awarded a $35,000 grant to fund a community health assessment and

community health i…

via Grant pays for community health assessment – Daily Record: News.

America is a nation founded on journeys. From the time the first people walked across the Bering Strait to Alaska to the landing of the Mayflower; from the unspeakable horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave ships, to westward migration and the forced resettlement of Native Americans; from covered wagons to the transcontinental railways; and from the interstate highway system to flying the friendly skies, we have been a people in transit.

Central Washington University’s Museum of Culture and Environment (MCE) will host Journey Stories, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution that explores America’s continuing wanderlust and its effect on everything from commerce to civil rights. The exhibit runs from January 28 to March 11, with a special opening reception on Thursday, February 2, at 5:00 p.m. featuring refreshments and live music from Mariachi Estrella de Mexico.

Our transportation history is more than trains, boats, buses, cars, wagons, and trucks. The development of transportation technology was largely inspired by the human drive for freedom. Journey Stories will examine the intersection between modes of travel and Americans’ desire to feel free to move. The story is diverse and focused on immigration, migration, innovation, and freedom.

In conjunction with Journey Stories, the MCE is hosting two companion exhibits. The first one, In My Shoes: Stories about Life, Told from the Bottom Up, features stories and artwork from Kittitas county residents and will be on exhibit from January 28 to June 3.

The second is Cruisin’ the Washington State Fossil Freeway, a traveling exhibit from the Burke Museum that explores the fossil record in Washington State. The exhibit is based on a children’s book written by Colorado paleontologist Kirk Johnson, and illustrated by Alaskan artist Ray Troll. Cruisin’ the Washington State Fossil Freeway will be on exhibit from February 2 to April 14.

There will also be a series of events connected with Journey Stories that will run through March.

Journey Stories is a Museum on Main Street (MOMS) exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. MOMS serves small-town museums and their patrons, and allows these museums to showcase their strengths.

The MCE is located on the first floor of Dean Hall. Admission to the museum is free and it is open to the public Wednesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Parking at CWU is free after 4:30 p.m. and on weekends.

For more information, contact museum@cwu.edu, or go to www.cwu.edu/~museum.

via Dunn leads CWU women’s basketball to victory – Daily Record: Sports.

The Central Washington University Board of Trustees (BOT) will meet at 9:00 a.m., February 3, at the Hal Holmes Center, located at 209 North Ruby Street in downtown Ellensburg.  The meeting will be held in the Ellensburg and Teanaway rooms.

The off-campus meeting is an extension of the CWU-Ellensburg Community Partnership initiative developed during fall 2011, according to the chair of the BOT, Sid Morrison.

“The Ellensburg community and the university are inseparable partners,” said Morrison. “So we’re meeting in place where community residents will feel right at home. Central has a profound impact in community, and we want all people to feel welcome to our discussions.”

Ellensburg businessman Brad Fitterer, CWU president James Gaudino, and the CWU Board of Trustees organized a series of breakfast meetings with representatives of local civic and governmental groups, including those representing K-12 education, social services, the arts, service organizations, business, and city and county government. The purpose of the initiative is to strengthen community partnerships and improve the quality of life for everyone.

The business meeting will be preceded by general discussion of the board at 8 a.m. in the Kittitas Room. The evening prior to the meeting the board will attend a community reception at Gallery One in Ellensburg.

The February 3 business meeting is open to the public. The agenda for the meeting will be available on January 27 at http://www.cwu.edu/~board/index.html.

Trustees and regents from the state’s colleges and universities spent Tuesday at the Capitol urging lawmakers to prevent further cuts to higher education.

Twenty-eight regents and trustees met with members from the House and Senate higher education committees and Marty Loesch, Gov. Chris Gregoire’s chief of staff, among others.

Lawmakers cut $500 million from higher education last year, and Gregoire has proposed an additional $160 million cut to help deal with the state’s budget deficit.

According to Ted Basler, chair of the Board of Regents at Washington State University, the state is tied for the third most severe higher-education cuts in the nation.

“We’re in a world of hurt,” said Sid Morrison, chair of the Board of Trustees at Central Washington University. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot — shooting our future. We’re interrupting the American dream.” (READ MORE…)

Jon Kitna as a Dallas Cowboy in January 2010 (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

By: Nick Eaton
Posted: Jan. 24, 2012

Former Seahawks quarterback Jon Kitna, after 15 years in the NFL, is back home in Tacoma and wants to coach football at his old high school.

A Tacoma native and Central Washington University graduate, Kitna recently announced his retirement from pro football. On Monday, he started a new job as a part-time math teacher at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, and has applied for the open football coach position, according to The News Tribune. (READ MORE…)

A snowy day in Ellensburg.

