WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin
Issue 2006-5 (March 15, 2006)


IN THIS ISSUE

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Deepening Sense of Purpose

A message from Chancellor Brian Pitcher

In my message of January 11, I talked about the need to develop a refined and focused sense of mission and purpose for this campus. On February 15, I addressed the need to take a long view of our role in the greater Spokane region as an engaged public land-grant research university.

This month, I want to share an initial draft of some planning assumptions that frame work priorities within our larger context: as a research campus, a community partner, a major institution contributing to Spokane’s quality of life and economy, and a college campus with a focused set of high-quality programs.

The spring semester kickoff meeting gave us important ideas on a number of fronts, and since then we have been working with the Academic Council to advance this creative planning process.

The outline below will be refined with your input and through further discussion. When finalized, it will help frame priorities for our academic plan. The academic plan will be the basis for our strategic budgeting allocations, the development of future capital requests, our priorities during the upcoming fundraising campaign of several years, and our communications with both internal and external audiences.

I welcome your comments. Vice Chancellor Jo Ann Thompson is leading the discussion with the Academic Council, and you may share your thoughts with her as well at jatadm@wsu.edu.

Purpose and Mission: What and Why

WSU Spokane is a creative, engaged world-class learning enterprise for the 21st century helping design healthy lives, institutions, and environments. Riverpoint is a model collaborative, competitive, multi-institutional, metropolitan undergraduate, graduate and research campus.

Role in the WSU System

WSU Spokane focuses on research, and on graduate, professional, and upper-division undergraduate education, capitalizing on Spokane’s many opportunities for applied translational research and teaching in the health professions and biomedical sciences, design disciplines, educational leadership, and policy studies. Building on fundamental research, WSU Spokane links university resources with those of the immediate Spokane region to enhance research and outreach partnerships. It is directly responsible for development and management of the Riverpoint Campus as a multi-institutional site, and for expanding WSU’s role in the local economy through commercialization and technology transfer.

Key values underpinning WSU Spokane’s academic plan

WSU Spokane is an INTEGRAL PARTNER in the achievement of Washington State University’s core goals:

  • To offer the best undergraduate experience in a research university;
  • To nurture a world-class environment for research, scholarship, graduate education, the arts and engagement
  • To create an environment of trust and respect in all we do
  • To develop a culture of shared commitment to quality in all of our activities.

WSU Spokane is a STRATEGIC ASSET to Washington State University that:

  • Provides the university with innovative and specialized possibilities for broadening, enhancing, and strengthening the university’s teaching, research, and outreach missions through co-location;
  • Fosters a flexible, entrepreneurial, and responsive environment that supports distinctive niche academic programs and research to meet the changing needs and demands of a global society.
  • Ensures the university’s place as a significant contributor to the discovery and application of new knowledge through use-inspired translational research.
  • Provides foci for the university’s interdisciplinary efforts in teaching, research, and outreach.
  • Establishes Washington State University as Spokane’s research university and a vital force in the state and region;
  • Engages the university in regional economic, health, and cultural development;
  • Solidifies the university’s reciprocal and synergistic partnerships with regional institutions of higher and public education, business and industry, government agencies, and advocacy groups;
  • Connects the university with diverse populations through creative and integrative teaching/learning, research/scholarship, and engagement/outreach programs.

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WSU Spokane CityLab—Strengthening Science Education
in the Northwest

We all know that science is the future. WSU knows it—the university continues to prepare students for scientific careers that help improve human health and create a safe and abundant food supply. President Bush knows it—in his recent State of the Union address, he announced the American Competitiveness Initiative, a ten-year effort to increase the nation’s ability to compete in a global economy through almost $142 billion in funding for research and development; entrepreneurship and innovation; and science education.

Sylvia Oliver knows it, too—as director of WSU Spokane CityLab, she has provided instruction and support to hundreds of science teachers and thousands of science students in the Pacific Northwest for more than ten years.

