Linda Samek, provost of Corban College in Salem since 2006, returned to George Fox on July 1 to serve as dean of the School of Education. Before serving as provost, she worked at Corban as dean of education, director of teacher education, and professor of education and mathematics from 2002 to 2006. She worked previously as deputy director and coordinator of teacher education for the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and was co-director of the Oregon University System’s Quality Assurance in Teaching Program. The hiring marks a return to George Fox for Linda, who taught at the university from 1996 to 2000 and was chair of the Department of Education from 1997 to 2000. In all, she has nearly 28 years of experience in higher education. Linda earned a bachelor’s degree in science education/mathematics from Oregon State, a master’s degree in math education from Portland State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Portland State. She lives in Sublimity with her husband Tom and attends Salem Alliance. The couple has two grown boys, Jeremiah and David.

Cliff Berger, an adjunct academic advisor and instructor at the seminary since 2004, began work as a half-time online facilitator at the seminary in June. He also teaches general studies courses for the Oregon campus of the University of Phoenix and is a faculty member in the adult degree program at Warner Pacific College in Portland. He also teaches online classes for Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Cliff earned a doctorate in Christian education from Emmanuel School of Religion in Tennessee in 2003, a master of divinity degree from the same school in 1983, and a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Christian College in 1980. He also studied marriage and family therapy at George Fox in the early 2000s. Cliff lives in Tigard with wife Cindy and attends Potter’s Hands Church in Tigard. The couple has two teenage children, Alex and Libbie.

Tim Wheeler was hired as a custodian at the end of June. Since July of 2006, he has been the operations manager of One Source Home Solutions of San Luis Obispo, Calif., a business that specializes in custom window covering, closet, and garage products. He also has worked as a pro shop assistant at Black Lake and Avila Beach Golf Resort in Avila Beach, Calif., and as an equipment advisor and salesman at Pro Golf Discount of Yakima, Wash. Timothy attended California Polytechnic University. He lives in Newberg with his wife Michelle, who will be enrolling in the university’s PsyD program in the fall.

Dana Miller (Advancement) is leaving the university at the end of July. He has accepted a position with the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust as senior program director for grant programs. During his 11 years at George Fox, Dana served on the senior leadership teams of three presidents. A search has begun for a new vice president of advancement. Sheri Philips will serve as the interim executive director of advancement.

Michelle Welton (Tilikum) left her retreat center director position at Tilikum on June 30. She is moving to Portland with her husband Brent, who was recently hired by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Connor Edmonds (Library) left his part-time archivist position on June 30. He has been hired to oversee the records management unit for the secretary of state’s archives division, an agency that develops records retention schedules for all cities, counties, state agencies, and special districts in Oregon.

Sarah Myhre (Undergraduate Admissions) left the university in June and moved to Texas to work at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Sharon Westfall (Registrar) left George Fox in June to work in the registrar’s office at the Portland campus of Linfield College.

Kay Winters (Library) left George Fox in June to accept a position with Oregon Health & Science University’s family medicine department.

Bill Buhrow (Health and Counseling Services) presented a poster, “Differences in Sexual Behavior and Contraceptive Use in Religious and Non-Religious Universities: A Comparison Using the National College Health Assessment,” at the American College Health Association national meeting in Orlando in June.

Kenn Willson (Performing Arts) completed a piano concert tour in his home state of Montana this spring. He performed a “Viennese Connections” program, featuring the music of Beethoven, in various churches in Billings and his hometown of Big Timber. The presentations included a slide show that Kenn compiled during his 2006 trip to Vienna, Austria.

Mike Goins (Financial Affairs) served on an accreditation site visit team for the Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma in April.

Ed Higgins’ (Writing/Literature) poem “week’s rain” was published in the most recent edition of the online literary magazine qarrtsiluni. This is the second poem of Ed’s that the publication has posted to its site.

The husband of former HR director Marva Crecelius, alumnus Ron Crecelius Jr., died on June 11 from complications from hepatitis C and liver failure. He was 58. In addition to Marva, other survivors include two sons, including 1995 graduate Kyle Jackson.

