Supporting Student Success and Academic Excellence

Winter 2023 Newsletter

Academic Affairs

Winter 2023

Student Success  ·  Academic Excellence

Message From The Provost

There is a lot happening in Academic Affairs right now. We recently submitted our Year 7 Report to Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). A huge thank you to Dr. Sue Monahan for leading that work, which involved working with quite a few of you. And, I’d like to also thank Dr. Katherine Schmidt for assisting Sue and others in writing the 97-page report. An NWCCU team will be on campus April 12-14.

We are excited about new academic programs that will be coming to WOU. The Division of Health and Exercise Science proposed a Master of Science in Human Wellness and Performance, which has been approved by WOU’s Board of Trustees and Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission and is anticipated to begin Fall 2023. An interdisciplinary group of faculty worked to develop a Bachelor of Arts and a minor in Ethnic Studies; these exciting proposals were approved at the last Board of Trustees meeting and will continue to work through state level approvals. Another interdisciplinary group of faculty developed both an undergraduate and a graduate level certificate in Healthcare Administration, both of which have been fully approved and will be available beginning Fall 2023. WOU is on track to begin our first professional doctorate program Fall 2024, when the first cohort of our Occupational Therapy Doctorate program is scheduled to begin. These are just some of the recent curricular developments, in addition to the many, many program modifications that have been submitted this year to maximize academic excellence and the relevancy of our curriculum. This work is often unseen and underappreciated, but I am incredibly grateful for the time and effort that the faculty have invested in our curriculum.

I hope you enjoy the longer days of daylight as we enter the last weeks of Winter quarter and look towards spring. While we still face enrollment and budgetary headwinds, I see brighter days ahead.

—Provost Rob Winningham

In This Issue

Important Dates
OER Course Redesign Training
The Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project
Message from the 2023 Pastega Awards Committee
Save the Date: 2023 Pastega Awards Ceremony

Cover photo by WOU’s own Seyed Shahrokni, who works in the Center for Academic Innovation. Thanks, Seyed!

Important
Dates

March 17: Last day of classes

March 20-24: Finals week

March 27: Grades due

March 27-31: Spring Break

 

Open Educational Resources Course Redesign Training

Redesign your course with an open textbook or other open educational resources in just one week and earn a $750 stipend from Open Oregon. The goal of the training is to redesign an existing course using open materials in order to save students money. You will also explore open educational practices that encourage students to create or contribute to open content with a real-world purpose. Registration deadline is Monday, February 27, 2023.

More information can be found on the Open Oregon Textbook Sprint page or you can contact Sue Kunda at kundas@wou.edu.

OpenOregon Educational Resources logo

The Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project

Join us on Monday, March 6, to hear author and LGBTQ rights activist Judy Shepard speak on “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard.”

Judy’s guest talk is one of several events happening on the WOU campus throughout February and March to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Judy’s son Matthew’s brutal murder, which occurred in October 1998 in what is known as one of America’s most egregious anti-gay hate crimes.

Read more about the Project and events, and purchase performance tickets, on the Creative Arts page for The Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project.

Rice Auditorium

The Laramie Project
March 2, 4, 8-10*, 7:30 pm
March 5*, 2:00 pm
*ASL interpreted performance

Considering Matthew Shepard
March 3 and 11, 7:30 pm
Featuring the combined choirs of Western Oregon University and Chemeketa Community College

Judy Shepard speaks on “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard”
March 6, 7:30 pm
FREE to the public; first come first served seating

Cannon Gallery

Catalyst: An Exhibit Honoring the Legacy of Matthew Shepard
February 27- March 24
Featuring art by Pablo Cazares, Chelsea Couch, and Andrew Campbell


Maple Hall

Remembering Matthew Shepard
March 7, 7:30pm
Free to the public

Other Locations

Catalyst: An Exhibit Honoring the Legacy of Matthew Shepard
February 27- March 24
Featuring art by Pablo Cazares, Chelsea Couch, and Andrew Campbell
Various locations on campus

Wolf Pride Network + LGBTQQ2SIA+ Alumni reception
March 6, 5:30pm
WOU Alumni, Wolf Pride Network, and WOU LGBTQQ2SIA+ students crossover pre-event (before Judy Shepard talk)
Crush Wine Bar (off campus)

Queer Campus Culture Through the Decades
March 14, 4:00pm
Presented by Triangle Alliance and Stonewall Center
RWEC 101

This project is supported and funded in part by the Oregon Cultural Trust.

The 2023 Mario & Alma Pastega Awards for Faculty Excellence

A Message from the Committee

In an effort to address concerns raised by our colleagues regarding equity, inclusion, and access in the Pastega Awards application process, the 2023 Pastega Awards Committee has decided to make changes to the application requirements for the Pastega Awards for Faculty Excellence. 

Having received feedback that the number and type of supporting materials required to apply for the Awards may be discouraging qualified nominees from pursuing the Award, the Committee has acknowledged the need for an equitable application process that promotes participation and remains mindful of the workload of the nominees. Rather than dictating a specific selection of artifacts, the new requirements allow applicants to identify artifacts that better reflect the personal strengths they bring to WOU, as well as to utilize existing artifacts. These changes provide greater flexibility, and empower nominees to craft unique and compelling applications reflective of WOU’s highest recognition for excellence.

