WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin
Issue 2005-1 (January 5, 2005)
IN THIS ISSUE
Spring semester kickoff meeting
New chancellor Brian Pitcher set the tone for an informative and community-building campuswide meeting held today (Jan. 5, 2005). He referred to the theme for the American Association for Higher Education conference later this year: "Courage, imagination, action: Rallying the trendsetters in education," in asking those in attendance to think about what the future holds for WSU Spokane.
Pitcher defined vision as "the confluence of purpose (why you exist), mission (what you do), and values (how you do it." He noted a number of principles he sees guiding the campus as we strengthen our world-class opportunities for students, the people who work here, and the community at large:
- Embracing our cultural, sociological, and physical setting.
- Becoming more than a "place"--a force in the community as a positive influence.
- Fostering a culture of academic entrepreneurship.
- Demonstrating our commitment to world-class quality.
- Shaping a campus that is both distinctive from and complementary to WSU Pullman.
- Shaping a campus that is also distinctive from the other higher education institutions in the community.
- Modeling public/private partnerships.
- Using technology effectively.
- Being a place where careers are built, where we think about the physical and social well-being of our employees, and where we embrace diversity.
Over 110 people attended the meeting and introduced themselves,
sharing news about accomplishments, hopes for the future, and more
than a little levity (see photo--for more information, consult
Matt Melcher, interior design).
My road to teaching
Keri Fuller
Master’s in Teaching graduate, 2004
My first job out of college was for Ambassador Programs, Inc. It was one of the top educational travel agencies in the United States. Their main purpose was to send students and athletes overseas for 10-day educational programs. My job consisted of booking meetings, hiring teachers for international travel, and basic clerical duties as assigned.
After a couple years with the company, I met a local Spokane girl
who earned one of our scholarships. One of her scholarship
requirements was to compose a speech about her experience overseas
and report back to the company.
On the day of her speech, the entire company gathered downstairs to listen to her talk. As I listened I was blown away by this fifth-grader’s use of humor, words, and confidence. I got a tear in my eye, and from that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
Over the next few months, I began to prep small groups of students for their travel overseas in a classroom-like setting. I truly enjoyed that atmosphere and decided to begin the graduate school application process to become a teacher.
I am now a teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Spokane Valley. I currently teach Social Studies, Math, Art, P.E. and Service to 7th and 8th graders. My students are wonderful and full of energy!
I have to credit the WSU Master’s In Teaching program for their excellent teacher preparation. I received exceptional instruction, guidance, and support, which has assisted me through my first year of teaching. The program gave me current theories and best practices that I have applied everyday in my class. I was also fortunate to get excellent teaching resources, such as computer ideas, science projects, math problems, and large amounts of literature information. All of this information I have put to use at St. Mary’s!
The most beneficial feature of the program was the extended student teaching I received as a master’s student. Since I was able to observe and teach student for most of the school year, I got an excellent viewpoint on how the students change throughout the year.
One of the major challenges I have faced as a first-year teacher is classroom management. Finding a teaching style and behavior program that works for you and the students is fairly difficult. Any amount of student teaching or classroom preparation could not prepare you for how different it is when you have your own class. Classroom management is my personal goal for the year and I will probably work to perfect my technique over my entire teaching career.
In conclusion, the Master’s in Teaching program that Lenore Schmidt directs at WSU Spokane was one of the best choices of my life! I would highly recommend the program to anyone looking to become a teacher. I have an excellent job where I get to change the lives of children every day. What more can you ask for?
Some of the projects Fuller has developed for her students:
Displaying student artwork at the Civic Theater, email/projects with
students in Germany , community service throughout the school for
other teachers, an Election Unit in which student had to run their
own campaign and raise money through fundraising (which she
describes as a big hit with the students), a Floor Plan Unit where
students had to create their own house (with a budget, of course),
and participation in Math Is Cool and National History Day.
Walk for your heart—
and
for others
The new year brings with it good intentions, resolutions, and often a renewed commitment to wellness. Are you one of those making that commitment? We’ll help you keep the feeling alive.
The Campus Wellness Collaborative, formed several months ago, has dedicated its energies to the goal of fostering a thriving culture of wellness for the entire campus.
Toward that goal, the Collaborative, WSU Spokane Communications Department, and ASWSU Spokane are giving pedometers to faculty, staff, and students who want to increase their fitness level.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you first assess your normal level of activity, then set goals to increase the number of steps per day. The "10,000 per day" marker is the goal, but you don't have to get there overnight!
Pedometers were distributed to faculty and staff attending the Jan. 5 campuswide kickoff. They will also be distributed at the “Walking and Wellness” event on campus Thursday, March 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Plans are still coming together for this informational and inspirational event. We expect to have information on walks in the area, stretching, and proper footwear, and the chance to sign up with walking buddies and/or form teams for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk, held April 16, and other events. The local event helps provide funding for a number of research programs at WSU.
- Spokane Heart Walk: Information on the Heart Walk, April 16, 2005, Riverfront Park.
- ACSM fitness information page: Basic advice and links to resources.
