ASSP Expands Club Offerings
Eight new clubs were launched in 2014 under ASSP’s leadership, pushing the total number of ASSP clubs to more than 60. New clubs include Ante Up (hip hop dance), Audioholics (music appreciation), Set Free (anti human trafficking), and the Vietnamese Student Association.
SPU Seniors Spend Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
University Scholars Kelsey Chase and Aly Inouye were among 10 students nationwide to win the Autumn 2013 Scholars’ Semester in Oxford de Jager Prize. The prize was awarded by SCIO, a research and educational institute in Oxford, and is the UK subsidiary of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Students Hear Prominent Business Speakers
Sonny Vu, founder, chairman, and CEO of MisfitWearables, was the keynote speaker for the 2013 Business as Calling Day on November 7, 2013. Business students learned from Vu’s experience in a high-tech, multinational startup that manufactures fitness tracking devices. The Dean’s Speaker Series, also sponsored by the School of Business and Economics, enabled business students to hear from and interact with Randall Lane, director of global diversity and inclusion at Cisco; Dana Manciagli, career coach and former Microsoft general manager; and Russell Dean Lowell, Washington Independent Restaurateur of the Year. The Walls Distinguished Speaker Series luncheon on January 21, 2014, featured Craig Jelinek, president and CEO of Costco.
“People of Promise” Selected at Homecoming
The SPU student body voted for eight outstanding classmates as “People of Promise” and honored them during Homecoming, January 30–February 1, 2014. The People of Promise included freshmen Erin Kimminau and Matt Hall; sophomores Mallory Loomis and Jordan Banks; juniors Lexi Vega and Reuel Mateo; and seniors Amanda Wyma and Emmanuel Mancilla.
Student Event Focuses on Faith and Sexuality
The offices of Student Life, Residence Life, Student Programs, and University Ministries worked with ASSP to expand offerings during the annual discussion series “Let’s Talk About Sex, Faith, and Relationships.” As part of this year’s series — held April 13–24, 2014 — campus guests Justin Lee and Ron Belgau led a packed event called “Let’s Talk About Homosexuality.”
Student Plan to Aid Amputees Wins Competition
At SPU’s eighth annual Social Venture Plan Competition on April 16, 2014, more than half of the participating student teams presented projects focused either on a mobile software application or on needs in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. However, an SPU student team called Sound Steps won the $3,000 Herbert B. Jones Grand Prize with a plan to help amputees in developing nations “step” out of poverty by providing them with high-quality, affordable lower-limb prosthetics. More than 75 judges rated the submissions and represented the business, nonprofit, academic, and professional communities.
Business Students Compete in Valuation Challenge
Promising finance students from across the U.S. competed in the third annual BVR/SPU Valuation Challenge, an opportunity for students to assess the stand-alone value of a real private company. Students used special appraisal information provided by Business Valuation Resources, LLP (BVR) and were judged by 20 of the nation’s senior valuation experts. In the final round of the competition at SPU on May 9, 2014, the University of Denver took top honors, followed by Portland State University in second place, and SPU in third place.
Student Research Highlighted at Erickson Conference
The 12th annual Erickson Undergraduate Research Conference on May 16, 2014, showcased the outstanding research and design of students in the fields of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and physics. Presentations ranged from single-quarter, classroom-based original research projects to multi-year independent research programs and engineering design projects.
Lewis Recipient of Wes Lingren Award
Each year, the graduating senior who most exemplifies the ideals of the University Scholars honors program at SPU is honored with the Wesley E. Lingren Award. In 2014, the award went to Colin Lewis, a Christian theology major whose honors project was titled “The Soul of Korean Christianity: How Buddha and Confucius Paved the Way for Jesus in the Land of the Morning Calm.”
President’s Citation Awards Go to Wyma and Sanchez
The President's Citation Award is given at Commencement each year to an undergraduate student and a graduate student who exemplify the mission and vision of the University, and who are among those students with the highest academic standing in their graduating classes. In 2014, the awards went to Amanda Wyma, who earned an undergraduate degree in communication and political science, and Orlando Sánchez Montes, who earned a doctorate in clinical psychology.