Learn Everything You Need to Know About Going to College at WSU Vancouver - 02/08/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Washington State University Vancouver will offer prospective students an opportunity to learn about the campus, the programs, student life, admissions, financial aid and more at Preview Day. The event will be held Thursday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration building, room 110.

"Preview Day is an opportunity for prospective freshmen and transfer students to learn the ropes from admissions to financing their education," said Kimberly Hiatt, WSU Vancouver associate director of admissions.

An admissions seminar will provide a campus overview and cover admissions requirements and how to apply. Admissions counselors will be on hand to answer individual questions. A financial aid and scholarships workshop will cover options for financing a college education including loans, grants and scholarships.

Representatives from student government will share information about recreational and co-curricular activities. Student ambassadors will give insight into campus life, academics and student support services. Members of WSU Vancouver's staff and faculty will be on hand to answer questions.

Admission to Preview Day is free, and the event is open to the public. Parking is available in the Orange 1 lot. For more information call 360-546-9779 or visit www.vancouver.wsu.edu/events/preview/

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu

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Clark County Historical Museum and WSU Vancouver's DTC Program Bring Brautigan Home - 02/08/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Brautigan Library, a unique collection of nearly 400 unpublished manuscripts written by everyday authors, will soon have a new home in Vancouver thanks to a partnership between the Digital Technology and Culture Program at Washington State University Vancouver and the Clark County Historical Museum.

John F. Barber, Ph.D., faculty member in the DTC program at WSU Vancouver, will coordinate students and a team of local and international volunteers, to reopen the library and continue its mission of connecting writers and readers of personal narratives.

Barber, a leading Brautigan scholar, is the developer and curator of Brautigan Bibliography and Archive (www.brautigan.net), an interactive, online resource generally acknowledged as the premier information source for the life and works of Richard Brautigan. Brautigan (1935-1984) is a Washington-born author who rose to international prominence as the author said to best capture the zeitgeist of the counterculture during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He is best noted for his novel "Trout Fishing in America" (1967), his poetry collection "The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster" (1968), and his collection of stories "Revenge of the Lawn" (1971).

Inspired by a fictional library described by Brautigan in his 1971 novel, "The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966', The Brautigan Library provides everyday writers a public shelf where their unpublished manuscripts, free of restrictions on content or quality, are available for anyone to read.

"The Brautigan Library is not about publishing, or even literature. It's about people telling their stories in a democratic way. It is a very public home for personal narratives in a digital age," said Barber.

The library will become a permanent collection of the Clark County Historical Museum in the former 1909 Andrew Carnegie library building in downtown Vancouver. Future plans call for the library to reopen as a permanent, interactive collection, according to Susan Tissot, executive director of the Clark County Historical Society. The Brautigan Library will also collect and circulate unpublished manuscripts using contemporary digital technologies.

"There is international interest in The Brautigan Library, both as a historical idea and an attraction for Vancouver," said Barber. "We are planning research activities, conferences, exhibits and creative activities as part of the community outreach focus of our partnership with the Clark County Historical Museum."

This idea ties nicely with the mission of the Clark County Historical Museum, according to Tissot. "This is a very exciting addition to our permanent collections in that it highlights our mission of collecting, preserving and interpreting the culture history of the Pacific Northwest, along with providing educational opportunities for the public. Richard Brautigan is a native son, a rather famous one, and we look forward to promoting his vision for a very public library through this interactive partnership with the DTC Program at WSU Vancouver."

The Brautigan Library was first opened in 1990 in Burlington, Vt., by Todd R. Lockwood, a Brautigan. True to Brautigan's vision, the library accepted manuscripts from authors keen to tell their stories.

In storage since 2006, the decision to relocate The Brautigan Library to Vancouver, comes after two years of negotiations with the estate of the late author.

To visit the website for The Brautigan Library go to www.thebrautiganlibrary.org.

The Digital Technology and Culture Program at Washington State University Vancouver integrates critical thinking, creativity and computing skills with course work in the arts, humanities and social sciences to offer a broad-based, interdisciplinary degree that prepares students for a culturally diverse, technologically complex 21st century.

