Kim Cunningham has worked at Western since 2001, but her love of the campus began at a much earlier age.
“I remember Western in the ‘60s,” she said. “Lots of long hair and lots of bare feet.”
Cunningham, a Bellingham native, used to visit the campus with her sisters when her dad was a student.
“He used to drop us off in the VU, and we would just hang out. There used to be really cool shuffleboard tables,” she said. “Campus seemed huge to me at the time, but it’s a lot bigger now.”
Few people have the opportunity to turn their hobby into a second career, but Courtney Hiatt is on her way to doing just that.
Originally from Covington, Hiatt came to Western Washington University as a student, but ended up loving it so much that she decided to call Bellingham home permanently.
It’s been eight years since Howard Muhlberg began coordinating the Western Card Office and the ResTek program. It’s also been eight years since Muhlberg first stepped on a stage with his guitar.
Muhlberg is a program coordinator at Western, and said he loves working here.
“Working on a campus felt like a good fit for me, and it has really sustained me all these years,” he said.
While he enjoys his work, Muhlberg’s real passion is music. He has a wide range of musical interests, but it all started with rock.
Bellingham is 2,705 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii, a fact that Brenda Ancheta knows well.
Ancheta, a native of Honolulu, first began working at Western Washington University as a fiscal tech for Business Services in 1989, and has been here ever since. While she loves the Pacific Northwest, being removed from the culture and identity of her home island isn’t easy for her, she says.
There is a sign hung outside the door of Jose Ona’s office in Omega that reads, “Jose Ona: Your friend, teacher, grandpa, helper and counselor.”
The 81-year-old custodian has worked in the residence halls for over a decade, and he works hard to share the principles and values that he has learned throughout his life with the students at Western Washington University.
Microbes are everywhere. In the food we eat, on our skin and on every surface we touch.
Tiny living organisms that spend their entire lives at a size too small to be seen with the naked eye, microbes include bacteria, protists, types of fungi and even some species of animals. Although seemingly invisible, they affect our everyday lives in ways we most often times don’t notice: they boost our immune systems, purify waste water, make the fermentation of beer and wine possible, aid in the fight against infectious diseases and aid in the development of vaccines.
Do you work with an outstanding colleague at Western Washington University? The Western Way program provides the opportunity for faculty and staff to recognize the great efforts of others on campus.
Any time throughout the year, folks in the WWU community can visit the Western Way website to recognize a Western employee who demonstrates excellence in serving students, visitors or colleagues, based on the characteristics that make them uniquely Western: inviting, engaging, distinctive, collaborative and adventurous.
Karen Dade, associate dean for Wooding College of Education, has been appointed by Western President Bruce Shepard as the University’s first Administrative Leadership Program Fellow.
Do you work with an outstanding colleague at Western Washington University? The Western Way program provides the opportunity for faculty and staff to recognize the great efforts of others on campus.
Any time throughout the year, folks in the WWU community can visit the Western Way website to recognize a Western employee who demonstrates excellence in serving students, visitors or colleagues, based on the characteristics that make them uniquely Western: inviting, engaging, distinctive, collaborative and adventurous.
Official Title at Western: Assistant professor, Engineering and Design
Number of years at Western: 1
Favorite statue on campus: Richard Serra is one of my favorite living sculptors, and it's amazing to have one of his giant steel statues just ten steps from my office.
Favorite Book: Codex Seraphinianus
Favorite Movie: Metropolis
Favorite Band: Stereolab
