Dec.
11
G e or g e F ox U n i v e r s i t y
Colleague
Next Issue: Jan. 8
Volume 13
No. 21
E m p l oy e e N e w s l e t t e r
Send news items to spatterson@georgefox.edu
P r e s i d e n t ’s P r o l o g u e
Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, is widely
known for its high quality of customer service.
Ground personnel are pleasant and helpful and
have the authority to make decisions contrary
to company policy if, in their opinion, the
decision is good for the customer. While doing
this, the airline is also profitable when the rest
of the industry is using a lot of red ink.
The Murdock Charitable Trust recently
sponsored a leadership conference attended by
about 75 people from a variety of not-for-profit
organizations in the Northwest. One of the
speakers was Dave Ridley, until recently the vice
president for people at Southwest Airlines.
Ridley worked for Southwest for 18 years in
several upper-level positions, including directing
airport operations.
Ridley kept saying that Southwest is in the
customer service business, not the airline
business. Most of what he said could be found
somewhere in other books about leadership
and management, such as Good to Great by Jim
Collins. What made Ridley’s presentation
different was the obvious passion with which he
spoke. For 18 years, he was responsible to put
into practice the principles on which the
company was built. Herb Kelleher, the
company’s founding CEO and still board chair,
was passionate about putting the customer first
and insisting that Southwest’s employees are
the most important customers.
Listening to Ridley’s presentation made me
consider how such principles could and should
be applied at George Fox University. Ridley
made it clear that leaders never make an impact
on many people directly; rather, the impact
comes by the environment the leader creates
and encourages. If we don’t treat each other as
the university’s best customers, we can’t
possibly treat our customers (students) as we
should. Further, if the leader wants to know why
customers are not being treated well, Ridley
suggests that the leader look in the mirror.
I appreciated these reminders of principles that
all of us already know. As I sat through these
sessions, I realized that I, like Southwest Airlines,
get letters from highly pleased and satisfied
customers. Such letters come from parents,
alumni, and employers. I renewed my
commitment to be grateful for my colleagues at
George Fox University and wanted to let you
know how proud I am to work with you for the
furtherance of God’s kingdom. The employees
of the university are truly our greatest treasure.
Deadline for Copy: Jan. 2
Tassels Turn
attendees to both seek and be mentors.
The event, designed for those called to
youth ministry, meets from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m.To register or get fee information, go
to kaleo.georgefox.edu.
Herma Williams, provost and academic
vice president at Fresno Pacific University,
will address an estimated 200 students at
the university’s midyear commencement
ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, in
Miller Gymnasium. Prior to the event,
there will be an 11:30 a.m. luncheon for
graduates and their guests in the Klages
Dining Room.
PDX Expansion
The Portland Center is expanding.The
university leased the building north of the
center’s parking lot on Southwest 68th
Avenue and is remodeling it to
accommodate two large classrooms, a
small classroom/conference room, a
counseling center/practicum site for the
counseling department, offices for
Portland Center counseling faculty, and
additional offices. Plans are for the
counseling department to move in
early January.
Williams joined Fresno Pacific this
summer after serving as associate provost
at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., for
six years. Previously, she was a professor
and chair of the department of education,
leadership, and human development at
George Mason University.
Take a Break
The expansion will free space in the
current Portland facility.Three members
of the registrar’s office who work with
students in the School of Professional
Studies have already moved to the
Portland Center.The additional space also
will allow several faculty members from
the School of Management to move to the
Portland Center.
Students begin a three-week Christmas
break on Saturday, Dec. 16, and Portland,
Newberg, Salem, and Redmond sites will
be closed for the holidays Dec. 25-28.
Friday, Dec. 29, is not a paid holiday, so
those taking it off need to use vacation
time.The Boise Center will be closed
Dec. 25-29.
The university’s bookstores, libraries, and
offices, with the exception of Security
Services, will be closed Dec. 23-28 and
Dec. 30 to Jan. 1.Visit
library.georgefox.edu for Portland and
Newberg library hours Dec. 16-Jan. 7.
Undergraduate classes resume Monday,
Jan. 8, while some graduate programs
resume classes the week of Jan 2-5.
Winter Weather
Wondering if poor weather has closed
school? To find out, listen to local radio or
television stations for closure updates.
