VANCOUVER – The WSU Vancouver 2009 commencement ceremony will include recognition of two faculty members and one undergraduate student. Graduation will be held on Saturday, May 16.
The Students’ Award for Teaching Excellence goes to Dawn Banker, clinical associate professor and academic coordinator for science programs. Building and maintaining relationships is at the heart of Banker’s work. She meets many of her students as goal-oriented juniors and seniors in high school and mentors them until they leave WSU Vancouver for graduate school or health-related careers. As part of her mentor role, Banker serves as a member of a committee that provides workshops for students that help them tackle everything from writing a strong graduate school admissions essay to preparing for academic interviews. Her students regularly seek her out to tell her in person when they have been accepted to graduate school so they can celebrate together.
Joseph Cote, professor of marketing, will receive the Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence, for his work examining logo and typeface design, statistical methods in marketing and research in consumer behavior. His work on design broke ground in defining the intersection between aesthetics and marketing. Cote has one of the most productive research records in the College of Business, and is internationally recognized for his publications in premier academic journals. He is currently working on several studies examining how business people use influence tactics.
The Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement will go to Amy Burton.
More information about the 2009 WSU Vancouver commencement ceremony is available at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/commencement.htm.
