PULLMAN – An effort to improve education research also could bolster communication among WSU faculty members on four campuses.
The WSU College of Education initiative involves science, technology, engineering and mathematics – known collectively as STEM. The college will plan its STEM research agenda, develop a proposal for a STEM education center, and plan Ph.D. programs in science and mathematics education that involve all campuses.
While accomplishing those goals, the college expects to build a model for cross-campus collaboration, said Mike Trevisan, associate dean for research and external funding.
“Given the challenging budget situation that WSU faces, combining resources and working in a collaborative way across campuses has some urgency,” he said.
The effort will be supported by an $8,000 mini grant that is part of WSU ADVANCE, a five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. The mission of ADVANCE is to foster an inclusive research institution whose faculty members are supported by a system that promotes career-long excellence for women and men. The mini grants are meant to improve department-level work environments and faculty satisfaction.
Unlike many WSU colleges, the College of Education has students and faculty on all campuses. Education faculty involved with the STEM planning project are Tamara Nelson and David Slavit in Vancouver; Janet Frost in Spokane; Chad Lochmiller, Judith Morrison and Amy Roth McDuffie in Tri-Cities; and Sola Adesope and Jo Olson in Pullman.
“We’ve gone to great lengths to maintain one college across campuses,” said Trevisan. “Despite those efforts, some Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver education faculty feel that they are left out of many discussions that appear to them to be ‘Pullman-centric.’
“Those involved in the STEM planning effort hope to change that, and in the process learn some things that they can share with colleagues throughout the university,” he said.