Transform - Srping/Summer 2012

A look At how your

investment impActs

simpson university And

its students

ransformSpring/Summer 2012t

G ateway to World Service! This is the long-term motto of Simpson University.

You will find this phrase prominently displayed on campus, including on printed materials and the global fountain in front of the Owen Student Services Center. It is even included on our academic seal. It is an expression that is understood and commonly repeated by faculty, staff, and students. It is woven into our culture and part of our DNA. When you support us prayerfully and financially, you strengthen us in our call to reflect the love of Christ in our attitudes and ministries as we serve the Church and the world. I have often said that world service at Simpson University must have 20/20 vision. We must have one eye on our larger world and one eye on our local community. With respect to the larger world, we are a Great Commission university. I believe that all Christians are called to the task of world evangelism, to bring people to a personal knowledge of Christ and to assist them in their spiritual development. This served as a driving force for Dr. Albert B. Simpson (late 19th and early 20th century revivalist after

Dear Friend,

transformPresident:

Dr. Larry J. McKinneyVice President for Advancement:

Gordon FlinnEditor & Layout: Candace Brown Dyar

Staff Writer: Elise Wilson ‘08

Photographer: Tessa Ratner

The Transform is a newsletter designed to inform friends of Simpson University

about how their gifts are making a difference.

For more information about giving to Simpson University, call 1-800-598-2239 or visit

simpsonu.edu/giving.

On the Cover: Camille Crane, a junior Math for Teachers major from Forbestown, Calif. See Student Focus, p. 4.

Photo by Tessa Ratner.

2 TRANSFORM Spring/Summer 2012

IN THIS ISSUE

Gateway to World Service

4 Student Focus

6 Meet the Faculty

8 Trustee Profile

10 Student Service

11 Giving Focus

12 Campaign Update

Simpson University Mission Statement:

As a Christ-centered learning community, Simpson University

develops students in mind, faith, and character to influence the world through

leadership, scholarship, and service.

Dr. Larry J. McKinney

President

www.simpsonu.edu / 1-888-9-SIMPSON 3

whom Simpson University is named). With respect to higher education, A.B. Simpson stated, “our aim is to educate thoroughly consecrated and qualified men and women to spread the gospel in its simplicity and fullness to the most needy and neglected parts of the world.” While the educational model of Simpson University is more comprehensive today than what A.B. Simpson may have envisioned, the statement is still very true. Our focus remains global service. You have partnered with us in sending more than 1,200 students on cross-cultural mission teams to more than 50 countries in the past 17 years. This year we will have 13 WorldSERVE teams going out, representing more than 90 students (see p. 10). We also have many faculty and staff who engage in world mission activities. Locally, Simpson University continues to participate and collaborate as a good neighbor through service and learning. We want to demonstrate servant leadership as we share our knowledge and skills in service to the marketplace, the academy, and the Church. Our students and employees are involved in service with local churches, parachurch groups, nonprofit organizations, schools, counseling agencies, and medical organizations. These day-to-day opportunities to be “salt” and “light” include student ministry practicums, internships, student teaching, clinical assignments related to counseling and nursing, and more. God has placed Simpson University in this unique location in Northern California to serve our local community. The 2011-2012 academic year marks our 90th anniversary as a Christ-centered learning community. With your support and prayers, we continue to be a Gateway to World Service, striving to be servant leaders in our local community, region, nation, and around the world. God bless you!

Gateway to World ServiceRead the president’s blog at blogs.simpsonu.edu/president.

4 TRANSFORM Spring/Summer 2012

STUDENT FOCUSJordan Vargas & Camille Crane Math for Teachers majors

Simpson University juniors Jordan Vargas and Camille Crane share a love for math and a desire to share that love with others through

teaching. As part of the Math for Teachers major, Jordan and Camille are gaining valuable math and teaching skills that they can utilize in their future careers.

“Math is a field of study that excites and interests me,” said Jordan, whose hometown is Victorville, Calif. “I know that a good amount of people have some kind of fear for math, but I hope to help my future students overcome their struggles with the subject. In addition, being a teacher offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of youth.”

“I have known that I want to be a high school math teacher for many years,” said Camille, a Forbestown, Calif., resident.

