Last week, 26 faculty members new to the University and state boarded a bus in Seattle for a five-day tour of Washington state. The 1,000-mile tour circles the state with stops in Olympia, Vancouver, the Tri-Cities, the Greater Spokane area, the Grand Coulee Dam, and everywhere in between. The tour highlights and provides insights into the state’s diverse geography, economy, history, and cultures and connects UW’s new faculty members with the local communities and people, including students, the University serves.
During the tour, the faculty met and engaged with statewide and local elected officials. On the first day, the tour stopped at the state Capitol in Olympia and the faculty met with Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck to learn about Washington’s history and legislative process. They were also able to sit in the Senate gallery and see where legislators convene to debate and pass policy and the state’s budgets.
In Vancouver, Rep. Sharon Wylie joined the faculty for dinner and a lecture by the School of Social Work Appointed Ballmer Endowed Dean Michael Spencer. Dr. Spencer, who is Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), focuses on health equity and culturally centered, community-based participatory research, including the integration of Native Hawaiian healers into primary care and addressing food insecurity among Native Hawaiians. His lecture focused on two of his research efforts and his findings.
Outside of Spokane, Sen. Mark Schoesler hosted the faculty at his fifth-generation dryland wheat farm in Ritzville. Sen. Schoesler shared the history of his family farm and the region, talked about farming practices and economics, and fielded questions from the faculty. He also demonstrated the sprayer and harvester used on the farm.
The Faculty Field Tour provides a unique opportunity for new faculty members from various disciplines and campuses to meet one another and experience the communities UW students call home, as well as to connect with University and state leaders.
Thank you to Lt. Governor Heck, Rep. Wylie, and Sen. Schoesler for participating and your continued support of the UW.
