WSU Vancouver budget reallocation will come from reserves and PBL cuts
This fall Interim President Bernardo announced the university would realign some of its financial resources to support the initiatives called for in the strategic plan and January 2015 salary increases. WSU is calling for a 5 percent across-the-board internal reallocation of Permanent Budget Level (PBL) funds effective July 1, 2016. Learn more by reading
Perspectives.
WSU Vancouver is meeting the 5 percent reallocation by taking 3.15 percent from central campus reserves and asking colleges and departments to pare PBL by 1.85 percent. The reserves come from enrollment growth, contingency reserves (e.g. the state back-filling most of the salary increase WSU Vancouver planned to absorb), changes in how WSU Vancouver plans for and spends one-time funds, PBL and some other central expenses including graduate research waivers.
Each director will work with his/her unit to recommend cuts to the Budget Council totaling 1.85 percent of PBL. Planned reductions are due Jan. 29.
The pooled funds from WSU Vancouver’s reallocation will remain on campus. Funds will be used to support the WSU Vancouver 2016 – 2021 strategic plan as well as existing campus initiatives including an approved academic plan, an enrollment management plan, retention task force recommendations and a variety of other initiatives.
If you have questions about the budget reallocation, or suggestions about how to achieve it, please share them with your director. Budget reallocation will be a topic of the spring State of the Campus Address in January. Watch FYI for details.
New industrial hygienist on board
Facilities Operations recently welcomed Joe Price as an industrial hygienist III to manage issues related to environmental health and safety. Joe has previously worked in a university setting and for Hanford. He comes to us with extensive safety and environmental compliance experience. Joe’s office is in the Physical Plant Building. He can be reached at 6-9706.
Karen Peterson to retire at the end of December
Karen Peterson, founding director of the department of human development, will retire at the end of the year. During her 45-year career, she has enriched many lives through direct service in early childhood education settings, and as an educator and visionary leader both on campus and in the community.
Karen began her WSU career as
an associate professor in the department of child, consumer and family studies at WSU Pullman in 1985 and moved to WSU Vancouver in 1993. She served as the academic director of the department of human development for the next 12 years and also as academic director of liberal arts in the College of Liberal Arts from 1997 – 2000. Karen founded the Child Development Program, and as the CDP administrator, was instrumental in securing multiple endowments to enrich and expand the program to include preschool, kindergarten and first grade.
During her tenure, Karen secured more than 16 grants that have deeply impacted the quality of life for both children and families in Southwest Washington and statewide. She played
an instrumental role in getting grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Department of Early Learning, Casey Family Programs and the Foundation for Early Learning, OSPI and the U.S. Department of Education worth more than $2.5 million.
Karen is renowned statewide and nationally for her scholarship related to the professional development of early childhood and social service personnel, children’s literacy, working with boys and stress/trauma impact on young children. She is the author of more than 30 research articles and the book “Helping Them Heal: How Teachers can Support Young Children who Experience Stress and Trauma,”which won the 2015 Academy of American Publishers Revere Award for Professional Resources.
Karen had a leadership role in launching a long-standing community collaborative effort that came to be known as Support for Early Learning & Families. She has served on the Early Childhood Advisory Board at Clark College and the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Board where she was instrumental in championing the creation of the children’s floor at the new downtown library. Karen is an advisory board member for the QRIS (early achievers) pilot implementation project conducted by ESD 112 and on the Clark College Early Childhood Vocational Program Advisory Board. She was the recipient of the 2014 Early
Learning Children’s Champion Reward, a fitting recognition for a career dedicated to higher education and community service.
Participate in AVCAA selection process
The Search Committee for the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs has invited two candidates for on-campus interviews this week. Each candidate will give a presentation open to the campus community focused on “Advancing student success, equity and diversity at WSU Vancouver, a growing urban campus within a multi-campus, land-grant research intensive university system.” The search committee values your input, and encourages you to attend.
Levi Van Tol, student, neuroscience/honors program
Prepare your space before you leave for the holiday
WSU’s December Holiday Reduced Operations will close the university Dec. 24 – Jan. 1. Before you go, take a look at the checklist (PDF) to ensure you have secured your space, and left appropriate out-of-office greetings on your phone and email.
Submit to the Salmon Creek Journal
The Salmon Creek Journal is accepting submissions of your creative work through midnight Dec. 31. Finalists will be published in the 2016 edition. Submit your work through CougSync. Learn more about submissions
online.
Register for a table at the Student Involvement Fair
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Jan 20
Firstenburg Student Commons
The Office of Student Involvement is hosting the spring 2016 Involvement Fair. Student life is the focus of this biannual event, and most clubs and student organizations will staff tables. If you would like to have your department, office or campus resource represented, reserve your space by completing CougSync form by Jan. 17.
Dave Kim, associate professor and coordinator of mechanical engineering, was invited to present a keynote address, “Machinability of Aerospace Material Systems,” at the International Forum on Manufacturing System Development for Advanced Materials, hosted by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Way to raise WSU Vancouver’s international profile, Dave!