Washington State University professor Landon Charlo and Colville Tribe member and extension officer Linda McLean will discuss “Indigenous food sovereignty across international, national, and local settings” at a 3 p.m. Nov. 7 virtual event, moderated by Zoe Higheagle Strong, vice provost for Native American Relations and Programs.

To receive the Zoom link to join the talk, registration is required.

The event is co-hosted by the WSU Common Reading Program. The talk has strong ties to this year’s common reading book for university students, How the Other Half Eats: The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America.

“As November is Native American Heritage Month, we are especially pleased to offer this timely and important presentation to the WSU community featuring WSU experts,” said Karen Weathermon, director of First-Year Programs, which includes the Common Reading Program.

Weathermon said presenters will discuss Indigenous food sovereignty at several different strata of conceptualization and practice, from general meanings that have developed historically and internationally, to local contexts of the Colville Reservation.

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Charlo is an assistant professor in the School of the Environment. His research focuses on Native American food systems, traditional ecological knowledge, and tribal environmental policy.

McLean leads education and outreach programs for WSU’s Colville Reservation Extension office in Nespelem, Wash. She is an advocate for youth, agriculture, and food sovereignty, and is a 4-H educator. She received the administrative professional technical staff excellence award from the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences in 2024.

This talk is one of a several events taking place in recognition of Native American Heritage Month. Other events include the inaugural Ruth and Loren Olsen Festival of Native American Music with artist-in-residence Conner Chee, a Navajo composer and pianist; a panel discussion, “We Are Still Here: Native American Diversity in Heritage and Research”; and a two-part workshop on developing genuine tribal engagement and collaborative research with tribal partners.

The inaugural Washington State University Energy Summit, hosted by the WSU Tri-Cities Institute for Northwest Energy Futures (INEF), was held on the Richland campus last month.  It included representatives from nearly all of the 26 energy-related entities within the WSU system. Attendees represented centers, labs, institutes, schools, departments, and programs system-wide. The event was the first time they had all gathered together in 20 years.

The energy ecosystem represented at the Summit included everything from theoretical research into nuclear fusion to social science surrounding building efficiency, and the boots-on-the-ground activities happening through Extension offices and the Energy Program. 

“Reaching across our silos today was an important step in our integrated systems approach to a clean energy future,” said Noel Schulz, INEF’s inaugural director and Bob Ferguson Endowed Professor.

To facilitate introductions and information sharing, the Summit began with flash talks, focused discussions and time for networking. Participants quickly recognized the value of the event and the Institute. Randy Thorn, energy engineer with the WSU Energy Program, remarked, “This is additive [the Institute and its activities are] not organized because things are broken. This is about what can we leverage – entity to entity rather than person to person.”

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The afternoon session included longer presentations from the Washington State Departments of Commerce and Ecology, informing participants about potential opportunities for WSU to assist with studies, reviews, and evaluations. In addition, Georgine Yorgey, the new director of the Energy Program, was recognized as the newest addition to the INEF leadership team. 

Several themes emerged at the Summit and were underlined the following day at the workshop with the Energy Program. Opportunities across the energy ecosystem were identified for:

• cooperation in research and field demonstrations
• creating and sharing educational resources for community engagement
• a shared community benefits plan that includes best practices for Tribal relations
• seminars exploring energy-related topics
• fostering the future energy workforce by developing educational pipelines and mentorship programs
• internal and external energy-related communication channels sharing up-to-date information, public perception trends, and funding opportunities

Moving forward, INEF will play a leading role in energy-related projects by prioritizing, assessing, and guiding opportunities and endeavors strategically and promptly.

Following the Summit, most participants attended the ribbon-cutting and open house reception for the new INEF building where they shared their research and ideas and networked with local government representatives, WSU leadership, and the community.

 “The momentum is here; we have the expertise and passion to keep it going,” Schulz said.

Visit INEF’s website for more information about INEF and the energy entities represented at the Summit.

National First-Generation College Celebration Day on Nov. 8 is an opportunity to recognize those who are the first in their family to pursue a four-year undergraduate degree. At Washington State University, first gen students make up over 35% of the student body system-wide. WSU is hosting special events to recognize the strength of first-gen students and how everyone at the university can better support their journey.

When examining what it means to be a first-gen student, it is best to hear it directly from those who have lived experience. Four individuals — a student, a staff member, a faculty member, and a WSU alum — shared a little about their educational journeys.

