The Daily Bruin

The Cultural Enterprise invites you to hear from author and guest speaker Curtis Chang on Thursday, Oct. 27.  We’ll host a faculty coffee at 3 p.m., during which he’ll discuss his recently published work on the theology of organizations, and a 7 p.m. public lecture on post-partisan faith.

Both events are in Canyon Commons, and refreshments will be served.

Faculty Coffee

Chang makes the provocative claim that human institutions participate in the Imago Dei. He argues that this insight is deeply grounded in Scripture and theology. Moreover, this central insight opens up a range of practical insights and motivations for the organizational life of all Christians, especially those working in “secular” entities.

Come hear Chang share about a robust theology of institutions, and bring your questions and thoughts!

Public Lecture: “When Politics Strains Relationships”

Have political divisions caused tension in the relationships in your family, school, church, work or community? Learn how to become a “post-partisan Christian” and how this new identity can heal our relationships – and hopefully our society. A livestream will be available (details coming soon).

About Chang

Chang straddles the worlds of secular institutions and theology. As a management consultant, he has won a White House award for social innovation as the founder and head of Consulting Within Reach (CWR), a firm serving nonprofits and government agencies. He also is on the faculty of American University in Washington D.C., where he teaches strategic planning.

As a theologian, Chang is a consulting professor at the Duke Divinity School and is a senior fellow at Fuller Theological Seminary. He currently co-hosts (with David French) the Good Faith podcast, which is ranked in the top 1% of all podcasts.

Contact Sarah Taylor at taylors@georgefox.edu for more information about his visit.

George Fox employees are invited to shop the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store Nov. 4-27!

What the employee store has to offer: 

• All the latest product from the Columbia Sportswear Company family (SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, prAna, and Columbia Sportswear)
• Items are marked with employee pricing (up to 50 percent off regular retail pricing)

What to bring to access the store:

• This invitation (printed or shown on mobile phone)
• Work/organization ID (business card, badge, pay stub, signature of work email, uniform, membership card, etc.)

This invite is valid for you and four guests (you must be present), and it grants you store access only (offer not valid online).

Questions? Contact Sara Reamy at sreamy@georgefox.edu.

Dear Beloved Community,

Thank you for participating in the programming of the diversity, equity and inclusion discussion series. Our university’s commitment to diversity is deeply rooted in our primary commitment to the truth of the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are grateful to be a part of a community that values diversity.

Beginning with the all-employee meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 18, our community will engage with the learning materials and be ready for discussion. The expectation is that each member of our community engages with at least one of the “Read – Watch – Listen” items available for each month provided through Canvas or this link.

Our first discussion will center around Rich Villodas’ work on reconciliation as an important part of spiritual formation. We look forward to our community engaging on this topic Tuesday.

Sincerely,
DEI Committee

Don’t forget: Richter Scholars Program proposals are due on Monday, Oct. 17.

The Richter Scholars Program at George Fox distributes funds to support student research activities that are devised, initiated and carried out by individual student researchers, with mentorship, guidance and expertise provided by a faculty mentor.

The purpose of these funds is to support educational research opportunities that encourage the practices of independent thought leading to independent achievement and personal responsibility. For the purpose of this program, research is defined as a knowledge-generating activity that is designed to provide new information on a topic, tool or process, and that proceeds according to established and accepted research methods.

Before preparing a proposal, please read through the full proposal guidelines, eligibility requirements, and review criteria on this webpage.

Faculty mentors: Please note that several important proposal elements and eligibility requirements have been recently updated. Please thoroughly read through all posted documentation as you work with your student mentee to prepare a proposal. All submittals will be electronic.

For more information, contact Vetta Berokoff at vberokof@georgefox.edu.

As part of a desire to create more space for pause, reflection and fellowship, the academic affairs office is convening a completely voluntary time for corporate prayer during the second week of each month.

Join us for a 15-minute pocket of time to connect with God and with one another as we pray for George Fox University. If you’re unable to join us in person, feel free to set a reminder and lift your heart and prayers with us from wherever you are.

We will be meeting today (Wednesday) in Hoover 250 from 11:40 a.m. to noon.

If you have any questions, contact Andrea Scott at scotta@georgefox.edu.

Last week, we explored the concept of resilience and practical ways to increase our capacity for it. Becoming more resilient not only helps us get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers us to grow and improve our life along the way.

Resilience also often ties to our ability to live mindfully. Today, we invite you see that connection and read this article on building both mindfulness and resilience in the fall.

If you have any questions, reach out to Aga Luptak at aluptak@georgefox.edu.

In order to process an invoice, the Accounts Pay team needs all of the below-mentioned information:

• Vendor ID number
• Vendor Name as appearing in PeopleSoft
• PeopleSoft PO number
• PeopleSoft receipt number
• And finally, a copy of the invoice.

AP receives a multitude of emailed payment requests, and there is a high probability of those getting buried, especially in cases wherein any of the above information is missing in the email.

To comply with audit requirements, AP does not have access to the purchasing module, thus they are unable to themselves obtain PO and receipt numbers from PeopleSoft.

In order to improve our current “Procure to Pay” process, and to help you to pay your invoices in a timely manner, we have released a Request for Payment form. This form replaces emailed and paper payment requests.

We are planning a formal training session in the coming months where we will share more information with you. In the meantime, feel free to email your questions to purchasing@georgefox.edu.

