Today is day of employee photo shoot; swing by Crisman Crossing

September 5th, 2017

Attention Newberg campus employees: University photographer Sarah Small will be at the Crisman Crossing bridge for a scheduled photo shoot today (Wednesday) between 10 a.m. and noon.

If your employee photo on the university website is in need of updating, this is your chance to get it done! Not sure if you need a retake? If your existing photo is more than two years old, is poorly lit, is out of focus, and/or has a gray, brown or black background, it’s time for an update.

No appointment is necessary, and each photo subject will be done in only a minute or two. Solid, neutral clothing colors are recommended.

Questions? Feel free to contact Sarah at ssmall@georgefox.edu.

Save the Date: Passport Days return Sept. 28-29

September 5th, 2017

Do you plan to travel internationally for business or vacation? Will you be going on Juniors Abroad? Will you be going on a study-abroad trip?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you will need a passport. On Thursday and Friday, Sept. 28-29, we will host a representative from the U.S. Post Office in Canyon Commons 102 to help you get your new passport or renew your passport. Save the date and mark your calendar!

This event is open to all – the community and the university. More information to come later.

President reflects on character of football team following tough loss

September 5th, 2017

In his latest blog piece, President Robin Baker commends Coach Chris Casey and his Bruin football team, who showed character and class following a tough 30-28 loss to No. 15-ranked Wisconsin-Platteville last week.

You can read it here.

Calling all dancers: Dance team tryouts are Friday in Wheeler

September 5th, 2017

Come try out for the George Fox dance team! We’re hosting tryouts from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in Wheeler 211.

We are looking for ambitious, energetic and dedicated ladies and gentlemen trained in jazz and hip-hop. Dance team will be performing at basketball game halftimes, supporting George Fox athletics, and engaging with the community in a variety of ways. Come join us!

Wear fitted athletic/dance clothing, dance shoes of your choice, performance-ready hair and makeup.

Contact Adina McConaughey (amcconaughey@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Feel free to introduce commuter students to Kristi Welker

September 5th, 2017

The Office of Student Life would like to share that Kristi Welker has been hired as the director of commuter life. Her office is located on the third floor of the Stevens Center. She is excited to work with commuter students this year, and her role is to help them in their college journey at George Fox.

If you know commuter students who need help feeling connected here, feel free to email her at kwelker@georgefox.edu, stop by the student life office or call her at 503-554-2308.

Spanish program hosts special celebration today in Canyon Commons

September 5th, 2017

Thinking about majoring or minoring in Spanish? Join us for a celebration, “La Fiesta de Bienvenida”! Hear the latest news from our study abroad sites and socialize with your fellow majors and minors.

¿Cuándo? 6 de septiembre a las 4:30 p.m.
¿Dónde? Canyon Commons
Servimos: “Haz tus propios nachos”

Contact Viki Defferding (vdefferding@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Commuter lunches held regularly in FoxHole throughout semester

September 5th, 2017

Commuters: Mark your calendars for these upcoming commuter lunches. All commuter lunches will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the FoxHole, located in the lower level of the Klages Center.

  • Sept. 6
  • Sept. 20
  • Oct. 4
  • Oct. 18
  • Nov. 1
  • Nov. 15
  • Nov. 29

Contact Kristi Welker (kwelker@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Applications for ‘The Crescent’ close today

September 5th, 2017

If you’d like to apply to be a part of The Crescent, consider submitting an application now, as applications for all positions will close today (Wednesday) at 9 p.m. (Please note: The application deadline was originally Sept. 10, but it has been moved up).

Thank you for your interest. We are excited that so many of you want to join the team!

Applications can be found online at asc.georgefox.edu under the “Serve and Lead” tab.

Questions? Email Hannah (hdugan16@georgefox.edu) or Kelsey (herschberger.kl@gmail.com).

Commuters: Get in touch with Kristi Welker to assist in your college journey

September 5th, 2017

The Office of Student Life would like to share that Kristi Welker has been hired as the director of commuter life. Her office is located in the student life office on the third floor of the Stevens Center. She is excited to get to know you and work alongside you this year. Her role is to help you along your college journey here at George Fox, and her passion is to help students feel connected and supported.

Feel free to email her at kwelker@georgefox.edu, stop by the student life office or call her at 503-554-2308.

Commuters: Be sure to join Commuter Life Facebook group

September 5th, 2017

Commuters: Did you know that there is now a George Fox Commuter Life Facebook group just for you? Request to join the George Fox Commuter Life group to connect with other commuters, learn about events just for you, coordinate ride shares, and stay updated on commuter-related news.

