Andrew Bodman, the former vice president of academic affairs at Western Washington University, has been named the provost and vice president of academic affairs at California State University, San Bernardino.

Bodman left WWU in 2007. Prior to becoming the vice president, Bodman was a geography professor at Huxley College of the Environment.

Former Western Washington University president Karen Morse is returning to campus, but only for a day.

The WWU Chemistry Department is hosting a symposium for Morse on Saturday, April 4. The event is to celebrate Morse’s support of chemistry and science education. Presenters, including current WWU president Bruce Shepard and professors from all over the country, will share how Morse has impacted their work and other scientists.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be from 1 to 5 p.m. in Science Lecture building room 150.

Two Western Washington University professors have recently published new books.

Brenda Miller, associate professor of English, had her fourth book, “Blessing of the Animals,” published in February. The 19 essays in the book were written over the course of five years, and include several award winners.

Edward Ousselin, associate professor of French, recently published “The Invention of Europe in French Literature and Film.” The book looks at French literature and film, from Votaire through Denis de Rougemong, and how it relates to the idea of a unified Europe. Ousselin wrote the book last year while on sabbatical.

Brent Carbajal has been named the new dean of Western Washington University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Carbajal, who has been serving as interim dean since July, will start his new position on March 16. Former dean Ron Klienknecht retired last summer.

Carbajal was selected for the job after a national search. He has been at WWU since 1997, working as a Spanish professor and the chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages for 8 years.

Two Western Washington University communications employees were recently honored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

John Thompson and Matthew Anderson earned a Silver Award for their work on a multimedia presentation about research done by a biology professor. The presentation can be seen by clicking here.

Anderson also received a Silver Award for his story of WWU custodian Thomas Tran.

Congrats guys!

Yvonne Durham has been named the 2009 Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics.

The annual award recognizes a tenured faculty members in the college who has excelled in teaching and advancing professional development within the fields of business and economics.

Durham has been at WWU since 2000, when she became the coordinator of the Economics curriculum.

Lisa Conlon, a fifth grade teacher at Larrabee Elementary School in Bellingham, was recently named one of the 2009 Quest Foundation Teachers and Technology grant recipients.

Nine teachers, one from each educational service district, received a grant to help them create a “21st century learning environment to engage students with real-world tools and real-life situations,” according to a news release.

Conlon, who is teaching in a portable classroom, wants to work with her students to conserve energy in their energy-inefficient portable. The project includes capturing the impact of conservation activities on air quality and ambient sound. They will monitor their results and publish them to the Internet, letting other students see how they can save energy at their schools.

Each service district nominated two finalists and the winning projects were chosen by representatives from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Governor’s office and the Quest Foundation.

Whatcom County School Retirees Association has given $2,769 to 30 local teachers to use in their classrooms, on materials and for field trips.

The organization does this every year, based on applications submitted in the fall.

This year’s recipients are:

Bellingham
Stephanie Strow, Fairhaven Middle School 7th grade, $100 for books
Jerri Mumma, Lummi Nation School 1st grade, $150 for reading materials
Erickson and Glazier, St. Paul’s Academy 5th grade, $100 for Books and Buddies
Janae Hodge, Sehome High School Spanish, $150 for language games.

Blaine
Debra Anderson, Blaine Pre-school, $150 for Pre-K math skills materials
Shapiro and Gallagher, Blaine Elementary 1st and 5th grades, $100 for supplies.
Grasher and Udman, Blaine Elementary 1st and 5th grades, $100 for cross age projects.

Ferndale
Michelle Taylor, Central Elementary 3rd grade, $150 for Young Artists Conference
Cindy Smith, Mt. View Elementary reading, $150 for Russian translation materials.
Roberston, Lee and Howell, Mt. View Elementary, $150 for field trip to Children’s Museum.
Kathleen Crowe, Mt. View Elementary 2nd grade, $150 for field trip to Sardis Wildlife Center.
Katie Dexter, Mt. View Elementary, 1st-4th grades, $100 for books and tapes.
Jennifer Lackey, Mt. View Elementary 3rd grade, $75 for classroom books.
Jerry Finkbonner, Eagleridge grades 4-6, $75 for News Bowl.

Lynden
Mary Hendricks, Fisher Elementary, $150 for Fish Trap Creek Stewards program.

Meridian
Chris Olsen, Ten Mile Creek Elementary 5th grade, $150 for Marine Science.

