Tag Archives: seattle u

Seattle University announces Peñalver as next president, taking over for ‘Father Steve’

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Peñalver (Image: Seattle University)

Eduardo Peñalver, currently the dean of Cornell Law School and a Puyallup native, will return to the Pacific Northwest to replace Father Stephen Sundborg as president at Seattle University, the private Jesuit school serving around 7,000 students from its campus on the south end of Capitol Hill.

Peñalver will become the university’s 22nd president, its first Latino president, and the first layperson to take the helm since Seattle University was founded in 1891, the school said.

“I am so grateful to join Seattle University, excited about its future and looking forward to working with all of the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Seattle University to bring that future into being,” Peñalver said in the school’s announcement. “It is an honor to follow Father Steve, who has expertly steered the university these past two-plus decades and for the opportunity to build upon the solid foundation he has laid.” Continue reading →

SPD’s new Community Response Group makes arrests — including juvenile — after reports of 12th Ave property damage

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Seattle Police say five people were arrested — including one juvenile — in a demonstration Thursday night near Seattle University.

According to SPD, the arrests came around 10:20 PM after police from the department’s newly formed Community Response Group ordered the demonstrators to disperse. Police say the group continued pushing dumpsters and objects into the street. There were also reports of vandalism to buildings in the area, according to East Precinct radio.

Officers arrested five people for “obstructing and resisting” near 12th and E Spring. Four of the individuals are adults and were booked into King County Jail. Police said a teen was taken into custody at the precinct before being released to a parent.

The department’s new 100-strong Community Response Group has been created to provide faster response times to 911 calls across the city while providing SPD support in response to ongoing demonstrations and protest activity, SPD interim Chief Adrian Diaz said.

 

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With Seattle U Homeless Rights Advocacy Project roots, Third Door Coalition emerges as alternative to ‘Tax Amazon’

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A coalition to address homelessness in the Seattle region announced a proposal Tuesday to build 6,500 units of permanent supportive housing in King County in a five-year, $1.6 billion effort.

The Third Door Coalition was founded in 2018 “with focused conversations at Seattle University” and includes a group representing the restaurant and hotel industries, academics, and homelessness service providers and advocates including Chad Mackay of Fire & Vine Hospitality, Professor Sara Rankin of Seattle University School of Law, Daniel Malone of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, and Paul Lambros of Plymouth Housing.

“The plan calls for a public-private partnership to fund an estimated capital cost of $1.6 billion over the next five years,” a Seattle City Council announcement on the launch of the effort reads. “The Coalition also identifies ways to drive down the currently high costs of building permanent supportive housing.” First-year council member Andrew Lewis says he will announce “specific policies to advance the goals of the Third Door Coalition’s recommendations” in coming weeks. Continue reading →

COVID-19 crisis forces Seattle U to cut pay and furlough staffers

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Seattle University, one of the Capitol Hill area’s largest employers, will furlough 79 staffers and begin “mandatory and voluntary pay reductions of up to 20%” due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the Seattle Times reports.

In a letter to faculty and staff, Seattle University President Stephen Sundborg said the private school’s Cabinet and deans will take mandatory pay reductions of 10%, and will be asked to consider voluntary reductions of up to 20%. Upper-level administrators have been asked to take a voluntary reduction of 5 to 20%, and full-time faculty “have been invited to consider a voluntary reduction of 5 to 10%,” Sundborg wrote.

Seattle U says it has lost $7 million due to the costs of remote instruction and closing its residence halls, and is planning a $9.1 million budget cut for the next fiscal year.

Seattle Central and its public Seattle community college system, has also transitioned to remote learning. The colleges have not announced furloughs or cuts at this time. CHS reported on Seattle Central’s struggles to keep up with changes brought on by the crisis in the early stages of the outbreak.

Record levels of unemployment claims are being filed in Washington. The federal CARES act has expanded eligibility for unemployment assistance to include the self-employed, increased the weekly benefit amount by $600, and extended the time available for unemployment assistance by 13 weeks.

Seattle U employs more than 500 full-time and another 200 or so part-time faculty and maintains an enrollment around 8,000 students. Most experts predict enrollment at private colleges will be hard hit by the long term economic impact of the crisis.

Seattle University begins search for new leader

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Sundborg (Image: Seattle University)

Seattle University has announced it has begun a search for a new leader.

