Spring 2021 News Briefs

Central Wins Seventh HEED Award in Last Eight Years

CWU once again received the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT into Diversity magazine in 2021, marking the seventh time in the past eight years that Central has earned the recognition. The HEED Award recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. INSIGHT into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity magazine in higher education.

CWU-Yakima Launches High-Demand Accounting Program

Starting this fall, CWU-Yakima will begin offering a Bachelor of Science degree program in Accounting. The hybrid schedule, with classes offered in-person and online, was created to meet the needs of the diverse communities in the Yakima area. The new program will offer a combination of in-person accounting classes one day a week and online business classes throughout the week. The program was designed in collaboration with YVC and addresses a growing need in the Yakima Valley.

Grant to Help CWU Attract More Low-Income STEM Transfer Students

A team of faculty and staff from CWU and Big Bend Community College has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) program, which is specifically aimed at STEM disciplines. The initiative is intended to help low-income STEM transfer students around the state earn four-year degrees. CWU is looking to increase the number of low-income community college students in Washington—specifically from CWU-Moses Lake—who opt to continue their educations at four-year institutions.

International Global Warming Study Involves CWU Researcher

CWU researcher and geophysicist Paul Winberry is contributing his expertise to the international Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet 2C (SWAIS 2C) project, which is seeking to examine the ice sheet’s sensitivity to global warming of 2 degrees Celsius. Central is one of seven U.S. institutions selected to participate in the project that will be funded, in part, by a $2.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Governor Appoints CWU Alum Charbonneau to Board of Trustees

CWU alumnus and longtime STEM educator Jeff Charbonneau was appointed to the Board of Trustees by Governor Jay Inslee in January. The principal of Zillah Middle School is a former high school science teacher who won the Washington Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year honors in 2013. He also received the 2015 Global Teacher Prize. At Central, Charbonneau earned a BS in Biology, a Master Teaching degree, a science teaching certificate, and a principal/administrator certification.

CWU Joins Statewide Guaranteed Admissions Initiative

CWU joined a statewide effort last fall to make the college application process easier and more accessible for prospective students. The Guaranteed Admissions Pilot (GAP) gives high school students who meet certain criteria a direct pathway to higher education. At Central, graduating seniors who earn at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and complete the College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs) are guaranteed a place for the next academic year.

Professor Named Lifetime Fellow with National Association

Professor Anne Egger has been elected as a lifetime fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Egger teaches Geological Sciences and Science and Mathematics Education at CWU. The 2021 class of AAAS Fellows recognizes 564 scientists, engineers, and innovators across 24 scientific disciplines.

CWU Police Chief Named to International Hall of Fame

CWU Police Chief Jason Berthon-Koch has been named to the international Rape, Aggression, Defense (R.A.D.) Systems Hall of Fame for his 19-year commitment to teaching women empowerment and self-defense skills. He has been a R.A.D. instructor in the Ellensburg community since 2003 and he became an instructor-trainer in 2012, working with more than 500 instructors around the state since that time.

Boeing Competition Winners Add Prestige to College of Business

A team of CWU Business students took home the grand prize at last year’s Boeing Northwest Case Competition, making Central the winningest university in the competition’s history. “Team No Chain, No Gain!” won $2,500 and guaranteed job interviews at Boeing by presenting their plan to implement a new commercial aircraft, using strategic supply chain planning and implementation concepts. The CWU team members were Makinzie Packwood, Lindsay Smith, Felicia Johnson, Eli Washburn, and Wendell Jopson.

Central Aviation Graduate Now Flying with Blue Angels

U.S. Marine Corps Major and 2010 CWU alumnus Josh Soltan will be flying with the Blue Angels air demonstration squadron for the next three years after being selected from a national pool of military aviators. Soltan is a C130J pilot and the second Central alum to have been selected for the Blue Angels, joining Lt. Cmdr. Craig Olson (’91), who flew two separate tours with the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron in 2002 and 2007.

Aviation Professor Named National Instructor of the Year

Professor Amy Hoover was named the 2022 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year by the Federal Aviation Administration and General Aviation Awards Industry Board. The award recognized Hoover for her many contributions at the regional and national levels through her mentoring efforts, publications, presentations, and backcountry flight instruction. She currently serves as a flight check instructor and assistant chief ground instructor at Central.

The ’Burg Wins Best College Radio Station in the Country

CWU’s campus radio station, KCWU 88.1 The ’Burg, was named Best College Radio Station at the annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conference. The ’Burg previously took home the award in 2015 and has been nominated every year since. The station also won Most Creative/Innovative Show and Best Phone App. The winning app was designed by Computer Science student Dylan Elliott, whose experience with the Running Start program prepared him to develop the best college radio station app in the country.

Central Recognized for Diverse Organizational Impact Efforts

Central was featured in the September 2021 edition of Diverse: Issues In Higher
Education magazine as a leader in institutional representation and composition. CWU was among five institutions nationwide—the only one west of Texas—featured for achieving at least a “B” grade on the four Diverse Organizational Impact and Transformation (DOIT) pillars.

University Remembers First Female Student Body President

The CWU community lost one of its most beloved public servants last fall when Shirley (Dickson) Kern died at age 98. The former librarian, who graduated from the Central Washington College of Education (now CWU) in 1945, was the institution’s first female student body president, filling the role for two years when her male counterparts were called to serve in World War II. Kern is best remembered for her lifelong commitment to community service and her sincere approach to everyone she met.