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Faculty use funding to improve education

Thanks to grants from the Smith Teaching and Learning Endowment, thousands of undergraduates are benefiting from new or revised classes and teaching innovations at Washington State University.

“We are very pleased by the innovations developed by these skilled and thoughtful educators with the funding from the Smith grants,” said Mary F. Wack, vice provost for undergraduate education and dean of the University College. “They each made a great difference to academic experiences of the undergraduates in their classes and programs. And they serve as models to other faculty at WSU and nationally.”

The most recent six $5,000 grants allowed seven faculty members to implement their ideas to improve educational programs, including David Leonard (critical culture, gender, and race studies), Pamela Lee (fine arts), Allyson Beall (environment), and Tom Dickinson (physics and astronomy). They addressed either of two issues of importance at WSU today: improving student engagement in large classes and integrating environmental sustainability concepts into courses. Continue story →

Holocaust work informs professor’s race studies courses

C. Richard King
C. Richard King

By Phyllis Shier, College of Arts and Sciences

Research by a Washington State University professor last summer at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies (CAHS) has changed his teaching and his approach to culture and racism.

It also resulted in the recruiting of a lecturer who will speak in collaboration with WSU’s 2012 Common Reading Program in November.

C. Richard King, a professor in the Department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies, spent a month at CAHS conducting research and incorporating themes of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism into his WSU courses. » More …

Governor names new WSU student regent

By Darin Watkins, WSU News

Washington State University’s Rafael Pruneda has been appointed as the student member of the WSU Board of Regents for the 2012–2013 academic year. His selection as WSU’s fifteenth student regent was announced this week by Gov. Chris Gregoire. The appointment runs through June 30, 2013.

“I’m extremely proud to have the opportunity to serve the WSU,” Pruneda said of his appointment. “Being involved in student government and various student organizations has given me the knowledge and ability to communicate with my constituents. I look forward to voicing student concerns and ideas to the current board of regents.”

Born and raised in Othello, Wash., Pruneda followed his two sisters to WSU: Iliana in animal science, and Ana Maria in chemical engineering. Awarded a bachelor’s degree in history, Pruneda is working on a second degree in comparative ethnic studies, with minors in English and global studies.  Continue story →