVoice, the magazine for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

May 14    Kathi Becker, Don Powers
May 15    Dirk Barram
May 16    Jim Fleming, Nicole Rigelman, Audrey Williamson
May 17    Paul Anderson
May 18    Paul Otto, Cynthia Weston
May 19    Kay Winters
May 20    Patsy Kuehne
May 21    Brooke McGillivray
May 23    Chuck Conniry
May 27    Dave Larson, Sheri Philips
May 28    Beth LaForce
May 29    Rick Chromey, Kandie Comfort, Mike Magill
May 30    Becky Addleman, Steve Bearden, Burel Ford, Roger Newell
June 1    Carrie Bohl, Tom Johnson
June 4    Nadine Kincaid
June 5    Tamara Cissna
June 6    Steve Cathers, Joyce Staats, Alan Thurston
June 7    Karen Coronado
June 8    Jeannine Graham
June 9    Mark Terry

Valerie McIntyre Sherwood began work as a part-time library assistant at the Portland Center this month. She has more than 30 years of leadership, administrative, and teaching experience, including online teaching, and in 2003 she was named “One of the Most Outstanding Women Presidents in Texas” by the Dallas Morning News. As a Fellow at Oxford University, she served as the Quality Assurance Officer for the Evaluation of National Occupational Standards and was educational director at Ford Motor Company of Europe. She has a PhD from the University of Oregon (1977) and a National Vocational Qualification in Training and Development from the Business & Technology Education Council of London. She serves as a licensed Eucharistic minister, sub-deacon, and choir member at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Portland. Valerie volunteers full time for Alzheimer’s patients and lives in Tigard.

Bethany Pearson’s (Plant Services) final day at George Fox is May 1. She will be increasing her workload with her family’s business, Mountain View Forestry.

Darren Funk’s (Plant Services) final day at the university was April 24.

The Earhart Foundation is awarding Paul Otto (History) a fellowship research grant totaling more than $12,000 for a summer project, “Beads of Power: Wampum and the Shaping of the Early American Frontier.” The funds will support summer reading and research as Paul prepares for his sabbatical next year. The topic stems from his original research published as The Dutch-Munsee Encounter in America: The Struggle of Sovereignty in the Hudson Valley (Berghahn, 2006).

Gary Railsback, Ginny Birky, and Kevin Carr (Education) each presented papers at the American Educational Research Association’s 2008 conference in New York City March 23-27. Gary’s presentation was entitled “Faculty Religious Convictions and Spirituality at Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Campuses.” Ginny’s was entitled “High School Reform: Stories that Inspire Educators to Embrace, Promote, and Initiate Change.” And Kevin’s was “Scaffolding Teacher Understanding of Action Research: Conflicting Discourses.” In addition to presenting papers, Gary was installed to a two-year term as the president/chair of the AERA Special Interest Group Associates for Research on Private Education.

Doug Campbell’s (Visual Arts) painting Jaydon and Dave was included in Digital Dimensions, an exhibit showcased at the Blackfish Gallery and Gallery 114 in Portland and at the Visual Arts Gallery at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham March 5 through April 4.

Ed Higgins’ (Writing/Literature) poem “Outside” is published in the current issue of the online literary magazine qarrtsiluni. The publication also published an audio file of Ed reading the poem that can be downloaded as an mp3 file.

Lindsey Wallgren (Enrollment Counselor, Boise) and her husband, Jerrod, welcomed their first child, Carter Philip Wallgren, at 6 a.m. on April 21. The baby weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was born at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise.

From Michael Magill (Engineering): “We deeply appreciate all of you who have prayed for our son Marshall over the last 15 months. As most of you know, in February 2007 Marshall was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma. He was on chemotherapy for a year and just finished this past February. Marshall is doing very well. He continues with his running, delivering newspapers, riding his bike, and being an extremely active kid. He has a full head of blonde hair again and is feeling healthy. We have so much to be thankful for! God has been gracious in the midst of a difficult trial. Our hope is in him. Please continue to pray for Marshall and that the cancer won’t return. Again, thanks for your prayers and compassion.”

