WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin
Issue 2004-21 (November 17, 2004)
IN THIS ISSUE
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Couch potatoes and small fries: “Sedentary Death Syndrome” on the rise
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Landscape architecture students help beautify Airway Heights
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WSU pharmacy student receives national senior care scholarship
- Find it on the Web
Brian Pitcher named campus chancellor
Brian
Pitcher, who has served as the provost at the University of Idaho
for seven years, has been selected as the new chancellor for the
Washington State University Spokane campus. WSU President V. Lane
Rawlins announced Pitcher’s appointment at the WSU Spokane Riverpoint campus Friday.
“We are pleased to have Brian on board. These are exciting times on the Spokane campus. Enrollment is growing; so is the campus’s reputation as a home to world-class research. In Brian, we think we have found the strong academic leader and an excellent consensus-builder that we need to keep WSU Spokane moving forward,” Rawlins said.
Pitcher came to the University of Idaho in 1997 as provost, the
university’s chief academic officer. From March to June of 2003,
Pitcher served as acting president of the university. During his
tenure at UI, Pitcher has also been a professor of sociology and an
adjunct professor of educational administration.
Before coming to the Moscow campus, Pitcher worked for 19 years at Utah State University as a faculty member and administrator. Pitcher was the dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Utah State from 1992 to 1997.
Pitcher earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University and his doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Arizona.
“I am attracted by the unique opportunity to work with talented faculty and staff, with mobilized community groups, and in collaboration with regional education institutions to create world-class education opportunity in Spokane,” Pitcher said. “The vision of the Spokane University District and leadership from Washington State University for research and advanced studies will synergize local and regional development. I am pleased to be part of the team.”
Pitcher’s start date is Jan. 17, 2005. He will take over for Nicholas Lovrich, the director of the Division of Governmental Studies and Services at WSU, who became interim chancellor at WSU Spokane on July 1. Lovrich succeeded Rom Markin, who had served as interim chancellor since February 2003.
Rawlins praised the work of both Lovrich and Markin in supplying steady leadership during the transition period.
That period has been one of growth in both enrollment and facilities on the Riverpoint campus. Head-count enrollment for WSU in Spokane, including students at the Intercollegiate College of Nursing, hit a record high of 1,427 students this fall, an increase of 6.7 percent from comparable figures from last year. Two new programs were created and new bachelor’s and doctoral degrees added. Construction of the 106,000-square-foot Spokane Academic Center building is now underway, with completion scheduled by fall 2006.
One of WSU’s top priorities in its capital budget request to the legislature for the upcoming biennium is a new nursing education building at WSU Spokane; given operating support to match, the new facilities will enable expansion of the program to meet critical shortages of nurses and nurse educators. The join WSU-UW operating budget request would enable continued expansion of the campus’s growing research activities as well to help fuel the state’s economy.
Meanwhile, the WSU Spokane campus is at the heart of a planned
University District, which is being advanced by community and
education leaders as a way to enhance economic development and
quality of life in the downtown area.
Couch potatoes and small fries “Sedentary Death Syndrome” on the rise
Sally
Blank, associate professor of
exercise science and director of the
program in health sciences at WSU Spokane, gave a presentation on SeDS as part of “Cougar Conversations” on the Pullman campus
Saturday, Oct. 30. 
According to Blank, more than 350 of the nation’s leading physiologists are working to get federal lawmakers, the medical community and the public to recognize SeDS as a serious health threat and to increase funding for research that examines the link between physical inactivity and disease.
Sedentary death syndrome, or SeDS, is a term coined by researchers who are encouraging NIH scientists to look at a syndrome that results from inactivity. They have formed a group called RID (Researchers against Inactivity related Disorders, www.ridinactivity.org) and are spreading the word about a group of hypokinetic diseases, or diseases that result from inactivity.
Physical inactivity causes: • 250,000 deaths each year in the USA • 12% of all deaths & one-third of preventable deaths • $300 billion/yr in unnecessary health care costs • One-fourth of all health care costs • Costs equivalent to the budget of 25 NIH’s.