Twila Tschan, daughter of Vicki (Student Financial Services) and Manfred Tschan, won a $1,000 scholarship for being one of the top five interviews at the America’s Junior Miss Competition contested in Mobile, Ala., June 26-28. Twila will be a George Fox freshman this fall.

Bob (Professor Emeritus) and Maurine Gilmore celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 21. A reception followed the Sunday morning worship at West Chehalem Friends Church on June 22. Bob sang and played the song “A Wedding Prayer,” which he wrote for their wedding 50 years ago.

Cary Griffith joined marketing and communications as a web development specialist in May. He has worked in the department as a student for more than two years, and he was employed as an intern for the Chicago Title Insurance Company in Portland in 2007. He also has done freelance design work for university, church, and web clients. Cary graduated from George Fox this spring with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. He is married to Kayin, also a 2008 graduate of George Fox, and the couple lives in Newberg. They attend GodSong Community Church in Newberg.

Kayin Griffith has been hired as the administrative assistant in the office of spiritual life. She was the university’s Serve Day coordinator last year and will serve in that capacity again this year. Since December of 2007, she has worked as a project manager and designer for Griffith Design, a design firm she and her husband started out of their Newberg home. Previously, she has worked in George Fox’s student life and admissions offices, as well as in the Murdock Learning Resource Center. Kayin graduated from George Fox with a bachelor’s degree in studio art in 2008. She and her husband, Cary, a web development specialist in marketing and communications, attend GodSong Community Church in Newberg.

Darla Norgren has moved from temporary status to full time as an administrative assistant in the School of Management. She has been an administrative support and volunteer at the Portland Center since April. She also has owned a business, R&D Electric in Mulino, since 2006 and, from 2004 to 2008, she did administrative work at Silverton Hospital. Darla earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Pioneer Pacific College in 2005. She lives in Mulino with husband Robert and children Jared, Jacob, and Rachel. The family attends Foothills Community Church in Molalla.

The following faculty members are leaving the university to pursue other opportunities or retire: Kari Day (Management), Elizabeth Hamilton (Psychology), Gary Adams (Education), Gary Railsback (Education), John Warton (Cinema and Media Communication), Doreen Blackburn (Education), Gennie Harris (Education), Donna Kalmbach-Phillips (Education), David Sherwood (Social Work), Carol Sherwood (Nursing), and Jacqui Cooke (Nursing), Clint Baldwin (Political Science), Kevin Carr (Education), Rick Chromey (Boise Center), Melissa Croteau (Writing/Literature), Jules Glanzer (Seminary), Tom Johnson (Religious Studies), David Myton (Education), Beth Schafer (School of Professional Studies), and Manfred Tschan (Health and Human Performance). Hamilton and Baldwin will continue to teach on an adjunct basis.

Kris Thompson (Graduate Admissions) left George Fox in May to open a restaurant, The Orchard House, in Caldwell, Idaho.

Evan Schanzenbach (Admissions) left George Fox in June to work at American Intercontinental University as a national admissions advisor.

Annie Rilette (Health and Counseling Services) left the university in May.

Sandee Robinson (Management) left George Fox in May.

Stephanie Belt (Tilikum) left the university as an employee in May but will begin George Fox’s full-time MAT program in June.

Sunni York (MAT) will leave George Fox on June 11. She is retiring so she can travel and spend more time with her grandchildren.

Sharon Pilon (Advancement) left George Fox on June 5 to take a position as donor relations coordinator at Westside Christian High School in Lake Oswego.

Reid Kisling (Registrar) completed a year as president of the Oregon Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers by presiding over the association’s annual meeting in Klamath Falls, Ore., in May. He now assumes the role of past president for the association until next May. Reid also had an article, “My Staff Are Competent, Right?,” published in the February edition of the AACRAO strategic enrollment management trade journal, SEM Source. The article addressed the creation of a competency-based system for the evaluation, development, and promotion of enrollment services staff, specifically addressing character as an essential component often missing from other systems.

Dave Johnstone (Student Life) received the Ruth E. Bamford Award for Distinguished Service at the annual Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) conference at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, June 2-5. The award, given to a professional in the field of student affairs with fewer than 15 years of experience, is based upon outstanding contributions to ACSD and to the field of student development.

