SPU launches Faith & Co. initiative
Supported by generous donors Eric and Keri Stumberg, Seattle Pacific’s School of Business, Government, and Economics released Faith & Co: Business on Purpose, a documentary series of 13 short and evocative films about faith, business, and the common good. Filmed across three continents and 18 U.S. cities, and featuring a wide range of industries — high tech, health care, retail, and property development — Faith & Co. seeks to provoke questions and provide insights into what it means to act as faithful followers of Christ in business. The series premiered in Austin and Seattle and can be viewed at faithandco.edgepointedges.com. The films are central to SBGE’s first Massive Open Online Learning Course (MOOC) titled “Business on Purpose,” an eight-week class taught by Professor of Business Ethics Kenman Wong. The course develops a theological framework for business and its implications for purpose, profit, ethics, stakeholder relationships, economic inclusion, creation care, and sustainability. Faith & Co. is a partnership between academic departments, entrepreneurial companies, and mission-driven institutions. This bold experiment explores the potential of educational film and Christian vocation has united a team of experts to deliver rigorous, high-quality resources in the spirit of teaching and learning. The course will be offered again this fall.
Weiblings receive philanthropy award
In October, Dennis and Beth Weibling received SPU’s 2017 President’s Award for Philanthropy. The Weiblings have generously supported SPU with gifts to the University Fund and to several key projects. Dennis has served on SPU’s Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2013 and again since 2016. He was board chair from 2009 to 2013 and provided critical leadership through a presidential transition. He also helps guide SPU’s investments as a member of the Seattle Pacific Foundation Board of Directors and part of the investment committee. Proud parents of Jenna Weibling ’10, the Weiblings have contributed to a wide range of endeavors at SPU, from capital campaigns to campus initiatives that promote innovation and vocational preparedness. Philanthropic leaders in the Seattle community, Beth and Dennis also support World Vision, Jubilee REACH, and Bellevue Christian School.
Seattle Pacific Foundation posts excellent rate of return
Charged with stewarding endowment gifts to SPU, the Seattle Pacific Foundation continues to demonstrate an outstanding rate of return on investment. In a survey of 809 institutions of higher education with endowments, including schools such as Princeton, Stanford, and Yale, SPU’s endowment returns are in the top 10 percent in one-, three-, five-, and 10-year periods of investment. As of June 30, 2017, the value of SPU's endowment was over $103 million.
Grant enables new Nursing program building
The School of Health Sciences received a $1.5 million grant from The Norcliffe Foundation to help renovate a building for the Lydia Green Nursing program. The Nursing program is entering a phase of expansion to meet a growing demand for nurses. To accommodate enrollment growth, the newly renovated Six Nickerson building will offer modern classrooms, offices, meeting spaces, and an expanded Clinical Learning Laboratory. The grant builds upon the program’s history of academic excellence by helping to provide the space needed to prepare students to excel as clinicians, practitioners, and nurse leaders in a rapidly changing health care landscape.