To the Campus Community:

Greetings,

Several high-profile groups were formed this year in an attempt to find solutions to a variety of concerns related to education in the state of Washington. Among them is the difficulty employers here contend they are having finding qualified and appropriately credentialed workers in critical fields. These reform groups have been striving to find new ways to help students meet the needs of a rapidly changing, global economy. But, in order to be effective and affordable, this huge and complex task demands a statewide perspective that considers the resources and needs of all the diverse regions of the state.

This year, conventional wisdom has awarded the label of "high demand," along with accompanying additional state funding, to math and science degree programs. Graduates of those programs are earmarked for Puget Sound's biotechnology, aerospace and computer technology industries. However, these so-called "high-demand" fields have been narrowly defined. One of our goals is to see that the definition is broadened to include fields that are in demand throughout the state, not just in a single geographic region.

For example, the construction industry has been the primary driver of Washington's economy for the past six years and sustained it through the recent economic recession. Demand is high for programs in construction management, supply chain management, heavy/civil and utility construction, and construction safety. Although these specialties may not be as glamorous as trendier pursuits, they clearly meet a high-demand need in one of the most important sectors of our economy.

Other industries, while playing a secondary role statewide, dominate regional economies. A good example is Washington's wine industry, of which you will read more later in this edition of the University Bulletin.

The popular definition of "high demand" also overlooks educators now in the "pipeline" who will produce the next group of outstanding math and science graduates. If math and science are in high demand, then so must be university programs that educate teachers who prepare middle and high school students to succeed in university-level math and science programs. In itself, setting higher graduation standards for high school students is not enough. We must also be ready to provide well-prepared teachers from our colleges of education, including Central, to benefit tomorrow's students.

Any statewide plan to transform higher education must incorporate all six of Washington's public baccalaureate institutions, the state's five branch campuses, and our six University Centers. Without building another campus, the state has the physical space for more students. Many institutions now considered "full," including Central, are so only in the sense that we have enrolled all the students for whom the state has provided funding. In Central's case, we are admitting students above that threshold.

If we want more students to have opportunities to earn baccalaureate degrees and beyond, a corresponding state investment is needed to provide the operating money universities need to, keep the lights on and Bunsen burners burning, for the salaries of janitors, registrars, faculty and counselors, and to fully utilize the space that is already available.

An even better reason to involve regional universities as well as the research institutions is that we provide unique programs and high-quality faculty that offer educational experiences as diverse and as rich as Washington state itself.

This will be the message we deliver to our state legislators, to those representing the districts where our University Centers are located, to leaders of the business, industry, education and social services sectors, and to all those who have a hand in the decision making process pertaining to higher education in Olympia this year.

Sincerely,

Jerilyn S. McIntyre
President

CWU has moved into the top 10 public master's degree-granting institutions in the west, according to new U.S. News & World Report rankings. That's a jump of five spots from last year. It's the fourth consecutive year that U.S. News & World Report has ranked CWU among the top 20 such institutions.

In addition, among all public and private master's comprehensive institutions in the west, CWU moved up 11 spots, from No. 52 in 2006 to No. 41 this year, in the annual "America's Best Colleges" report.

The report evaluates comparable colleges and universities in the 15- state West region, which encompasses Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

The rankings are based on data gathered from each college on a variety of indicators, weighted by magazine editors. The universities are then ranked against their peers, based on composite scores.

Beginning with the 2006-07 academic year, more community college transfer students will be able to cross the "Bridges to the Baccalaureate" at CWU. Through a partnership with Yakima Valley Community College, CWU has received a three-year, $253,631 grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund the program, designed to increase the number of underrepresented minority students from YVCC earning a direct transfer associate degree who then enroll in CWU's primate behavior and ecology program.

"The connection between CWU and YVCC will enhance the curriculum of both institutions by expanding laboratory and lecture resources at YVCC," says Dr. Lori Sheeran, CWU anthropology professor and co-principal investigator for the Bridges project, "and by providing opportunities for CWU and YVCC faculty to more closely examine the compatibility of existing transfer classes."

Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold, assistant director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) and co-principal investigator for Bridges, will serve as project director. Participating students will actually spend a summer doing research at CHCI before coming to CWU to begin work on their bachelor's degrees.

The NIH grant will also allow for purchase of equipment needed to support training in the sciences at both institutions for Bridges and other students, and will provide Bridges students with mentoring, financial support for research and strong social support.

Graduating students will earn dual Bachelor of Science degrees in primate behavior and ecology and either anthropology, biology or psychology, which "will increase the diversity of practicing primatologists, biologists, anthropologists and psychologists in various career settings, particularly the biomedical sciences," Sheeran notes.

