Sep. 14, 2020
CWU Testing Services Director Re-Elected to National Testing Board
Central Washington University Testing Services Director Bill Thelen has been re-elected to the National College Testing Association (NCTA) Governing Council.
Thelen started his second three-year term on the board in late August, and will continue working to create national standards for certified testing centers around the country. One of his primary areas of focus is the NCTA’s Test Center Certification Committee.
“The committee is trying to streamline the certification process and establish certain standards so we can increase the number of certified test centers nationwide,” said Thelen, who joined CWU Testing Services in 2006.
Thelen’s re-election to the NCTA Governing Council is the latest example of a CWU employee representing the university at the national and regional levels. Other recent honors include professor Audrey Huerta (geology program director, National Science Foundation); professor Anne Johansen (Atmospheric Chemistry Program, NSF); and Vice President of Inclusivity and Diversity Kandee Cleary (commissioner, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities).
“We are excited that Bill has been recognized for his expertise and leadership as he serves the NCTA,” said Joseph Pearson, the executive director of CWU Auxiliary Enterprises who oversees Testing Services. “We are proud of his efforts at fulfilling our vision of being recognized for excellence and for representing CWU at the national level.”
When Thelen isn’t lending his expertise to the NCTA Council, he is managing the CWU Testing Services facility in Bouillon Hall. The center was closed from March through June due to the statewide shutdown, but it was allowed to reopen July 1 with strict safety protocols in place.
Testing Services works with independent contractors to administer secure tests for state, county, municipal, and federal government agencies. Exams offered at the CWU site attract a wide range of participants, including K-12 educators, graduate students applying to medical or law school, emergency medical technicians, pharmacists, nurses, real estate brokers, postal workers, crane operators, physical trainers, border patrol agents, FBI agents, and more.
With most testing centers around the state still closed due to COVID-19, Thelen and his small staff have been in high demand over the past two months.
“We’ve had people coming from all over,” he said. “With so many testing centers still closed, a lot of people had to wait to take their tests before they could get back to work.”
Media contact: David Leder, Department of Public Affairs; David.Leder@cwu.edu, 509-963-1518.