Former student body president and student regent and current Washington educator Jordan Frost received Washington State University’s inaugural First-Generation Alumni Excellence Award, presented by the Office of Academic Engagement (OAE). Frost earned two degrees at WSU—a B.A. in history in 2018, and a Master’s in teaching in 2019. “We envision this award as a way to celebrate exceptional WSU alumni who were first-generation students themselves,” said Ali Bretthauer, director of OAE College Success Programs.

Ten finalist teams from 12 sections of the Washington State University’s First-Year Success Seminar/University 104 course presented apps on the theme of “resilience” at the third Adobe Creative Jam, and three teams took home top awards, said Cynthia Williams, program director. “Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Adobe, our students were once again able to demonstrate the skills learned in UNIV 104 to creatively identify and communicate their innovative solutions to a complex problem,” said Williams.

The top 10 teams from Washington State University’s UNIV 104 freshman seminar course will compete virtually for prizes at 6:00 p.m., Wed., Nov. 4 as part of the third Adobe Creative Jam, said Cindy Williams, program director. The top teams were chosen from a field of 60 teams of two to three students each across 13 sections of the popular first-year course. Finalists will present apps they created that are centered around this year’s theme of “resiliency.” The public is invited to watch the presentations online.

Several events, Nov. 2-9, allow Washington State University to join in the national celebration of a key population segment–first-generation students, the Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) said. Across three dates, the OAE will host a story share on social media, a faculty roundtable on student support, and a presentation by an accomplished alumnus. All events are free and open to the public. “There are first-gen celebrations planned nationally around this time, and we joined in because we realize that there are thousands of WSU students systemwide who identify as first-gen,” said Ray Acuña Luna, director for OAE’s College Access Programs.

Renewals of University Common Requirements (UCORE) courses at Washington State University have been postponed during the 2020-21 academic year. The decision was made by the 23-member UCORE Committee, which approves such general education courses and assesses the effectiveness of the UCORE curriculum. All existing UCORE courses must be renewed through a formal process to maintain alignment and adherence to UCORE learning outcomes.

Washington State University’s Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) has received word from the U.S. Dept. of Education (DOE) that it is awarding three student support services grants to benefit veterans, STEM students, and future teachers at the university. OAE Executive Director Michael Highfill said the grants—totaling over $4 million—will each serve between 120 and 140 low-income and first-generation students annually.

Despite in-person restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, two National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored research programs for undergraduates went forward at WSU this summer and welcomed 16 students from 15 universities—online. Both are in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The Crimson Community Grants (CCG) fund at Washington State University provided a half million dollars to nearly 800 low-income students statewide to help meet educational and related expenses during a spring semester impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are pleased to be able to offer meaningful assistance at this difficult time for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at all campuses, and to be a resource they can turn to in this unique period,” said Michael Highfill, executive director of the Office of Academic Engagement (OAE).

The Washington State University Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA) honored outstanding faculty, staff, and students for their contributions throughout academic year 2019-20 to its programs that promote student, teaching, and learning success and excellence university wide.