Ed Higgins (Writing/Literature) had a poem, “she said,” published in May on the online e-zine Best Poem: A Poetry Journal. Another of his poems, “Bottoms up,” was published in the June issue of the e-zine NthPosition.

Becky Ankeny (Academic Affairs) will go on sabbatical in the coming school year to complete her executive MBA and work with Northwest Yearly Meeting as an elder and recorded minister.

Lindsay Peterson and Travis Morgan (Admissions) presented at the annual North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals conference at Gordon College June 3. The title of their presentation was “Defeating the Curse of Knowledge: Crafting Messages that Stick in the Minds of Students.”

Joel Perez (Student Life) presented “Act Six Leadership Initiative: A Practical Strategy for Campus Change and Urban Transformation” at the inaugural Christian in Diversity Conference in Pomona, Calif., on April 23.

Brent Weaver’s (Performing Arts) musical work Snapshots for piano and winds will be performed in concert by the Alder Street Sextet, a Portland ensemble, at First Presbyterian Church of Portland June 1 at 3 p.m. Also, his work Devotional for cello and piano will be presented this summer at the Music08 Festival at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music June 15-22 in Cincinnati. He will also be participating in the festival, which features contemporary composers Steve Reich and Frederick Rzewski and the ensemble Eighth Blackbird.

Bruce Strom (School of Professional Studies) wrote an article, “Business professionalism: Are you measuring up to your goals?,” for the May/June issue of BizVoice, the magazine for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

Bethany Pearson’s (Plant Services) final day at George Fox is May 1. She will be increasing her workload with her family’s business, Mountain View Forestry.

Darren Funk’s (Plant Services) final day at the university was April 24.

Gary Railsback, Ginny Birky, and Kevin Carr (Education) each presented papers at the American Educational Research Association’s 2008 conference in New York City March 23-27. Gary’s presentation was entitled “Faculty Religious Convictions and Spirituality at Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Campuses.” Ginny’s was entitled “High School Reform: Stories that Inspire Educators to Embrace, Promote, and Initiate Change.” And Kevin’s was “Scaffolding Teacher Understanding of Action Research: Conflicting Discourses.” In addition to presenting papers, Gary was installed to a two-year term as the president/chair of the AERA Special Interest Group Associates for Research on Private Education.

Doug Campbell’s (Visual Arts) painting Jaydon and Dave was included in Digital Dimensions, an exhibit showcased at the Blackfish Gallery and Gallery 114 in Portland and at the Visual Arts Gallery at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham March 5 through April 4.

Ed Higgins’ (Writing/Literature) poem “Outside” is published in the current issue of the online literary magazine qarrtsiluni. The publication also published an audio file of Ed reading the poem that can be downloaded as an mp3 file.

From Michael Magill (Engineering): “We deeply appreciate all of you who have prayed for our son Marshall over the last 15 months. As most of you know, in February 2007 Marshall was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma. He was on chemotherapy for a year and just finished this past February. Marshall is doing very well. He continues with his running, delivering newspapers, riding his bike, and being an extremely active kid. He has a full head of blonde hair again and is feeling healthy. We have so much to be thankful for! God has been gracious in the midst of a difficult trial. Our hope is in him. Please continue to pray for Marshall and that the cancer won’t return. Again, thanks for your prayers and compassion.”

Dixie Downey joined Plant Services as an administrative assistant earlier this month. An alumna of George Fox (’85), she has been a stay-at-home mom and volunteer at her local school district since 1998. Before that, she worked as a programmer/analyst with Rentrak Entertainment Inc. from 1994 to 1998. She also gained management, customer training, and technical support experience at computer companies in Boulder, Colo., Portland, and Hillsboro from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. At George Fox, Dixie earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information science and business/economics. She and her husband, Scott, live in Aurora with their two boys, Maxwell and Roman. They are members of Christian City Church in Lake Oswego.