Questions? Contact Kristi Welker (kwelker@georgefox.edu)

2017-18 Nepal Winter Spil Trip: Applications are still open

September 5th, 2017

We are still accepting applications for the 2017-18 Winter Spil Trip to Nepal (estimated Dec. 27, 2017 to Jan. 6, 2018). This particular trip will be a time of intense exposure to people and local missionaries who have experienced extreme disaster following multiple earthquakes in 2015 and more recently severe flooding in 2017.

We will be working with Evangelical Friends Mission and partnering with local missionaries. To access the application and for more details, visit georgefox.edu/spiltrips. Applications will close on Friday, Sept. 15.

Reminder: IDEA Center has new drop-in hours this school year

September 5th, 2017

Do you need to make changes to your schedule? Do you have quick questions about your major or minor? Come by the IDEA Center for our new school-year drop-in hours:

  • Mondays and Tuesdays, 2-4 p.m.
  • Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to noon

Also, feel free to schedule an appointment with your CAP Coach on Handshake or with us directly at 503-554-2330. You can also email us at careers@georgefox.edu.

Commuters lockers are full

September 4th, 2017

Commuter lockers are all rented. We have now created a wait list for lockers. If you would like to get on the wait list, simply email Kristi Welker at kwelker@georgefox.edu.

Timely reminder about Title IX

September 4th, 2017

We want to remind you that George Fox University is committed to providing a Christ-centered community that fosters a safe living, learning and work setting for students, employees and visitors. A core value of this institution is to maintain a respectful environment for all individuals that is free of the following:

  • Sexual harassment
  • Sexual assault
  • Domestic violence
  • Dating violence
  • Stalking
  • Harassment and discrimination
  • Bias-related incidents and hate crimes

These behaviors and actions are contrary to the mission, values and lifestyle standards of our community. It is our firm belief that engaging in any aspect of this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by members of the George Fox community.

Should an incident of this nature occur, the person is strongly encouraged to report the incident to university personnel. For further descriptions of these policies, resources for support, and the process for reporting please visit studenthandbook.georgefox.edu.

More information can be found on the TItle IX website: georgefox.edu/titleIX.

All invited to Shalom tonight in Canyon Commons

September 4th, 2017

Come on out for Shalom tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 p.m. in Canyon Commons! We gather for a time of community, rejuvenation, chapel credit and homemade bread. Bring your friends, come as you are and thank Jesus for a new week!

If you have any questions, email Shea Krevi at gfushalomabroad@gmail.com.

Important reminder from student life office about social media, civility, bias and harassment

September 4th, 2017

We want to remind all of us about the expectations of living in a Christ-centered community that honors kindness, grace and civility as important values. We believe that all people are of great worth and value in the eyes of God and seek to increasingly become a campus characterized by loving support of one another.

Cultural humility means that we seek to understand and appreciate others, also created in the image of God, who are different from ourselves. Language and/or behavior that relies on stereotypes or is demeaning toward individuals or groups is absolutely unacceptable for George Fox students and employees, whether it occurs in person, through social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) or anonymously.

Violations of these expectations are taken very seriously by the university, especially when directed at another because of their race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion or disabilities. We want to remind everyone that George Fox has harassment, discrimination and bias-related incident policies that can be viewed at studenthandbook.georgefox.edu.

Any incidents of harassment, discrimination or bias should be reported immediately to the Office of Student Life. We would also encourage community members to hold one another accountable for what we say and do in this important area.

May God enable each of us to be more and more like Jesus in the way we treat one another!

Comings and Goings

September 4th, 2017

A 2013 George Fox alumna, Brittany Baker, has joined the university as associate director of sports marketing. She has worked as a freelance writer for nonprofit organizations and small businesses for the past year and, before that, was a writer and editor with the Luis Palau Association in Beaverton, Oregon (2013-16). Her previous experience also includes a year working as a resident advisor at Linfield College (2010-11). Brittany earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from George Fox and attended Portland State University earlier this year for post-baccalaureate speech and hearing sciences courses. She lives in Beaverton and attends Bridgetown Church.


