Last week, we completed our Dean’s Day events with a final visit to the WSU Vancouver campus. Dean’s Days involved the college deans with programs and faculty on a particular campus accompanying the provost for a day-long series of meetings and events. Events were held at Tri-Cities, Bremerton, Everett, and Vancouver (every day is dean’s day in Spokane, since there are three deans located on the campus).
In Vancouver, the day involved meetings between campus administrators, the deans and provost, an opportunity for faculty to meet with their dean, and meetings between academic directors and the dean. The day culminated with a Crimson Club event for faculty and staff to interact with their deans and the provost in an informal social setting.
Dean’s Days are part of an effort to better connect all campuses across the WSU system and advance the “One University” model. An important component of this effort is to enhance the presence of university administration on each campus. In the first half of this academic year, I have been on the Vancouver campus four times, Spokane three times, Tri-Cities and Everett twice, and Bremerton once. President Schulz has been on these campuses even more frequently. The bottom line is that there is no substitute for face-to-face interactions to better understand each campuses’ issues and better facilitate connectivity across our system.
A big “thank you” to all faculty, staff, and administrators who participated in Dean’s Day on each of their campuses. We will catch WSU Spokane during the early spring semester for faculty and staff to enjoy a Crimson Club on their own turf.