SeDS is one of the top three contributors to all-cause mortality in the U.S. today. Approximately 2.5 million Americans will die prematurely in the next ten years due to SeDS, a number greater than all alcohol, guns, motor vehicles, illicit drug use and sexual behavior-related deaths combined.
Blank says, “The clustering of several metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk factors has been termed the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome seems to result from a collision between susceptible ‘’thrifty genes’’ and a society characterized by an increased prevalence of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. “
“Couch Potatoes”: Boom Times and Busted Seams
Approximately two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, and one-fourth of Americans are not physically active in their leisure time. According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the biggest gain in the protective benefit of exercise occurs when previously sedentary people begin to exercise, yet physicians rarely prescribe exercise for people with serious conditions that could be aided by an in increase in physical activity.
Small Fries: The Offspring of Couch Potatoes
Children are more sedentary than ever. They are increasingly overweight or obese and developing type 2 diabetes. Between l980-1994, obesity in American children increased 100 percent; 60% of overweight children have at least one cardiovascular risk factor.
Who is at risk for SeDS? Any person whose level of inactivity is below the threshold for beneficial health effects, burning under 200 calories in daily physical activity (the amount burned in approximately 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity).
Symptoms of SeDS:
• Weak skeletal muscles
• Low bone density
• Hyperglycemia
• Low serum HDL [low good cholesterol]
• Obesity • Poor physical exercise capacity
• Resting tachycardia [high resting heart rate]
Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses that can be prevented or improved through regular physical activity:
• Coronary heart disease - 13.5 million people
• Heart attack - 1.5 million people per year
• Non-insulin-dependent diabetes - 8 million people
• Newly diagnosed colon cancer - 95,000 cases
• Hip fractures - 250,000 cases per year
• High blood pressure - 50 million people
• Over 60 million overweight (~1/3 U.S. population)
Physical inactivity also increases the incidence of a number of unhealthy conditions, from arthritis pain to sleep apnea, and increases the progression of disabilities resulting from conditions such as chemotherapy, chronic back pain, and stroke.
So get up off that couch and move.
Blank is a member of the Riverpoint Campus Wellness Collaborative, working
to foster a thriving culture of wellness. For more information on
the Collaborative, contact Kelly LaGrutta,
lagrutta@wsu.edu.
Landscape architecture students help beautify Airway Heights
By Adriann Wade, ASWSU Spokane
WSU Spokane fourth year Landscape Architecture students Kerstin Martell, Bryan Bailey, and Nick Freyberg recently collaborated with Albert Tripp, city manager intern, in a beautification project for the city of Airway Heights.
Tripp was familiar with the Design Institute thanks to having graduated in 2003 with his master’s degrees in urban and regional planning and public administration from EWU. He approached WSU Spokane associate professor Bob Scarfo, landscape architecture, in search of students to create a planting plan for a 25 foot by 570 foot piece of land along Highway 2.
Martell, Bailey, and Freyberg met Tripp at the site, where they took a tour and listened closely to the objectives of the job. They worked for two weeks to produce a plan that included plant type and the location of plants and planters.
The design had to address Department of Transportation concerns with safety. The plan needed to include trees; however, the trees had to be thoughtfully located so that they would not be a visual barrier for drivers or a possible hazard should an accident occur.
Tripp said, “The project is a tremendous success. The students’ design background was very beneficial in conceptualizing the use of the space, and we’re very pleased with the results.”
Bailey was also pleased with the outcome and the process: “Albert Tripp was very flexible with our school schedules, which helped to make this an overall good experience.”
Initial site work is complete; plants will be added next spring. The project was funded primarily by donations from local businesses, along with support from the city of Airway Heights.
- Picture of the project and additional information (city of Airway Heights)
Study by Center for International Health Services Research and Policy gives low marks to U.S. health system on diabetes type 2 management and prevention
“Has the performance of the US health system been
acceptable with respect to both disease management and improving
health outcomes for the patients with Type 2 diabetes? Recognizing
the rising incidence rates, the US health system would not receive
acceptable marks. Much work is still needed in this area.”
This is an excerpt from the conclusions to a comprehensive review of the literature on diabetes type 2 by the recently established Center for International Health Services Research and Policy based at Washington State University Spokane. The paper, authored by assistant professor of health policy and administration Fevzi Akinci, HPA professor Joseph Coyne, HPA graduate Joni Minnear, and Bernard Healey, appears in the current issue of the international journal Disease Management Health Outcomes.