Mt. Baker
Gordon and Workman, Harmony Elementary 1st grade, $150 for Milk Makers field trip.
Jackie Ebert, Harmony Elementary 4th grade, $94 for manipulatives.
Charles Collier, Harmony Elementary K-6 P.E., $75 for step counters.
Steve Blum-Anderson, Kendall Elementary 6th grade, Cascades Eco System.
Judy Davis, Kendall Elementary grades 5-6, $150 for North Cascades Field Work.
Welch, Nistad and Scott, Kendall Elementary 2nd grade, $150 for Team Reading Track.

Psychology professor Joseph Trimble has won a national award for his 20 years of work on substance abuse and mental health prevention research models for American Indian and Alaska Native youngsters.

Trimble, who’s been at WWU since 1979, received the Henry Tomes Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Psychology. During his time, he also received WWU’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1987 and the Paul J. Olscamp Outstanding Faculty Research Award in 1999.

Ten WWU faculty members recently received the 2008 Dennis R. Murphy Faculty Research Awards from the College of Business and Economics.

The awards recognize exemplary faculty research papers that were accepted for publication in a journal between Sept. 1, 2007 and Aug. 15, 2008.

Recipients are:

Professors Steven Globerman and Paul Storer co-authored the book “The Impacts of 9/11 on Canada-U.S. Trade,” published by University of Toronto Press this year.

Associate Professors Nick Wonder and David Fewings and Professor Wendy Wilhelm co-authored the paper “The Financial Rationality of Consumer Loan Choices: Revealed Preferences Concerning Interest Rates, Down Payments, Contract Length and Rebates,” published in the summer 2008 issue of “Journal of Consumer Affairs.”

Assistant Professor Brandon Dupont contributed his paper “Examining the Obstacles to Broadening Participation in Computing: Evidence from a Survey of Professional Workers,” which will be published in the journal “Contemporary Economic Policy.”

Professor Z. George Zahn co-authored the paper “The Optimal Service Time Allocation of Versatile Server to Queue Jobs and Stochastically Available Non-queue Jobs of Different Types,” published in “Computers and Operations Research.”

Professor L. Floyd Lewis and Associate Professor Deepinder S. Bajwa co-authored the paper “A Cross-Regional Exploration of Barriers to the Adoption and Use of Electronics Meeting Systems,” published in “Group Decision and Negotiations.”

Associate Professor John Krieg contributed his paper “Are Students Left Behind? The Distributional Effects of the No Child Left Behind Act,” published in “Educational Finance and Policy.”

Northwest Youth Services recently honored Becky Robertson as the “Above and Beyond for Kids” champion for 2008.

Robertson, a Family Services Specialist with the Readiness to Learn Program in the Nooksack Valley School District, was chosen from more than 50 nominees for the annual award.

The other finalists included: Dane Vennewitz and Manis Pierre, volunteers with Children’s Programs at Lydia Place; Trevor Press, and 8th grader at Fairhaven Middle School and Congregation Beth Israel; Becki Cronk, Tami Flett and Kim Donk, volunteers for Youth Self Advocacy at the Arc of Whatcom County; and Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Chuck Snyder.

The following Bellingham School District teachers received their National Board Certification this year:

Katy Ackerson, library media specialist, Sunnyland Elementary School
Denise Bently, fifth grade teacher, Birchwood Elementary School
Precious Bryngelson, literacy support teacher, Silver Beach Elementary School
Janet Diener, family and consumer science teacher, Squalicum High School
Lori French, Spanish teacher, Bellingham High School
Catherine Gesich, art teacher, Fairhaven and Kulshan middle schools
Amy Hankinson, science teacher, Sehome High School
Phillip Henoch, math teacher, Sehome High School
Mary Hooker, Spanish teacher, Bellingham High School
Christopher Leita, math teacher, Sehome High School
Trisha McClure, third grade teacher, Carl Cozier Elementary School
Bradley McKay, social studies teacher, Bellingham High School
Michael Owen, seventh grade teacher, Whatcom Middle School
Fontaine Phillips, English teacher, Bellingham High School
Caren Pitsch, first grade teacher, Carl Cozier Elementary School
Jennifer Styer, business education teacher, Sehome High School
Judson Swets, math teacher, Sehome High School
Diane Tjomsland, first grade teacher, Happy Valley Elementary School
Mark Toney, science teacher, Sehome High School
Kerrie Zerba, resource room teacher, Parkview Elementary School

Squalicum High School psychologist Laura Horan recently received the Best Practice Award for Supervision in School Psychology from the Washington State Association of School Psychologists.

She was given a plaque for her work on Oct. 18 in Spokane.

Two Western Washington University departments recently won national awards for their work on new student orientations, and another won for “Green Cleaning.”