Established in 1995 with the assistance of the late Howard Waterman, a retired Central Valley High School science teacher, WSU Spokane CityLab is a fully equipped, laboratory-based teaching and learning center providing experience in inquiry-style teaching methods and laboratory instruction. Its areas of focus are biology, chemistry, and biotechnology. CityLab offers a variety of hands-on activities. Middle and high school students may enroll in workshops focusing on the applications of biotechnology.

Last month, Yakima Valley/Tri-Cities MESA brought 22 Pasco High School sophomores to the WSU Spokane campus to explore the principles of electrophoresis, an important technique used in biotechnology labs. After Oliver explained the process and laid out the rules, the students worked in groups to conduct their experiments, leaving the accompanying science teachers to be mere observers.

“This is all new for them,” said science teacher Kate Ruby, “but you can see that they’re just going. They’re not looking around for help. That’s what inquiry is all about—letting the students do this themselves.”

Oliver—a cell biologist with a background in cancer research—hosts school groups on campus approximately twice a month. In addition, CityLab provides hands-on biotechnology workshops at rural high schools throughout eastern Washington and supports after-school science camps for elementary and middle-school students that are held in their own schools. CityLab has also organized one-week summer biotechnology workshops for middle-school girls, helping to stimulate their interest in science and math.

A primary focus of CityLab is to help K–12 teachers implement new state and federal science standards. To this end, Oliver provides workshop trainings to teachers.

Since its inception in 1995, WSU Spokane CityLab has received nearly $700,000 in federal, state, and private funds for program operation and research, including $250,000 to support professional training workshops for teachers.

CityLab is currently conducting two grant-funded programs for regional Native American elementary students in their own communities. A federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration is providing funds for after-school and summer camp activities to stimulate students’ interest in science, math, and health careers. A recently funded grant from the Group Health Community Foundation is providing support for after-school and summer activities focusing on physical education and nutrition. Both projects include professional development workshops for area teachers.

Oliver credits much of CityLab’s success to her collaborators. “AHEC has been an incredibly strong partner in the program, with health careers coordinator Bonnie Wagner serving as program director on all of our grants. Program development coordinator Glynis Hull, who has been with the program from the beginning, is the organizing genius who keeps us all together. And as the lead evaluator on all of our grants, adjunct assistant professor of professional development Randy Knuth has been essential for grant and program success,” Oliver said.

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WSU Spokane, SFCC Facilitate Smooth Transition for Transfer Students

A recent agreement between Washington State University Spokane and Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) will provide a smooth transfer process and an efficient pathway to graduation for students pursuing a bachelor of science in informatics (BSI) degree at WSU. 

The articulation agreement establishes a means for SFCC students to certify into the program prior to their transfer to WSU Spokane. Certification is based on performance in designated courses, overall grade point average, and required advising sessions with a BSI faculty member. Upon certification, students take the necessary junior and senior level classes at WSU Spokane to complete their coursework. Not only will the agreement make the transition easier, it will also serve as early outreach to inform students about future academic opportunities in informatics.

“This gives local students an opportunity to earn a degree that will arm them with a firm foundation in both aspects of informatics: creating effective systems to collect and manage information and analyzing that information as a basis for making sound decisions,” said Paul Schimpf, associate professor in informatics (pictured at right, with postdoctoral fellow Hesheng Liu).

 

New Carnegie Classification Places WSU in Highest Research Category

The latest version of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education ranks Washington State University as one of 95 public and private research institutions nationwide with very high research activity.

Washington State, the University of Washington, Montana State University, and Oregon State University are the only four universities in the six-state region—Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska—that are ranked in the highest research category by Carnegie.

“I am very pleased that the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching continues to recognize WSU as one of a select group of institutions with very high research activities,” said James Petersen, WSU’s vice provost for research.

