WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin
Issue 2005-15 (September 21, 2005)


IN THIS ISSUE

Underline

New faculty features

This fall, a number of outstanding scholars are joining WSU Spokane. Read their profiles in the Campus Bulletin:

Expert in effects of design on performance
joins interior design program

An expert in the effects of design on performance, creativity and stress has joined the faculty of the interior design program at Washington State University Spokane. Janetta McCoy, associate professor and graduate interior design program coordinator, comes to WSU Spokane from Arizona State University, considered to be among the top design programs in the nation.

In her research and design work, McCoy examines workplace design and its impact on the intellectual and physical performance, creativity and creative leadership and stress levels of people within organizations. Her work in "places of creativity" incorporates the disciplines of design, social psychology, and environment and behavior studies.

In the next phase of her research, she will investigate places of creative leadership, including university faculty, corporate CEOs, university presidents, and governors. She notes of her work on stress that it is an outcome for individuals whose expectations are not met or who cannot perform assigned tasks at work. The physical environment may be one source of stress, adding to other sources.

She also examines design issues for children with autism and developmental disabilities, who are often hypersensitive and strongly impacted by attributes and properties of the physical environment.

Nancy Blossom, director of the Interdisciplinary Design Institute, said, "Professor McCoy brings great depth to our expertise in the interactions of people and place, one of the particular strengths of the Interdisciplinary Design Institute. Her work is internationally recognized, and her reputation will draw students to both the master's program and the Doctor of Design program."

WSU conference in Spokane to examine global energy future Oct. 4-5

Are the run-up in gasoline prices and energy supply problems in the wake of Hurricane Katrina just short-term issues? Or are we now receiving a troubling preview of our uncertain energy future?

On Oct. 4-5 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, some of the nation’s leading experts on oil production, global energy demand and alternative energy strategies will come together to examine the national and international energy outlook at Washington State University’s Conference on Global Oil Depletion and Implications for the Pacific Northwest.

Presented by the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at WSU, with principal sponsors that include Avista Corp., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Spokane Rotary 21 and the Washington State Department of Ecology, the conference will present the best science available on oil depletion and the state of research for energy alternatives and efficiency.

The conference is being organized by a committee that includes Melissa Ahern, associate professor of health policy and administration.

A conference schedule, additional information on the speakers and online registration is available at http://capps.wsu.edu/globaloil/ or contact Conferences and Professional Programs at WSU at (800) 942-4978 or Joy Thompson at (509) 335-4194 for more information.

Return to the Top of the PageWSU's enrollment in Spokane climbs to another record high

Washington State University experienced its largest ever fall enrollment in Spokane, with continued strength in the health sciences, design disciplines, nursing and education.

Enrollment in Spokane programs reached a headcount of 1,535 this fall, an increase of 7.6 percent over fall 2004.

Programs taught at the Riverpoint campus reached an all-time high of 753 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. The WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing reached an all-time high of 707 FTE (846 headcount) undergraduate and graduate students statewide, an increase of 19.2 percent over fall 2004. Of the statewide total, 444 of those FTEs (535 headcount) attend classes at the College of Nursing Spokane campus; growth in Spokane enrollment represents an 18.7 percent increase over fall 2004.

Grad School Fair Oct. 13

Mark your calendar, and read more on the Web page about the 50-plus graduate programs from around the region and nation who will be on the Riverpoint Campus Thursday, Oct. 13, to share information with prospective students.

The event is organized by the Recruitment and Retention Group, and sponsored by the WSU Graduate School, Pacific Northwest Inlander, Aracelia's Espresso Deli & Mexican Restaurant, Spokane Teachers Credit Union, and WSU Spokane.

Healthy Fare Oct. 19:
Potluck social & recipe exchange, info booths, and fun!

What are you putting in your mouth? (cue your mother's voice here) Is it good for you?

  • Are the choices you make about what you put into your body fully informed and healthy?
  • Is your food enjoyable and satisfying?
  • Are you avoiding additives, byproducts of manufacturing, and things that are plain old bad for you?

Learn more at “Healthy Fare” Wednesday, October 19
Time: Noon-4 p.m.
Location: Health Sciences Building first floor lobby

The event, which is open to everyone, features facts and fun. The Riverpoint Campus Healthy Fare will educate and involve faculty, staff, and students in exploring healthy choices about what we eat, from food ingredients and agricultural practices to the types of packaging we consume.

