Central Washington University: Its reach goes far beyond Ellensburg | Yakima Herald Republic

Ellensburg’s residents and visitors often note the typical windy weather that defines the area. Even people passing by the town can spot the wind turbines that dot the landscape.

In the heart of this windy locale lies Central Washington University, where a different kind of energy radiates inside the blend of historical structures and state-of-the-art facilities that make up the university’s campus.

CWU, with about 1,300 employees, is by far the largest employer in Kittitas County, despite the loss of about 100 jobs in the past three years. (READ MORE…)

Ellensburg park honors, Washoe, first sign-language chimp

News, weather, traffic, events and photos from the City Desk at The Seattle Times.

via Ellensburg park honors, Washoe, first sign-language chimp.

Jazz heats up downtown Ellensburg – Daily Record: News

Downtown Ellensburg filled with the sounds of blues and jazz, and people danced on street corners as the 15th annual Jazz in the Valley festiv…

via Jazz heats up downtown Ellensburg – Daily Record: News.

Holtman carried home to Central Washington | ESPN W

By: Graham Hays
Published: May 31, 2012

Courtesy of Graham Hays | Mallory Holtman recently completed her second season as softball coach at her alma mater, Central Washington.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Standing at the railing in a dugout normally reserved for the home team in the old Yankee Stadium, real estate once occupied by the likes of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, Mallory Holtman watched ball after ball sail over the iconic checkerboard outfield grass and settle back down to earth in the seats beyond during the 2008 Home Run Derby. As Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton put on a show at the plate, the night sky in the Bronx was illuminated by camera flashes as much as by the stadium lights high above her.

It was a sensation at once familiar and foreign. The nice hotel, the gift bag and the gate attendants at the stadium who passed around her ticket before politely suggesting she and the other two girls might want to try the VIP entrance the next time — all of that was new, if not exactly unpleasant. But much of her life to that point had been spent in dugouts, more hours than might be wise to count and certainly more hours than she spent sitting in stands, so those surroundings, at least, felt normal. Or they did until someone like Derek Jeter walked by as casually as if he was in, well, his dugout. It was like a person who had been raised on ponds stumbling across the Pacific Ocean. (READ MORE…)

CWU Professors Present “To South Sudan and Back Again” at Central on Stage

Posted: Feb. 27, 2012

When humanitarian John Bul Dau, one of the original Sudanese Lost Boys, spoke at Central Washington University in the fall of 2008, he talked about his personal struggle to gain an education, and his dream to bring the tools of literacy to South Sudan, a country ravaged by decades of civil war. In doing so, he inspired three CWU faculty members to contribute their skills to the Sudanese.

Phil Backlund, communication, and Judy Backlund and Janet Finke, language, literacy, and special education, traveled to the Sudan last March to provide a two-week training session in Juba, South Sudan. This was their second trip to Africa to train teachers. Both trips were sponsored by Ellensburg Morning Rotary Club, Rotary International (RI), and the International Reading Association (IRA). They will speak about their experiences at Central on Stage at Raw Space, at 7:00 p.m. on March 6. The trio will leave on their third trip to Africa on March 8.

Last year, members of the campus community began sharing their knowledge and talents with the community at large at Raw Space, located on 4th Avenue between Pearl and Pine Streets in Ellensburg. CoS was developed in collaboration with Raw Space founder Dean DeCrease and CWU senior administrators.

CWU students organizing event to address childhood obesity – Daily Record: News

Children and adults of all ages are invited to attend an iBODY:Children’s Obesity Awareness event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdayat the SURC…

via CWU students organizing event to address childhood obesity – Daily Record: News.

CWU Symphony Orchestra to perform at Spirit of the West | Daily Record

Nikolas Caoile conducts the CWU orchestra during rehearsal, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (Brian Myrick / Daily Record)

By: Joanna Markell
Published: Feb. 13, 2011

A special concert during Spirit of the West will put the spotlight on America’s history in music Thursday at Central Washington University.

CWU has long hosted Spirit of the West concerts, and the CWU orchestra performed with cowboy musician R.W. Hampton several years ago, but this year organizers decided to feature the orchestra as a main artist, said Nikolas Caoile, director of orchestras at CWU. The CWU Symphony Orchestra will be performing with the CWU Men’s Choir at 7 p.m. Thursday at the McIntyre Music Building. (READ MORE)

CWU is enhancing its international profile – Daily Record: Top Story

Gus Labayen’s father is a musician with a master’s degree inorchestral conducting, so it made sense that as a 9-year-oldLabayen started play…

via CWU is enhancing its international profile – Daily Record: Top Story.

CWU Trustees to Meet in Downtown Ellensburg | CWU Public Affairs

Posted: Jan. 26, 2012

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.

 

 

Late potter Richard Fairbanks’ collection is given new life | Issaquah Press

Late potter Richard Fairbanks’ collection is given new life.

By: Emily Baer
Published: Dec. 13, 2011

Twenty-five years after her husband — potter and best friend Richard Fairbanks — died at the height of his career, Issaquah painter Dixie Parker-Fairbanks embarked on an artistic journey to blend her husband’s revolutionary ceramics with photos of his Scandinavian architectural muses.

Her method: collage work. Her motive: well, it’s twofold.

Akin to the likes of many great artists before him, the strength and depth of Richard Fairbanks’ body of work only gained widespread recognition — at least in the States — posthumously. (READ MORE…)