The new requirements are already in place and have been shared with this year’s nominees; if you’re interested in reading the new requirements, they can be found on the Faculty Excellence FAQ page (scroll down to “Questions About The Application & Supporting Materials”).

—The 2023 Pastega Awards Committee
Dr. Erin Baumgartner, Dr. Jaime Cloud, Dr. Breeann Flesch, Dr. Gareth Hopkins, Dr. Melanie Landon-Hays, Keats Chaves (ex-officio)

Save the Date

 

The 2023 Pastega Awards Ceremony

After a notable three year absence, the annual Pastega Awards Ceremony for Faculty Excellence is returning in Spring 2023! This year’s Awards Ceremony will recognize recipients for the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Pastega Awards for Faculty Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship, and Service.

When: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
3:30 – 5:00pm

Where: The Pastega Room (RWEC 101)

Questions? Suggestions for future issues? Contact Keats Chaves: chavesk@wou.edu

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Fall 2022 Newsletter

Academic Affairs

Fall 2022

Student Success  ·  Academic Excellence

Message From The Provost

It has been great to see so many more people on campus this fall; the increased presence of students, faculty and staff builds the feeling of community that makes WOU special. I know people are concerned about enrollment and fiscal pressures, but it seems like we may have turned an important corner by bringing in more new students than we did last year, even if our overall enrollment was down. Our enrollment management teams are working hard to continue this positive trajectory and increase the number of students at WOU.

I am pleased by the level of engagement we have seen from the College Restructure Taskforce. They have worked hard this summer and fall. I appreciate the engagement of the broader campus community and their willingness to give constructive feedback to the Taskforce, who have used this feedback to refine their work. I expect that the Taskforce will submit their final report and recommendations in December or early January. After that, President Peters and I will study the final report and recommendations. I anticipate that we will also put together an implementation team this winter to start the process of making changes to our structure; I don’t anticipate the changes will be made for Fall 2023, but possibly Fall 2024. There is also the possibility that the changes could be done gradually over the next couple of years.

I want to remind people about the College Restructure Taskforce charge. Here is some language from the College Restructure Taskforce’s charge and potential outcomes:

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has eight divisions spanning traditional liberal arts and sciences along with professional and pre-professional programs. The College of Education has three divisions that encompass far more than educator preparation programs. This structure served us well once.  But over time, and through the evolution of programs and student interests, this structure may have created silos and workload inequities for academic program leaders, faculty and staff. As we consider developing new programs at new degree levels (e.g., professional doctorates), now is the time to re-examine, re-align and re-balance WOU’s academic programs so that our structures serve our current needs and position us to thrive in the future.  

This restructuring has the potential to:

  • Create a home unit for new health-related programs
  • Transform and make transparent how academic program leaders are equitably compensated in terms of release time and stipends
  • Improve workload equity in advising and committee service by creating academic units that are more comparable in size and complexity
  • Organize academic programs in a way that supports innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, and program sustainability

The college restructure initiative has the potential to more equitably distribute the workload in the colleges and to possibly align programs in a way that takes advantage of their similarities to facilitate greater collaboration. 

I hope the rest of the quarter and academic year go well for you. I also hope you are able to make a positive impact, directly or indirectly, on the lives of our students. After all, the students are both the reason WOU exists and why so many of us find such great satisfaction in our work here.

—Provost Rob Winningham

In This Issue

Important Dates
WOU OER Stipend Program: Schedule Change
Willamette Promise: Student Leaders Summit
New Staff in Academic Affairs

Cover photo by WOU’s own Seyed Shahrokni, who works in the Center for Academic Innovation. Thanks, Seyed!

Important
Dates

Nov 24-25: Thanksgiving break (campus closed)

Dec 2: Last day of classes

Dec 5-9: Finals week

Dec 13: Grades due

Schedule change

Open Educational Resources Stipend Program: Call for Proposals

The Western Oregon University Open Educational Resources (OER) Stipend Program is moving its call for proposals (CFP) from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. Moving the CFP from fall to spring term will give awardees an entire year to complete their projects, including Summer 2023.

The primary goal of WOU’s OER Stipend Program is to significantly reduce course materials and textbook costs for students, and at the same time provide access to high-quality, pedagogically creative, open educational content for teaching, learning, and research.

To learn more about the WOU OER Stipend Program and application process, review the WOU OER Stipend Program webpage.

For more information, please contact Sue Kunda (kundas@wou.edu).

Willamette Promise: Student Leaders Summit

For the second year, WOU teamed up with Willamette Education Service District (WESD) to bring 62 high school students to the Salem campus for the two-day Student Leaders Summit (SLS). The summit consisted of workshops and activities led by WOU faculty and staff. The main focus was to help students write their college application and scholarship essays, and students also attended workshops about dance, communication, and practical study skills. The purpose was to build the students’ confidence in their ability to succeed in college as well as provide a glimpse at the wide variety of options available in college. Students left the summit with a brand-new MacBook, a personal college and scholarship essay, a new group of friends, and the confidence to set out and achieve their college goals.

Participants were rising high school seniors attending high schools participating in Willamette Promise, the dual credit program that WOU offers in partnership with the WESD. All the students identified college as their post-high school plan; many were first-generation students.

Thank you, Oregon Association of Educational Service Districts, for funding this impactful event!

|

I have learned a significant amount of things, and it’s not only going to be applied to college applications but overall in life. Please continue to help other students like me to believe that they can write a great essay, and that we all have important and valuable lessons learned and experiences worth sharing.

