Videos

Western Washington University student Chris Jespersen offers his view of "What's Up" on campus in November. Missed the first video? Check it out here.

Compass 2 Campus is a program at Western Washington University designed to increase access to higher education by providing an opportunity for fifth grade students from traditionally underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds in Whatcom and Skagit counties to be mentored by university students.

Did you get a chance to attend the 2011 student convocation, held Sept. 20 to welcome new students to Western Washington University? It's an exciting event, designed to show students just what an awesome decision they've made to attend Western. Enjoy.

Streamed live at WWU student convocation on Sept. 20, 2011, by ATUS Video Services.

Rich Brown, associate professor of Theatre and Dance at Western Washington University, will present “The Transformative Power of Devising” at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct.19 in Communications Facility 115.

The event is free, open to the public and is part of WWU’s Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series, which celebrates and shares the wealth of knowledge and talent on Western’s campus.

Brown will present results from his ongoing research into the art of devising new works for the stage with undergraduate students. Devised works are those which are collaboratively created by an ensemble of artists rather than by a single playwright, and then performed by those same generative artists. This lecture-discussion will explore the challenges and benefits of embracing collective intelligence when creating new theatrical material, explain the differences between writing text and writing performance, and investigate different approaches to devising.

In his lecture, Brown will discuss the making of “cheat,” “US,” and “The American Family” – three devised works created at WWU over the past four years. “The American Family” premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland last July; “US” is currently being held for possible selection for this winter’s regional American College Theatre Festival in Fort Collins, Colo.; and Professor Brown and Professor Craig Dunn of CBE are currently co-authoring a textbook chapter for “Business Ethics and Aesthetics” titled “Cheat: Exporting Business Ethics to Theatre Arts.”

For more information about the Turning Points faculty speaker series, call (360) 650-7545.

Sponsored by the Western Washington University Foundation, the Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series celebrates the wealth of knowledge and talent on Western’s campus. The series features one-hour talks by faculty members who are experts in their fields. No tickets are required. No permit is required to park after 4:30 p.m. in the gravel lots 12A and the C lots south of the Communications Facility, near Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Parking meters require payment all hours.

Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard addressed faculty and staff this morning at the annual opening convocation held before the start of school in the fall.

The full text of Shepard's remarks are online.

At the event, a number of Western faculty and staff received awards for their service to the university and the community. More information and photos of the award winners is available on the president's website. The winners are:

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  Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award: Angela Harwood
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  Diversity Achievement Award: Joan Ullin
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  Carl H. Simpson Bridging Award: Cher Carnell
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  Outstanding Classified Staff Award: June Fraser Thistle
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  Professional Staff Award for Excellence: Devlin O'Donnell
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  Community Engagement Award: Korry Harvey
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  Team Recognition Award: Institutional Scholarship and Waiver Streamlining Project

Curious about what's happening in the next week for students? In the first installment of "What's Up, WWU?", Western Washington University student Chris Jespersen highlights a few fun events for students on campus.

Associate Professor of Environmental Science Andy Bunn and two undergraduates, Becky Tachihara of Reno, Nevada, and Matt Moroney of Salt Lake City, Utah, spent their summer in Cherskiy, Siberia, conducting field research as part of the Polaris Project.

The project is an expedition funded by the National Science Foundation to assess the rate of melting permafrost in the Siberian Arctic, and what that rate means for global climate change. This was the third consecutive summer that Bunn and a pair of Western students participated in the project.

For more information, including a video of the goals and mission of the Polaris Project and hundreds of pictures,visit http://www.thepolarisproject.org.

The Western Washington University Board of Trustees met Aug. 18 and 19 at Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes. Part 3 of 3.

The Western Washington University Board of Trustees met Aug. 18 and 19 at Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes. Part 2 of 3.

The Western Washington University Board of Trustees met Aug. 18 and 19 at Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes. Part 1 of 3.