Tom Johnson (Religious Studies) is retiring from the university after serving in various capacities at George Fox the past 11 years. He has filled the roles of interim president, seminary dean, and professor of biblical theology. He and his wife Michele are moving to Whidbey Island, Wash., in their retirement. A farewell reception for Tom is scheduled from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, in the John and Marilyn Duke Atrium in the Stevens Center. The event will include time for sharing, refreshments, and a faculty/staff choir singing several hymns. Those interested in joining the choir may do so by attending a rehearsal after faculty lunch April 15 in the Cap and Gown Room.

Jan Thomas (Management) is leaving George Fox this month to move to Segway, Alaska, to take a position as an office manager for a tour company.

Lori DeKruyf (Counseling) gave two presentations at the American Counseling Association’s 2008 conference in Honolulu March 26-31. Her presentations were entitled “Social Justice Advocacy and Professional School Counselors: The ACA Advocacy Competencies as a Framework for Action” and “Identified Training Needs for School Counseling Site Supervisors.”

Ed Higgins (Writing/Literature) had a poem, “Tohono O’odham: The Desert People,” published in the spring issue of the Norwegian-based literary e-zine Babel Fruit.

Bruce Strom (School of Professional Studies) wrote columns, “Small Business Development in Tough Economic Times,” and “Small Business Marketing,” for March and April issues of the Idaho Press-Tribune. He also wrote a column, “Small Business Development in an Economic Downturn,” for the April issue of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business Success Center News.

Linda Sartwell and Steve Edwards (Mail Services) successfully completed the Mailpiece Quality Control training and passed the special qualifying examination. They are now certified as MQC specialists with the United States Postal Service.

Vickie McBride’s (Plant Services) final day at the university will be Thursday, March 20. She is leaving to get married and will be traveling with her new husband.

Several faculty members were approved for promotion at the recent board meeting. Following is the list of promotions.

From assistant to associate professor: Karen Buchanan (Education), Lori DeKruyf (Counseling), Kendra Irons (Religious Studies), Rhett Luedtke (Performing Arts), Gary Spivey (Engineering)

To master coach: Scott Rueck (Health and Human Performance)

Granted tenure: Bryan Boyd (Theatre), Jeff Duerr (Biology), Marc Shelton (Education)

From associate to full professor: Daniel Brunner (Seminary), Kevin Carr (Education), Chuck Conniry (Seminary), Lisa McMinn (Sociology)

Sylvette Norré (French), Viki Defferding (Spanish), and Debbie Berhó (Spanish) were conference co-chairs, hosting the Oregon Confederation of Foreign Language Teachers for their spring conference on the Newberg Campus March 1. More than 150 teachers from across the state were in attendance. Michinobu Iimori, adjunct professor of music, provided luncheon music on traditional Japanese instruments.

Paul Otto (History) was awarded a fellowship for research at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., for next year. He will be an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow for two months. Paul also accepted appointment to the Exhibition Scholarly Advisory Committee for the exhibition “Discovery and Invention: The Worlds of Henry Hudson” at the Museum of the City of New York. Finally, Paul was the keynote speaker at the regional Alpha Chi (national honor society) meeting at Cascade College in Portland on March 7. His lecture was “Going Native: White Indians Take Hollywood Films Captive.”

Bruce Strom (School of Professional Studies) wrote a column, “Do self-assessment before starting or expanding venture,” for the Idaho Press-Tribune. He also wrote a column titled “Tax and organization issues for small businesses” for the March issue of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business Success Center News.

The Boise Center, in partnership with the Greater Boise Chamber of Commerce, hosted a prerecorded broadcast from New York City called “Global Athenaeum - Leadership in the 21st Century.” The primary audience was women leaders from the greater Boise area. Bruce Strom, Rae Casey, and Chris Young from the Boise Center and Nancy Almquist (Development) were the principal faculty and staff involved in planning and hosting the event.

Dale Isaak (Health and Human Performance) has been selected to receive an Athletic Trainer Service Award for his dedication to his profession and his commitment to his local and national associations. The award winners will be introduced at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association annual meeting and clinical symposia in June in St. Louis.

This award was given in recognition of Dale’s willingness to serve not only the local and national associations, but also his community. He has donated his time and expertise at a variety of sports venues during football and basketball seasons and during the summer months with the Les Schwab Bowl and the St. Paul Rodeo.