- WSU Spokane Center Gives Low Marks to U.S. on Diabetes Type 2 Management (Nov. 17, 2004)
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Center for Health Services Research Opens at WSU Spokane (Nov. 17, 2004)
WSU pharmacy
student receives national senior care scholarship
Katherine (Kitty) Anderson, a fourth-year pharmacy student at Washington State University, recently received a $500 scholarship from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) for her work in geriatric pharmacy.
Anderson is working on an elder care project with WSU faculty member Stephen M. Setter, who also serves as a pharmacy consultant for Elder Services and the Visiting Nurses Association, both in Spokane. Setter, an assistant professor of pharmacy at WSU Spokane, is one of a few certified geriatric pharmacists in the state of Washington and is researching the frequency of cognitive impairment in elders.
- News release online (Nov. 17, 2004)
Reminder: 2nd Annual Riverpoint Holiday Faire today
Don't forget the 2nd Annual Riverpoint Holiday Faire today in the
Phase I lobby from noon to 6pm. Questions may be directed to
Susan Lopez slopez@mail.ewu.edu or 358-2234, or Cy Parker at
358-2285.
Apple Cup – Join in the Festivities on FRIDAY!
A Game that brings attorneys and bankers to their knees!
Break away for the annual Paine Hamblen Mini-Apple Cup Friday morning, Nov. 19, from 10:30 to 11:15 in the lobby of the Washington Trust Bank building, 717 W. Sprague Ave., downtown. This clash of Cougars and Huskies has attorneys and bankers playing football on their knees, complete with a referee, fight songs, music, bleachers, and more. It’s a Must-See event! For more information call Jennifer Mitchell at 455-5184.
WSU & Tom’s Turkey Drive
You don’t have to be a WSU alumnus to show your Cougar Pride and participate in this great community event! This is a perfect start to the Apple Cup weekend. The goal is to get a large group of WSU Cougars to help take in food for Tom’s Turkey Drive at the Rosauers on 29th - South Hill. The shift is Friday, November 19th, 5-7pm. KREM 2 TV is expected to be there so wear your crimson & grey for added exposure! If you want to help, contact Heather Watson at 838-7322 or by email at hwatson@krem.com.
Apple Cup WSU vs. UW football rivalry: 4 p.m., televised on ABC
For the full rundown on Apple Cup activities go to http://www.football-weekends.wsu.edu/11-20-washington.html.
Community connections
What does it mean to be educated for full participation in democracy? Gonzaga University lecture Dec. 4
On Saturday, December 4, 2004, Matthew Shapiro, President of the Mary Parker Follett Foundation, http://www.follettfoundation.org/mpf.htm, will speak about Follett’s legacy and its implications for participatory democracy.
The lecture will take place on the Gonzaga University campus at 12:15 p.m. in the Jundt Lecture Hall and will be followed by a presentation of the study group’s paper in response to the trigger question. Those who wish to participate in a deeper consideration of democracy will then break into dialogue groups for further discussion and generative thought that will culminate in a group forum and publication effort (January/February 2005) on selected issues related to the question.
The lecture/presentation portion of the program is open to all who wish to attend. The dialogue portion of the afternoon will be limited to 25 participants. Lunch will be provided for those who elect to attend the full dialogue session. The afternoon will conclude with a 4:30 p.m. reception for dialogue participants. There is no fee to attend any portion of the program, sponsored by the Graduate Student Association of Gonzaga.
For further details or to reserve your seat for the dialogue
portion of the program, please contact Mike Poutiatine –
makalu1@earthlink.net.
World AIDS Day Dec. 1, 2004
World AIDS Day
December 1, 2004
4:30 p.m.
Candlelight
Vigil 5:30 pm
Northwest Museum of Art
and Culture
2316 W. First Avenue, Spokane, Washington
Spokane AIDS Network (SAN) is collaborating with the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture and other community agencies to bring the World AIDS Day event to the MAC on Wednesday, December 1.