Thank you,
The Accounts Pay and Purchasing Teams

The Staff Development Committee is pleased to invite all employees to a Lunch & Learn session about project management taught by Rae Casey, associate professor of organizational leadership in our George Fox Connect program.

A catered lunch will be provided on Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (presentation will begin around noon) in Canyon Commons 101-103.

RSVPs are required for all who plan to attend. Please RSVP here by Thursday, Oct. 20.

Contact Audrey Mass at amass@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Enjoy some bonding time with your colleagues at an all-employee lunch this Monday, Oct. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Canyon Commons!

We will share some brief announcements and updates, and lunch is complimentary. No need to bring your own sack lunch!

See you there!

Dear Beloved Community,

We are grateful to be a part of a presidential initiative that values diversity. Our university’s commitment to diversity is deeply rooted in our primary commitment to the truth of the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is our desire to create a space that fosters community and engages in rich dialogue to improve diversity and inclusion awareness that will, in turn, become applicable to our work at George Fox and our local community at large.

We invite you to explore the content designated for each month and look forward to building and strengthening our time together through conversation. Everyone will be enrolled in Canvas as a way to access the content. You may also review the content on this PDF and can learn more about our diversity efforts on this Diversity Resources webpage.

With love,
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Newberg campus offices will be closed tomorrow (Friday) for the mid-semester holiday. The Murdock Library will be closed, but the 24-hour space will remain open. The library will resume regular hours of operation over the weekend.

The Bruin Store will be open for regular hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) on Friday.

Interested in applying for a George Fox University Grant? Simply use this Grant Registration Form to learn how many resources and people are available to assist in the process. The form is required for any university employee interaction funders and is necessary for letters of inquiry, fellowship grants, or grant proposals by faculty or staff at George Fox.

Start your form today! If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Sarah Tenney, director of development for government, corporate, and foundation relations in the advancement office, at stenney@georgefox.edu.

Providence members: Find out about the Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle (HEAL) program provided by Providence Health Coaching.

As a Providence Health Plan member, you may be eligible to participate in this free lifestyle coaching program. It is an evidence-based weight management program designed to help you build healthy habits, improve your well-being, and lower your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.

Our live and virtual group classes allow you to interact with your coaches and other program participants. You will also have opportunities to interact one-on-one with your coach.

Find out if you are eligible or ask our team questions by calling 503-574-6000, and click here to learn more.

Providence members: Enter to win the LifeBalance Fall Contest! Participation is easy. Your name will be entered into weekly prize drawings each time you log in to the LifeBalance site, so log in throughout the month for more chances to win!

Don’t have an account? Create your free account at Providence.LifeBalanceProgram.com. Prize options include gift cards from brands like Columbia, Garmin, Disneyland, Crocs and more! Click here to enter to win.

Contact Aga Luptak at aluptak@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

What is resilience? Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress, such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.

As much as resilience involves “bouncing back” from these difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth. Find out here how to build your resilience, how to help others do the same, and why Denmark is believed to be the most resilient and happiest country in the world.

Contact Aga Luptak at aluptak@georgefox.edu for further information.

If you’ve ever had a concussion, please participate in this senior research study on gender disparities during concussion recovery. Participation in the study includes filling out a single survey that should take no more than 20 minutes to complete.

This research will be used to determine a correlation between gender and symptom severity and the recovery rates of concussions. We hope this research will be beneficial for developing better treatment plans and guidelines for concussions.

For more information, contact Kaitlyn Springer at kspringer19@georgefox.edu.

Disclaimer: These surveys are student generated and are not to be associated with any official research conducted by faculty and staff at George Fox University. Any views or opinions presented in these surveys are solely those of the students and do not represent those of George Fox University. The distribution of these surveys is a service provided to George Fox University students as they prepare their research required by the curriculum. Students are required to have department approval. Any questions about these surveys should be directed to the students associated with the survey in question.

Please attach the full itemized receipt(s) to all Concur transactions (the “Total” transaction receipt is not sufficient for audit purposes). Reports without the proper documentation will be returned.

Please contact Kathi Becker at 503-554-2166 or kbecker@georgefox.edu if you have questions.

The Behavioral Health Center (BHC) has availability for new therapy clients! We are staffed by well-trained students from the university’s doctor of psychology program.

The BHC exists to provide low-cost therapy and assessment services to the broader community in and around Newberg, which includes George Fox employees and their families.

Therapy is $30 per session. We are setting up a system to accept FSA/HSA; please let us know in advance if this is your preferred method for payment.

For more information, visit georgefox.edu/bhc or call 503-389-0565.

Did you know that 20.4 million people in the United States were diagnosed with a substance use disorder in the past year, yet only 10.3% received treatment (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2022).

Help is available. Contact Canopy (1-800-433-2320) to connect with a counselor, receive treatment information and start the journey to recovery, for you or your loved ones.

You’re also invited to join us for a webinar entitled “Drug and Alcohol Awareness: Supporting Ourselves & Others” from 11:30 a.m. to noon this Thursday, Oct. 6. Go here to register.

For more information, contact Aga Luptak at aluptak@georgefox.edu.

As the Purchasing & Accounts Payable teams prepare for the upcoming training session (date and venue TBD), would you please provide a list of questions that you would like them to answer?

Please click here to enter your questions. Contact Frank Charles at fcharles@georgefox.edu for more info.