Sebastian Walker

Senior engineering major Sebastian Walker said he probably wouldn’t be at WSU had it not been for the director of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (MESA) at Green River Community College who pushed him to apply for scholarships, internships, and support programs.

“I’ve always been told that it’s not what you know, but who you know,” Walker said. “We can’t do everything alone and there are many people out there who want to help us.”

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His desire to help first-gen students make a similar connection is what led Walker to volunteer at WSU Pullman’s First Gen Student Center, where he is now a member of the student staff. He described the center as a safe and supportive place where students relax, study, learn about resources, and meet first gen students, faculty, and staff.

“I started a coffee club in the center as a way for students to meet and get to know others,” Walker said. “Having a support group is so important.”

Romando Nash

His mom frequently watched old reruns of the 1960s television show Perry Mason, and as a young boy, Romando Nash, vice chancellor of Student Affairs on the Pullman campus, would watch the show with her. Mason was a star attorney on the show and Nash made up his mind that he wanted to be an attorney just like him. That meant going to college, of course, something both of Nash’s parents did not do.

Despite growing up in a rough, low-income neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nash remained laser focused on reaching his dream, He successfully graduated from law school, but soon discovered his true calling is helping students succeed in college.

“My advice for first-gen students is to ask questions, ask for help, and get involved on campus,” Nash said. “They have resiliency and grit that got them this far. They just need to believe in themselves.”

Vanessa Delgado

Assistant Professor of Sociology Vanessa Delgado grew up in Prosser, Washington, and as early as middle school she participated in programs that provided mentorship and resources to support her journey to college. She credits Gear Up, Upward Bound, College Assistance Migrant Program, and the McNair Achievement Program for showing her the way.

Now as a professor, Delgado is keenly aware of how unwritten college norms can inadvertently hinder students’ success and uses her role to empower first-gen students.

“I strive to uncover the hidden curriculum of college by working closely with students to strengthen their writing habits, teach them effective note-taking strategies, and share campus resources to bolster their success in my class.”

Jennifer Bumpus

When Jennifer Bumpus was a student on the Pullman campus 19 years ago, she occasionally called home upset after a difficult test or was frustrated with her packed schedule. Her parents, who did not go to college, were unable to relate to her situation or offer her advice.

This is a common dilemma for many first-gen students who can’t lean on their family during difficult times at school. Fortunately for Bumpus, she found a family away from home in the Chicano Latino (now called Chicanx Latinx) Student Center and received valuable guidance from WSU faculty and staff who served as mentors.

“First gen students should know it is okay to experience something new and different, and to feel a little uncomfortable,” Bumpus said. “They should be fearless, trust their gut, and have fun.”

Dr. Wigglesworth is an internationally known scientist, but could he have killed Elinor Rickardsen? Or could Jeeves, the friendly server, have dispatched the wealthy heiress?

No, it’s not a true crime podcast: This is a graded project at Washington State University. Students in Entomology 103 are using forensic entomology techniques to solve the mystery this week for an assignment. Next week, the rest of the WSU community can also participate.

Rae Olsson, a scholarly assistant professor in WSU’s entomology department who teaches ENT 103, created the game to provide a hands-on project that shows the real-world impact of science and arthropods.

“This is a science class for non-science majors, so my goal is to show that insects are everywhere and they impact many parts of our lives,” Olsson said. “Students are given case notes, medical examiner reports, and witness statements. Then they try to piece together a story of what happened at a dinner party with several guests and one victim.”

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Olsson came up with the idea after playing forensic board games with friends. They built the experience and used it in class for the first time last year, refining the game this year based on student feedback. They are planning to create a variety of different cases for future offerings of ENT 103, then rotate between different scenes going forward.

“It’s not the same exact game as last year, just in case someone has a friend who took the course then,” Olsson said.

Correctly guessing the murderer is only worth one point in the final grading. The game is all about critical thinking skills and explaining your conclusions using the information and materials Olsson provides.

“The students don’t have to solve the crime with the exact story I lay out,” they said. “They just have to build a case and back that up with supporting evidence.”

Students have access to primary sources, scientific papers that are foundational in forensic entomology as well as physical evidence at the “crime scene.” Clues include leftover food from the dinner party, a menu of what was served, slime (used to represent vomit from the victim), and several different arthropods (insects and other bugs) that can be found at the scene.