Learn more about the DTC program at WSU Vancouver at www.vancouver.wsu.edu/programs/dtc/.

The Clark County Historical Museum is located at 1511 Main Street in Vancouver. Regular museum hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is charged; CCHS members are free.

The museum is also open for free from 5 – 9 p.m. the first Thursday of each month February – November for First Thursday Museum After Hours. A wheelchair-accessible entrance to the museum is located on the east side of the museum building on 16th Street. For more information call the museum 360-993-5679 or visit www.cchmuseum.org.

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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Trial Program Helps Veterans Earn a Degree at WSU Vancouver - 02/02/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – VetCorps, a pilot program managed by the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs has established itself on the Washington State University Vancouver campus. The program was created in April 2009 to help veterans find work and take care of their families while making the often-difficult transition into civilian life.

"VetCorps goes beyond just supporting veterans in the classroom," said Wade Enos, WSU Vancouver student representative to VetCorps. "We help them find the resources they need to stabilize their lives outside the classroom and focus on their education."

Enos retired from the Army in 2006 and started working as a driver for a local company immediately after. He began looking into attending WSU Vancouver after congress passed the 911 GI Bill, which paid stipends for veterans going to school.

"Nobody helped me find work or apply for benefits when I got out of the Army," Enos said. "I want to help make things easier for future Veterans in the Vancouver area."

Enos wants to raise awareness among the student body and build relations with the administration at WSU Vancouver. He hopes to organize a recognized student organization to get funding from the student senate and create a support network for veterans on campus.

"Right now this organization is in its infancy," Enos said. "I'm working to set standards and goals with our current members that will help VetCorps expand into the campus and surrounding community in the near future."

VetCorps has representatives at community colleges, universities and technical schools around the state. Enos says some campuses are more receptive to the program than others, but he is doing everything he can to make sure the WSU Vancouver program is a success.

"If I didn't believe in the program, I wouldn't be here," Enos said. "We're helping guys who put their lives on the line so everybody else can go about their daily lives. It's the least that can be done to repay them."
Enos can be reached at 360-546-9309 or wade.enos@email.wsu.edu.

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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WSU Vancouver Education Professor Gets Fulbright to Study Culture and Gender Differences Abroad - 02/02/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Tonda Liggett, Washington State University Vancouver assistant professor of education, received a Fulbright Specialist Award to study the role of gender for immigrant women and girls as they adjust to a new context in the United States. Liggett will use the results of her research overseas to help prepare teacher education students for an increasingly diverse classroom.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It's designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." Participants are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential. Winning a Fulbright is a huge honor. About 7,500 grants are awarded annually.

Liggett is particularly interested in understanding how gender roles affect the education of children from immigrant families in the United States. She says immigrant girls can be negatively assessed based on American perspectives of gender roles, which can hinder these students' education early in their schooling experience.

"For instance, there have been studies about behavior differences of Mexican girls that were perceived to be ‘passive' and linked to teacher predictions of lower academic achievement. This ‘passive behavior' influenced the grades these girls received, Liggett said. "Their behavior isn't a reflection of their cognitive ability it's a product of their heritage and family life."

Liggett hopes to see different perspectives on culture and gender issues than she would in the United States. She will then share her experience with education students to give them a new perspective on children from different cultures that may be in their classrooms.

Liggett said she doesn't know exactly when or where her research trip will take place. All she knows so far is that it will be some time in the next five years. The length will depend on the time of year and type of work.

"I was so focused on meeting the Fulbright application requirements that I didn't look beyond the possibility of actually receiving it," Liggett said.

She hopes her research trip can open doors for a longer overseas study to continue her research on the intersections of gender, language and culture.

"I'm trying to broaden my studies and develop partnerships with educators in different countries that struggle with and address these same issues," she said. "This is a big first step in that process."

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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WSU Vancouver Professor Offers Insight into the Role of Horses in Native North America - 01/25/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Learn about the importance of horses on native North America from Steve Fountain, Ph.D., visiting associate professor of history at Washington State University Vancouver. Fountain will draw from his forthcoming book, "From Sky Dogs to Wild Ones: Nativing the Horse in North America" at a presentation on Thursday, Feb. 4 in the meeting room at Three Creeks Community Library at 7 p.m.