A professor with more than 50 years of experience in music education, Dick Elliott, joins the music department this fall as a half-time visiting assistant professor of music and director of bands. Dick has been a longtime adjunct at George Fox, where he’s taught band since 2006, and he’s taught on an adjunct basis at Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College and Western Oregon University as well. His band teaching career began in 1966 in Seaside Public Schools, and he taught band and choir at the elementary, middle school and high school levels in the Newberg School District from 1968 to 2006. Dick holds a master’s degree in music from Illinois Wesleyan University (1966) and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Linfield College (1965). He lives in Newberg with his wife Judy, a retired third-grade teacher who taught in Newberg schools for 25 years. They have two grown children, daughter Crissa and son Marc, and two 9-year-old twin granddaughters. The Elliotts attend Newberg First United Methodist Church.


The registrar’s office welcomes Audrey Lichten as an office coordinator. For the past two years she has worked for Suite 4, an internet marketing service based in McMinnville, as an operations manager (2016-17), a branding and creative consultant (2015-17) . Before that, while a student at Linfield College, Audrey worked as an administrative assistant and intern in the school’s student affairs office. She earned a bachelor’s degree in electronic arts from Linfield in 2015. She lives in McMinnville and attends Church on the Hill.


Arden Schellert joins the university this fall as a visiting assistant professor of social work and sociology. For the past three years, he has been an assistant professor of social work and the social work program director at Tabor College in Kansas. Arden worked previously as a resident caretaker for a women’s shelter in Hillsboro, Kansas (2015-16), as a basic education instructor at North Island College in British Columbia (2013-14), as an instructor of social work at Thompson River University in British Columbia, and as an instructor of criminology at Northwest Community College in Canada (2013-14). In addition, he has more than 25 years of experience in the social work field. Arden earned a doctor of philosophy in social work from the University of Toronto in 2002 and holds a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada (1991). He lives in Newberg with his wife Barbara. They have one adult daughter, Mary-Joy.


Angeleen Umfleet joins the university this fall as an administrative assistant for the Department of History, Sociology and Politics. Previously, she worked as a marketing assistant for ROCO Winery of Newberg, providing graphic design, marketing, advertising and event coordination from 2011 to 2014. Before that, she was a receptionist, executive assistant and production assistant for Swearington Advertising from 1991 to 1995. Angeleen also owned her own graphic design business, Riveting Design, from 1997 to 2011, and since 2011 she has run Angel Food Candy, a business specializing in creating and marketing organic, gluten- and dairy-free candies. Angeleen lives in Newberg with her husband James and their two daughters, Anna and Grace, and attends Northside Community Church.


Lisa Burton (Employee Empowerment) has left the university.

Arlene Candela (Employee Empowerment) has left the university.

Tammy O’Doherty (PsyD) has left George Fox.

About Our People

September 4th, 2017

Mark McMinn (PsyD) recently released a book, The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church, through Brazos Press. In the words of reviewer Steven J. Sandage of Boston University, the book “places the best of contemporary positive psychology research in fruitful dialogue with ancient Christian wisdom.”

John Spencer (Education) and colleague A.J. Juliani cowrote a book this summer, Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning (IMpress). In it, the authors provide teachers, coaches and administrators with a roadmap that will inspire innovation, authentic learning experiences, and practical ways to empower students to pursue their passions while in school. At the peak of its popularity, the book reached the top-200 list in sales on Amazon.

Jenny Elsey (Spiritual and Intercultural Life) and Beronica Salazar (Counseling) applied for and attended the CCCU Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institute in June. They are part of a year-long leadership development program that includes shadowing a leader at another CCCU institution. Jenny will shadow President Michael LaRoy at Calvin College and Beronica will shadow Dr. Rukshan Fernando, an associate dean at Azusa Pacific.

Birthdays

September 4th, 2017

Sept. 7            Tony Longstroth, Jen Macnab, Nathan McDaniel
Sept. 8            Mark Pothoff
Sept. 9            Jeffry Fair, Josiah Philipsen, Tim Timmerman
Sept. 11          Jeff Duerr
Sept. 12          Kelly Chang
Sept. 13          Paige Parry
Sept. 16          Erin Johnson
Sept. 17          Kenton Miller, MaryKate Morse
Sept. 18          Darryl Brown, Jennie Harrop, Leah Payne

Safety is top priority as work on student activity center continues

September 4th, 2017

As the student activity center construction project continues, please respect the fence and stay out of the building and construction areas. Construction personnel only are allowed inside the fence. The safety of students, faculty, staff and guests is our highest priority.

Generally, work crews arrive around 6:30 a.m. and begin work on the site at 7 a.m. on weekdays. We apologize in advance for the noise, dust and inconvenience that accompanies projects such as this and ask for everyone’s patience as we anticipate this exciting new addition to campus!