SAN is hoping to utilize the energy, optimism and creative minds of the youth of our community to help raise awareness of the global and local impact of HIV and AIDS. Youth are encouraged to get involved by spreading information about HIV and AIDS and raising awareness.
On December 1, there will be events at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture:
• One of the activities is to create luminaries (brown paper bags that have candles inside) and those luminaries would be displayed in the outdoor amphitheatre at the museum in the late afternoon.
• A second project is to create red ribbons. Red ribbon is used to create small looped ribbons that are attached with a small stick pin. The Red Ribbon is the awareness project for HIV and AIDS. Ribbons can be distributed to school communities and the greater community.
• The third project is to produce flyers and to distribute the flyers to faith communities and school communities.
For more information: Spokane AIDS Network
Welcome to campus
Welcome to
Terri Rothwell. Terri has joined the Pharmacotherapy
Department as an Office Assistant 2. She will act as support person
for the department, answering phones, responding to inquiries, and
many other office duties. She comes to WSU Spokane from a dental
office where she was an administrative assistant and appointment
scheduler. Terri and her husband have a 13 year old son who keeps
them busy with his many activities.
Welcome to
Rachel Young. Rachel is new to the Spokane area,
having recently moved from Seattle where she was employed by the
University of Washington Law School. She is the new secretary senior
in Health Policy Administration. Her duties include assisting
faculty, the academic coordinator and taking care of
clerical/administrative work for the department. Rachel is looking
for restaurant recommendations and fun things to do in Spokane.
Personnel & staffing changes
Searches
Senior Associate/Full Professor, Criminal Justice, open until filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Construction Management, open until
filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Interior Design, open until filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Pharmacotherapy, open until filled
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pharmacotherapy, 7 positions full- and
part-time, open until filled
Way to go!
"Way to go" is the place for you to recognize a co-worker's extra effort, outstanding contribution, or all-around good nature that makes your work day go a little more smoothly.
Send your “Way to Go!” comments to Laura Scholtens,
scholtens@wsu.edu,
and watch for your thanks to be published in an upcoming issue of
the
Campus
Bulletin!
Find it on the Web
- Lab tours: Thanks to campus webmaster Sicco Rood, we have two slide shows that highlight some of the top-notch clinical equipment and facilities available to students and researchers. See the Nutrition Lab Tour linked at www.nutrition.spokane.wsu.edu and the Exercise Science Lab Tour linked at www.exercisescience.spokane.wsu.edu.
- News Releases: Recent news releases and links to news releases organized by subject for WSU Spokane.
- WSU News Service: Breaking news from WSU, links to all news releases, and other information sources.
- World Class Faculty: Check out the online profiles featured as links from our home page. The images rotate randomly on the home page, but the profiles are always available from this central profile page. You can also navigate to this page by choosing "About WSU Spokane" from the home page, "People" in the lefthand navigation, and "Profiles" in the lefthand navigation there.
- Bulletin archives: Links to past issues of the Campus Bulletin from Oct. 2003 forward.
- In the News: Media coverage of campus programs and people
- Events Calendar: What's going on around here, anyway?
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The Bulletin is usually published on Wednesday biweekly during the
academic year, every three weeks during breaks and summer session.
Publication date may shift due to holidays. Deadline is Monday of
the week of publication.
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The Bulletin covers news of interest to the faculty, staff, and friends of Washington State University Spokane, and associates on other WSU campuses and on the Riverpoint campus.
Regular columns cover personnel changes, upcoming events, professional accomplishments, opportunities for involvement in the campus community and the Spokane community, notices of new developments on campus, and other news.
The Bulletin also serves as a source of information for external communications directed to alumni, future and current students, and friends of Washington State University Spokane. You'll read it here first!
Subscribers welcome! Also available: WSU Spokane News & Events Update, an irregular email newsletter with brief excerpts from news releases and articles, and links to more information online (some duplication of Bulletin content). Send an email to Barb Chamberlain, chamberlain@wsu.edu, to request the WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin and/or the News & Events Update.
Editorial staff
- Barb Chamberlain, chamberlain@wsu.edu, (509) 358-7527
- Laura Scholtens, scholtens@wsu.edu, (509) 358-7540