“This recognition reemphasizes the importance of continued attention to our research and PhD educational programs. WSU research and graduate education programs not only help advance the economy of the state, but they also help us offer an outstanding education in a face-to-face fashion to our undergraduate students. At WSU, the laboratory is truly the classroom for life,” he said.

For more information on the rankings, see the news release online.

What The New Carnegie Classification Means for You

The new Carnegie classification gives us an opportunity to highlight the outstanding research being done at WSU, both in Pullman and Spokane. You can help communicate the university’s research excellence by using the following wording any time you need to describe WSU Spokane:

  • Short Description:

WSU Spokane is the urban campus of Washington State University, a land-grant research university founded in 1890. The campus features advanced studies and research in health sciences and health professions, the design disciplines, education, social and policy sciences, and science and technology. Washington State University is one of just 95 public and private research universities with very high research activity, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranks WSU as one of the top public research universities in the nation.
 

  • Long Description:

WSU Spokane is the urban campus of Washington State University, a land-grant research university founded in 1890. Washington State University is one of just 95 public and private research universities with very high research activity, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranks the university among the top public research universities in the nation. 

Housed on the Riverpoint campus at the heart of a developing University District, WSU Spokane features advanced studies and research in health sciences and health professions, the design disciplines, education, social and policy sciences, and science and technology.  

The second-largest city in Washington, Spokane offers four-season recreation in a scenic setting of lakes, mountains, and rivers; an active and diverse cultural scene; a vibrant downtown; and friendly and safe historic neighborhoods graced by beautiful parks. WSU Spokane’s Riverpoint campus lies along the picturesque Centennial Trail bordering the Spokane River, immediately adjacent to downtown.

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Young Scientists Test Speed and Distance at MESA Science Middle School Competition

All six Spokane public middle schools will be represented when over 200 seventh and eighth graders compete during the annual Washington State University Spokane Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Middle School Competition.

The competition will take place on Friday, March 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at the East Central Community Center Gymnasium, 500 South Stone Street, Spokane.

Students will test their science skills in engineering events and logic games and compete for the coveted traveling trophy. They will also vie for the state seed in multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) competition with the chance to qualify for MESA’s national competition. The national event, held in Irvine, CA, this June, is in its sixth year, and a Spokane team placed second last year.

During the engineering competitions, students test marshmallow catapults for distance and MPVs (mousetrap cars, pictured at left) for the fastest car in Spokane Public Middle Schools. The enthusiasm is contagious in this gym full of teenagers putting their minds and creations to the test.

MPV races take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and poster presentations will take place from noon to 12:45 p.m. while the logic games tournaments are completed. Plaques and medals will be presented to all individual and team winners from 1:35 to 2 p.m. Return to the Top of the Page


WSU Spokane MESA to Ignite Scientific Inquiry during Annual High School Competition

Over 200 students in grades nine and 10 will put their scientific skills and abilities to the test during the annual Washington State University Spokane Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Competition.

The event is slated for March 28 and 30, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Spokane Falls Community College (3410 W. Ft. George Wright Drive) in both the Student Union Building (SUB) and the Math/Science Building 18.

The two-day event will be host to about 60 teams of three to four students who will deliver presentations on various topics centered on scientific inquiry, understanding scientific systems, and solving science or engineering problems.

Students prepare for two months with volunteers from Avista and Agilent Technologies who serve as mentors for research, planning and development of team projects. Employees from WSU Spokane, Avista, Agilent Technologies and other companies will serve as judges for their papers and presentations.

All of the 9th graders will focus their efforts on the testing of trebuchets—medieval catapult devices—they have designed and built. Those teams will also turn in a technical paper and make an oral presentation regarding the design, construction, and performance (distance, accuracy, and power) of their trebuchet.

The 10th graders will complete a scientific inquiry project on a topic of their choosing. They may select any principle, concept, or law from any scientific discipline, interdisciplinary area, or engineering field. The teams will compete in two areas, technical paper (documentation of their experiments) and oral presentation (summarizing project details).

