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CAS in the Media Arts and Sciences Media Headlines

Center for Arts and Humanities named for David G. Pollart

David Pollart.
Pollart

Washington State University has announced a generous philanthropic investment in the Center for Arts and Humanities at WSU’s College of Arts and Sciences from alumnus David Pollart to support new educational programs, research, and creative activity that cross traditional academic boundaries. In recognition of his transformational support, the center will be named the David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities.

“The David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities will enhance and grow programming and scholarship in the arts, music and humanities for generations to come,” said Kirk Schulz, president of WSU. “This recent addition to the WSU system offers opportunities for the campus—and public in general—to encounter new ideas and discover new passions. With Mr. Pollart’s investment, the center is poised to reach even greater heights.”

Pollart’s gift of more than $1.5 million provides perpetual annual funding for arts, music and humanities programming, including student engagement opportunities like internships and study abroad. In addition, it will support artist-in-residency collaborations with the Department of Fine Arts, School of Music, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and other humanities departments.

Todd Butler.
Butler

“The center was established in 2019 to be a ‘front door’ to the creativity, challenge and meaning that the arts and humanities can bring to all of us,” said Todd Butler, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “David’s gift has flung that door wide-open to magnify the visibility of the arts and humanities across our university, positioning the Pollart Center to thrive for generations to come.”

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WSU Insider

 

Ask Dr. Universe: Who invented games?

Clapper

Board games, video games, a long piece of yarn… I love them all. I took a break from batting around a catnip-filled mouse toy to talk about your question with my friend, Jordan Clapper, a Washington State University professor in languages, cultures, and race, who told me the answer is a mystery.

“That’s almost impossible to know—for some really fun reasons,” Clapper said. “Every culture has games. It even extends beyond being human. If you’ve ever seen a dog or a cat play, they’re playing a game.“

The earliest board game we’ve found is more than 4,600 years old. Archaeologist Leonard Woolley dug it up in a tomb from Sumer (modern-day Iraq). That tomb was in the Royal Cemetery of Ur, so he named it the Royal Game of Ur.

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Dr. Universe

Ashley Wells Named Miss Black Washington USA

Ashley Wells.
Wells

Supporting women of color, the Miss Black USA Organization, the first and largest pageant to do so, has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships. The pageant prioritizes empowering women to own their power and celebrate unique talents, traits, and beauty. Ashley Wells had been waiting for this opportunity to participate and the wait is over as Wells was crowned 2023 Miss Black Washington USA.

Beginning her journey as a Ph.D. student in American Studies and Culture at Washington State University last year, Wells’ research revolves around Black American Women and mental health disparities. In addition to being a Graduate Assistant for WSU’s Multicultural Student Services, Wells also served as Senator of the Graduate and Professional Student Association within the institution.

When asked how it feels to be Miss Black Washington USA and a Washington State University student, Wells responded, “being Miss Black Washington USA and a WSU student is a great combination of experiences. I am originally from New York and have lived on the East coast my entire life. So, to be able to make an impact specifically on Black Women in Washington has been so exciting.”

Now earning the crown and title, Wells’ platform revolves around her nonprofit work as she is the co-founder of The Prosp(a)ity Project, a 501(c)3 organization that is dedicated to improving the economic mobility of college-educated Black women.

“We do this primarily through our 35*2 Free Initiative which provides retroactive scholarships to women combined with a year-long program of financial literacy training,” said Wells. “I want to stress the importance of financial literacy and educational options to the black community as a whole.”

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Seattle Medium
Moscow-Pullman Daily News

WSU adds equity and justice designation to general education curriculum

The Washington State University Faculty Senate approved a new course designation on Oct. 6 called “Inquiry into Equity and Justice (EQJS)” that will expand the University Common Requirements (UCORE) general education curriculum for the first time in a decade.

The new UCORE designation, which will not impact UCORE credits necessary for graduation, goes into effect in fall 2023. Courses in EQJS will equip students with intellectual tools and social contexts necessary to critically examine power dynamics, and to recognize, question, and understand structural inequities and privileges, according to the UCORE website.

A set of EQJS courses will be determined over the coming months and, will also provide students vital intellectual foundations, tools, and literacies to assess and evaluate ideologies and narratives to ethically pursue inclusive and just societies.

Clif Stratton.
Stratton

“This is the first major change to UCORE requirements since they were put in place ten years ago, and the committee feels it represents a much-needed engagement with issues of utmost importance in today’s society,” said Clif Stratton, UCORE director and professor of history.

“It is critical to note that the addition of the EQJS designation to the inquiry set is credit neutral, meaning it adds no additional UCORE credit requirements to graduate,” said Stratton. Some colleges, however, such as the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences, are planning to implement a college-level requirement that students complete courses in all UCORE inquiry designations. UCORE course requirements to graduate, then, could be determined on a college-by-college basis, as necessary.

“The UCORE committee thanks those colleges for their ongoing commitment to a broad educational experience at WSU,” he said.

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WSU Insider

New language partnership will enrich learning

The Intensive American Language Center (IALC) on the Pullman campus moved its classrooms and staff to Daggy Hall this summer after the decommissioning of Kruegel Hall, which previously housed the center.

The IALC is where international students learn and polish their English and knowledge of American customs through beginner, undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition to the IALC moving its staff and class spaces, the IALC’s Learning Support Center found a new home in Thompson Hall through a partnership with CAS’s School of Languages, Cultures and Race, which runs the Language Learning Resource Center (aka Language Lab).

Having the IALC’s Learning Support Center and the Language Lab in one place will provide WSU students taking foreign language classes and international students studying English the opportunity to learn from each other at the same location.

Carmen Lugo-Lugo.
Lugo-Lugo

“This partnership provides a nexus for language and cultural exchange that can benefit both groups of students,” said Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo, director of the School of Languages, Cultures and Race.

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WSU Insider