Some of the characters in the scene are actual, historical figures in entomology, while others are fictional. The experience offers students a chance to learn about some of the key scientists in the field.

Students take roughly 30 to 60 minutes to complete the assignment on their own time during the week, Olsson said.

“The course tends to have a lot of criminal justice majors and those students especially loved it last year,” they said. “One criminal justice student said they wanted to add an entomology component to their major after this unit.”

Students must complete the project by Friday, Nov. 8, but Olsson and their teaching assistants are leaving it set up for others to use on Nov. 12 and 13. It’s an open crime scene, so prepare to do your best Sherlock Holmes impression and come to Room 358J in the Food Safety, Health, and Nutrition building on the Pullman campus between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on those days.

Olsson only asks that visitors reset the scene for the next person or group to try.

The Windgate Charitable Foundation recently awarded Azusa Pacific University a 1:2 challenge grant of $3 million to establish scholarships for art majors and to support a graduate program that equips student leaders in the field of art education. The matching funds of $1.5 million, to be raised by April 2016, will increase the total art endowment to $4.5 million.

“The $3 million pledge from the Windgate Charitable Foundation serves as a landmark moment in the early formation of the College of Music and the Arts,” said Stephen P. Johnson, DMA, dean. “Raising an additional $1.5 million to meet the challenge grant provides a catalyst to engage the greater arts community and share the story of art education at Azusa Pacific University.”

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“The Windgate Charitable Foundation gift changes the landscape of the student experience within the Department of Art and Design,” said G. James Daichendt Ed.D., associate dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts,and professor in the Department of Art and Design. “It establishes an endowment for student scholarships in addition to funding a bold online initiative in art education. These developments allow for broader access and relevancy, making a Christ-centered education in the arts at Azusa Pacific University even more effective and attainable.”

The Windgate Charitable Foundation, based in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, supports programs focused on the visual arts, art history, and Christian higher education.

For more information about Azusa Pacific’s challenge grant, please contact Corbin Hoornbeek at (626) 815-5331.

The mission of the Azusa Pacific University Department of Art and Design, part of the School of Visual and Performing Arts and housed in the College of Music and the Arts, is to prepare art students for a lifetime of artistic expression and to cultivate individual creativity through the study of history, technique, presentation, and social engagement, as a reflector of the creative and transformative nature of God. The Department of Art and Design offers three undergraduate majors

AZUSA, CA— Azusa Pacific University presents the 23^rd annual William E. and Ernest L. Boyer Common Day of Learning (CDL) on Tues., Feb. 24, on West Campus, located at 701 E. Foothill Blvd., in Azusa. This campus–wide multidisciplinary conference dedicated to the commemoration and celebration of academic discovery features scholarly seminars with faculty, students, and guest presenters. The theme for this year’s conference is “To Know as We are Known” (1 Cor. 13:12). The public is invited to attend the free daylong event.

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Keynote speaker, Mary Poplin, PhD, a professor of educational studies at Claremont Graduate University, delivers her address entitled, “Jesus, Who Do You Say We Are?” Poplin earned her doctorate in education from the University of Texas, and began her career teaching elementary school and special education. She later became a professor at Claremont Graduate University, where she served as director of the Teacher Education program for 10 years and later dean of the School of Educational Studies for 4 years. From 1995-2000, Poplin worked with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She authored two books: Is Reality Secular? Testing the Assumptions of Four Global Worldviews (2013), and Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service (2008).

Notable lectures include:

• “Social Media and Professionalism”Speakers: Ryan Montague, PhD, Department of Communication Studies, Lambda Pi Eta; Dori Eisenthal, Avalon Wade, and James Dearborn, undergraduate communication studies
• “Our Brain on God: The Science of Our Relationship with the Divine”Speakers: Lori Lacy, PsyD, University Counseling Center; Caroline Carter, MA, University Counseling Center, Department of Graduate Psychology
• “Panel Discussion: Portrayals of Women in Entertainment”Speakers: Thomas Parham, PhD, Department of Cinematic Arts; Lauri Deason, screenwriter/playwright; Susan Isaacs, actor/comedian/writer; Sarah Smick, actor/writer/director; Rita Bakelaar undergraduate cinematic arts, and Chloe Crouso, undergraduate screenwriting
• “Suffering, Disability, and the Helping Professions: A Spirituality of Advocacy and Action”Speakers: Paul Shrier, PhD, Department of Practical Theology; John Swinton, PhD, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, director of Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability

A significant partnership between Azusa Pacific University and the Charter Oak Unified School District (COUSD) creates a pathway to college for Charter Oak High School students. The Charter Oak Board of Education approved a memorandum of understanding with APU at its February 23, 2017, meeting following a reception with COUSD students and school board members, Superintendent Mike Hendricks, EdD, APU President Jon R. Wallace, DBA, and APU Vice President of Enrollment Management David Dufault Hunter.

