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In the News

• Published Corner
• Longtime regent earns honorary doctorate at PLU commencement
• Early completion date set for university pipe organ
• New position appointments at PLU
• A scholar of distinction: PLU names Browning first Distinguished Professor
• Fund drive lite--KPLU shortens on-air pledge time by one-third
• Grant round-up
• Academic Assistance Center celebrates silver anniversary

Published Corner

^* Alumni receive a 10 percent discount at the PLU Bookstore.

Longtime regent earns honorary doctorate at PLU commencement

	Longtime Regent Frank R. Jennings received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Pacific Lutheran University at its Dec. 13 commencement ceremony. Jennings, a top executive at Eddie Bauer since 1978, earned the doctorate for his outstanding and tireless service to PLU as a regent and board president, to the Lutheran church on both the local and national levels, and to the business world.

In December, Jennings ended his 13-year tenure as a member of the PLU Board of Regents. For the past five years, he served as chair of the board and president of the PLU Corporation. Jennings' presence and wisdom have provided important guidance and vision for the university and its leadership. He is an avid recruiter of students and donors, a member of the PLU Q Club, and has served on various search committees for officers of the university. The new president of the PLU Corporation and chair of the board is Gary Severson.

Early completion date set for university pipe organ

PLU's new tracker pipe organ is well on its way to completion, and earlier than expected. At press time 24 stops (differences in tone that can be mixed and matched) remain to be voiced, and carvings in the upper portion are also nearly done. The estimated completion date is late March. The original completion date was set for November 1998, but circumstances allowed Parkland builder Paul Fritts to complete the work early.
      Installation of the largest all-mechanical organ in a university setting on the West Coast began in January 1997 in the Mary Baker Russell Music Center. When completed, the organ (named the Gottfried and Mary Fuchs Organ) will boast 54 stops and approximately 80 ranks of pipes, which equals a little more than 3,000 individually voiced pipes.

New position appointments at PLU

David Aubrey, executive director of major gift development since 1995, has been appointed interim vice president of development and university relations, effective Jan. 6. In addition to his PLU assignment, Aubrey's fund-raising career includes experience at Valparaiso University, the American Heart Association, Luther Theological Seminary and California Lutheran University.

Chuck Nelson, registrar, has accepted the position of director of international admissions effective Feb. 1. He has served more than 30 years as registrar and performed 15 years of Nordic recruitment for PLU. Nelson developed a successful summer Nordic teachers' program and has assisted in the new School of Education International Multicultural Experience for Teachers (IMET) program for Norwegian teacher candidates. In his new position he will continue his work in Nordic recruitment and develop and implement strategies for other strong international markets.

Philip Nordquist, history professor, will serve as interim provost during the fall semester of 1998 when Provost Paul Menzel will take a sabbatical leave as a member of PLU's faculty. Nordquist's term of service will begin mid-July and conclude mid-January 1999. He currently serves as elected chair of the faculty. During his sabbatical, Menzel will pursue moral questions about discrimination in methods of measuring the quality of life in compromised health states.

Consider a graduate education at PLU

Business
In an effort to meet an increasing demand for management skills focused on technology and innovation, the PLU School of Business will launch a two-year Saturday Master of Business Administration program with specialization in Technology and Innovation Management (TIM) in the fall of 1998. The School of Business developed the Saturday alternative for professionals to earn an MBA-TIM degree after observing the success of the evening MBA-TIM program that was implemented in the fall of 1996. Call Jan Dempsey, director of graduate programs, 253-535-7250, or e-mail business@plu.edu, or visit the website at www.plu.edu/~busa/mba.html.

Education
The PLU School of Education offers master's-level education for new and experienced teachers. Experienced teachers can add endorsements and other certificates such as educational administration, special education, ESL and literacy. The school is now developing many of these into "cohort" programs, assuring students can finish their master's degrees within a set period of time. PLU also offers a master's with initial certification for those who hold undergraduate degrees outside the field of education. Call 253-535-8780.

