New deans join WSU Health Sciences Spokane: Two new deans will join the WSU Health Sciences campus as Mary Koithan was named dean of the College of Nursing and Mark Leid was named dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

April 2020

Provost Perspective
Individual closeups of Mary Koithan and Mark Leid with the WSU Health Sciences campus in the background.

New deans join
WSU Health Sciences Spokane

Two new deans will join the WSU Health Sciences campus as Mary Koithan was named dean of the College of Nursing and Mark Leid was named dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Koithan brings more than 30 years of academic and leadership experience in nursing, most recently at the University of Arizona. Leid joins WSU after serving as professor and associate dean for research at the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University.
Learn more about Mary Koithan
Learn more about Mark Leid

Search committee seeks feedback on provost candidates

WSU welcomed four outstanding finalists for the position of provost and executive vice president and the search committee is inviting the community to submit feedback regarding each candidate. Please share your feedback by April 22. The new provost is expected to be announced in May.

Share your feedback

Showcase Award winners announced

The Office of the Provost was pleased to honor several faculty and staff members for their scholarly achievements and professional accomplishments. The Celebration of Excellence Banquet was rescheduled and is expected to take place during the fall 2020 semester. The event will be headlined by the Distinguished Faculty Address, delivered by honoree Patricia Hunt from the School of Molecular Biosciences.

Read more about Showcase award winners

Drive to 25

Publicly Engaged Fellows transform Ph.D. career outlook

Doctoral students are gaining new perspectives on the land-grant mission and new horizons for their potential careers through the Publicly Engaged Fellows program. English professor Todd Butler created the program to inspire students to take their research and scholarly activities into the communities the University is designed to serve.

Read more about the Publicly Engaged Fellows program

Student Success

Computer loan program boosts students

The Office of the Provost and Information Technology Services teamed up to loan more than 150 Chromebooks to students when the University switched to distance learning for the remainder of the spring semester. The Chromebooks helped many students access online lectures and course materials, and the University hopes to continue the loan program after face‑to‑face instruction resumes.

Read more about the computer loan program

Faculty Development

Accessible online courses are key

Learning Innovations offers resources and tips for creating class materials that are accessible for all students. Different learning styles call for different approaches, particularly in online environments, so being mindful of student needs is key.

Read more about the need for accessible online courses

Link Up

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Grassi a strong advocate for disabled faculty, staff

The Disabled Faculty and Staff Allies Association is a group of champions for those with disabilities in the WSU community. David Grassi brings a unique perspective and extensive knowledge and experience to the group. He’s also an accomplished athlete who still competes.

Read more about David Grassi

College Highlights

Stephanie Porter, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences at WSU Vancouver, received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program. Over the five‑year grant period, Porter will study the symbiosis between plants and their beneficial microbes, and how that relationship changes as people domesticate plants for their own use.

Shobhan Gaddameedhi, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, received an Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health. The award recognizes environmental health research leaders at the start of their careers to support innovative health research.

Byron Marlowe, clinical assistant professor of hospitality business management in the Carson College of Business at WSU Tri‑Cities, will teach and conduct research at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems in Krems an der Donau, Austria, as part of a Fulbright Program Scholar grant. Marlowe will research tasting offerings and pricing practices in winery tasting rooms in the spring of 2021.
Washington State University.