A Venture of Change and Hope
Driving The Campaign for ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ
Is a Purpose Bigger Than Ourselves 
President Philip Eaton formally announced The Campaign for Seattle
Pacific University to faculty, staff and students at The Bite of
SPU,
held in Brougham Pavilion.
LATE LAST WEEK some 15 students showed up at
my office and asked if they could have a few minutes with me. Now,
for a university president, this could signal any number of things,
many of them not so good. Perhaps they have a concern about some
perceived deficiency in our programs; maybe they want to register
a complaint about food, or too many triple rooms; or perhaps they
will protest our investment policies or our use of a certain kind
of coffee.
But no, these students said they wanted to pray for me. Can you
believe that? They had all participated in SPRINT, a powerful, solid
program — much of it student-led — that sends students
into the tough spots of the world to serve. Through this experience,
and so many others in their university careers, they had begun to
grasp a big vision for their lives.
As these students prayed, I was deeply touched. They would say things
like, “Lord, help us to understand better how we can change
the world, how we can be instruments of your love and grace and
peace in a desperate and needy world.” And I thought, these
students are not here just to fulfill their career aspirations,
important as those are. No, they have caught a vision that they
can make a real difference, and they are asking for the tools, for
the shaping of their gifts and talents, for the channeling of their
energies, to be change-agents to make the world a better place.
I have been reflecting a great deal on character lately. James Davison
Hunter, in his book The Death of Character, says we have lost the
ability to teach character in our society, in large part because
we have no moral agreement in our culture. If we have no agreement
on right and wrong, on what integrity or honesty means, then indeed,
character is hard to come by in our culture. But the challenge of
teaching character only reinforces the need. We must be about the
business of character formation.
Hunter goes on to say something very interesting: “Implicit
in the word ‘character’ is a story. It is a story about
living for a purpose that is greater than the self.” I think
that’s exactly why ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ is able to teach
students character. We have a big story that frames all of our work.
I have said it many times before: The really big story is that God
wants all of his children to flourish. His heart grieves when his
children are not flourishing. And he offers us an opportunity to
participate in that flourishing and to bring that flourishing into
the world. That’s the big story we strive so diligently to give
to our students.
This fall, we open the public phase of The Campaign for Seattle
Pacific University, the largest fund-raising effort in the history
of SPU. Our carefully designed goal for the Campaign is $52.85 million.
As we go public, I am grateful to all who have already helped us
cross the $31 million mark. This is a strong beginning, but in an
uncertain fund-raising environment, we have to roll up our sleeves
in the weeks and years ahead. We need all of our friends to lock
arms with us.
The key to the Campaign is that we all understand we are investing
in a purpose bigger than ourselves. We are building new buildings
and want to build some more. We are investing in quality programs
and have great plans for others. And even though our endowment has
grown dramatically over the last 20 years, we are taking on the
huge challenge of building an endowment adequate to our vision.
We have a very careful plan to shape a premier Christian university.
We have been working for some six years to sharpen this plan for
excellence. But we have to keep asking, excellence for what purpose? Why
do we seek to be a premier Christian university? Precisely so that
we can better understand our contribution to the really big story
of God’s plan of love and grace and light and flourishing for all
of his children.
To live out the gospel of Jesus Christ is such an exciting venture.
The world is a frightening place, and I worry at times for our students
that they will be overwhelmed by its complexity, its darkness, its
pain and suffering. But the gospel shines light into this world.
In this light we are given the great gift of hope, and we are given
the opportunity to be change-agents.
This is what The Campaign for ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ is all
about, and this is what you will encounter in this issue of Response.
As you and I invest in the Campaign, we are really investing in
a venture of change and hope. What an extraordinary opportunity.
— BY PHILIP W. EATON, PRESIDENT
— PHOTO BY MIKE SIEGEL
Cover Story, Pacific Northwest Magazine in The Seattle
Times September 1, 2002
Titled “Engaging Faith: SPU President Philip Eaton Champions
the Radical Middle,” this eight-page feature story talks
about Eaton’s work ethic and responsibilities as president;
his vision of SPU “engaging the culture and changing the
world”; and how he has led SPU into the public square
through his writings, interaction with community leaders
and support of community outreach. To view the entire
article, go to .
State of the University Address
September 25, 2002, First Free Methodist Church, Seattle
President Eaton addressed SPU faculty, staff and student
leaders prior to the opening of school this fall. His
theme for the morning centered on a strategy for increasing
Seattle Pacific’s profile as a premier, national Christian
university. For the complete text, go to .
Interview, The Dave Ross Show, KIRO 710 Radio
October 3, 2002, Seattle
For a full hour, President Eaton and radio personality
Dave Ross conversed on a variety of issues relating to
character education — including academic freedom, moral
behavior, moral judgment, individual and community rights,
civility and more. To listen to the interview, go to .
Editorial, Puget Sound Business Journal
October 7, 2002, Seattle
Under the title, “Let’s Not Declare Character Dead Just
Yet,” President Eaton wrote about the role of character
in the health of organizations and in the health of society
as a whole. For the complete text of the editorial, go
to .
Washington Policy Center Dinner
October 15, 2002, The Westin Hotel, Seattle
At the invitation of the organizing committee, President
Eaton offered the invocation at this event sponsored by
the Washington Policy Center, a research organization
that explores public policy issues in Washington state.
Keynote speaker Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New
York City, addressed the crowd of more than 1,000 people.
Yakima Rotary Club
October 31, 2002, Convention Center, Yakima, Washington
President Eaton addressed 250 Yakima Rotarians on the
subject of character and leadership.
Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Luncheon
November 13, 2002, Bellevue, Washington
President Eaton was the inaugural speaker for a new Leadership
Series instituted by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.
His remarks focused on character, leadership and ethical
decision-making in education and other arenas. |
|
Back to the top
Back to Home
|
|
SPU Musicians Play Benaroya
For the third Christmas season in a row, SPU takes "The Sacred
Sounds of Christmas" downtown, performing in Benaroya Hall. [Campus]
Meet the Alumni Board President
After 30 years, Darlene Hartley rediscovered her alma mater, reconnected
with fellow alums — and got a very warm welcome. [Alumni]
Reconciliation in South
Africa
Professor of English Susan Gallagher spotlights the writings of
South African exiles and prisoners in her new book. [Faculty]
Friendly Competition
Intramural sports go back to Seattle Pacific's beginnings.
Their enormous success today is due in large part to Howie Kellogg,
director of intramural and club sports. [Athletics]
My Response
Gary Ames, whose family foundation funded the Ames Initiative on Diversity
at SPU, talks about using his retirement to champion the causes in which
he believes.
|
|