Ninth grade students compete on Tuesday and 10th grade students on Thursday. The schedule for both days begins with preliminary presentations from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in SFCC’s Math/Science Building 18. Finalists give their presentations from 11:35 a.m.-1:10 p.m., followed by recognition and awards from 1:30 to 2 p.m. in the SUB.

School and team winners from these competitions receive awards and prizes. Winning student teams investigating multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) will move on to the Washington MESA Day Competition in Seattle on May 31, 2006. The national event, held in Irvine, CA, this June, is in its sixth year, and Spokane teams have placed second and third in the last five years.

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Celebrate Achievement at the Academic Showcase,
March 24

The advancement of scholarship, research, and the arts are a central part of Washington State University’s mission. The Academic Showcase—held on March 24, from 9 a.m. to noon—gives you an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of WSU’s academic community in those areas.

On that day, the Bohler Gymnasium on the Pullman Campus will be filled with displays that showcase the original scholarship, research, and artistic expression of WSU students, faculty and staff.

A variety of colleges, units, and disciplines will be represented in the Showcase. WSU Spokane will be represented by faculty and students from the College of Pharmacy, the College of Education, the Interdisciplinary Design Institute, the Program in Professional Development, the Sleep and Performance Research Center, and WIMIRT, among others.

Please plan to attend to support your campus colleagues and celebrate academic achievement!

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Participate in Cougar Pride Days, March 30

For the past four years, Washington State University has recognized Cougar Pride Days, on which we celebrate our history and people, and work together to beautify and clean up our campuses and neighboring communities. The concept of Cougar Pride Days has its historic roots in Campus Day, which took place in Pullman annually between 1913 and 1933 and engaged the university and surrounding communities in an effort to polish the appearance of the campus and community.

This year, WSU Spokane will celebrate Cougar Pride Days on March 30, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate in the planned activities, which include picking up litter and debris along the banks of the Spokane River that run through campus and removing litter and debris from undeveloped campus properties located on the south side of Spokane Falls Boulevard.

The meeting/starting point is near the campus flag pole on the elevated porch of the SIRTI Building. Please wear warm and comfortable work clothes and bring gloves if you have them. For more information, contact Jon Schad in Facilities Operations at 8-7991.

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Data Security Presentation Available Online

For those who missed Kevin Imel’s February 28 presentation on enterprise data security, there’s still an opportunity to learn about safeguarding personally identifiable and confidential financial information. The Powerpoint file Kevin used during his presentation can be accessed online.

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Who Does What in the Finance and Budget Office

As WSU Spokane grows, so do the offices that make up the university’s administrative backbone. One of the offices that has seen some change in recent times is the Finance and Budget Office. To help you determine who to contact with a specific question or concern, here’s an outline of the responsibilities of finance and budget staff, along with their contact information:


Director of finance and budget James Dalton joined WSU Spokane in October 2005 and is responsible for overseeing strategic financial planning and operating budgets for the Spokane campus. He also develops and implements funding strategies to support growth initiatives and community partnership opportunities.


E-mail: dalton@wsu.edu, phone: 358-7558



Susan Pfeifer was recently promoted to associate director of finance and budget and is responsible for managing WSU Spokane’s finance and budget team; developing, supervising and maintaining accounting operations; and managing campus grants and contracts. 


E-mail: pfeifer@wsu.edu, phone: 358-7576

The Finance and Budget Office is fortunate to have Gretchen Eaker and Jeanie Wolf, two highly experienced fiscal specialist IIs, both with extensive working knowledge of state and extramural funding account administration. Gretchen and Jeanie share responsibility for campus account administration (e.g. payables, receivables, personnel and position action forms). In addition, Gretchen is responsible for campus travel and time and leave reports, and Jeanie is responsible for payroll administration.  