- ACSM Fit Society® Page newsletter: Free quarterly newsletter with research-based recommendations
- University of Iowa Wellness Program Pedometer Page: How to use your pedometer; information on building your step count
Brought to you by 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.
Who’s winning? The battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Physicians and clinicians face an ongoing challenge: to keep up
with increasingly stubborn, antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause
significant infections. The more exposure bacteria have to our
available antibiotics, the higher their chances of evolution into a
resistant form, with serious effects on medical care.
The heavy use of antibiotics, from hand soap ingredient to prescriptions for conditions that won’t even respond to an antibiotic, is fostering the proliferation of these heavy-duty bugs. Over the past 5-10 years, the number of resistant bacteria has proliferated at an alarming rate.
One mechanism of response is to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in general—something we can all help with, in the interest of more appropriate treatment and the health of the environment.
Another important approach is to make sure the antibiotics used are the ones most effective in killing the bacteria causing the infection. A targeted antibiotic that does the job right and knocks out all the bacteria stops that organism’s opportunity to learn and evolve into a stronger form that poses a more serious health risk.
And how do we learn which ones work best? That’s where the microbiology testing by associate professor Mark Garrison, pharmacotherapy, comes in.
Garrison received a 2004 WSU Spokane seed grant for his study of
a new investigational agent called tigecycline. Early-stage testing
indicates that the drug may be effective against certain forms of
resistant bacteria, but more information is needed to compare it
with established medications.
More accurate testing method is a research advantage
Traditional in vitro susceptibility testing methods are limited, in that bacterial isolates being tested are exposed to static concentrations of antimicrobials. In an actual patient (in vivo), concentrations of antimicrobials achieve a peak concentration within the body and gradually decline over time based on their pharmacokinetic properties.
Garrison uses a mechanical glass model known as an in vitro
pharmacodynamic modeling apparatus (PDM). The PDM was specifically
developed to determine how well an antibiotic can kill bacteria over
time by simulating the concentrations of antibiotic one would expect
if a dosage of the antibiotic were given to an actual patient. The
result is specific information that helps to determine how well and
how fast an antibiotic kills the bacteria being studied.
Pharmaceutical companies increasingly rely on pharmacodynamic modeling studies in the development of new antimicrobials, and the scientific community has embraced this methodology as a valuable tool for evaluating antimicrobial effectiveness.
Only a limited number of investigators utilize this methodology, making the PDM an innovative and important research tool. According to Garrison, one of the original designers of the model, it requires custom fabrication by a glass blower. They have supplied the prototype to others, some of whom have modified it for their own purposes. Around the world, around a dozen or so researchers publish investigations of antibiotic action based on use of the model.
Garrison has previously published studies drawing on the PDM’s
capabilities examining medication effectiveness against conditions
from ear infections to influenza. Most recently, he published a
brief review of in vitro modeling studies and their contribution to
the study of antimicrobials in Advances in Pharmacy.
Killing staph infections and pneumonia
In his research, Garrison will use the mechanical model to compare the activities of tigecycline and vancomycin against a resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Vancomycin, which has been around for a long time, is the antibiotic of choice for infections involving this resistant type of bacteria.
In addition, he will also evaluate another type of resistant bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae, comparing the activities of tigecycline and levofloxacin, an antibiotic frequently used to treat infections involving this resistant bacteria.
For a long time, natural penicillin was an inexpensive and efficient agent for managing pneumococcal infections. Unfortunately, over half the strains of S. pneumoniae in the North America now exhibit reduced susceptibility to penicillin. With S. aureus, the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has also increased dramatically.
In Spokane, the prevalence of MRSA has increased from <4% in 1993 to the current rate of roughly 40%. At Deaconess Hospital alone, where Garrison has his research lab, roughly 1,000 isolates of S. aureus were included in the 2003 anti-biogram (the report card which shows the susceptibility of various antibiotics to the bacteria that are isolated in the microbiology lab that year). A similar prevalence rate was also observed for Sacred Heart Medical Center. This prevalence rate (~ 40%) is comparable to large-scale national surveillance studies, which include several thousand isolates.
Garrison says, “Looking at the rather alarming increase over the past 5-10 years, I think it’s safe to say this problem will not go away overnight. More than likely we will see it get a bit worse, before it gets better. Staphylococcal and pneumococcal infections are common infections and hopefully the increased awareness in both the medical and non-medical communities will help slow the problem down.”
Fortunately, vancomycin tends to works well against these resistant staphylococcal strains. However, at least three patient cases have been reported in the United States involving a strain of S. aureus that has managed to develop resistance to vancomycin, leaving very few treatment options. Thus the importance of tigecycline as a new tool in the medical arsenal in the battle against the bacteria.
Garrison expects to analyze results in spring 2005 and submit an
abstract to the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy, then expand on the findings for submission to a
peer-reviewed, scientific journal in the infectious diseases or
pharmacy disciplines. The preliminary data from the study will also
serve as the basis for future funding proposals.