The private Jesuit university just south of Capitol Hill announced Thursday that longtime president Stephen Sundborg will step down from his post at end of the school year in June 2021.

“A comprehensive and inclusive national search is underway for the 22nd president of Seattle University,” the school’s announcement reads. “In February, the Board of Trustees approved the Presidential Search Committee to oversee a process that will actively engage, and seek input from, the university community. The next president of SU will guide the institution in its strategic directions and continued emergence as one of the most innovative and progressive Jesuit and Catholic universities in the world.”

The school employs more than 500 full-time and another 200 or so part-time faculty.
Continue reading →

‘All Dogs Must be Leashed’ — Overrun by naughty off-leash visitors (and their dogs), Seattle U changes policy

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Picture from a CHS reader. Thanks for the picture and tip!

It costs Seattle U students $45,765 a year to attend the south of Capitol Hill campus but many neighborhood dogs have been freely enjoying the fields of academia — off leash.

But now the school and its popular Union Green, one of Capitol Hill’s most popular “secret” off-leash play areas, is off-limits. Seattle University has changed its policies and now requires all canine visitors to be leashed:

“For the safety and wellbeing of our campus community and all visitors, dogs are now required to be on leash and under control of their owners at all times while on campus,” the university announcement reads. “This policy is consistent with the City of Seattle’s leash laws.” Continue reading →

Police: Seattle U riders try to rob Uber driver in dispute over changed destination

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Three criminal masterminds are being sought as suspects in a robbery incident near 11th and Madison Monday night after an Uber driver was attacked by her riders who she said tried to steal her cell phone and pulled on her head scarf in an argument over a change in destination on the ride.

According to the SPD report on the incident, the driver contacted police just after 8 PM to report the attempted strong arm robbery in her vehicle involving a customer and two other riders. The driver told police that she picked up the passengers in Shoreline for a ride to Seattle University. When the driver arrived at 11th and Madison, the Uber customer told her to drive to a new location and was told to enter the destination in the rideshare’s app.

That’s when things went bad quickly: Continue reading →

Machine House Central District pub ready for Wold Cup debut on E Jefferson

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(Image: @machinehouse)

Just as the World Cup gets really serious, Machine House is ready to debut its new Central District pub:

🚨MHB Central District is opening this weekend at 1315 E. Jefferson St.🚨 Doors open 7am this Friday 7/6 for the start of the World Cup Soccer Quarter Finals! Enjoy $4 imperial pints of the Cambridge Bitter during matches on Friday and Saturday as a part of the celebration!

You might expect a bit of a crowd at the new venue from the Georgetown-born brewer of English-style cask ales Saturday morning as England takes on Sweden.

CHS first reported on the E Jefferson tap room project in January as Machine House co-founder Bill Arnott told us a big part of the drive behind creating the pub was making sure the brewery’s prized creations are receiving the pours they deserve. “Very few pubs can serve it properly,” Arnott told CHS earlier this year. “We’ve found we need to control the experience. We need bartenders who can explain and present it.”

Arnott and co-founder Alex Brenner’s new venture is tiny compared to the massive and spartan factory setting of the Machine House brewery in Georgetown — just 1,000 square feet — so expect close quarters with some good new friends down the rail and plenty of good beer.

CHS Pics | Special Olympics inspiration at Seattle U

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As the World Cup pauses, some of the best, most spirited soccer around is taking place right here in Seattle. The 2018 Special Olympics have, indeed, come to Capitol Hill. Consider making the games part of your 4th of July celebration.

Tuesday, CHS visited Seattle University’s Championship Field and SU Park for some early round soccer action. We also took in some of the basketball competition taking place at Seattle U.

We found a gorgeous sunny day with shining examples of sportsmanship, encouragement, and kindness — plus some serious athletic skill.  Continue reading →

CHS Pics | To feed the hungry, harvesting what’s left behind when Seattle U students move out

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Capitol Hill citizens are familiar with the various seasons for street corner mattresses and couches around the neighborhood. The area around Seattle University can be particularly ripe for harvest in early summer though school officials do a lot at the end of the school year to help students donate clothing, furnishings, toiletries, books, and packaged foods. This year, CHS stopped by to see the last step in the process as Northwest Harvest came to campus to pick up more than 800 pounds of food donated by the moving Seattle U students. Continue reading →