Gretchen—E-mail: eakerg@wsu.edu, phone: 358-7559  
Jeanie—E-mail: jwolf@wsu.edu, phone: 358-7557



Virginia Moran, fiscal technician II, joined the office in September 2005 and has become a valued member of its staff. Virginia is responsible for temporary payroll administration, copy machine code reconciliation, and provides general support for the finance and budget team. 



E-mail: vmoran@wsu.edu, phone: 358-7556Return to the Top of the Page


Got a Green Thumb?

In addition to its work promoting wellness activities on campus, from time to time the Campus Wellness Collaborative shares information about relevant opportunities in the community. If you’re interested in organic gardening and lack your own garden space, read on!

Wanted: People who would like to grow vegetables this season on a large new organic garden at a private residence in the Glenrose Hills, approximately 20 minutes from downtown Spokane.

Those who are interested will need to make a commitment to tending the garden for the full season and to following the guidance of the garden coordinator. Participants will be free to harvest for their own family's use. Some garden produce will be shared with people in need.

Your commitment will also include attending an orientation meeting some time during the first two weeks of April, as well as monthly meetings during the season at which the garden coordinator will share ideas about how best to provide for the overall good health and good management of the garden.

Gardening experience is not required. This is a volunteer opportunity and an excellent learning opportunity. If you are interested, please contact the garden coordinator, Chrys Ostrander at 725-0610 by March 25 to schedule an interview.

This information is 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. 
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Community Connections

  • Richard Louv, a futurist and journalist focused on family, nature and community and author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, will be visiting the Inland Northwest for an evening presentation, Thursday, March 23, at Mirabeau Park Hotel. The evening starts with hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 p.m. Louv’s talk will be at 7:30 p.m., followed by dessert and dancing to Great Rain. Tickets are $35 and on sale through March 20. To purchase tickets, contact Jami at the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center, 340-1028.
     
  • If you’re interested in environmental education and helping re-unite communities with nature, plan on attending the Environmental Education Association of Washington’s annual conference: Reconnect with Nature: Restore, Renew & Reignite, taking place at the Mirabeau Park Hotel, March 23-25. Conference presentations, panel discussions, and field trips of the surrounding area will inspire attendees, as well as to help them "reconnect with nature." For more detailed conference information and registration forms, visit www.eeaw.org. 

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Personnel & Staffing Changes

Comings:

  • Linda Johnson, Business Development Specialist, Small Business Development Center in Yakima, effective 3/15/06
  • Holly Peña, Research Associate, Pharmacotherapy, effective 4/4/06

Goings:

  • Russ Posten, Program Assistant, Student Services, effective 3/10/06
  • Patti Krafft, Research Associate, Pharmacotherapy, effective 4/4/06

Searches:

  • Assistant Professor, Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy, review of applications began 1/17/06
  • Clinical Assistant Professor (three positions, two in Spokane, one in Yakima), Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy, review of applications began 1/17/06
  • Assistant/Associate Professor, Architecture, review of applications began 1/1/06
  • Associate Professor/Associate Dean, WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing, review of applications began 10/1/05
  • Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Program in Health Sciences, review of applications begins 4/1/06
  • Sleep Study Coordinator, Sleep & Performance Research Center, deadline to apply is 3/31/06

Recruitments:

  • Secretary Senior, part-time (75%), Sleep & Performance Research Program, apply by 3/21/06 at www.hrs.wsu.edu

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WSU Spokane Welcomes….

Bethany Fruci has been hired as a research assistant for the WIMIRT Quality Management Program at Eastern State Hospital. She will be assisting with data entry and patient surveys on quality management. Bethany is a graduate of EWU with a degree in education.


Way to Go!

Here's where you make someone's day a little brighter by extending your thanks for a job well done. 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!

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Find It on the Web

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The Bulletin is usually published on Wednesday biweekly during the academic year, every three weeks during breaks and summer session. The exact publication date may shift due to holidays. If you have an item that you'd like us to include, send it to us by Friday in 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! Send an e-mail to Judith Van Dongen, jcvd@wsu.edu, to request the WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin.

Editorial staff