As summer winds down and we in Ellensburg look forward to warm and beautiful fall days and cool nights, it's a good time to look ahead to the upcoming academic year. First, though, I want to take a moment to recognize all of those who have been very busy during the summer with Discover! - our new student orientation program. Many people are involved, of course, but I particularly want to commend Stacy Klippenstein, Dawn Melton and Scott Carlson and their staff for the endless hours of planning and implementation of a program that parents and students alike rave about. I also want to thank all on campus who played a part in the success of the program: faculty, support program staff, and housing and dining staff. You do this work especially well, and we all applaud you.

I also want to report, for those of you who haven't heard, that CWU continues to fare well in the US News and World Report rankings. While all of us realize that the rankings are not a perfect reflection of program quality for any school, they are based on indicators that we believe are important and that we are committed to improving: student retention and completion rates, selectivity, financial resources (including size of the endowment and alumni giving rate), class size and student/faculty ratio among others. Among all the public and private master's degree granting institutions in our 11-state region, Central was tied for 52nd. Among the public master's institutions, we were tied for 15th.

All of this sets the stage for next year. We will welcome a number of new faculty and staff in the fall and begin searches for even more to enable us to serve the growing number of students we serve. As of now, we are on pace for an annualized average full-time enrollment of 9,100, over 8,000 of that on the Ellensburg campus. We are looking forward to grand openings for the renovated Sue Lombard residence hall on Homecoming weekend and for CWU-Des Moines on the Highline Community College campus on October 25. As all who visit the Ellensburg campus can see, the Student Union & Recreation Center is on schedule with the recreation center scheduled to open at the beginning of winter quarter followed close behind with the opening of the student union by the beginning of spring quarter. This is a beautiful and well-managed campus, and we acknowledge the fine work and stewardship of our facilities management team.

We will continue to work toward full integration of all planning activities on campus, with a review and update of our university-wide strategic plan, the SEPA review of the campus facilities master plan, and the completion of all unit-level and functional plans of the university. While planning is not the most exciting activity on any campus, campuses that build flexible plans for the future are better positioned to weather the winds of change that are inevitable. This past summer, the President's Cabinet reviewed our progress on the management objectives that we set in relation to the 2001-2006 strategic plan. It was most gratifying to see that we have achieved or are in progress on virtually every one of them.

We are looking forward with great anticipation to launching a performing arts series. For this year only, the series will be combined with the presidential speaker series and will feature 12 events, beginning on October 14 with "Groove for Thought," an award-winning a cappella jazz group. The series will include, among others, Peter Yarrow on November 1, the Chieftains on January 30 and Garrison Keillor on April 18. The Yakima Symphony is scheduled to perform on April 23, and the departments of music and theatre arts will stage "Working," a musical theatre adaptation of the award-winning book by Studs Terkel, in November. For the first time, we will host one of the presidential speakers at a CWU center site. Through a partnership with CWU-Lynnwood, Martin Luther King III will speak at the Lynnwood Convention Center on January 23. We are especially grateful to Puget Sound Energy and the Daily Record for their corporate sponsorship of the series and to Northwest Public Radio and the CWU Alumni Association for their support. More details about the series and information about ticket sales will be available beginning on September 4 at http://www.cwu.edu/president/series.

I know it is hard for all of us to let go of summer, but everything we enjoy about university life reawakens in the fall and welcomes us to a new academic year.

Jerilyn S. McIntyre
President

CWU is putting the finishing touches on more than $70 million of new construction, remodeling and weatherization that will allow the university to accommodate record fall enrollment.

More than 8,000 students will begin arriving in Ellensburg on Sept. 16, including the university's largest-ever freshman class. More than 1,445 freshmen have already registered for fall quarter classes.

When doors to the historic Sue Lombard Hall reopen, it will house 102 students, about 30 more than before an extensive remodel. The $8.3 million project has involved selective demolition, seismic upgrades, carpentry, roofing, masonry, finishes, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and telecommunications updates in the four-story, residence hall, built in 1927.