Students who meet admissions requirements will receive guaranteed admittance to APU, a $10,000 renewable scholarship, application fee waiver, and support with the application process.

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“On behalf of our Board of Education, staff, and students, we are grateful for the partnership we have with APU that allows guaranteed admission and scholarships for our students who apply and meet the entrance criteria,” said Hendricks. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our college bound students.”

The agreement begins fall 2017 and also includes this year’s graduating seniors who meet the program’s academic requirements. Incoming high school freshmen who successfully follow the academic pathway all four years will be eligible. In addition, current sophomores and juniors, who meet the requirements, may pursue this educational option.

“Azusa Pacific University recognizes that we are the first choice for a great number of students in our community, yet private college can seem out of reach for many families,” said Wallace. “APU is committed to making college more accessible and affordable for our neighbors, and this partnership with Charter Oak is hopefully the first of several such agreements with local districts.”

Azusa Pacific University’s School of Nursing (SON) received a $1,053,634 grant from the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) with Aurelia Macabasco-O’Connell, PhD, MSN, ACNP-BC, FAHA, chair of the Department of Doctoral Studies, as the principal investigator. More than 30 APU nursing graduate students will benefit from the NFLP.

“This program will decrease financial barriers in pursuing higher education for nursing students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” Macabasco-O’Connell said. “Further, these funds will help APU develop collaborative partnerships to address health disparities, social determinants of health, and the needs of rural and underserved populations through teaching and training.”

The NFLP is a federal loan cancellation program from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that will support graduate students on a trajectory to become full-time nursing faculty in schools or colleges of nursing. In exchange for full-time, post-graduation employment as nurse faculty, the program authorizes cancellation of up to 85 percent of any such loan (plus interest).

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Recipients must serve at least four years at an accredited nursing school as full-time faculty. More recently, the department has extended this loan opportunity to those serving as adjunct faculty and preceptors to student nurses in clinical facilities. The NFLP program at APU has had 140 recipients with a total award of $8,286,058, including the current award, providing continuous funding for the past 12 years.

“At a time of great nursing shortages and workforce challenges in healthcare, this is a vital program aimed at supporting nurses and their education,” said Renee Pozza, PhD, RN, CNS, FNP-BC, interim dean of SON. “Our students are difference makers in the nursing profession and in healthcare. Our graduates serve in key leadership positions, making a difference in the lives of the patients, families, and the communities where they serve.”

Students in APU’s Master’s of Nursing program, as well as students enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice(DNP) or PhD in Nursing program are eligible to apply for the NFLP. The SON had a January 2022 graduate enrollment of 646 students, 450 being traditionally underrepresented minorities and an additional 113 from disadvantaged backgrounds. Enrollment of students of color—Hispanic/Latino(a), American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, and two or more races—has steadily increased at APU in recent years. “The extent of diversity in APU’s graduate student population is considerable with 70 percent coming from minority backgrounds, as compared to the national estimated 34 percent of minority students represented in master’s programs and 32 percent in research-focused doctoral programs in 2019,” Macabasco-O’Connell said.

This award comes at a critical time as the national nursing shortage grows exponentially. As the country’s population ages, with the last of the baby boomer generation reaching retirement age in 2029, more nurses are needed to meet health needs. California is the most impacted state, with a projected shortfall of 44,500 nurses by 2030. The NFLP program aims to combat this shortfall. “Nursing shortages and maldistribution are partially attributed to nursing school faculty shortages, which hamper nursing program enrollments,” Macabasco-O’Connell said. “The overarching goal of the NFLP is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty in order to increase the nursing workforce.” According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), most nursing schools point to faculty shortages as the top reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into nursing programs.