2022 SLS Student

Rosario Peralta presents at the Student Leaders Summit
Student Leaders Summit attendees attend a dance workshop in the parking lot behind WOU Salem
Three attendees at the Student Leaders Summit smile at the camera
Four student attendees walk down a hallway between workshops at the Student Leaders Summit
An attendee at the Student Leaders Summit raises their hand during a presentation
Student Leaders Summit attendees and staff pose as a group in front of a WOU logo mural
Attendees sit at round tables during a workshop at the Student Leaders Summit
Antonio Castellanos presents in front of a group of attendees at the Student Leaders Summit
Attendees at the Student Leaders Summit attend a classroom lecture

New Staff in Academic Affairs

A lot of new folks have joined the Academic Affairs staff in the last several months; take the time to learn more about these amazing people!

College of Education

Julian Elizalde is the Bilingual Teacher Pathways Navigator for the Division of Education and Leadership. Julian worked for Lincoln County School district as a bilingual tutor and classified substitute, and participated in a Grow-Your-Own program that he started while attending Oregon Coast Community College and continued after transferring to WOU. Julian also serves as a Petty Officer Third Class in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Outside of his professional life, Julian enjoys working on cars and playing guitar.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Noah Adams (he/him) is the Events Manager for Rice Auditorium. Noah was born and raised right here in Oregon. He has been a professional musician for the past four years and a sound engineer for two years. He spent five years at WOU as a music major focusing on audio production while also playing drum set for theater companies and other local musicians.

Ermie Buncal is the Recruitment and Retention Advisor for the Business and Economics Division. He is a two-time WOU alum, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WOU. Born in the Philippines, Ermie grew up on the Islands of Palau. He now lives in Monmouth with his wife, Adria, and two daughters, Audrey and Celina. Ermie and his family love the Oregon outdoors, and spend a lot of their family time camping, hiking, and fishing.

Kacie Ryden is the new Office Coordinator for the Behavioral Sciences and Criminal Justice Sciences Divisions. Kacie was a second-generation WOU student, recently graduating with a degree in Psychology, and she fondly remembers visiting the beautiful WOU campus as a child. Kacie is excited to be here and looks forward to the school year!

Graduate Studies & Research

Sponsored Projects Office

Lucinda Milligan is a part-time Contract and Grant Financial Specialist in the Sponsored Projects Office. Lucinda assists with budgets and other financial tasks on the Post-award side of grants. Lucinda is former Grant Accountant for the SPO, and retired from WOU in September of 2021.

Tracie Wicks is a Contract and Grant Financial Specialist in the Sponsored Projects Office. Tracie assists with financial oversight and contract implementation for awards that are received by WOU. She also assists with the Pre-award phase of an award through the transition to an active award and onto Post-award. Tracie is an alum of WOU, and previously worked in the SPO as a Grant Accountant; prior to that, she worked at WOU: Salem and the WOU Admissions Office.

The Research Institute

Center for Early Learning and Youth Development

Grace Bell is a Project Support Specialist, providing support across various projects at the center with a primary focus on the Start Up Grant and Finance processing. Grace joins the center as a full-time staff member after previously working at TRI as a student worker supporting Spark.

Jackie Lofton is a Project Support Specialist working on Spark. Jackie worked in the International Department here at WOU for the last six years, serving in different capacities during that time.

Jennifer McMullen is an Bilingual (Spanish) Assessment Project Specialist, and will be conducting observations in English and Spanish-speaking early learning programs, writing reports for the programs, and supporting continuous quality improvement in Oregon’s early learning system. Jennifer has worked in early learning programs in Oregon for over fifteen years, focusing on creating inclusive settings where children of all abilities can succeed.

CaSandra Zeller is an Assessment Project Specialist and will be conducting observations in early learning programs, writing reports for the programs, and supporting continuous quality improvement in Oregon’s early learning system. Her experiences as an early learning teacher in a variety of settings, a child care center director, and a Child Care Resource & Referral specialist bring a variety of perspectives to this work.

Central Coordination Team

Kat Martinez is a Child Care Resource and Referral Technical Assistance Project Specialist working with regional CCR&Rs, and providing technical assistance to the field. She brings experience and expertise in both centers and licensed family facilities as caregiver, and as trainer for state licensing in Utah.

Lupita Nunez Morales is a Bilingual Technical Assistance Specialist, providing training and technical assistance to fifteen regional CCR&Rs around the state of Oregon. Lupita previously worked at Oregon State University, where she worked with both young children and student teachers. Lupita is also a fitness instructor at the local YMCA.

Valeria Anderson is a Bilingual Find Child Care Oregon Technical Assistance Project Specialist, providing technical assistance to the regional CCR&Rs on how to use the FCCO provider database and providing ongoing training and support as needed. Valeria comes to us with experience from Clackamas County CCR&R as a Quality Improvement Specialist.

John Merkel is the Lead Data and Database Specialist overseeing the Find Child Care Oregon database that houses the statewide child care data used for child care referrals, the market price survey which determines subsidy rates and provides valuable data about the child care field in Oregon and on a local and national level. John’s ability to understand data and data systems is a huge asset to the FCCO team.

Laura Reyes-Cortez is a Data and Database Specialist  and primary liaison to the center’s partners at 211info, providing technical assistance to staff who do child care referrals to families statewide. Laura came to the CELYD team from her previous role as Baby Promise Grant manager for the Southern Oregon Coast.