Although the vast majority of work to campus residence facilities will be completed by the beginning of the academic year, a total of 23 standard rooms in Courson and Muzzall will remain closed at the outset of fall quarter as projects are completed in small sections of each building. The work won't affect the university's ability to provide comfortable, safe housing for its students.

While it also won't be open for the start of school, much anticipation surrounds the $41 million SUB-REC. The recreation center is on track for its scheduled opening next January. The student union portion of the new facility, will open the following April.  

When the academic year begins at CWU, it will also make the beginning of the university's "One Book, One Campus Project." Designed as an introduction to the academic life of Central, the program encourages the entire university community -- students, faculty, staff and administrators -- to read the same book, as a way to generate discussion throughout the 2005-06 academic year, both in and out of the classroom.

"The Tortilla Curtain," by T.C. Boyle has been selected for the inaugural project. It's about the culture clash between two families - illegal Mexican immigrants and wealthy Californians.

More information regarding the One Book, One Campus Project can be found at http://www.cwu.edu/~provost/one_book/.

To receive a free copy of The Tortilla Curtain and join an informal discussion group, contact Staci Sleigh-Layman at ext. 2205 or via e-mail her at staci@cwu.edu.

Kasunich, A. (Leica Geosystems) and Dr. Robert HICKEY (geography and land studies) published a short article titled: "Each Spring, Migratory Birds and GIS Converge on the Northwest Coast of Australia" in the GIS In Action section of ArcNews, v. 27, no. 2, p. 18, 2005. The paper highlighted work done by Suzanne WADE while a graduate student in the resource management program. It is worth noting that this publication had a print run of more than 600,000. It can be viewed online at http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer05articles/
each-spring.html .

Dr. Robert HICKEY (geography and land studies) and Timothy BARNHART, a graduate student in the resource management program, presented a paper titled: "Spatial Tools Development at Central Washington University" at the ESRI International User Conference, July 25-29, in San Diego. Barnhart did the coding as part of his duties as a graduate studies-funded research assistant.

C. Christopher LEE, business administration, had his co-authored paper, "Zipf's Law Distributions in Korean Financial Markets," published in the Journal of the Korean Physical Society (JKPS), Vol. 47, Iss. 1, July 2005, pp. 178-180. The JKPS is a refereed scholarly publication listed in the Science Citation Index (SCI).

Dr. Richard MACK, economics, presented a paper "Water Resource Allocation and Resulting Industry Mix in the Northwest of China" at the Regional Science Association International - British and Irish Section, Aug. 18, in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England.

Dr. Linda MARRA, music, represented central Washington and CWU as a delegate to the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Vancouver, B.C. Aug. 11-15. The ICVT holds a conference every four years in different parts of the world and features sessions in vocal pedagogy, vocal literature, master classes and concerts all selected to help further the sharing of information on the art of singing. Marra also attended a Baroque Opera Workshop held at Seattle Pacific University on Aug. 18 presented in conjunction with the Early Music Guild of Seattle. The workshop featured sessions on Baroque opera performance practice, movement and staging.

Christian I. SCHNEIDER, professor emeritus of foreign languages, presented several organ recitals in Europe, including one at the "14e Festival International d'orgue" in the cathedral of Sens, France, and another, Schneider's third, at the historic Trost-Orgel in the Castle Church of Altenburg, Germany. Also, 12 of his 40 Lieder, based on poems by the expressionist German-Jewish poetess Else Lasker-Schueler, were performed in a concert by musicians of the Music Conservatory in Cologne.

Retired CWU registrar's office employee Susan SELIX, who now lives in Sierra Vista, Ariz., has published the "Tasty Temptations Cookbook." It contains 500 recipes collected over the last 40 years from family and friends, along with others she developed herself. The book includes eight sections, including one for children's projects. Sale proceeds will be donated to Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, the Senior Lunch Program in Sierra Vista, Ariz., the Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Foundation and the Ellensburg Food Bank. More information about the book is available at http://home.comcast.net/~jkeastman/.