The event focuses on healthy food choices. By that we mean, to the fullest extent possible:

  • Foods that are whole, organic, non-toxic, and sustainably, humanely, and locally produced.
  • Meals that are nutritious and convenient.
  • Packaging and storage that is non-toxic, re-useable, and recyclable.

Fun features:

  • The movie “Supersize Me” will show in the lobby.
  • Enter to win prizes from our exhibitors!
  • Faculty/staff potluck--see below for detail.
  • “I’ll take Vitamins for $100, Alex”—our own version of “Jeopardy,” with questions developed by students in the BS Exercise Physiology & Metabolism program 

Exhibitors confirmed to date include:

We’re still contacting potential exhibitors, so if you know of a local business or food producer that fits our theme, contact Susan Lopez, EWU.

Healthy Fare potluck social & recipe exchange

On Wednesday, October 19, 2005 the Riverpoint Campus Wellness Collaborative invites employees to a potluck social and recipe exchange from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in HSB 110C.

The potluck social is an opportunity to sample new yummies, and visit with your colleagues in a relaxed social setting. It’s also an opportunity to glean new ideas about how to provide wholesome foods for yourself and your family.

So bring a dish, bring copies of your recipe, and plan on a relaxing luncheon. Then swing by the information tables in the lobby and learn how easy it is to commit to Healthy Fare.

RSVP to Kelly LaGrutta.

Healthy Fare is brought to you by the Riverpoint Campus Wellness Collaborative, working to foster a thriving culture of wellness. For more information on the Collaborative, which includes representatives of EWU, SIRTI, and WSU, contact Kelly LaGrutta. Return to the Top of the Page

WSU College of Pharmacy faculty and students assist seniors

WSU College of Pharmacy faculty and students participated in the Senior Wellness Conference held at Spokane Community College September 8, 2005.

Four faculty members (Stephen Setter, Brian Gates, Lisa Woodard, and Brandi Kimball) worked with 26 third and fourth year students in serving the conference attendees.

Students completed medication reviews for 70 older adults, answering their questions about medications and providing information about drug interactions, side effects and how to take their medications properly.

In addition, students worked with Community Health Education Resources (CHER), providing health screenings for over 200 older adults. Screenings included blood glucose and total cholesterol levels as well as stroke assessment questionnaires. Students particularly enjoyed taking time to talk with the conference participants and hearing about their health concerns and questions. Students felt it was a great opportunity to share their knowledge with the people they met.

Drs. Setter and Kimball also participated in the educational sessions, giving presentations on "10 Tips of Using Your Medications Safely and Effectively" and "Understanding Medicare Part D".Return to the Top of the Page

Constitution day quiz for students

From the Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 24, 2005 / Notices:

“The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement announces that, pursuant to legislation passed by Congress, educational institutions receiving Federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution . . . on a date designated by statute as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day ("Constitution Day"). This Congressional initiative is authorized by Section 111 of Division J of Pub. L. 108–447, the "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005," Dec. 8, 2004; 118 Stat. 2809, 3344–45 (Section 111).

The statute left it up to each institution to decide how best to comply. At WSU Spokane, Bill Fassett, professor of pharmacotherapy, and David Brody, associate professor of criminal justice, created a Constitution Quiz as our campus’s means of participating in this federally required educational program.

With technical assistance from campus webmaster Sicco Rood, the quiz is available through Blackboard. Faculty should encourage students to sign on and look for the course link for "Constitution 2005."

The quiz is designed to draw on the disciplines at the campus, so the constitutional questions are directly relevant to our students. All students who complete the quiz -- regardless of score -- will be entered into a drawing for one of five WSU Spokane “Building for Excellence” pen/PDA styluses (donated by Communications).

Grant expands dental services on
Spokane Ronald McDonald Care Mobile

The Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing has received a $28,937 grant from the Washington Dental Service Foundation to provide restorative dental care for children using the health care services of the Spokane Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

The grant, named the Spokane Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Cavity Fighter and Fixer, will expand upon the existing preventative dental services and create a platform to seek further funding for oral health. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, operated by the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing, has used the funding to purchase an ergonomically appropriate dental chair for the Care Mobile that will help with restorative dental treatment. The funding will also allow the Care Mobile to hire a part-time dental assistant to work 20 hours per week to support volunteer dentists with preventative and restorative procedures.