Jordan and Camille are very active in the Simpson and Redding communities. Both participate in Simpson’s math club (SUM) and are members of Kappa Mu Epsilon, a national math honor society. Jordan plays varsity basketball and serves in student government. He works on campus cleaning the first floor of the Owen Center and clearing the gym after chapel. Jordan also volunteers at the Sierra Oaks assisted living facility and plans to go on a mission trip to France this summer.

Camille keeps herself busy by working 19 hours a week as a Simpson admissions counselor. She spends her time helping prospective students work through the admissions process. For the last year, she has also worked at the Good News Rescue Mission in Redding.

After they graduate next spring, Jordan and Camille plan to further their education by earning their teaching credentials. Camille also hopes to earn a master’s degree in mathematics education.

Jordan and Camille are not strangers to facing challenges when it

came time to attend Simpson. The biggest challenges Jordan faced were adjusting to the distance from his family in Southern California and finances.

“It isn’t very easy to leave all of your familiar relationships and be forced to build completely new connections within a different setting,” he said. “In addition, paying for college can be difficult at times.”

For Camille, finances also posed a problem. “I have to pay for all my school on my own,” she said. “I have had to balance keeping my grades up to maintain scholarships as well as working enough to pay the remaining balance.”

Thankfully, Jordan and Camille receive scholarships to help alleviate some of their financial struggles. Jordan receives an athletic scholarship for his participation on the men’s basketball team. Camille benefits from Simpson’s California Aid Benefit (CAB) program. Through this program, Simpson covers the cost of tuition for students who qualify for both Cal and Pell grants. She has also received an academic excellence scholarship the last two years.

“I am very appreciative of the people who have donated to Simpson to further the education of myself and other students,” said Jordan. “If it were not for my scholarship, I probably would not be attending Simpson.”

“I am so incredibly thankful to those who have donated scholarship money to pay for my education because otherwise I would have no way to receive a college education,” said Camille. “I have had this dream of being a teacher and helping students for many years, and these donors are helping me accomplish that dream, and for that I have the most sincere appreciation.”

Thank you for donating money for student and athletics scholarships, so students like Jordan and Camille can pursue their dreams of teaching math.— By Elise Wilson ‘08 / Photos by Tessa Ratner

www.simpsonu.edu / 1-888-9-SIMPSON 5

6 TRANSFORM Spring/Summer 2012

MEET THE FACULTYHarold Lund, chairMath Department

Harold Lund is a busy – and patient – man. He takes a break from helping a student with some math problems to talk about himself and the Math

Department, of which he is chairman. It’s lunchtime, but he’ll work through it, returning to help the student as soon as the interview is done.

Teaching students is a passion that has guided Harold’s career for nearly 40 years, taking him from a junior high school in rural Indiana to Alliance Academy in Quito, Ecuador, and several other places before coming to Simpson University in 1996.

“I get really excited when I see our grads go on and teach,” he said. “That’s my passion, and I’m really excited when I see others get that.”

He’s had multiple opportunities. In fact, five or six of the math teachers in the Redding community are Simpson graduates, he notes. Named Simpson’s Professor of the Year in 2000, Harold also likes to invite former students to teach as adjuncts in the math program.

Harold, who has also been a high-school principal in addition to teaching math at multiple grade levels, said he was attracted to Simpson because of the feeling of family. “I got that right away when I came on campus,” he said. “I think that’s the university’s biggest strength, along with the continuing emphasis on missions and looking to serve others.”

When Harold was hired at Simpson, it was the first year the school offered a math major. He brought experience in math education. Subsequent hires, including the other full-time math professor, Dr. Isaiah Lankham, have emphasized preparing students for graduate studies in math.

“Dr. Lankham has been a real asset,” Harold said. “He is good at pushing students to develop math skills and prepare them for graduate work.”

In 2009, under Isaiah’s direction, Simpson started a chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon, an honor society for math students. The Simpson University Math Club (appropriately, SUM) is another way the department seeks to raise student awareness of mathematics. The club hosts regular game nights in the library, among other activities.

Harold’s vision for the Math Department is to consistently have five or six new students each year. While there aren’t many job options for pure mathematicians, having a math degree is useful in many fields, including any business that needs research.