Students and employees also may check
their e-mail, visit georgefox.edu, call the
university’s Newsline (503-554-EVNT) or
switchboard (503-538-8383), or visit the
websites of Portland-area media outlets. If
possible, decisions to cancel classes or
close the Oregon campuses are made by
6:30 a.m. for daytime classes and 2 p.m.
for evening classes.The Boise Center
makes closure decisions independently.
Presidential Party
George Fox employees and their spouse or
guest are invited to a Christmas open
house at the home of David and Melva
Brandt from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec.
17.The Brandts live in the historic
Edwards House at 402 S. College St.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Rita Boggs joined Plant
Services as a custodial
supervisor last month.
She has worked in retail
sales at Fred Meyer in
Newberg for the past four
years. In addition, she has been an administrative assistant for Inland Coastal, a
painting and drywall company in Dundee,
since 2000. Rita also is active in youth and
women’s ministries in the area and
volunteers with Chehalem Youth & Family
Services in Newberg. She lives in Dundee
with her husband, Joel, and three boys –
Jordan, Aaron, and Daniel.The family
attends GodSong Community Church.
Drop on By
Employees are invited to the library’s
annual wassail party from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, in the Murdock
Learning Resource Center’s multipurpose room.Wassail, cookies, snacks,
and coffee will be served.
Miller on Mentors
Don Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz,To
Own a Dragon, and other books, will
speak about mentoring at the third annual
Kaleo youth ministry conference on
Saturday, Feb. 24, in Bauman Auditorium.
Miller will talk about the mentors he had
when he was young and encourage
Colleague
•
Newberg | Portland | Boise | Salem | Redmond
•
Dec. 11, 2006
Stephanie Belt began as the
new guest services coordinator at Tilikum in November.
Originally from Joplin, Mo.,
she moved to Oregon in
October after completing a
theatre education internship with the
Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. In 2005-06,
she was the assistant youth minister at the
First United Methodist Church in Joplin.
Stephanie worked previously as a fine arts
teacher, a dance instructor, and a camp
counselor. She earned a bachelor’s degree in
theatre/acting from Missouri Southern State
University in 2002. She also attended
Torchbearers Bible School at Capernwray Hall
in England in 2003-04. She lives in Tigard.
Joel Hoffman is a new
custodial supervisor in Plant
Services.This marks a return
for Joel, who graduated from
George Fox in the spring with
degrees in international
studies and Christian ministries. He’s worked
as a barista at Coffee Cottage in Newberg
since March. Previously, Joel studied abroad
at the Torchbearers Capernwray Bible School
in England and Torchbearers Holsby Brunn in
Sweden. He also worked at a geriatric clinic
in Cairo, Egypt. Joel lives in Newberg and
attends Southside Community Church.
ABOUT OUR PEOPLE
Reid Kisling (Registrar) presented a
session, “Creating Readiness for Change”, at
the annual conference of the Pacific
Association of Registrars and Admissions
Officers in Waikiki, Hawaii, in November. He
also presented a session entitled “SelfAdvising: Can It Really Be Done Well” at this
year’s Strategic Enrollment Management
Conference in Phoenix in mid-November.
Reid and Kathi Newton (Registrar)
presented a form of the self-advising session
at the annual registrar’s conference of the
Oregon Independent Colleges Association,
hosted on the Newberg campus Nov. 20.
Jim Steele (Management) was the featured
speaker at Life Long Leaders, a career
development group for public service
employees, in Salem Nov. 17. His topic was
“Communication and Conflict.” Jim offered
communication strategies for preventing and
resolving conflict arising from organizational
change, team issues, and the need for selfcontrol. Jim also was appointed to an advisory
role with LightSPEED Technologies
(lightspeed-tek.com), a Tualatin-based
company specializing in classroom
amplification systems. He has accepted a
three-year appointment to serve on
LightSPEED’s compensation committee.
Martha Iancu (Communication Arts/ELI)
presented a demonstration entitled “NovelReading Techniques for High Beginners” at an
Oregon Teachers of English to Speakers of
Other Languages event at Clackamas
Community College Nov. 3. Alex Pia,
Dawn Todd, and Margaret Nava (ELI) also
attended the conference.