The Eastern Washington University dental hygiene program partners with the ICN on the Care Mobile, with students working with volunteer dentist Dr. Peter Josh every Wednesday.

Connections: IT update

We will run a periodic update on information technology services to keep you informed of new staff, services, and other developments. If you have an IT question we can address here, send it to Larry Hoffman, hoffman@wsu.edu. 

The University Advisory Committee on Computing and Telecommunications (UACCT) with the support of WSU Pullman Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Connect! Project staff has advised that the final month for the use of the Meeting Maker calendaring system at WSU will be November 2005.

This has necessitated a “re-prioritization” of current WSU Spokane IT projects so that we can complete the campus migration to Windows XP and MS Outlook and begin the process of converting all Meeting Maker accounts over to Exchange.

For those of you who use Meeting Maker, please ask a designated support person from your unit to contact Bart Brazier with a user list, so that he is able to prioritize those upgrades.

Despite rumors to the contrary, there is no affordable central conversion solution which will allow IT Services to magically move all meetings that are in Meeting Maker to Exchange. For the majority of users this process will simply mean that they will begin to utilize the Exchange calendar and stop using Meeting Maker.

For those of you who haven’t yet used MS Outlook, or would like additional information on Exchange Server and calendaring, HRS announced a new e-Learning opportunity at WSU. You can access this site here: www.hrs.wsu.edu/skillsoft.  You will need your network ID and password.

HRS and the Connect! Project training staff will be offering several Outlook training sessions in Spokane during the month of October. Calendaring will be included as a part of these sessions. Dates and times will be announced soon by HRS.

The IT staff thanks you for your patience during this transition.Return to the Top of the Page

Community connections

Are you ready? Some facts on disaster preparedness

We are fortunate not to get dramatic disasters in this area, such as hurricanes and major earthquakes, but we do get our share of disasters:

* Ice Storm November 1996
* Winter Storm in December 1996
* Floods in March 1963, May 1986 and February 1996 (1996 was a tough year for Spokane!)
* Fire Storm 1991
* Droughts in March 1977 and March 2005
* Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption May 1980: Shut down the town for days, stores were emptied of food. 

These disasters can have dramatic impacts on the community and the timing of the next one is always unpredictable. Each person or household needs to maintain a level of personal preparedness. Remember, we are always the "first responders" for ourselves and our families.

For more information on preparedness, please visit the following sites:

Personnel & staffing changes

Coming:
Katherine Peterson, Research Technologist I, HREC/Shaffer Lab, effective 9/12/05
Cindy Marshall, Program Assistant (Admissions), Student Affairs, effective 9/20/05

Going:
Marlene Spencer, Program Assistant (Admissions), Student Affairs, retiring effective 9/30/05

Recruitments:
Program Assistant (part-time, 50%), Program in Health Sciences, apply by 9/20/05 at www.hrs.wsu.edu
Parking Checker, Parking Services, apply by 9/22/05 at www.hrs.wsu.edu
Custodian, Facilities Operations, apply by 9/29/05 at www.hrs.wsu.edu
Media Technician, WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing, apply by 9/19/05 at www.hrs.wsu.edu 

Searches:
Research Associate/Research Scientist, Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research & Training, review of applications has begun
Assistant/Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, review of applications begins 10/15/05
Assistant to the Dean, College of Pharmacy, review of applications begins 9/6/05Return to the Top of the Page

Way to go!

“Sylvia Oliver goes above and beyond the call of duty as the Empress of Lab Tours: Always willing to host guests, always telling our stories with great enthusiasm, always sending people away excited by the vision of what we’re doing here. Thank you, Sylvia!” (from Barb Chamberlain and Kaarin Appel, Communications)

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!Return to the Top of the Page

Find it on the Web

  • WSU Research News: The latest on research news from WSU.
  • 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.
  • WSU Today online: Links to past print editions, plus breaking news briefs
  • 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?Return to the Top of the Page

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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 professional accomplishments, opportunities for involvement in the campus community and the Spokane community, notices of new developments on campus, upcoming events, personnel changes, 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