“That’s the beauty of a liberal arts institution,” Harold said. “You’re developing God’s gifts and showing you have the ability to think critically. You become very employable in a wide range of fields.”

“thAt’s the beAuty of A li b erAl Arts institution: you’re developing god’s gifts And showing you hAve the Ability to think criticAlly. you become very employAble in A wide rAnge of fields.” - hArold lund

www.simpsonu.edu / 1-888-9-SIMPSON 7

SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONSimpson University offers master’s degrees in

teaching and education as well as California

teaching and administrative credentials.

Undergraduate students wishing to teach at a

secondary school level can major in English for

Teachers, Mathematics for Teachers, or Social

Science for Teachers. Combining these programs

with a minor in education can shorten the

credentialing process.

Learn more at simpsonu.edu/gradstudies (click “Academics”)

A WINNING EQUATIONThe summer 2009 Transform

featured an article on math

major Katie Garringer ‘09,

who was invited her senior

year to join the Math for

America Fellowship Program

in New York following

graduation.

• An update on Katie: She

earned a five-year grant

and stipend to teach. She

is working on her master’s

in math education through

Bard College in New York

and teaching at a high school

there.

Students with good math and people skills often make good managers, he said. “They see how all the pieces fit together and have more directed preparation in problem-solving.”

One of the department’s first grads is now a police officer in Denver, demonstrating the well-roundedness of his skills. Prior to that, he worked for an optics company that gave him a signing bonus because he had a math degree, Harold said.

Harold and his wife, Nancy, share a strong heart for missions work. They served at the Alliance school for missionary kids in Quito for 12 years. In 1999, Harold was able to substitute teach for nine weeks at International Christian Academy in Côte d’Ivoire. The Lunds have three grown children, including son Andy, who graduated from Simpson in ’04 and is working on his master’s in education here.

“thAt’s the beAuty of A li b erAl Arts institution: you’re developing god’s gifts And showing you hAve the Ability to think criticAlly. you become very employAble in A wide rAnge of fields.” - hArold lund

8 TRANSFORM Spring/Summer 2012

TRUSTEE PROFILEJulie IrvingSalem, Ore.

When Salem, Ore., resident Julie Irving retired three years ago from teaching middle school health education, she began to think about

how to meaningfully fill her days. “About a year after retirement I was prayerfully asking God to direct me in how to spend my time,” she said. “That’s when the phone call came from Dr. McKinney asking me to consider becoming a board member.” Julie – and her husband, Kent – already had a heart for Simpson and its mission. The Irvings’ youngest child, Jenna, graduated from Simpson in 2007. “My husband and I are huge advocates of higher education and the growth and development that occurs during these years,” she said. “Simpson was the perfect fit for Jenna. They offered so many places on and off campus for her to get involved in and grow. The staff valued her as an individual and encouraged her to listen to God’s calling and develop her passions.” Believing this was the right step for her, Julie agreed to run for the board and was elected last year – one of the newest members to join. Her decision to get involved was a tangible example of the philosophy by which she lives her life: “It’s my responsibility to seek God’s plan for me and to do my best in following it,” she said. President Larry McKinney said Julie brings a number of strengths to the 20-member board. “She has a keen interest in student development, student missions and student-life issues,” he said. “And as a retired public school teacher, she has a good understanding of educational issues.” Julie taught in middle school for 30 years. She and Kent, who will celebrate their 36th anniversary this year, have three grown children and a granddaughter. Daphné, born in June 2011, lives in Germany with her parents. (Daphné’s grandmother notes that this has already prompted two overseas trips, with a third in the works.) Julie’s heart for people and desire to exercise her gifts spill over into the event planning she does at Salem Alliance Church and for other Christian-based nonprofit organizations.

“my prAyer for simpson stAff, fAculty And students is thAt they will see god As A loving fAther who AlwAys hAs their best interest At heArt.”

www.simpsonu.edu / 1-888-9-SIMPSON 9

Though new to the board, Julie said she is encouraged by the dedication of her fellow trustees to pray for Simpson. “It would have been difficult for me to serve on a board that saw their position as a social thing instead of a God thing,” she said. The men and women on Simpson’s board of trustees contribute many hours behind the scenes to support the university. We are grateful for their thoughtful guidance and their genuine care for the Simpson community. “My prayer for Simpson staff, faculty and students is that they will see God as a loving Father who always has their best interest at heart,” Julie said.

