Published: Friday, November 14, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Major construction projects on Whitworth’s horizon are in danger of being put on hold due to economic considerations, said Brian Benzel, vice president for finance and administration.

“We’re not making delay decisions yet, although it’s highly possible the HUB expansion and Phase II of the science complex may be delayed,” Benzel said in an e-mail interview.

The HUB expansion will add a new area to the dining area, and Phase II of the science complex will include the renovation of the existing center as well as a 16,000-square foot addition.

“We are keying the projects on our ability to finance and start construction on Phase I, the new science building,” Benzel said.

The primary issue is the university’s ability to sell the bonds that will fund the project, Benzel said.

“We are preparing to sell bonds, but won’t make that decision until at least January,” he said.

Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Construction on an expansion to the Hixson Union Building’s dining area could begin as early as this summer, said Brian Benzel, vice president for finance and administration.

The current dining hall seats about 350. The new expansion will add about 8,000 square feet, the equivalent of 170 new seats, or roughly 50 percent more available seating.

“The overall budget for the project will be about $5 million,” Benzel said.

The HUB was last remodeled in 1997 when there was a total of 2,043 students, according to the 2005-2010 strategic plan. There are 2,674 students this year, according to the Fall 2008 Tenth Day enrollment report.

Sophomore Tobin Eyestone said the dining area needs to be expanded.

“During peak lunch hours there’s hardly any place to sit, especially if you’re with a group of friends,” Eyestone said.
The expansion will be constructed on the north side of the HUB, extending out from the existing dining area toward Arend Hall.

The expansion will consist of two levels, a ground level and a mezzanine above it, with lots of windows providing natural light.

Steve Thompson, director of capital projects, said the new area will have a different feel to it than the current dining area.

“It won’t just be a big open eating area like the current dining hall,” he said.

The expansion will consist of several themed eating spaces, such as Italian and Mexican food areas, Thompson said.

Although there won’t be any food preparation facilities in the expanded area, the decor and atmosphere will make the new area a unique place to eat.

The current eating and kitchen areas will not be affected by the expansion, Thompson said, adding that students will be able to continue eating in the dining hall while construction is underway.

Sophomore Ryan Gerhard said although the dining hall could use an addition, he is concerned about the financial implications.

“Any improvement they make is cool, as long as it doesn’t cost me any more money,” he said.

The funding for the expansion is coming from the same bond issue that will be used to finance the East Residence Hall and science center projects.

The current economic situation could potentially force a postponement of the construction, Benzel said.

“It depends on when our bonds can get sold,” he said. “The market isn’t affecting us at this point because we’re not ready to sell the bonds yet.”

Benzel said he wants to wait until the market situation improves before selling bonds.

He said he hopes the expansion will be completed by fall 2010.

Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Act Six is now recruiting applicants from the Spokane area and the first Spokane cadre in fall 2009 will be split between Whitworth and Gonzaga Universities.

“There are a lot of students in the Spokane community that could benefit,” said Tim Herron, Act Six national director.

Founded by Herron in 2002, the program is in its sixth year at Whitworth. The Act Six program draws its name and inspiration from the story of the early church as described in the Bible in Acts 6.

The program encompasses intensive leadership training, a full-ride scholarship and post-graduation community integration, according to the Act Six Web site.

Herron, a former Tacoma math teacher, envisioned the program after watching many of his most promising students drop out of college, according to the Web site.

Whitworth has seen many changes due to the direct influence of Act Six, including the introduction of the Gospel Choir, which was founded by Act Six scholar and 2008 alumna Sha’Nay McQuirter, according to the Spring 2007 issue of Whitworth Today.

The move to Gonzaga is being headed up by Rodney McAuley, Act Six Spokane director, who sees the program as an investment in the Spokane community, according to a July 28 Whitworth press release.

“Even in this supposedly remote corner of the world, the demographics are shifting,” McAuley said in the press release. “Twenty-five percent of the Spokane public schools’ population are students of color, compared with 8 percent in the overall population of the city.”

Raymond Reyes, vice president for intercultural relations at Gonzaga, said he is excited about becoming part of the program.

“It’s a win-win,” Reyes said. “When you have a diverse student body, everybody wins.”

Herron said he is excited about the expansion.

“The first step of the Spokane expansion was the opening of a Spokane branch of the [Northwest Leadership Foundation] downtown,” he said.

Sophomore Yong Kim, an Act Six scholar, is also in favor of the expansion.

“I’m glad that colleges are seeing the value of Act Six,” Kim said.

Eighteen Act Six scholars will enroll at Whitworth and Gonzaga next fall – nine from the Spokane area and nine from the Seattle/Tacoma area. Gonzaga’s first cadre will consist of eight scholars, while Whitworth’s seventh cadre will have 10 scholars.