By: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell
Posted: Jan. 19, 2012

Central Washington University routinely remains open even when winter storms create havoc for institutions west of the Cascades. The last time Central was affected by severe weather was in 2003, when classes were cancelled–but even then Central did not close. This is due to the careful monitoring of the weather conditions by the Departments of Public Safety and Police Services and Facilities Management.

For Mike Luvera, director of Public Safety and Police Services, it’s all about keeping Central’s students, faculty, and staff safe.

“We don’t close very often,” admitted Luvera, who has been up since 4:30 a.m. checking on road conditions. During extreme weather, he is in close contact with his night shift officers, who keep him apprised of any major changes over night.

“Basically,” Luvera continued, “I check to see if the major highways are open and if traffic in Ellensburg is moving smoothly.”

He also confers with Bill Vertrees, assistant vice president for facilities management, to check on the condition of the campus and if groundskeepers are able to maintain walkways, parking lots, and thoroughfares.

“We look at closures from a safety standpoint,” he said. “If people are able to get to offices and classes, then there really isn’t a reason to close.”

However, should something happen that would impact personal safety, such as a sustained power outage during cold weather, Luvera and Vertrees would confer, and make a joint recommendation as to the appropriate actions for CWU President Jim Gaudino to take, up to and including closing the university.

“The final decision would be made by the president,” said Luvera.

CWU’s Ellensburg campus did close in  1996 when a storm dumped more than 18 inches of snow. The weather warmed, the snow began to melt–and then froze. Snow fell again for a frosty and weighty combination that put as much as 100 pounds per square foot of pressure on campus roof-tops.

Vertrees recalls that the campus closed and facilities staff brought in several big track snow-throwers. A big lift placed the snow throwers on roofs and spent the day clearing the weight from campus buildings.

Other CWU campuses located throughout western Washington and parts of central Washington closed today. Information about the status of each is available by clicking “campuses” at the top of the CWU home page, and choosing a location. The pages are updated as conditions change.

Washington University quarterback Mike Reilly sat next to former

Wildcat and c…

via Mike Reilly becomes a champion in Canadian Football League – Daily Record: Sports.

Central Washington University is used to playing in front of a

packed house at rival Western Washington.

via Central, Western men take their rivalry to TV – Daily Record: Sports.

Central Washington University has named Dr. Michael Launius assistant vice president for international studies and programs. Launius has served as the executive director of CWU’s Office of International Studies and Programs (OISP) since 2003.

In his expanded role, Launius will complete work on CWU agreements with foreign colleges and universities, and oversee a new Office of Global Services and Initiatives (GSI). The new unit will focus on marketing, student advising, and international student recruitment.  The Office of Global Services and Initiatives joins the existing University English as a Second Language, Asia University America Program, and Study Abroad and Exchange programs under the OISP umbrella.

Geoff Foy will serve as the interim director of GSI. Foy, formerly the university’s assistant director of Continuing Education, has an advanced degree in international relations and speaks fluent Chinese, as well as French and Spanish. He will be in charge of developing relationships, marketing programs, and spearheading recruitment efforts in China, although international outreach also will include Latin America, Europe, Africa and other areas of the world.  OISP will continue efforts to expand exchange opportunities for American students seeking to study abroad, along with faculty exchanges and research collaborations.

Launius said that students often want to come to the US because they’re familiar with many of the country’s high-profile colleges and universities, and they’ve already been exposed to American culture through films, music, and television.

“The United States is still seen as the most economically advanced country in the world,” he added. “In their home countries, many students realize that a degree from an American university is extremely valuable; it’s a ticket to upward economic and social mobility.”

Launius went on to say that CWU is attractive because of the scenic natural setting, small-town status, beautiful residential campus, and comparatively small class sizes, “which are rare in Asia. We’ve got a lot going for us,” he added.

While nearly 95 percent of CWU students are Washington residents, for the past two years CWU also has recruited groups of students from China. These students have enrolled in specialized study in one-year, master’s degree programs in industrial and engineering technology, public accountancy, and a new interdisciplinary degree in public administration.

New initiatives are now being developed at the bachelor’s-degree level in a variety of academic disciplines. These projects are based on “2+2″ and “1+3″ models, in which students complete one or two years of study in their native countries and then come to CWU for the final years of instruction.

Launius said the opportunity to learn from international students is a critical aspect of preparing students to succeed after they graduate.

“The international environment has become much more competitive,” said Launius, adding that American university graduates will have to compete in a global marketplace. “The presence of international students gives Americans a change to get a sense of those cultures, societies, and countries with which they will be interacting.”