Meet all of our trustees online at simpsonu.edu/trustees.

The Irvings’ investment into Simpson goes beyond Julie’s role on the board and being parents of an alumna. They have also established two tribute scholarships to help fund the education of students for years to come. To honor their daughter, Jenna ‘07, they set up the Jenna K. Irving Leadership Award, which reached endowment status in 2008. “We were so pleased with how it was set up that we recently set up another scholarship to honor my 88-year-old mother, BJ Wright,” Julie said. Two students have already benefited from the Jenna K. Irving Leadership Award. Elisa McKeown and Simeon Frank are cross-cultural studies majors who plan to become missionaries or be involved in full-time ministry. Julie had the chance to have lunch with Simeon when she attended a board meeting in October. The Betty Jane Wright Leadership Scholarship was established in October but has not yet become endowed. Both scholarships are designated for students who are cross-cultural studies majors, in their sophomore year or higher, and who have demonstrated leadership on campus or in the local, regional or global community. Anyone can set up a tribute scholarship. The fund must reach $10,000 to become endowed and eligible for scholarship distribution. Simpson University has nearly 60 scholarships set up by individuals, couples or families. To learn more about this opportunity to support and bless students financially, email [email protected], or call Vonnie Dodson at 530-226-4119. Learn more about scholarships and others ways to give at simpsonu.edu/giving.

Good Stewardship through tribute scholarships

Jenna K. Irving

Julie and Kent Irving with granddaughter Daphné

10 TRANSFORM Spring/Summer 2012

STUDENT SERVICEGateway to World ServiceSpring Break mission trips

M ore than 90 Simpson students will travel around the globe this spring and summer on WorldSERVE mission teams. Many of you have

supported students prayerfully and financially in these life-changing ventures. The following teams will be going out during spring break, March 23-31:

The ChiCago Team will help at an after-school program for inner-city youth, learn about urban issues, and partner with the Family Empowerment Center and their church.

The Peru Team will build a children’s home for orphans and minister to kids and families who live near the garbage dumps in Trujillo.

The Los angeLes Team will serve alongside Powerhouse Church in the Watts community through prayer, outreaches in the “projects,” playing sports with youth, doing a Vacation Bible School kids ministry, and hanging out with the many homeless in this area.

Summer teams plan to travel to Mexico, El Salvador, France, Gabon, Spain, Thailand, Germany, Lebanon, Romania and Asia. We appreciate your prayers for these students.

To learn more about WorldSERVE teams, or to donate online, visit simpsonu.edu/missions.

Students prepare for spring missions

www.simpsonu.edu / 1-888-9-SIMPSON 11

GIVING FOCUSScience and Nursing Buildingsimpsonu.edu/giving

Responding to market demand for quality nursing education, Simpson University added a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)

degree in 2011, a few years after launching the popular R.N.-to-B.S.N. step-up program through ASPIRE, our degree-completion program. Both programs are exploding at the seams. In addition, our biology program has grown steadily and is now one of our top eight majors. Due to limited space, our burgeoning science and nursing programs are scattered in inadequate facilities across campus. Many of you are already partnering with us to construct a science and nursing building that would enhance and grow our opportunity to impact many lives in the healthcare field. Thank you!

FaCiLiTY FeaTures• Two stories: one floor dedicated to science majors and one to nursing

education• Six patient simulation zones• Two clinical skills labs• Specialized areas for physics, microbiology, genetics, chemistry, organismal

studies and anatomy• A computer lab• Classrooms• Faculty offices

WiTh Your suPPorT We Can:• Meet our goal of adding three nursing cohorts of 27-30 students per year,

thereby increasing our annual student capacity of nursing students from around 90 to 150.

• Consider adding more science degrees, such as chemistry, physics and kinesiology, thereby benefiting an entirely new population of students.

• Place Simpson University in a strategic position to address the nursing shortage in Northern California in a significant way.

• Expand the scope and reach of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

• Create new opportunities for learning and development in science.

To donate or learn more, visit simpsonu.edu/snbuilding.

Students prepare for spring missions Future Science and Nursing Building

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