Marriage and Family Therapy
PLU's Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Program marks the first anniversary of its affiliation with Good Samaritan Behavioral Healthcare (GSBHC) in Puyallup, Wash. The affiliation has created greater educational opportunities in the managed care setting for PLU students as professors and clinicians work together to shape both the curriculum and the work experience. Student therapists begin working with managed care clients immediately when they begin their practica in the on-campus clinic. After two semesters of work in this clinic, most students are placed at the mental health center of GSBHC, where they practice primarily with a certain type of mental health problem or a certain age group. The MFT Program offers a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy. Call 253-535-8782.

Nursing
Nurses benefit from a master's of science in nursing degree offered by the PLU School of Nursing. Programs for those wishing to become nurse practitioners include family, women's healthcare and gerontology. PLU also offers a care manager concentration with either a client systems or a health systems track. Call 253-535-8872.

Fund drive lite--KPLU shortens on-air pledge time by one-third

In response to listener feedback, KPLU is undertaking a new initiative for one-third less on-air fundraising. The fund drive is March 12-19.
      As KPLU offers more music programming and unique news than ever before, the costs have increased. Under the station's "More Programming, Less Fundraising" campaign, launched in January, a pledge-by-mail system replaced a portion of on-air fundraising.
      You may do your part by calling and charging a pledge from 9 am-5 pm business days at 1-800-677-5758 (ask for the Development Phone).

Grant round-up

Regional science fair on tap at PLU thanks to Intel
Intel Foundation funded a $56,500 proposal for first-year activities, leading to the first-ever South Sound International Science and Engineering Fair in the spring of 1999, coordinated and hosted by PLU. Six school districts will participate in the project, which seeks to establish inquiry-based learning in science curricula.

Intel boosts MESA program
Intel Corporation donated $44,500 to fund a special project coordinator to develop and implement the advancement of Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) classes in North Thurston and South Pierce Counties through the Tacoma/Pierce County MESA Center. The expansion includes Bethel, Franklin Pierce, North Thurston, Olympia and Steilacoom school districts. The funds will support expansion efforts, student tutors, travel expenses, supplies, clubs and academic support groups. The program works with elementary, middle and high school students to prepare them for college and professional careers in mathematics, engineering and science.

Intel funds MESA summer program
Intel Foundation granted $30,000 to fund MESA's 1998 summer program, Mathematics is Power, held at PLU. The program serves more than 60 MESA students entering grades 6, 9 and 10. The classes provide a hands-on mathematics and science curriculum developed to assist students with the transition from elementary to middle to high school.

Academic Assistance Center celebrates silver anniversary

Ask anyone at the Academic Assistance Center how they measure success, and they'll modestly tell you something like "one student at a time." But even a glance back at this accomplished, 25-year-old department reveals an impressive history.
      What began in 1973 with two students and an advisor occupying a small room in the library has blossomed into a nationally certified program that employs three staff and 25 paid peer tutors. And they've been busy. During fall semester 1997 alone, the AAC registered 3,525 student "contacts," either through one-on-one or group-tutoring sessions, all at no charge to users.
      The AAC exists to help all students at PLU, and according to Wanda Wentworth, AAC director, the average grade point of users is 3.0. Peer staff have had experience with nearly every department, class and program on campus. And in addition to covering academic issues, the center also offers help with basic college skills, such as more effective ways to take and use notes, read textbooks and prepare for exams.
      "What makes PLU's tutoring program unique is the strong commitment not only from peer tutors, but also at the faculty and department levels of the university," Wentworth said. In fact, it is funding from the university and individual academic departments that allows the AAC to operate. And peer tutors--whose high job satisfaction is virtually unanimous, according to a recent survey--only come to work with the AAC on recommendation from faculty members.
      While the main facilities are located in Ramstad Hall, off-site tutoring also takes place at several spots around campus. Future plans for AAC programs include on-site computer links to these locations, increased collaboration with the Writing Center and continued integration with academic departments, especially psychology, chemistry and languages.

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