May 2   Donna Phillips, Elaine Smith
May 3   Michael Everest, David Sherwood
May 6   Kris Nelson, Greg Smith
May 8   Molly Hickok, Brent Wilson, Deb Worden
May 10   Jim Jackson, Amy Lorenz, Tiffany Tangen
May 12   Marla Sweningson

Sarah King was hired as the executive assistant to the director of enrollment services. She worked previously at Dwayne Brittell Architect and Planner in Newberg, where she was an architectural draftsperson. Before that, she worked for nearly two years at Seattle Pacific University as a student administrative assistant in the school’s disability support services and student learning program. Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Seattle Pacific in 2006. She lives in her native Newberg with husband David and dog Macy and attends Portland Vineyard Church in Tigard, where she and David serve as the missions directors.

Dixie Downey joined Plant Services as an administrative assistant earlier this month. An alumna of George Fox (’85), she has been a stay-at-home mom and volunteer at her local school district since 1998. Before that, she worked as a programmer/analyst with Rentrak Entertainment Inc. from 1994 to 1998. She also gained management, customer training, and technical support experience at computer companies in Boulder, Colo., Portland, and Hillsboro from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. At George Fox, Dixie earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information science and business/economics. She and her husband, Scott, live in Aurora with their two boys, Maxwell and Roman. They are members of Christian City Church in Lake Oswego.

Tom Johnson (Religious Studies) is retiring from the university after serving in various capacities at George Fox the past 11 years. He has filled the roles of interim president, seminary dean, and professor of biblical theology. He and his wife Michele are moving to Whidbey Island, Wash., in their retirement. A farewell reception for Tom is scheduled from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, in the John and Marilyn Duke Atrium in the Stevens Center. The event will include time for sharing, refreshments, and a faculty/staff choir singing several hymns. Those interested in joining the choir may do so by attending a rehearsal after faculty lunch April 15 in the Cap and Gown Room.

Jan Thomas (Management) is leaving George Fox this month to move to Segway, Alaska, to take a position as an office manager for a tour company.

Marc Shelton, Ginny Birky, and Scot Headley (Education) wrote a chapter on teacher leadership for the book Improving Schools: Studies in Leadership and Culture, published in March by Information Age Publishing. The chapter was part of a publication writing workshop grant from the university’s Faculty Development Committee, and a draft was presented at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting in April 2007.

Lori DeKruyf (Counseling) gave two presentations at the American Counseling Association’s 2008 conference in Honolulu March 26-31. Her presentations were entitled “Social Justice Advocacy and Professional School Counselors: The ACA Advocacy Competencies as a Framework for Action” and “Identified Training Needs for School Counseling Site Supervisors.”

Ed Higgins (Writing/Literature) had a poem, “Tohono O’odham: The Desert People,” published in the spring issue of the Norwegian-based literary e-zine Babel Fruit.

Bruce Strom (School of Professional Studies) wrote columns, “Small Business Development in Tough Economic Times,” and “Small Business Marketing,” for March and April issues of the Idaho Press-Tribune. He also wrote a column, “Small Business Development in an Economic Downturn,” for the April issue of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business Success Center News.

Linda Sartwell and Steve Edwards (Mail Services) successfully completed the Mailpiece Quality Control training and passed the special qualifying examination. They are now certified as MQC specialists with the United States Postal Service.

Clella Jaffe (Communication Arts) and husband Jack celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on March 16. They were married at the Free Methodist Church in Lebanon, Ore., and have two adult children and five grandchildren.

April 15    Terrie Boehr, Mike Campadore
April 16    Nancy Almquist
April 17    Eilene Newman, Sandee Robinson
April 18    Dave Cuny, Judy Deale, Gary Railsback
April 20    Tammy O’Doherty
April 22    Jeff Vandenhoek
April 25    Mark Ocker
April 26    Laura Klaus
April 27    Pat Vandehey

Alex Rolfe (Library) and his wife, Jessica, welcomed their fourth child, Mary Bernadette, on March 15. She weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. The baby was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital.