Mitchell Bradner is a Data and Database Specialist working across two major projects: the Find Child Care Oregon database on the Central Coordination project, and as a part of the Spark data team. He will be responsible for the data collection for the Market Price Survey. Mitchell is a WOU alum, and is excited to be back on campus.

Child Care Substitutes of Oregon Team

Esmeralda Amezcua is a Project Coordinator, focusing on policies and procedures, and serving as the team’s HR liaison. Esmeralda brings sixteen years of experience working for the Central School District and coordinating K-12 substitutes. She will also be attending WOU as a student this year.

Erica Hergert is a Project Specialist whose work will center on substitute recruitment, professional development opportunities for substitutes entering the field, and serving as a liaison between the Child Care Substitutes of Oregon team and local colleges and universities. Erica comes to the center with experience serving as a dual language K-12 teacher in the Salem-Keizer School District.

Gladis Lopez Mendoza is a Bilingual Project Support Specialist and WOU alum, previously working at the WOU child development center.

Veronica Mendoza Ochoa is a Project Coordinator serving as the Substitute Supervisor for Child Care Substitutes of Oregon. Veronica will be onboarding substitutes, working closely with WOU’s HR department, and providing ongoing support for the substitutes as they work within the program. Veronica brings early learning experience and expertise from her prior work with the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub.

Kristin Miyamoto is a Project Specialist whose work includes substitute recruitment, professional development opportunities for substitutes, and developing policies and procedures that ensure the Child Care Substitutes of Oregon team is aligned with Office of Child Care licensing standards. Kristin brings early learning experience and expertise through her prior work with Head Start and family child care.

Kate Normand is a Data & Database Specialist, working with our data platform developers to ensure that qualified substitutes are matched with providers requesting shifts. Kate will also assist with reporting. She brings experience working with Portland State University’s School of Social Work as a Research Assistant and child welfare training evaluator.

Student Success & Advising

Andres Hernandez-Galvan (he/him/his & they/them/theirs) is a new Educational Advisor in the Student Enrichment Program, and is a WOU alum.

Maggie Newton (she/her/hers) is Student Success & Advising’s new Degree Completion & Interdisciplinary Studies Advisor & Coordinator.

Dana Nunez-Silva (she/her/hers) joined the Student Enrichment Program as a new Educational Advisor in June 2022.

Kennedy Schade (he/him/his) is a new Academic Success Advisor in Student Success & Advising with a focus on transfer students.

Questions? Suggestions for future issues? Contact Keats Chaves: chavesk@wou.edu

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September 14 Update

Dear Colleagues,
The Restructure Taskforce met on August 10, August 24, and September 14, focusing primarily on process and product. In consultation with Provost Winningham, the Taskforce members determined that additional time was needed in order to provide opportunities for revision and refinement of the proposal after the draft model has been shared with campus stakeholders. To that end, the Taskforce has scheduled listening sessions with the goal of gathering input from impacted employees:

  • Wed Oct 19th afternoon, 1 – 4 pm, WUC Columbia Room
  • Fri Oct 21st morning 8 – 11 am, WUC Columbia Room

Other smaller group sessions:

  • Staff Senate Presentation on October 4th, 10 – 11:30 am
  • Faculty Senate Presentation on October 11th, 3:30 – 5 pm
  • Coffee chat Q&A on Oct 5th, 8:30 – 9:30 at the Slippery (Main St & N. Monmouth Ave)
  • Coffee chat Q&A on Oct 7th, 12:30 – 1:30 pm outside Cafe Allegro (WUC)
  • Zoom chat room Q&A (Zoom Link) on Oct 6th, 9-11 am

Our August meetings focused on vetting a suite of possible models according to criteria developed early in the Taskforce’s process. The last meeting of August concluded with widespread consensus supporting one of the models. Further examination of the costs and staffing needs associated with that model was undertaken in preparation for the September meeting.

On September 14, the Taskforce met to review a cost-analysis for the preliminary draft model, and to review the materials that will be presented to stakeholder groups and the wider campus community for feedback beginning September 22.

The Taskforce members wish to reiterate how important your feedback is to informing the proposal we make to the campus and Provost at the conclusion of this process. Though our membership is representative of WOU’s academic administration and divisions, other members of the campus community have insights and experiences that are critical to ensuring the proposed structure works for WOU and the students we serve.

Please join us at the listening session aimed at your stakeholder group and use the anonymous form on our website to share your ideas and concerns at any point in the process.

Summer 2022 Newsletter

Academic Affairs

Summer 2022

Student Success  ·  Academic Excellence

Message From The Provost

First, I want to thank all employees for continuing to adapt and be flexible during a time of challenges and change in higher education. While we still have obstacles ahead, I am excited about the work we are doing to evolve our curriculum and our ability to respond to changing economic and workforce needs. 

This spring and summer, we watched campus come back to life. WOU has hosted a number of large groups on campus this summer and the student athletes have been back for a while now. It is great to see more people out and about. I am looking forward to a more in-person campus experience during the upcoming academic year, compared to the last two years. But many of our students are still looking for flexible course delivery options. Institutional Research will be conducting another student survey this fall to assess students’ experiences and needs for online, hybrid and in-person courses. We will get the results of the survey out to academic programs before they need to submit their tentative schedules for 2023-2024.