This is just the third time in school history that CWU has received an NIH grant.

Guidance is provided by University Recreation to help the clubs succeed both on the field and as organizations. All university sport clubs compete against other teams throughout the Pacific Northwest, while many also compete nationally.

With an annual economic benefit of more than $3 billion, Washington is the nation's second-largest wine producing state. However, more than 90 percent of the state's more than 400 wineries are small and may not have laboratories or the expertise required to ensure consistent product quality. That makes them economically vulnerable to chemical or biological "wine faults."

CWU is poised to receive $350,000 in federal funding to begin a "Wine Quality Testing and Education Initiative," which could help alleviate those wine fault concerns. The Wine Quality Testing and Education Initiative would:

initiate research, involving CWU faculty and students, to determine the most common wine faults; equip a Central laboratory to perform chemical analyses for wineries to identify, pinpoint and prevent faults; expand awareness training for employees in vineyards, wineries and distribution-, retail- and hospitality-related businesses to understand the chemical and physical nature of wine faults; and provide advanced training for interpreting laboratory results and how to take corrective actions and establish prevention measures.

The Wine Quality Testing and Education Initiative would be established under the auspices of Central's three-year-old World Wine Program, which offers classes and seminars for undergraduate students, industry professionals and consumers who are interested in learning more about the global wine trade, the business of wine and professional sensory analysis.

Dr. David Soltz, CWU provost/senior vice president for academic affairs, has announced the 2006-07 "One Book, One Campus project" will feature Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything."

The One Book, One Campus project is designed to cultivate reading and critical-thinking skills among first year Central students. However, all Central community members are encouraged to participate in the shared reading experience as a way to generate discussion, both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, a variety of forums and events related to the book will be held during the upcoming academic year.

For more information, visit www.cwu.edu/~provost/one_book.

The CWU Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) has received a new four-year, $255,385 grant through the U.S. Department of Education Federal TRIO Programs. Mateo ARTEAGA, director of CWU's Educational Outreach Services, notes it's the third straight four-year cycle in which the EOC has received federal funding. The EOC program, which is fully federally funded, provides information on college admissions to qualified, low-income and potential first-generation college students who want to enter or continue a program of post-secondary education. In addition, it provides information on college admissions and financial funding with a goal of increasing the number of adult participants who enroll in post-secondary institutions.

Karen J. BLAIR, history, has been appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire to a new Women's History Consortium, mandated by the state legislature to sponsor a centennial celebration of Washington woman's suffrage in 2010 and to inaugurate a Web site providing public access to Washington women's historical materials available in libraries and historical societies throughout the state. Blair serves on this board with state Sen. Karen Fraser, sponsor of the enabling legislation, Reps. Marylou Dickerson, Mary Skinner and Pam Roach; David Nicandri, director of the Washington State Historical Society; Garry Schalliol, director of educational outreach for the Washington State Historical Museum; Yakima County Auditor Corky Mattingly; history professors from Washington State University and Western Washington University; community organizers and independent historians.

The American Psychological Association accreditation committee has voted to award an initial five-year accreditation to the CWU counseling center's pre-doctoral internship program for psychology. The university accreditation process was led by counseling center personnel including Dr. Pat COLE, training coordinator, Rhonda McKINNEY, counseling director; Drs. Randy ROBINETTE and Megan SCHMIDT, psychologists; and Bob TRUMPY, senior director of student health, counseling and wellness services.

Cynthia MITCHELL, communication, presented a paper, "Pawns in a Global Chess Game: A Case Study of Rupert Murdoch's China Strategy," to the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in San Francisco in August. Mitchell was also nominated for the Washington Coalition for Open Government's 2006 James Madison Award, which honors "an individual whose appreciation of and respect for the First Amendment and open government have been demonstrated by exemplary actions, words or deeds." Mitchell was nominated for her work to organize CWU's 2006-2007 First Amendment Festival.

Civil Service job changes: Lynn Whitacre, Program Coordinator, Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute; Teresa Vadnais, (Scheduling Assistant) Program Assistant, Registrar Services.

Exempt new hires: Angela Beaudry, Director, Labor Relations and Strategic Planning, Human Resources; Keisha Janney, Residence Hall Coordinator, University Housing and New Student Programs.

To view current job openings at CWU, go to http://www.cwu.edu/~hr/jobs/index.html.

Louise Hadley, from Conference and Retail Services, is in need of shared leave.