Published: Saturday, September 27, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

When science students arrive on campus in fall 2010, they will be able to attend class in a brand-new $37 million building, almost half of which will be paid for through gifts.

Fifteen million dollars will be raised through fundraising while the rest will be financed, said Stacey Smith, associate vice president of Institutional Advancement.

“We have experienced a dramatic increase in science majors and our current space does not serve this growth,” Kristi Burns, vice president for Institutional Advancement, said in an e-mail interview.

The Fall 2008 Tenth Day report, showing this fall’s enrollment numbers, had not been released at the time of press.

In addition to a completely new building, the existing Eric Johnston Science Center will be receiving a face-lift and expansion, which will cost $18 million, according to an April 15 article in The Whitworthian.

In April, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to seek funding for the East Residence Hall and new science center through the sale of bonds, according to an April 22 article in The Whitworthian.

In addition to fundraising $15 million, the university is also seeking federal funding, Smith said.

Although no official campaign has been announced, Institutional Advancement has started fund raising for the science center project, she said.

“Fundraising for large donations is largely done through personal visits,” Smith said. “It’s all relationship based.”
Phone and direct mail fundraising is also utilized, typically for smaller gifts, she said.

“We are committed to securing $15 million in gifts for [the new science building] and an additional $10 million for a wing on [and renovation of] the current science building,” Burns said.

The first phase of fundraising is focused on large gifts from a few people, Burns said. The second phase consists of soliciting smaller gifts from more people.

“[Institutional Advancement] has a major gift fundraising staff,” Burns said.

The biggest target groups for fundraising are alumni, friends of the university, regional corporations and foundations.

“All major regional corporations and foundations who have a budget for gifts like this will be looked at,” Smith said.

The university’s goal is that the $15 million for the new science building will be raised by August 2010, Smith said.

Published: Saturday, September 27, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

The Act Six informational meeting, intended to educate the campus community about Act Six, was held Sept. 22 in the Hixson Union Building Multipurpose Room.

Sophomore Yong Kim and senior Jeremiah Sataraka, both Act Six scholars, and senior Jeff Upton described the program. Other speakers included Rodney McAuley, Spokane Act Six coordinator and Esther Louie, assistant dean for intercultural student affairs.

“There’s a long history of diversity outreach on our campus,” Louie said.

Act Six is the latest manifestation of Whitworth’s desire to have a ethnically diverse student body, Louie said.

Founded by Act Six national director Tim Herron, the program is in its sixth year at Whitworth. The program encompasses intensive leadership training, a full ride scholarship and post-graduation community integration.

Herron, a former Tacoma math teacher, envisioned the program after watching many of his most promising students drop out of college, according to the national Act Six Web site.

Since the program’s inception, Act Six has expanded to seven colleges in Washington, Oregon, and Tennessee.

Whitworth has seen many changes due to the direct influence of Act Six, including the introduction of the Gospel Choir, which was founded by Act Six scholar and 2008 alumna Sha’Nay McQuirter, according to the Spring 2007 issue of Whitworth Today.

Speakers talked about the success of the program and its impact on Whitworth.

The Act Six program draws its name and inspiration from the story of the early church as described in the Bible in Acts 6. The theme of the story is the need for leaders to be selected and trained to aid the unrepresented.

Through a rigorous application and training regimen that spans several months of the scholars’ last year of high school, the program instructs and inspires the students to be leaders in their communities and forces for positive change, according to the national Act Six Web site.

Published: Saturday, September 20, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

This year’s freshman class is the largest in Whitworth’s history.

There are 547 freshmen this year, up from 533 last year, said Fred Pfursich, dean of enrollment services.

The university also enrolled more than 80 transfer students — 14.6 percent of the overall new student enrollment.

“Typically, 15 percent of new students each year are transfers,” Pfursich said.

The male-to-female ratio increased from 45-55 percent last year to 47-53 percent this year, he said.

All these numbers equate to roughly a 2.5 percent overall growth in the number of full-time day students — a bit over the university’s stated goal of 2 percent growth each year, according to the 2005-2010 strategic plan.

Whitworth’s ethnic diversity has also risen with the arrival of the new class. Sixteen percent of the new students describe themselves as non-white, compared to 14 percent last year, Pfursich said.

The average incoming GPA of 3.7 is also a new high for Whitworth, Pfursich said.

Current students have noticed the impact of the large freshman class.

“I love them,” junior Richie Ressel said. “It’s cool they wanted to come here, but it’s too bad there’s not enough space for them.”

The freshmen themselves seem to be taking it in stride.
“I just really like it here,” freshman Erick Huntley said. “And I love the Ultimate Frisbee.”

Pfursich said he is optimistic despite the space challenges.

Looking to the future, Pfursich said in order to stay within the university’s goal of two percent growth, the admissions staff is looking to enroll a smaller class next year.