The College Restructure Taskforce has been busy researching and assessing possible structures for WOU’s academic units. This fall there will be opportunities to give feedback to the Taskforce as they work towards submitting their final report with recommendations. Many thanks to the Taskforce members for their diligent work over the summer to meet the goals outlined in their charge.

Many at WOU have been working hard in recent months to contact students who have stopped out, advise new students, and help students get registered for Fall 2022 courses. While our total enrollment is trending lower for Fall 2022, it appears we will have more new first-year students than last year. We also are anticipating more graduate students than last year. While the lower overall enrollment is still concerning, the increase in new students shows that we are beginning to change the enrollment trajectory. We all need to continue to do what we can to support our current students and help them make progress towards their educational goals. Everyone at WOU, regardless of their role, can make a difference in the lives of students. The work we do is often difficult but it can make a tremendous impact on the lives of our students, their families and communities. Let’s continue to give our students the personalized support for which Western Oregon University is known. 

—Provost Rob Winningham

In This Issue

Important Dates
Student Course Modality Survey
A Note from the Registrar
Better Know An Office: Registrar

Important
Dates

Aug 30: 10 week session grades due

Sept 5: Labor Day (campus closed)

Sept 6: 3 week session grades due

Sept 16-23: Fall Kickoff

Sept 26: Fall Term Begins

Student Course Modality Survey

by Mike Baltzley, Institutional Research

Last Fall, WOU surveyed students in order to better understand student preferences for course modalities (e.g., in-person, hybrid, online synchronous, and online asynchronous) and to find out what worked well for them and what didn’t work well for them during the 2020-21 academic year, when WOU was almost entirely online due to the COVID pandemic. We received responses from 1028 undergraduate students and 79 graduate students. From the survey, we learned that 54% of undergraduates wanted to have some in-person courses.

Bar graph displaying results from modality survey

While the majority of undergraduates wanted to have some in-person courses, 73% of undergraduates nonetheless wanted to take some or all of their courses online. In comparison, about 91% of graduate students wanted to take some or all of their courses online, and 61% wanted to take only online courses.

Regarding what worked well with online learning, students reported that having online courses gave them more flexibility to manage their personal and educational needs. They also felt that having required course materials accessible on Canvas, including recordings of class meetings, was a benefit to having online courses.

Not surprisingly, regarding classes that didn’t work well for them, students stated that a common problem was that they felt disconnected from other students and the faculty. In classes that didn’t work well for them, students also felt that communication about course assignments was not as clear as they would have liked. While these comments were specifically in response to questions about online courses, it is good to remember that, regardless of course modality, students respond well to courses where they feel connected to the other class members and feel that they are receiving clear communication from their faculty.

This fall WOU plans to survey students again, but will expand the survey to ask about their preferences for when courses are offered. Similar to last year, the survey results will be broken down by academic division and division-specific results will be sent to each Division Chair.

A Note from the Registrar

The Registrar’s Office is currently holding a workgroup to modify our systems so members of the campus community are able to use a name other than their legal name on campus, as well as for materials sent by the university. The workgroup is also working on adding pronouns to our systems. If you are part of another group engaged in similar work, please let Amy Clark know so that we can coordinate our efforts.

Better Know an Office:
Registrar’s Office

Yep, we’re ripping off borrowing liberally from Stephen Colbert for this segment of the newsletter. Each issue will profile the staff from a different office in Academic Affairs, and this time it’s the Registrar’s Office.

 

Mark Decker

Mark Decker

Graduation Coordinator, Analyzing forms & records

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?

Helping students graduate and helping advisors help students graduate!

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose your field)?

I suppose a deterministic universe in which all physical objects are subject to the laws of nature brought me to where I am now?

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?

I got my belly-button pierced when I was 18! (Hopefully no one ever guesses that or I will have to revise this answer.)

Luppela Whosendorfe

Luppela Whosendorfe

Registrar Services Specialist

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?

I love to be able to assist the students with their questions, problem solving and resolving the students’ concerns or issues.

Do you  have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?

I am a good stylist and barber. I love making people feel good about themselves by making them look good.

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?

I have two children that are over 18.

Tell us a random fact you know:

GPS was discovered and created by our military.

Amy Clark

Amy Clark

University Registrar. I am in charge of the successful operation of the Office of the Registrar and oversight of core responsibilities, including student record management, catalog management & publishing, creation and publishing of the university class schedule, Degree Tracks management, degree certification & awarding, registration systems, transfer articulation, degree partnership & other agreements, veterans education benefits, consistent application of academic regulations, student records custodian, training and oversight of the application of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), policy guidance, and implementation of legislative mandates as they relate to areas in the purview of the Office of the Registrar.

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?

Awarding degrees to students that have completed their requirements and celebrating their accomplishments. Commencement was Saturday, June 11th. As I am filling this out on Monday, June 13th, the joy of students and their support network on Saturday is fresh in my mind.

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?

Most people are surprised to find out that I have two grown children (ages 29 and 26) and three grandchildren (ages 6, 4, and 2).

Tell us a random fact you know:

In Kauai, sea turtles will come in from the ocean and sleep at the mouth of the Hanalei river for the night. I only know this because I was paddle boarding on the river and thought I was extremely lucky to see the turtles that evening, only to find out it is something they do every evening.

A. David Anderson

A. David Anderson

Veterans Certifying Official and Compliance Coordinator—all things VA Educational benefit related, verifications, and some transcripts

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?

