Nancy Magnuson receives leadership award

Nancy Magnuson, professor at Washington State University’s School of Molecular Biosciences, received the Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award for 2005 from the WSU Association for Faculty Women on Dec. 14.

The award honors a member of the association who has contributed to the advancement of women at WSU. Demonstrated leadership in higher education, the community or the candidate’s profession at the local, state, regional, national or international level is also taken into account when selecting a recipient.

“Dr. Magnuson is a fantastic role model for younger women,” said Jill McCluskey, associate professor at WSU’s School of Economic Sciences. “We were impressed by her mentoring of women at all levels at the university:
undergraduates with research experiences in her lab, graduate students and post-docs with collaboration and training, and newer faculty with encouragement and advice. She has been a leader in groups that work for advances for female faculty.”

Magnuson has spent her entire career at WSU since receiving a doctorate from the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology in 1978. She is active in the classroom and has achieved international distinction for her research in immunology, with more than 90 peer-reviewed publications.

A Herbert Eastlick Distinguished Professor, Magnuson has served on review panels and study sections for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense and National Institute of Health. She also coordinates WSU’s distinguished lecture series in immunology and is involved in public education and peer-review of research for the American Cancer Society. She has been a member of the advisory committee for WSU’s Cancer Prevention and Research Center since 2000.

Magnuson’s involvement with WSU goes beyond the scope or her research interests and includes serving on the Intellectual Property Advisory Committee and the Conflict of Interest Committee. She was the faculty co-chair of the WSU Strategic Plan implementation team for developing a culture of shared commitment to quality in all activities. In the last five years, Magnuson has reviewed academic programs, served on WSU’s Athletic Council and has been a member of tenure and promotion committees in the College of Sciences and College of Engineering and Architecture.

She has been involved in the Association for Faculty Women from its earliest years as a member, secretary for six years and president in 1991-92. In addition, she was active on the ad hoc committee that worked with President Smith when the president’s office placed priority on hiring and promoting women in order to achieve critical mass. Magnuson is currently the association’s president-elect and will begin a second term as president during 2006-07.