April 2   Nate Forbes, John Nelson
April 3   Steve Delamarter, Dale Journey
April 5   Jared Kamimae-Lanning, John Newberry, Vicki Tschan
April 6   Jean Borgman
April 7   Janis Tyhurst
April 8   Jim Worthington
April 9   Carrie McNeal
April 10   Cheri Hampton
April 11   Janelle Freitag, Sandi Gregory
April 13   Susan Newell
April 14   Margaret Fuller

Christine Stacey joined the undergraduate admissions office as a counselor last week. She arrives from Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., where she was a lead teacher at the institution’s La Vida Center for Outdoor Education from 2006 to 2007 and an interim office manager during the summer of 2007. She also worked as a facility director for a gymnastics academy in 2006-07. Christine earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa., in 2005. She lives in Portland with her family and is engaged to a George Fox alumnus, Richard McNeal (’06).

Vickie McBride’s (Plant Services) final day at the university will be Thursday, March 20. She is leaving to get married and will be traveling with her new husband.

Chuck Conniry (Seminary) was named dean of George Fox Evangelical Seminary earlier this month. Chuck has been at the seminary for 10 years as director of its doctor of ministry program.

Several faculty members were approved for promotion at the recent board meeting. Following is the list of promotions.

From assistant to associate professor: Karen Buchanan (Education), Lori DeKruyf (Counseling), Kendra Irons (Religious Studies), Rhett Luedtke (Performing Arts), Gary Spivey (Engineering)

To master coach: Scott Rueck (Health and Human Performance)

Granted tenure: Bryan Boyd (Theatre), Jeff Duerr (Biology), Marc Shelton (Education)

From associate to full professor: Daniel Brunner (Seminary), Kevin Carr (Education), Chuck Conniry (Seminary), Lisa McMinn (Sociology)

Robin Ashford, Alex Rolfe, and Karen Coronado (Library) presented “Zotero: The Next Generation Research Tool?” at the annual Online Northwest Conference on Feb. 22 at Oregon State University. The presentation examined the newest version of Zotero, a tool used to collect, manage, and cite research sources. The three George Fox presenters looked at Zotero’s features, technology, limitations, and how it compares with Endnote and Refworks.

Sylvette Norré (French), Viki Defferding (Spanish), and Debbie Berhó (Spanish) were conference co-chairs, hosting the Oregon Confederation of Foreign Language Teachers for their spring conference on the Newberg Campus March 1. More than 150 teachers from across the state were in attendance. Michinobu Iimori, adjunct professor of music, provided luncheon music on traditional Japanese instruments.

Paul Otto (History) was awarded a fellowship for research at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., for next year. He will be an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow for two months. Paul also accepted appointment to the Exhibition Scholarly Advisory Committee for the exhibition “Discovery and Invention: The Worlds of Henry Hudson” at the Museum of the City of New York. Finally, Paul was the keynote speaker at the regional Alpha Chi (national honor society) meeting at Cascade College in Portland on March 7. His lecture was “Going Native: White Indians Take Hollywood Films Captive.”

Bruce Strom (School of Professional Studies) wrote a column, “Do self-assessment before starting or expanding venture,” for the Idaho Press-Tribune. He also wrote a column titled “Tax and organization issues for small businesses” for the March issue of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business Success Center News.

The Boise Center, in partnership with the Greater Boise Chamber of Commerce, hosted a prerecorded broadcast from New York City called “Global Athenaeum – Leadership in the 21st Century.” The primary audience was women leaders from the greater Boise area. Bruce Strom, Rae Casey, and Chris Young from the Boise Center and Nancy Almquist (Development) were the principal faculty and staff involved in planning and hosting the event.

Dale Isaak (Health and Human Performance) has been selected to receive an Athletic Trainer Service Award for his dedication to his profession and his commitment to his local and national associations. The award winners will be introduced at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association annual meeting and clinical symposia in June in St. Louis.

This award was given in recognition of Dale’s willingness to serve not only the local and national associations, but also his community. He has donated his time and expertise at a variety of sports venues during football and basketball seasons and during the summer months with the Les Schwab Bowl and the St. Paul Rodeo.

Loren Kerns (Seminary) and his wife, Tiffany, welcomed their fourth child, Wesley Bennett, at 6:13 p.m. on March 1. The baby weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce and was 19 1/2 inches long.