Helping students navigate the murky waters we call higher education.

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose your field)?

I did not; I am a tech by any measure of the word that earned degrees in the computer field, including programing and networking, but did work-study in the Office of the Registrar and just never left.

Do you  have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?

I am a bard. Not as in the singing type, but as in that I know how to do a little bit of everything but am not a master of anything. I do not have enough drive to master anything—I get bored too easily.

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?

I used to make knives and swords for a living.

Greg Davis

Greg Davis

Articulation Manager in the Office of the Registrar

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?

I have always liked helping people. Here at WOU, I work with an entire team that cares deeply about the students, staff, and faculty that we support and that motivates me. As a student I found the atmosphere on the WOU campus to be positive, inclusive, and dedicated to excellence, which are values I am proud to share with our community. In short, I love what I do here at Western because of the people I get to work with every day.

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose your field)?

I wanted to serve my community in some capacity. When the opportunity to return to Western as a member of the staff arose, I was excited. It is an opportunity to learn something new and work with a team that I know is as dedicated to the success of the institution and the students that attend as I am. My experience with staff and faculty as a student definitely contributed to my interest in working here.

What was the last book you read / movie you saw—that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read / movie you saw—that you did not like?

I recently saw Top Gun Maverick with my son. As a child of the ’80s, I was excited to see it, but it was far more fun that my son was excited to see it too. Some movies simply transcend time.

Amiee McDuffy

Amiee McDuffy

Registrar Services Specialist

Do you  have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?

I love singing—I wish I was brave enough to sing in front of people though.

What was the last book you read / movie you saw—that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read / movie you saw—that you did not like?

Last book was Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz and I loved it! An amazing thriller! I also just saw the movie Hustle with Adam Sandler, and it was brilliant! I haven’t read any bad books or seen any bad movies lately.

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?

I am a huge Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fan. I can name all 13 dwarves from The Hobbit…😎

Tell us a random fact you know:

A group of sloths is called a Snuggle. 🦥

Susan Hays

Susan Hays

Registrar Services Manager, oversees daily operations

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?

What I love most about what I do at WOU is helping others. Being kind and helping others makes me happy. It gives me a sense of purpose and meaning. Helping others helps me connect, maintain, and strengthen my relationships at WOU.

Do you  have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?

I wish I was artistic. If I were artistic, I would love to sell my art for people to showcase in their homes, workplace, or museums. Or have the talents of a professional chef!  Food makes people happy and brings people together.  

What was the last book you read / movie you saw—that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read / movie you saw—that you did not like?

The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

Tell us a random fact you know:

Green Eggs and Ham started as a bet.

Jason Horne

Jason Horne

Catalog & Scheduling Coordinator

Breeze Potter

Breeze Potter

Associate Registrar

Questions? Suggestions for future issues? Contact Keats Chaves: chavesk@wou.edu

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July 14 Update

Dear Colleagues,

The Restructure Taskforce met on July 14th. We discussed comparator/competitor institutions used to inform the number and types of primary academic units in the Taskforce’s eventual restructure recommendation. This was followed by a discussion on the metrics/rubrics/lenses to be used for evaluation of draft restructure models. Taskforce members recognized various elements important to strategy that WOU might utilize, such as the role of serving Hispanic students, ensuring program synergy and collaboration, and reassessing TT and NTT faculty per unit, to name a few. 

The steering committee prepared four draft restructure models, organizing academic units based on group discussions from the previous meetings. Individual Taskforce members selected one of the four models based on their perceived strengths and small work groups were formed. Each group reviewed and revised the draft models and briefly presented those to the taskforce as a whole.  

We established an agenda for our next meeting (on July 27th), when we will begin to evaluate the models by the agreed upon metrics. Thus, evaluation of any draft model moving forward will be done using quantitative and qualitative raw data to check actual distribution of resources and synergies for each lasting model. 

The Communication Subcommittee also reported on the content of the survey responses from the WOU community to date.

Please take a moment to share your questions, concerns, and/or suggestions with the Taskforce. We welcome and value your input, which will be most helpful in the next few weeks as we endeavor to narrow the range of possible structures to a short list that can be examined in light of our institutional goals, academic programs, staffing and resources. We’re grateful for your input on this important endeavor.

June 29 Update

Dear Colleagues,

The Restructure Taskforce met on June 29th. This meeting focused on exploring various models for restructuring WOU’s colleges. Taskforce members reported out, in small groups, a broad range of ideas for how to structure WOU’s current and impending academic programs. We discussed the primary goals driving our development of possible models, as well as aspects of the different structures that promoted or inhibited equity. We explored the struggles and insights that emerged from the process, as well as strengths of the various ideas presented by the small groups.

Together, we summarized some of the key insights from the small group discussions and established a plan for meeting our charge by September 15th. Among the recurring themes of that discussion was the importance of understanding what different programs do, what their delivery and resource demands are, and how they might find synergy with programs not currently housed in the same divisions or colleges (as well as what existing connections and affiliations should be maintained). A brief discussion of “schools,” “colleges,” and “centers” began, as some of the models we examined used different labels and unit sizes to maximize capacity and promote programmatic strengths.

We established the agenda for our next meeting (on July 13th), when we will continue the process of examining various structures and developing a set of proposed models that we can vet using institutional data from WOU. We strongly encourage members of the WOU community to complete the survey included in the last update (which is also available on the website by clicking on the “Give Feedback” button).