The WSU Spokane seed grant fund
The central purpose of the WSU Spokane faculty seed grant program is to encourage faculty to develop research programs in Spokane that have the potential for extramural support, in particular from significant federal agencies. Their research will provide preliminary data to support applications for such funding.
Experienced researchers say that in order to be competitive for federal funding, this pilot data is critical. The seed grant fund will enable researchers to obtain initial data and then apply for funds to explore their research questions in larger populations.
Garrison notes that early involvement in development of a “new
chemical entity” frequently leads to significant involvement in
future development of the compound throughout its “life-cycle” as
well as opportunities to present findings at major national and
international meetings. Additionally, such investigators are looked
upon favorably for funded work on future compounds.
Transition team forms for ICN move to Riverpoint
With the goal of making the transition of the Intercollegiate College of Nursing to WSU Spokane’s Riverpoint Campus as positive and seamless as possible, a Riverpoint Transition Oversight Team (RTOT) has been formed.
Members include: the WSU Spokane Chancellor (position currently held by interim chancellor Nicholas Lovrich; incoming chancellor Brian Pitcher will replace him on the team); Dorothy Detlor, Dean, ICN; WSU Spokane Senior Associate Dean Jo Ann Thompson; Anne Hirsch, ICN Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; and Diane Wick, Director of Human Resources for both.
Teams are forming to address specific subsets of the issues. Team leaders, who are listed below, will form work groups, meet as needed, and report to the RTOT.
- Information Technology and Distance Delivery Team Leaders: Larry Hoffman, Saleh Elgiadi, Roy Ramsey
- Student Services Team Leaders: Anne Hirsch, Joan Menzies
- Facility Operations Team Leaders: Jon Schad, Bob Pringle
- Communications and Advancement Team Leaders: Barbara Chamberlain, Susan Nielsen, Lorna Walsh, Debbie Haberman
- Library Team Leaders: Bob Pringle, David Buxton
- Research Support Team Team Leaders: Mel Haberman, Kathy Bridwell, Dennis Dyck, Susan Pfeifer
- Finance Team Leaders: Frank Beahan,
Phyllis Hornbeck with Dorothy Detlor and WSU Spokane
Chancellor, as indicated.
Room scheduling 101
Scheduling and arranging support for meetings and special events has been made easy! If you have any questions, contact scheduling coordinator Jane Rudd, rpscheduler@wsu.edu, or call (35)8-7536.
- Find the link to the Facilities Use information page and form. To find it, go to the Faculty/Staff Web page: http://www.spokane.wsu.edu/faculty_staff.asp (save this address in your favorites for quick access).
- Complete the on-line room request form. Be prepared to
provide the following information:
• Contact name, phone, email Name of event
• Nature of event: Public, invitation only, internal meeting
• Number attendees
• Date
• Time of actual event
• Time needed before event for set-up
• Time needed after event for clean-up
• Room set-up (select from options on form or specify )
• External set-up (e.g. check-in table outside the room)
• Other custodial needs/issues
• AV needs
• Any potential security issues
• Will there be a charge for this event? - The form will be submitted to the Scheduling Coordinator.
She will respond via email with room availability and/or
alternatives.
Sleep-over for science
A sleep-over science camp at WSU Spokane will help fourth-,
fifth- and sixth-grade students start thinking about the answer to
the classic a adult question, “What do you want to be when you grow
up?”
Set for Jan. 21 and 22, the overnight health careers education campus is presented by the Eastern Washington Area Health Education Center, a unit of WSU Extension, in cooperation with the 4-H clubs of eastern Washington.
For more information, see the news release.
Community
connections
Chris Blodgett (left), director, Child and Family Research Unit, will be on KSFC (91.9 FM, Spokane Public Radio).
His interview with Doug Nadvornick about his work with children who have been exposed to violence should air at 5 p.m. Thursday, January 6, 2005.
Fox Theater model presented Jan. 6 at City Hall
Dustin
Hoffman, M.Arch student, will present the model he created of
the Fox Theater Jan. 6, 2005, 10 a.m., at the Spokane City Hall
Chase Gallery.
The model was commissioned in support of efforts to raise funds for renovation of the Fox, the oldest unrenovated Art Deco theater on the West Coast. Spokane Mayor James West and representatives of the Spokane Symphony will attend the unveiling, which is open to the public.
The model will remain on display in the Chase Gallery for the next four weeks.
Personnel & staffing changes
Comings:
Katie Herzog, admissions counselor, Student Services,
effective 1/4/05
Promotions:
Sandi Baldwin, principal assistant, Facilities Operations,
effective 9/16/04
Jon Schad, director, Facilities Operations, effective 12/8/04
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
Research Associate/Research Scientist, Washington Institute for
Mental Illness Research & Training, open until filled
Way to go!
Many thanks to Jon Schad for following up with building management to get a bike rack installed at the Ad Annex. This makes it easier for the bike commuters! (from Barb Chamberlain, good-weather cyclist)
"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
- WSU Today online: Links to past print editions, plus breaking news briefs
- 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 Friday,
the week before 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