CAS in the Media | Washington State University

^{CAS in the Media} _{Arts and Sciences Media Headlines}

March 26-27: Environmental writer explores storytelling

March 21, 2014

William Cronon, one of the country’s foremost environmental writers, thinkers and historians, will be the featured speaker at two free, public events March 26-27 as part of WSU’s Visiting Writer Series.

“William Cronon is an exceptional historian who has a scholar’s depth and breadth of knowledge but also a novelist’s skill at telling stories,” said Larry Hufford, director of the School of Biological Sciences and the Charles R. Conner Museum of Natural History at WSU. “His seminal book, Changes in the Land, was tremendously influential in shaping the way we think today about wilderness and the pervasiveness of human influence on the American environment.”

Cronon will present “The Portage: Time, Memory and Storytelling in the Making of an American Place” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the CUB auditorium on the WSU Pullman campus. On Thursday, he will join an interdisciplinary panel of faculty experts from WSU and the University of Idaho in examining “The Personal Voice of Scholarly Writing” 3:30-5:30 p.m., on the UI campus in Moscow.

Learn more about these cross-disciplinary events

Political scientist alumnus honored for teaching, service

March 18, 2014

Retired political scientist Daniel M. Ogden, Jr., of Vancouver, Wash., recently was honored with the WSU Alumni Association (WSUAA) Alumni Achievement Award for a 50-year career of service to academia, the federal government, and the local community.

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the WSUAA. Since 1970, fewer than 515 alumni have received it.

Ogden was one of a select group in 1960 that managed four U.S. presidential campaign advances for Sen. Jack Kennedy, culminating in the final event in Philadelphia. The experience was co-authored by Ogden in the 1964 book, “Electing the President.” He taught at WSU after earning his bachelor’s degree here in political science in 1944.

More about Ogden’s distinguished career and service.

Psychology faculty member earns state honor for community engagement

March 12, 2014

Paul Strand, associate professor of psychology at WSU Tri-Cities, won a statewide award for exemplary civic engagement by university faculty.

The Timm Ormsby Award for Faculty Citizenship is presented annually by Washington’s Council of Faculty Representatives. Nick Lovrich, WSU Regents professor in political science, won the honor last year.

Strand, who has been with WSU Tri-Cities for 17 years, studies the development of social skills and academic readiness in children, particularly those who are raised in culturally and linguistically diverse homes. He has testified before the state Senate Human Relations and Corrections committees on the evidence in support of his ideas.

He has focused on children from Spanish-speaking homes who struggle with shyness and anxiety in school; how these feelings contribute to both academic difficulties and teacher perceptions that a child has intellectual deficiencies; and how to help children, families and teachers overcome these barriers.

More about Strand’s outstanding work

People behind bars: shifting paradigms of American inmates

March 6, 2014

Perceptions change, but the American prison system continues to falter, a WSU professor said.

Faith E. Lutze, an associate professor in the department of criminal justice and criminology, spoke as part of the Common Reading lecture series. The title of Lutze’s lecture was “Perceptions of Justice: The Power of Prisons to Right a Wrong.”

“Sixty percent of our offenders will fail within three years of release,” she said. “So we might be doing something wrong.”

Lutze has researched prison life for about 25 years since she took a tour of Jackson Prison in southern Michigan. She said an experience there drastically changed her perception of the criminal justice system.

WSU jazz studies earns honors at Hampton jazz festival

March 5, 2014

The WSU jazz studies program in the School of Music was recognized at the recent 2014 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho.

WSU saxophonist Michado Mijiga was selected from soloists on the festival’s College Day to perform at Hamp’s Club that evening. He also competed and was chosen as a featured soloist with the Lionel Hampton Youth Jazz Orchestra in the final evening’s concert.

The WSU Jazz Big Band, under the direction of Greg Yasinitsky, professor and director of the school, was selected to present an invited performance during the evening Young Artists Concert.