Colleagues:

Supports Service Learning in Region’s Higher Education Campuses

The Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded a $500,000 Learn and Serve grant to Washington Campus Compact, based at Western Washington University.

The grant will support the Northwest Sustainability Initiative to increase habitat restoration and green-energy practices through service-learning opportunities by faculty and students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields at higher education campuses in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Western Washington University Associate Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience Janet Finlay has been awarded $372,735 from the National Institutes of Health to support her research into the neurobiology of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness associated with delusions, hallucinations, cognitive deficits, and poor social functioning. Current treatments for the disease include antipsychotic medications; however, cognitive deficits caused by schizophrenia are difficult to treat.

Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard has announced that the university has received final approval from the state Office of Financial Management for its response to the state’s “furlough bill”, ESSB 6503.

Western's plan, which was presented to and approved by the Board of Trustees at the June 11 meeting, was to achieve the one-time $1.172-million reduction mandated by the legislature without closing the university or requiring employees to take furlough days.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded two AmeriCorps grants totaling $1.3 million to Washington Campus Compact, based at Western Washington University.

One grant, for $585,000, will support The Retention Project program at higher education campuses in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The second grant, for $775,000, will support Students in Service, a part-time AmeriCorps program.

Western President Bruce Shepard announced today that he will recommend to Western’s Board of Trustees on Friday that they approve an option on the state’s “furlough bill” that will not require university employees to take furlough days or for the university to be closed.

“After thorough review and many discussions on campus, it became clear to us that employee furloughs or campus closure would create far more problems than any savings realized,” Shepard said.

Western Washington University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Clint Spiegel has been awarded a three-year, $390,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to research potential treatments for hemophilia A, a hereditary genetic blood disorder that affects millions of people around the world.

Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard sent a message to the campus community Wednesday afternoon explaining the university's current plans for complying with the state's legislation on furloughs. The full text of Shepard's announcement is available below and on the president's website at http://www.wwu.edu/president/documents/FromPresidentsDesk/June22010.shtml.

The full text of the president's Wednesday, June 2, message:

Colleagues:

A turnout of more than 70 Western Washington University faculty, staff, students and community members showed up to listen to and make comments regarding Western's 2010-2011 operating budget during a public forum on May 18.

"This isn't a president's budget or a vice president's budget," said WWU president Bruce Shepard in addressing the crowd. "This is your budget as well as ours."

Steve Swan, vice president for University Relations at Western Washington University, appeared on the "PM Bellingham" radio show on KGMI 790-AM on Monday, May 17, to discuss the proposed 2010-2011 budget and the budget forum scheduled for 3 p.m. today, May 18, on campus.

The segment with Swan begins at 40:45 and ends at 44:24. The show is available for listening and download on the KGMI website at http://kgmi.com/PM-Bellingham/2977173.

A public forum on the proposed 2010-11 operating budget will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, in the Old Main Theater on the Western Washington University campus.

Western Washington University’s effort to be more active with its Federal relations agenda is reaping benefits, as the activities of Western’s administration and the leadership of the Associated Students have yielded positive results in Washington, D.C.

A public forum on the proposed supplemental 2010-11 annual operating budget for Western Washington University will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, in the Old Main Theatre on campus.

Faculty, staff, students and members of the community are welcome to attend the forum, which will begin with a brief opening presentation by WWU President Bruce Shepard and be followed by an open dialogue that will include Western's vice presidents.

The proposed adjustments to Western Washington University's 2010-2011 operating budget are now online, WWU President Bruce Shepard said in an e-mail message to the campus community this afternoon. The adjustments are necessary because the Washington state Legislature reduced funding for the university in its supplemental budget.

Leaders of the various Western Washington University planning units finished on Tuesday, May 11, the presentations of their proposals for the 2011-2013 biennial operating budget. The presentations were audiocast live online, and the archived audiois available for listening at http://www.wwu.edu/upb/presentations/archive.shtml.