Fountain's book traces the cultural and environmental changes sparked by horses in both Native American and Euro-American societies. The horse was a trade good, a means of power, a measure of wealth and a mode of transportation.

Looking at horses offers a lens on 500 years of North American history. It offers a reevaluation of the ways animals and people have interacted to shape our past and present.

Fountain earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He has been teaching courses in early American, western American and environmental history at WSU Vancouver since 2007.

The Three Creeks Library is located at 800-C Tenney Road in Vancouver. Fountain's presentation is free and open to the public and is expected to be about one hour long. For more information, please contact Mike Jansen, Three Creeks Community Librarian, 360-571-9696.

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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The Abstract Paintings of Brooke Keitel and Frank Rysavy are Currently on Display at WSU Vancouver - 01/25/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Large, brightly colored, abstract paintings by Brooke Keitel and Frank Rysavy are on display at Washington State University Vancouver in the Engineering Life Science building galleries through March 26. Rysavy's work uses clean lines and geometric forms while Keitel's paintings shows strong brush strokes and ragged edges. Rysavy's paintings are displayed on the first floor of the building, and Keitel's paintings are on the second floor.

Keitel's artwork is influenced by the Pacific Northwest landscape. Her abstract, expressionist paintings are created with the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in mind. "My artwork has a quality of liquid essence taken from the lush watery landscapes that encompass the bodies of water that surround my daily life," said Keitel. She studied art at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and shows her work in local galleries and galleries along the pacific coast. Keitel is currently a board member of the Mosaic Arts Alliance.

Self-taught artist Rysavy took an interest in painting a couple of years ago. He began by experimenting on small canvases using acrylic paint. He has since graduated to large-scale paintings and has completed a cohesive body of brightly colored geometric/abstract works. Rysavy is a student at WSU Vancouver studying accounting.

WSU Vancouver art galleries are open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday. Admission is free. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3. For more information, contact Erin Dengerink Madarang at madarang@vancouver.wsu.edu or 360-546-9551.

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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Northwest Oil Painters Guild Shows Members' Artwork at WSU Vancouver - 01/25/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A selected group of paintings from the Northwest Oil Painters Guild are on display at Washington State University Vancouver in the Administration building gallery through March 26. The goal of the NOPG is to support and encourage its member artists and generate wider interest in oil painting.

The Oil Painters Guild offers a broad range of styles, techniques and genres. There is a growing group of artists within NOPG who are attracted to Plein-Air painting, or painting outdoors. The guild says of Plein-Air paintings "With the beauty of the Pacific Northwest at our door step, many of us feel compelled to experience nature's colors firsthand." To learn more and see more of the members' work, visit www.oilpaintersguild.com/

WSU Vancouver art galleries are open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday. Admission is free. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3. For more information, contact Erin Dengerink Madarang at madarang@vancouver.wsu.edu or 360-546-9551.

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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Children's Art on Exhibit at WSU Vancouver - 01/25/10
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Brightly colored paint, abstract forms and feathers are only a sample of the tools preschoolers from Washington State University Vancouver's Child Development Program used to express themselves through art. For the third year, the creativity of the littlest Cougs on campus, preschoolers aged three to five, will be on display in the WSU Vancouver Library. The exhibit will be up through Feb. 26.

The artwork created by the CDP children showcases their curiosity and creativity. It reflects their individuality and personal interpretations of the world around them. The children used both traditional and non-traditional art media in unique ways—exploring and experimenting as they went. There are examples of creative art, and art focused on fine art, photography, literature and nature.

The CDP serves a diverse group of families. The students are children of WSU Vancouver faculty, staff, students and other Clark County residents. The children represent a wide range of backgrounds and cultures—all of which is reflected in their artwork.

The WSU Vancouver Library is open Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Admission is free. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3. For more information, contact Erin Dengerink Madarang at madarang@vancouver.wsu.edu or 360-546-9551.

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at www.vancouver.wsu.edu.

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