Please take a moment to share your questions, concerns, and/or suggestions with the Taskforce. We welcome and value your input, which will be most helpful in the next few weeks as we endeavor to narrow the range of possible structures to a short list that can be examined in light of our institutional goals, academic programs, staffing and resources. We’re grateful for your input on this important endeavor.

Fall 2021 Newsletter

Academic Affairs

Fall 2021

Student Success  ·  Academic Excellence

Message From The Provost

It has been uplifting to see our campus come back to life. Students, faculty and staff have told me that they are excited to be learning and working on campus again. The entire campus community has pulled together to start the academic year in a safe manner, with relatively few reported cases of COVID-19, due at least in part to the remarkable compliance with our mask and vaccine requirements. Thank you for making this possible!

In October, Institutional Research conducted a survey of students and found the most popular course delivery modality for undergraduates was fully in-person. But the majority of students were interested in combining those fully in-person courses with hybrid and/or fully online courses.  Each academic division received the survey data from their students so they can factor those preferences into their scheduling decisions.

I want to once again express tremendous gratitude for the work that faculty and staff did to respond to the pandemic and pivot to online delivery of most of our courses and services. I also want to note the impressive level of problem solving, hard work and creativity from our entire campus community as we managed multiple challenges. Thank you and I hope you have a great academic year.

—Provost Rob Winningham

In This Issue

Important Dates
Willamette Promise: Student Leaders Summit
Bev's Tech Tips: FAQs
Welcome, Keats!
Better Know An Office: Academic Innovation
Celebrating Students

Cover photo by WOU’s own Seyed Shahrokni, who works in the Center for Academic Innovation. Thanks, Seyed!

Important
Dates

Nov 15: Registration begins for Winter Term

Dec 3: Last day of classes

Dec 6-10: Finals week

Dec 14: Grades due

Willamette Promise: Student Leaders Summit

In mid-August, WOU teamed up with Willamette Education Service District (WESD) to bring 30 high school students to campus for three days of workshops and enrichment activities. The workshops and activities were led by WOU faculty and staff, with topics ranging from writing scholarship essays to dance, sculpting, and stage combat. The goal was to build the students’ confidence in their ability to succeed in college—most of the students are first-generation—as well as providing a glimpse at the wide variety of options available in college.

All of the participants are rising high school seniors who are also participating in Willamette Promise, our accelerated credit program. They were all provided with a MacBook Pro and practice using it, so that they will have the technology to carry them through all four years of college.

Thank you to the Oregon Community Foundation for funding this important project.

|

College was never part of the plan, it was a dream but now it’s becoming a reality. It’s a plan and we’re going to do this, we’re going to accomplish this now because of these resources that made it possible.

Paul Quach
Summit Participant
North Salem High School

Bev’s Tech Tips: FAQs

Speed Up Remote Access With VPN

Does your WOU laptop seem to go more slowly when you’re working from home?

Do you use VDI (virtual desktop) but wish there was an easier way to access network drives when off-campus?

If so, try using the WOU VPN. “VPN'” means Virtual Private Network—it basically tells the WOU network that your computer is a friend, rather than a random computer on the internet.

It’s easier than it sounds:

  1. Install the app and login with your WOU username when you first turn on your computer.
  2. To access your network drives, follow the instructions on the remote access page to connect them, and then you’ll be able to access them just like you do when on-campus, like another hard drive on your computer.

Update Your Website Without Opening WordPress

(AKA “How did you get that Google Calendar on your web page?”)

Does your WOU website have content that needs to be regularly updated, like a calendar/event list? Or would you like to have a more dynamic page but don’t have the time to fiddle with WordPress every day? You can set up a WordPress page to display content from somewhere else on the internet—this is called embedding external content.

The title is a bit misleading: You will need to open WordPress to set this up, but once that is done, your page will automatically show the most recent version of whatever you added.

Some examples:

Whatever content you decide to embed, you’ll need to make a couple changes to the link to make it work on your WOU website, so be sure to review the instructions.

 

Welcome, Keats!

The Provost’s Office welcomes Keats Chaves, who joined us in September as our new Administrative Coordinator. Keats is a WOU alum (2014, Interdisciplinary Studies: Creative Writing and History, with a German minor) who worked for the Writing Center while a student at WOU. Keats is currently finishing a dissertation for an MFA in Creative Writing, and has been enthusiastically welcomed back to WOU by the campus squirrels.

Better Know an Office:
Center for Academic Innovation

Yep, we’re ripping off borrowing liberally from Stephen Colbert for this segment of the newsletter. Each issue will profile the staff from a different office in Academic Affairs, and first up is the Center for Academic Innovation.

Have a question or request? For this team, you’ll get the fastest response by emailing askAI@wou.edu—this will alert all available team members, so you don’t need to worry about whether someone’s on vacation, in a meeting, etc.

Michael Reis

Michael Reis

Director of Academic Innovation

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?
Almost every day, I get to see something or hear about something that reminds me how much WOU’s faculty care about their students and their teaching. There are a lot of institutions that take pride in how many students they turn away, seeing a low admission rate as an elite indicator. It’s amazing to be part of an institution that measures its success by how many students we can serve.

Do you have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?
I wish I had a better talent for answering “about me” questions.

