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Former Secretary of State Honored with Alumni Achievement Award

Sam Smith, Sam Reed, and Elson Floyd with awardSam Reed, former Washington secretary of state and WSU social studies and political science graduate, was honored recently with the highest honor bestowed by the WSU Alumni Association.

Presented at the “Sam Reed Roast and Toast” retirement celebration on Jan. 10 in Seattle, the Alumni Achievement Award recognized his outstanding accomplishments and leadership during his 35 years in elected office.

Read more about the WSU endowed professorship created in his name →

CAS faculty named AAAS fellows

Eight WSU faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, including six in the College of Arts and Sciences:

  • Sue Clark, regents professor of chemistry
  • Daryll DeWald, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
  • Herbert Hill Jr., regents professor of chemistry
  • Ursula Mazur, professor of chemistry and materials science
  • Kenneth Nash, professor of chemistry
  • Michael Skinner, professor of biological sciences

Also named a fellow this year is psychology alumnus John Roll, professor of nursing and associate dean for faculty affairs in the WSU College of Nursing.

You may read more details at the WSU News Center.

Gift of Helm works provides insight into creative process

By Debby Stinson, Museum of Art

The Washington State University Museum of Art has received an $82,000 gift of work by late Northwest artist Robert Helm (M.F.A. ’69). The donation, by Robert and Shaké Sarkis, consists of 82 works on paper created 1975–99.

The Sarkises have amassed what is arguably the most comprehensive collection of Northwest and West Coast art. Robert Sarkis and WSU Museum of Art director Chris Bruce have known each other for more than 30 years. In addition to this gift, the couple previously donated other works by Helm to the WSU permanent collection.

“We are thrilled to add this amazing portfolio of drawings by former WSU fine arts faculty member Robert Helm to the Museum of Art and thank Robert and Shaké Sarkis for their generous gift,” said Jill Aesoph, director of development for the museum. “It is through such gifts that we have been able to build a permanent collection with more than 2,500 distinctive works of art, which will be part of the WSU experience for years to come.”  Continue story →

Endowment honors Sam Reed’s 45 years of public service

Sam Reed
Sam Reed

Washington State University’s College of Arts and Sciences will establish an endowment to fund the Sam Reed Distinguished Professorship in Civic Education and Public Civility in honor of Reed’s distinguished record of public service. He will retire from public office as Washington’s 14th secretary of state in January 2013.

Reed received his bachelor’s degree in social studies and master’s degree in political science from WSU.

“Much of my grounding in political science, history, and politics came from mentors and professors in my undergraduate and graduate school years at Washington State, and I am so happy to think that future generations will benefit from a Reed Professor,” Reed said. “I am delighted that Washington State University is creating a Sam Reed Distinguished Professorship in Civic Education and Public Civility.”
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Two faculty and two alumni win state arts grants

Two Washington State University faculty and two alumni are among 62 recipients, out of 603 applicants, of 2012 Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) of up to $1,500 from Artist Trust, a Washington state nonprofit arts organization.

The faculty awardees are Kevin Haas, professor of fine arts, and Christopher Arigo, assistant professor of English. Alumni winners are Lauren Greathouse (B.F.A. ’03; B.A. ’03, English) and Dane Youngren (B.F.A. ’11).

The goal of the funding is a repeated and consistent investment to support and encourage individual artists’ projects in all disciplines in order to enrich community life throughout Washington. » More …