The nursing shortage presents a rich vocational opportunity for young people contemplating career choice. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), more registered nurse (RN) jobs will be available through 2022 than any other profession in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 275,000 additional nurses are needed from 2020-2030. Employment opportunities for nurses are projected to grow at a faster rate (9 percent) than all other occupations through 2026. “Research indicates that nurses prepared in BSN programs are more likely to complete graduate level education to fill nursing positions where the need is the greatest,” said Aja Tulleners Lesh, PhD, RN, NP, former dean of the SON. “APU’s School of Nursing, with over 2,000 undergraduate and graduate nursing students, and its many pathways to graduate education, is particularly well positioned to encourage and support nurses seeking graduate education.”

All graduate nursing students at APU are welcome and encouraged to apply for this program. To learn more about the NFLP at APU, contact Macabasco-O’Connell.

Azusa Pacific University Master of Fine Arts student Madison E. Lucas from Ogden, Utah, is featuring her exhibition “Maístrye” at APU’s Duke Gallery, located on Azusa Pacific University’s West Campus, at 701 E. Foothill Blvd. The exhibit runs July 11-14, with a reception on July 11 from 6-8 p.m. The exhibit is open to the public.

The term “maístrye” is defined as a woman’s power to make decisions for herself and to have mastery or dominion over her life and skills. The show consists of a 60-foot soft crochet sculpture along with charcoal musings displayed on the gallery walls. The sculpture took Lucas almost three years to create. All of the yarn used was donated to the artist as scraps from projects and failed crochet attempts. This gives the work a lively variation of colors, type, and texture. This show follows the journey of a female artist wrestling with the way she views herself. Lucas leans into the irony of the stereotype that crochet is a woman’s work, unworthy to be seen as high art, to bring awareness of the value placed on women and their work. She elevates this technique and material to the fine art world through exaggeration and personal agency. The show can only be understood by seeing it in person.

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Lucas is a sculptural artist and conservator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Her work often deals with themes of meditation and inward reflection mixed with experiences from her life, manifested through abstract sculptures. The marks and symbols that she creates are intended to draw the viewer’s eye across the work to cultivate a sense of calm. Often, her work has an interactive element, making the gallery space more accessible to viewers and encouraging patrons to spend time with the work. Lucas has been active as an artist since 2017 and has worked with photography, found art, ceramics, and textiles.

For more information about Lucas’ work, contact madisonlucasart@gmail.com or follow @madisonlucasart on Instagram.

Mary Shepard Wong, PhD, director of Azusa Pacific University’s Field-based TESOL Programs and professor in the Department of Global Studies, Sociology, and TESOL, received a prestigious Fulbright Award as part of the International Education Administrators (IEA) seminar.

In March 2023, Wong will travel to Taiwan for two weeks as part of a team of international education professionals and senior higher education officials to promote exchange and cultural understanding between the U.S. and Taiwan. Wong will have the opportunity to learn about Taiwan’s education system while establishing networks of U.S. and international colleagues. Seminar activities include campus visits with a cross section of universities and colleges; briefings with faculty and administration, government officials, and leading educational experts; and tours of historical and cultural sites.

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“APU has many alumni living in Taiwan, including some former students and coworkers of mine,” Wong said. “I’m looking forward to connecting with them while establishing new relationships with institutions of higher education there for future grants and programs.”

This is Wong’s third Fulbright Award. In 2012, she researched the English education system in Hong Kong’s K-12 schools. In 2016, Wong traveled to Myanmar to conduct research on language diversity and policy, specifically mother-tongue-based multilingual education and educational reform.

Wong earned a PhD in International Education from the University of Southern California, an MA in East Asian Languages and Cultures from UCLA, and an MA in TESOL from APU. Her teaching and research focus on critical intercultural studies, social justice and peacebuilding in Myanmar, and the role of religious faith in English language teacher identity and development. Wong has taught for more than 40 years in the U.S., China, Thailand, and Myanmar. She has conducted more than 150 presentations and numerous publications including four edited books and one textbook.

The Fulbright Program awards only 800 scholar grants per year to university faculty and administrators out of thousands of applicants in the U.S. APU boasts 70 Fulbright Awards offered to faculty, students, and alumni since 2002.

Since its inception in 1946, under legislation by the late Senator J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 people with the opportunity to observe others’ political, economic, educational, and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas, and to embark on international ventures of importance. The program operates in more than 135 countries worldwide.