PUBLIC HEARING

CWU will host a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m., in the Hal Holmes Center, concerning the new Campus Facilities Master Plan. The plan has undergone SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) review and received a "Determination of Non-Significance" on Aug. 16.

The plan has been open for comment from the campus and community since December 2004, with those ideas and concerns are integrated into this latest draft. Final review and comments will be accepted at the meeting. Written comments may also be submitted to Bill Vertrees, senior director of facilities management, by Sept. 16.

Copies of the plan are available on the Web at http://www.cwu.edu/~facility/masterplan.html. Additional copies are on reserve at the CWU Brooks Library and the Ellensburg Public Library.

CWU EMPLOYEES

Civil Service new hires: Randall Beckstead, Broadcast Technician III, KCWU Radio; Kathleen Nehms, Library Technician III, Library Cataloging Department; Kelley Quirk, Program Assistant, Retired Senior Volunteer Program; Kimberly Holland, Program Coordinator, Campus Life; John Street, Engineering Technician II, Psychology.

Civil Service job changes: Theresa Stevens, Secretary Supervisor, English.

Exempt new hires: Michael Jennings, Assistant Vice President for Faculty Affairs, Provost; Richard Schillinger, Financial Aid Counselor, Financial Aid; Tomas Madrigal, Academic Advisor, Student Support Services; Thomas Henderson, Director Testing and Assessment, Undergraduate Studies; Dennis Hall, Resident Hall Coordinator, University Housing and New Student Programs; Amelia Black, Assistant Director Financial Aid/Scholarships, Financial Aid.

Exempt job changes: Flor Lucatero, Project Coordinator, College Assistant Migrant Program; Kari Gage, Assistant Athletic Trainer , Athletics.

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

BATTLE IN SEATTLE TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Tickets are now on sale for the third annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle, presented by Comcast, football game Saturday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m., at Qwest Field in Seattle between arch-rivals Central and Western Washington University.

Tickets are priced at $35 reserved with Club access, $25 reserved and $15 general admission.

Tickets can be purchased at the University Store and CWU Ticketmaster outlet in the Samuelson Union Building, by calling ext. 3537, or on-line at http://cwubookstore.collegestoreonline.com/.

Central won the first Battle in Seattle in 2003, defeating WWU 29-20 before 16,392 fans, a record for a non-NCAA Division I collegiate football game in the state of Washington. Western won last year's meeting 28-21, with 11,458 in attendance.

Athletic officials from both schools are expecting upwards of 20,000 to attend this year's battle.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Football "Rodeo Bowl": CWU vs. Montana Western, noon, Tomlinson Stadium, $10 adults, $5 students and seniors

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Soccer: CWU vs. Cal State Stanislaus, noon, CWU soccer complex

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
Holiday: Labor Day

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Volleyball: CWU vs. Alaska Fairbanks, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $5 adults, $3 students and seniors

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Volleyball: CWU vs. Alaska Anchorage, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $5 adults, $3 students and seniors

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Wildcat Welcome Weekend 2005: For new CWU students, all day, various campus locations, through Sept. 19

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Football: CWU vs. Washburn, 1 p.m., Tomlinson Stadium, $10 adults, $5 students and seniors

Soccer: CWU vs. Grand Canyon, 3 p.m., CWU soccer complex

WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY 21
Fall classes begin

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Soccer: CWU vs. Northwest Nazarene, 3 p.m., CWU soccer complex

Volleyball: CWU vs. Saint Martin's, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $5 adults, $3 students and seniors

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Soccer: CWU vs. Eastern Oregon, noon, CWU soccer complex

Faculty Recital: Joe Brooks, saxophone, 4 p.m., Music Building Recital Hall

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Classic Film Series: "House of Flying Daggers," 7 p.m., McConnell Auditorium, $3 single admission, $12 bargain pass (5 admissions)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Volleyball: CWU vs. Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m., Nicholson Pavilion, $5 adults, $3 students and seniors