What was the last book you read/movie you saw that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read/movie you saw that you didn’t like?
Right now I am in the middle of two books. The first is You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience, an anthology curated by Tarana Burke and Brene Brown. It’s a powerful book and one I want to make sure not to rush through as I want to give the voices it elevates attention and reflection. So as a break between essays, I’ve been reading Witches Abroad, a book in my spouse’s favorite book series, Discworld, by Terry Pratchett. We’ve been reading through the series together, which is wonderful: she gets to revisit some of her favorite books, I get to experience some amazing stories for the first time, and we get to geek out together.

Seyed Shahrokni

Seyed Shahrokni

Instructional Designer

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?
I love how every day brings new challenges and experiences my way and allows me to work collaboratively with faculty, students, and other stakeholders towards teaching and learning. My colleagues are also the best!

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose this field)?
I have been living in the exciting world of teaching and learning for a long time, both as a student and an educator. Student Engagement has been at the center of my teaching and research, and being an instructional designer with the Center for Academic Innovation at WOU provides me with an opportunity to work towards that. I’m so grateful for this opportunity!

What was the last book you read/movie you saw that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read/movie you saw that you didn’t like?
The book I am reading right now is The Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi. The book tells the story of a teenage girl who, going through a difficult time after her parents divorce, finds refuge in an online video game called “Fields of Fantasy.” I am really enjoying reading the book and I can’t wait to see what happens next! I can kind of guess who Sir Leo might be! 🙂

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?
I played a multiplayer online game for four years for my doctoral research! I was very “1337” (that is, leet), too! It was one of the most exciting projects I have been involved in. If you’re interested, here’s an article based on that study.

Ben Hays

Ben Hays

Learning Management System Support Specialist

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose this field)?
Our family moved to Monmouth when my wife accepted a teaching position in the College of Education. I’ve been interested in the intersection between technology and access to education for a long time, which eventually led me to where I am.

What was the last book you read/movie you saw that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read/movie you saw that you didn’t like?
I loved the A. A. Milne Winnie the Pooh books as a child. The first books that I read on my own and enjoyed were by John Bellairs, followed closely by the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series.

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?
I once belonged to a square dancing club.

Tell us a random fact you know:
There are thousands of Apple Lisa computers buried in a landfill just outside of Logan, Utah.

Sean ONeill

Sean ONeill

Digital Media Technician

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?
Solving problems. It’s nice to be able to work “backstage” and fix problems or remove obstacles for people trying to do their jobs.

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose this field)?
A love of libraries, knowledge, and computers. That and the winds got me here.

What was the last book you read/movie you saw that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read/movie you saw that you didn’t like?
The last movie I really liked was Algiers (1937). It’s a remake of Pepe le Moko (1937) which, by sheer coincidence, I am lining up for a professor and am personally looking forward to handling.

Adrienne Allardt-Wong

Adrienne Allardt-Wong

Instructional Designer & LMS Support Specialist

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose this field)?
I worked at OSU’s Ecampus as an undergrad and discovered that this type of work is something I don’t mind doing continuously and comes with the benefits and quality of life I’m looking for. Then I worked for Moodle Support (now AI) as a GA and discovered I like the people here.

Do you have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?
A talent I have: intuitively knowing what flavors go well together when cooking and (usually) how to adjust a recipe to turn out better than the original instructions. A talent I wish I had: flawless communication–always understanding what people mean and having them understand precisely what I mean.

Tell us a random fact you know:
x% of y = y% of x. For example 4% of 75 is 3, and 75% of 4 is 3.

Celebrating Students

Focusing on what WOU students are achieving

This issue’s Spotlight on Students is a continuation of the Better Know an Office feature, with profiles of the graduate assistants working in the Center for Academic Innovation.

Mindy Khamvongsa

Graduate Assistant, Center for Academic Innovation

What do you love the most about what you do at WOU?
Loving the department I’m working in as a GA. The classes are at the perfect pace and level of engagement that challenge me as a student, which makes me feel like I’m professionally developing with each course.

Do you have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?
I love cooking, and can make the best fusion food you’ve ever had, but I am not very good at baking at all.

What was the last book you read/movie you saw that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read/movie you saw that you didn’t like?
I saw a good part of Shrek 3. This is an answer for both questions.

What is something surprising about you that no one would ever guess?
I have a “draw by memory” Cubone tattooed on my right leg that’s drawn by my significant other. It’s absolutely class and definitely looks EXACTLY like Cubone.

Evalina Macias

Graduate Assistant, Center for Academic Innovation

What brought you to where you are now (why did you choose this field)?
I am pursuing Sign Language/English Interpreting because of the communication access I am able to provide between consumers who do not share the same language. Additionally, Interpreting is a unique field, and every interpreting assignment is different, so you have to expect the unexpected. 

Do you have any talents, or is there a talent you wish you had?
I am able to instantly connect with people, or get the vibe of a room by identifying who is who. 

What was the last book you read/movie you saw that you liked? Alternatively, what was the last book you read/movie you saw that you didn’t like?
The last book I read was Broke Millennial. I enjoyed it because, as I am in my mid-twenties, it is a beneficial book for me, teaching me everything I need to know from credit scores/reports, buying a house/car, and saving money. 

Tell us a random fact you know:
The first person convicted of speeding was going 8 mph.

Questions? Suggestions for future issues? Contact Keats Chaves: chavesk@wou.edu

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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