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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Catalog & Scheduling Coordinator
Breeze Potter
Associate Registrar
Questions? Suggestions for future issues? Contact Keats Chaves: chavesk@wou.edu
