CWU COB 'Advancing The Dream' Recipients Named

May 10, 2004

Contact: Dr. Roy Savoian (509-963-1955/fax 509-963-3042/e-mail: savoianr@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash.-- Central Washington University's College of Business (COB) will honor two community college professors with 2004 COB "Advancing the Dream" awards during the 11th Annual College of Business Honors Banquet, Saturday, May 15, in the Samuelson Union Building Ballroom on the Ellensburg campus.

"We established the 'Advancing the Dream' award in 2000 to recognize the outstanding contribution of professors in community colleges across Washington who work with students from a variety of backgrounds, capabilities and aspirations," Dr. Roy Savoian, COB dean, says.

This year's recipients are:

Cathy Pitts, Highline Community College (HCC) accounting professor, and Michael Choman, Wenatchee Valley College (WVC) business/accounting professor.

Pitts, who has been a member of the HCC faculty since 1971, is retiring at the end of the 2003-04 academic year.

"That's why it's such a nice recognition," she says. "As I think about 'Advancing the dream,' I visualize many faces of students who chose accounting as a career while completing introductory accounting courses which I teach. I see the young lady from Macedonia, the young man just discharged from the Army, the housewives whose children are all now in school, the young man in leather with ear rings, the Running Start students and the lady with an engineering degree. They became intrigued, challenged and motivated. To think I had some influence in their lives is very rewarding."

Pitts, who received her bachelor's degree from Washington State University and her master of business administration (MBA) degree from Seattle University, has also taught in the Federal Way School District. She has been the HCC accounting department coordinator since 1980 and has also served as executive director of the Northwest Accounting Educators Conference since 1986.

Choman has taught at WVC since 1994. Prior to that he was a faculty member at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka, Calif., and Northland Pioneer College, Snowflake, Ariz. He received his bachelor's degree and MBA from the University of Wyoming. "Teaching just feels right to me," he says. "I love the classroom and really enjoy interacting with students. People in college are engaged in one of the most positive transitions of their life. I'm proud to be part of this experience and hope I add a positive contribution."

Pitts and Choman become the sixth and seventh recipients of the "Advancing the Dream" awards.

The first recipient was Cecil Terk, an accounting instructor at Yakima Valley College; the 2001 award was made to Donnie Kristof-Nelson, accounting, Edmonds Community College; in 2002, Green River Community College economics instructor David Mowrer was honored; and, last year, the co-recipients were Dorothy Brandt, Everett Community College and Dr. Barry Kotlove, economics, Edmonds Community College.

"For many students, the dream of pursuing a baccalaureate degree becomes a reality only because of the instruction, counsel, encouragement and support they receive from these and many other outstanding community college professors in Washington," Savoian says.