The New Student Services/Family Outreach group was recognized in the “Outstanding Newsletter” category for its weekly e-newsletter, “ThisWeek@WWU.” The emailed newsletter is fro new and continuing students.

The University Dining Services was recognized in the “Oustanding Multimedia/Emerging Technology” category for its orientation video, “Dining@Western,” which helped students and their parents choose from different meal plans.

The above awards were handed out at the annual National Orientation Directors Association national conference.

The university’s Academic Custodial Services department was awarded an Honorable Mention for their “green cleaning and sustainability programs” in the 2008 Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities program.

Custodial services has been using “green” techniques for the last five years. Custodians no longer use petrochemical cleaning products and have begun using bio and compostable trash liners.

Explorations Academy’s Lisa Beck was surprised last week when she was named one of Wal-Mart’s teachers of the year.

Beck, who helped found the independent Bellingham high school, received a $100 gift card and the school received a $1,000 grant.

In the written nomination that caught the attention of the judges, Beck is described as a “certified science teacher, but her interests and abilities have propelled her into teaching English, history and PE.” One way she stands out, according to the nomination, is that when she was out for reconstructive knee surgery, she had her class watch a Powerpoint presentation about what the surgeons were doing to her. Another time she started running, something she hates, twice a week with a student to encourage them to lose weight. She’s also planned and lead month-long excursions around the world.

Congrats Lisa!

Wal-Mart’s annual teacher of the year competition is underway. Nominations are due Sunday, Aug. 17.

Teachers who are nominated are eligible for a $1,000 grant for their school and $100 in gift cards to buy classroom supplies.

To nominate a teacher, stop by any Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club location and pick up a form. Since 1995, the teacher of the year program has honored more than 30,000 teachers nationwide.

LaLani Pitts, a Mt. Baker High School teacher, has been named the Northwest Educational Service District 189 Teacher of the Year.

The award puts Pitts in the running for the 2009 Washington State Teacher of the Year Award. The winner will be announced in the spring.

Pitts has worked in numerous areas at MBHS since 1994 – besides teaching she’s been a student mentor, become a trainer for Center for Teacher Effectiveness, pursued National Board Certification, served as department chair and been on multiple district committees.

Congrats LaLani! If you look at the valedictorian information for MBHS, at least one student named her as their favorite teacher.

George Pierce, vice president for Business and Financial Affairs at Western Washington University, will retire from his position in December.

Pierce, who has been in the position since 1989, will be around for the first part of the 2008-09 school year to help WWU’s new president, Bruce Shepard, get settled.

A national search for Pierce’s replacement will begin soon, according to a news release from WWU.

The Business and Financial Affairs division is responsible for construction oversight, renovation and maintenance of buildings and grounds, capital budget, and safety. During Pierce’s 19 years, he’s helped with the campus master planning, several new buildings and major renovations (like Haggard Library and the Viking Union).

The Bellingham School District is recommending Jeannie Hayden from Bellingham High as the new principal at Kulshan Middle School.

The school board will vote on her appointment at tonight’s meeting.

Hayden, who is the assistant principal at Bellingham High, has worked in the Bellingham School District since 1998. Besides Bellingham High, Hayden has also worked as an assistant principal at Squalicum High and Newport High School in Bellevue. During her career, Hayden has also taught health, P.E. and math.

Current Kulshan principal Gordon Grissom is leaving the school district this summer for a principal job at Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman, Mont.

The search for a new assistant principal at Bellingham High will start shortly and it will include input from students, parents, community members and staff.

I’m a little behind in reporting on teacher honors, so here is a quick round-up of those that have been passed on to me.

Bellingham andn Ferndale school district
Fairhaven Middle School art teacher Catherine Gerisch, Larrabee Elementary School 3rd-grade teacher Lori Dorough and Horizon Middle School teacher Katie Dorr were recently selected for the 2008-09 Enhanced Peer Coaching Program. They are among 97 teachers across Washington that will be trained as peer coaches and technology integrators for the next school year.

Each teacher will receive $9,000 for a 10-session training program, after wich the teachers return to their school and share skills with others.

This is the second year of these grants, which are funded through Title II, Part D of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, aka the Enhancing Education Through Technology initiative.

Blaine School District

Fourth-grade teacher Kathy Tennyson was recently selected as the Teacher of the Year by the Blaine School District.
Tennyson has been with the district for eight years. Her nomination included information about her success in the classroom “as a teacher that cares for students of all learning abilities” and her assistance to parents.
Tennyson’s name has been submitted to the Educational Service District and could be submitted, along with one other name, to the state competition.

Craig Foster, a PE and Health teacher at Blaine High, is the recipient of the All Classification Wrestling Coach of the Year award in Washington.