Ed Higgins (Writing/Literature) had three
poems – “Thought Fishing,” “Who can tell?”
and “(re)collecting” – published in the
November/December issue of The Foliate
Oak Online Literary Magazine, an online
literary journal of the University of Arkansas,
Monticello. He also had a short story, “Ecce
viator: Behold the Traveler,” reprinted in the
December issue of Taj Mahal Review:An
International Literary Journal.
Last year, the George Fox School of
Education produced 489 newly licensed
educators, tied for No. 1 among the
state’s independent institutions.The
university ranked No. 4 overall.The top
five: 1. Portland State (687 educators);
2.Western Oregon (567); 3. University
of Oregon (544); 4. George Fox (489)
and Pacific (489).
Dec. 11
Dec. 13
Dec. 14
Dec. 15
Dec. 17
Dec. 19
Dec. 20
Dec. 22
Dec. 23
Dec. 24
Dec. 25
Dec. 26
Dec. 28
Michelle Cox (Counseling) presented a
poster, “Cultural Value Correlates of Baby
Boomer Volunteer Motivations,” at a
Gerontological Society of America conference
in Dallas in November.The poster identified
informal strategies for identifying the reasons
Baby Boomers seek volunteer opportunities.
Michelle is continuing her research on Baby
Boomers and their recreation, leisure, and
volunteer behaviors through collaborative
projects with the Corvallis Senior Center and
the Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department.
Dec. 29
Dec. 30
Dec. 31
Michael Tomlin (Management) conducted a
workshop for the Region VI conference of the
Corrections Education Association in Boise
Nov. 13. His topic was “Educational Leaders
or Managers?” Approximately 150 corrections
teachers and administrators attended. Mike’s
talk challenged the role of educational
administrators, making comparisons with
other related industries.
Jan. 5
Craig Johnson (Management) had a
chapter, “Best Practices in Ethical Leadership,”
published in The Practice of Leadership
(Jossey-Bass), a book edited by Jay Conger
and Ronald Riggio.
Valorie Orton (Health and Counseling
Services) received a 2006-2007 Excellence in
Service Award on behalf of the university in
recognition of her dedication to the Red
Cross mission.The award was presented by
the American Red Cross Pacific Northwest
Regional Blood Services.
IN THE FAMILY
Did You Know …
BIRTHDAYS
Mike Campadore (IT) and his wife, Jan,
welcomed their first child, Clara Anne, on
Monday, Nov. 27, at Providence Newberg
Medical Center. She weighed 7 pounds, 9
ounces and was 21 inches long.
Jan. 1
Jan. 3
Jan. 4
Jan. 6
Jan. 7
Tatiana Cevallos
Rich Bass
Marvin Clarkson
Steve Grant
Dana Miller
Janelle Townsend
Gennie Harris
Paul Corbett-Furgal
Cliff Rosenbohm
Rick Muthiah
Viki Defferding
Gary Buhler
Becky Ankeny
Phil Smith
Howard Macy
Jenny Getsinger
Rodger Bufford
Jeong Ahn
Greg Allen
Danya Ochsner
Debby O’Kelley
Carol Namburi
Robert Simpson
Colin Miller
Cara Copeland
Lori Dekruyf
Sherrie Frost
Eric Funasaki
Bob Harder
Tim Hoffman
David Hansen
Amber Russell
Jack Harris
Julie Green
Sarah Marvin
Chris Koch
Dan Van Derwater
Brenda Graf
Melva Lloyd
Joy Reimann
Merrill Johnson
Cathy Peterson
CALENDAR
Monday, Dec. 11
Faculty Business Meeting
Hoover 105, 9 a.m.-Noon
Tuesday, Dec. 12
All-Employee Lunch, Noon
Saturday, Dec. 16
Midyear Commencement
Miller Gymnasium, 2 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 25-Thursday, Dec. 28
Christmas Break
Friday, Jan. 5
Women’s Basketball vs.Whitman
Wheeler Sports Center, 6 p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs.Whitman
Wheeler Sports Center, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 6
Women’s Basketball vs.Whitworth
Wheeler Sports Center, 4 p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs.Whitworth
Wheeler Sports Center, 6 p.m.
Editor’s note:“DidYou Know” submissions
are welcome and may be sent to
spatterson@georgefox.edu.
Colleague
•
Newberg | Portland | Boise | Salem | Redmond
•
Dec. 11, 2006