CWU employees may donate leave to a fellow employee: 1) who is suffering from or has a relative or household member who is suffering from an extraordinary or severe illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition; or, 2) who has been called to service in the uniformed services; and, where the fact of either 1) or 2) has caused or is likely to cause the employee to take leave without pay or terminate his or her employment.

You may donate annual (vacation) and sick leave in eight-hour blocks. A minimum balance of 80 hours of annual leave must be maintained. Excess annual leave (that over 240 hours) that will otherwise be lost may not be donated. A minimum balance of 176 hours of sick leave must be maintained. All or a portion of your personal holiday may also be donated.

The shared leave donation form can be downloaded from the Human Resources (HR) forms section of the human resources home page (www.cwu.edu/~hr/forms/shared_leave_donation_form.doc) or requested from the human resources office by calling ext. 1202. Requests to donate leave must be approved by your supervisor before forwarding to HR and are subject to approval by your department head and HR.

Tickets are on sale for the fourth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup, presented by Comcast, football game Saturday, Oct. 21, at Qwest Field in Seattle between archrivals Western Washington University and Central Washington University. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. This will be the only meeting of the cross-state rivals during the 2006 football season and the Cascade Cup will be on the line.

Tickets are $35 reserved with Club access, $25 reserved and $15 general admission and are available at the Wildcat Shop and online at http://cwubookstore.collegestoreonline.com.

For the coming academic year, remember the number 509-963-2345. Central's campus emergency information line is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to alert faculty, staff and students about when classes on the Ellensburg campus will be canceled or delayed and CWU offices closed.

The automated system will have updated information by 6:45 a.m. on days when normal university operations will be limited or suspended by snow, flooding, power outages or other campus safety situations. Central faculty and staff who have on campus phones can access the same information through the university's voice mail system.

When campus officials deem closures or delays necessary, students and other interested persons will also be notified through CWU emergency information announcements on local radio and television stations.

The Center for Student Empowerment is still seeking interested departments, clubs and motivated individuals who would be willing to volunteer at a welcome carnival for nontraditional students and their families on Saturday, Sept. 23.

It's slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the lawn east of the Science Building. General volunteers are needed, as well as others who can create and facilitate activities, games and entertainment suitable for all ages.

To volunteer, or for more information, e-mail ecenter@cwu.edu. The registration deadline is Sept. 8.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1
Football: "Rodeo Bowl," CWU vs. North Dakota, noon, Tomlinson Stadium, $12 adults, $5 students and seniors, $2 under 12
Soccer: CWU vs. University of California, San Diego, 4 p.m., CWU soccer field

SUNDAY, SEPT. 3
Soccer: CWU vs. San Francisco State, 4 p.m., CWU soccer field

MONDAY, SEPT. 4
Holiday: Labor Day

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9
Soccer: CWU vs. Eastern Oregon, noon, CWU soccer field

TUESDAY, SEPT. 12
Soccer: CWU vs. Seattle, 3 p.m., CWU soccer field

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14
Volleyball: CWU vs. Saint Martin's, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $8 adults, $4 students and seniors, $2 under 12

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15
Wildcat Welcome Weekend 2006 (for new CWU students): all day, various campus locations, through Sept. 18

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16
Volleyball: CWU vs. Western Oregon, 6 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $8 adults, $4 students and seniors, $2 under 12

MONDAY, SEPT. 18
Fall Faculty Day

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19
New Faculty Day

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20
Fall classes begin
Soccer: CWU vs. Western Oregon, 3 p.m., CWU soccer field

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21
Volleyball: CWU vs. Seattle, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $8 adults, $4 students and seniors, $2 under 12

SATURDAY, SEPT. 23
Cross Country: CWU Apple Ridge Run Invitational, 11:45 a.m., Apple Ridge Run Course, Yakima
Center for Student Empowerment: "Welcome Carnival," 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Science Building (east lawn)
Music: Musica Antiqua, 7 p.m., Music Building Recital Hall

TUESDAY, SEPT. 26
Classic Film Series: "Thank You for Smoking," 7 p.m., McConnell Auditorium, $3, $12 bargain pass

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28
Diversity Education Center: Equity and Diversity Reception -- New Student Welcome, 6:30 p.m. Student Union and Recreation Center Ballroom

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29
Faculty recital: Diane Thueson Reich, voice, 7 p.m., Music Building Recital Hall

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30
Football: CWU vs. Saint Cloud State, 1 p.m., Tomlinson Stadium, $12 adults, $5 students and seniors, $2 under 12
Volleyball: CWU vs. Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $8 adults, $4 students and seniors, $2 under 12

For other September 2006 calendar items, visit www.cwu.edu/wv3_cal