College News

Interested in exploring topics about the Salish Sea, need to complete a GUR, or possibly looking into the university's brand new Salish Sea Studies minor?

Western’s Department of Liberal Studies will change its name to the Department of Global Humanities and Religions starting this fall.

The department offers interdisciplinary humanities courses and programs; in those, it primarily engages in cultural history and in the academic study of religion as an aspect of human societies and cultures, and wants to communicate this more effectively to the community at Western.

Western Libraries is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018-2019 Western Libraries Undergraduate Research Award.

Western Washington University faculty will participate in “Think and Drink: Breaking News - The State of American Journalism” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29 at The Upfront Theatre at 1208 Bay St. in Bellingham.

This event is free and open to the public; however, registration is required. Register for Think and Drink at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4193672.

On Wednesday, May 29 from 6-7 p.m. at Twin Sisters Brewing Company, 500 Carolina St. in Bellingham, Kate McLean, director of Western's Center for Cross-Cultural Research, will present the latest research on storytelling and development, as well as the role storytelling can play from infancy to adulthood, in "The Power of Storytelling in Child and Adolescent Development."

This event is free and open to the public.

WWU Associate Professor of Journalism Brian J. Bowe and Assistant Professor of Journalism Derek Moscato's paper, “An Appeal to Shared Values: Faith, Advocacy, and Persuasion in the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Public Relations,” co-written by Mariam Alkazemi of Virginia Commonwealth University and submitted to the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication's PR division, has won the Doug Newsom Award. 

Western Washington University announces the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards winners, who will be honored at a ceremony and dinner on May 17 to kick off WWU Alumni Weekend.

This year, the association honors 18 alumni, including five Hall of Fame inductees. The association also recognizes a campus volunteer, a community volunteer, and lifetime achievement. Each recipient’s commitment to excellence and giving back is apparent and their impacts are felt by many, from those on Western’s campus to all around the globe.

David Patrick has been named the interim dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research at Western Washington University.

Patrick, now professor of Chemistry at Western, will assume his new duties on June 28. He will succeed Gautam Pillay, who exercised his reversion rights to a faculty position and has stepped down as Graduate School dean and vice provost, a position he held since August 2017.

Western Washington University’s Scholars Week, an annual celebration of the research and scholarly work done by the university’s undergraduate and graduate students, is set for the week of May 13-17.

The undergraduate and graduate Scholars Showcase will be held in Carver Gym B from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, and will feature the work of 119 undergraduates and 58 graduate students. The campus community is invited to attend, browse the posters, and chat with students about their research.

The following undergraduate students are participating in WWU's 2019 Scholars Week Poster Session on Wednesday May 15, along with the poster location in Carver:

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Julia Berkman, Monique Merrill, Questen Inghram, Zoe Deal presents A light in the dark: Five years of voyeurism in the York and Sehome neighborhoods. Mentored by Betsy O'Donovan. College: College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Location: 35A.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, LGBTQ+ Western and Western faculty are collaborating to present “50 Years Since Stonewall: the June 1969 Stonewall riots, memory, and terrains of LGBTQ+ liberation.”  The series of events for students, staff, faculty, and the community takes place May 22 and 23, offering multidisciplinary explorations of the Stonewall riots and ongoing struggles toward queer liberation.

Jackie Rose and Alex Czopp will be giving a lecture from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1 in AW 210 titled “Blazing a Trail to Sabbatical: Two Research Journeys across Gender, Culture & Species." Rose and Czopp will discuss the various experiences that influenced their paths from an undergraduate student to a WWU faculty member on sabbatical. This lecture is open to the public, and a great way to learn about some of the exciting research happening at Western.

The talk is co-sponsored by Psi Chi, and light refreshments will be available before the talk.

As the People’s Republic of China continues to grow in power both economically and militarily and seems poised and on the brink of superpower status, Western Today talked with Associate Professor of Political Science Kristen Parris about the country’s emergence, what it means for Asia as a whole and regional U.S. allies in particular, and how the United States and China can find pathways of common ground to move forward.