PDF_Wings_Edition_Winter_2015

Winter 2015

Your connection to Heritage University.

Cub
Reporters

Also inside:

Heritage's Nobel Laureate // Paying It Forward // New Language Center

heritage.edu

heritage.edu 1

Contents Winter 2015

A Nobel Prize March 7
Winning Attitude.................................. 4
Women 2 Women
Cub Reporters..................................... 6 International Women’s Day Reception
Featuring: Jackie Bezos
New Language Center......................... 8
March 11
Paying It Forward.............................. 12
Faculty Research/Scholarship Series
The Fast Track Greg Hinze
to Compass Skills...............................16 American Martyr: The Life, Death and Myth
of George Armstrong Custer
2014 Donors..................................... 18
March 17
News Briefs...................................... 20
Washington State Supreme Court
A Salute to Alumni Success............... 23 in Session at Heritage University

Wings is published by Heritage University April 8
three times annually. For questions and
comments or to request additional copies, Faculty Research/Scholarship Series
contact the Communications Office at Darryl Parks
(509) 865-8588 or communications@ Language and Library Anxiety
heritage.edu. Duplicating this publication or
information it contains is not allowed without April 7
the written permission of the university.
Heritage is a nonprofit, private university Seattle Shakespeare Company Presents Macbeth
accredited by the Northwest Commission
on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). April 9
On the cover: Heritage senior and education
major Guadalupe Oriz works with fourth-grade Spring Academic Convocation
students at Toppenish's Valley View Elementary
helping the girls develop a school newspaper. April 22
Read more in Cub Reporters on page 6.
Spring Faire
2 HERITAGE UNIVERSITY
May 9

Commencement

June 6

Scholarship Dinner

John Bassett, Ph.D. From the
President

The other day I was walking across campus and looking through the fog at
the cherry trees that surround the great lawn. There was a sculptural beauty
to the bare branches reaching up to the sky. Yet I couldn’t help but think
longingly about the spring, when these trees will come alive with the pink and white
blossoms that mark the end to our long, gray winter.
In the winter it is easy to look at the dark days and dull landscape and forget that
all the vibrancy of spring and summer is simply hidden from view. All the potential for
spring’s beauty is alive and well, resting in the buds that dot the branches. In time,
the nurturing warmth of the sun will transform our landscape, and the buds will break
through in the showcase of color that we so long to see.
As I walked I couldn’t help but think about how what I was seeing in the campus
landscape was a powerful metaphor for our students as they undertake their journey
to college and the transformation that takes place through their education.
Regardless of the path that brought them here, each and every Heritage student
comes to this university filled with potential. They are individuals whose lifetime of
successes and challenges has built in them a resiliency and resourcefulness that
has made them strong and put them “on the cusp of blossom.” Like the cherry tree
in winter, the potential for real vibrancy lies within, waiting to be awakened by the
sunlight that is their education.
Liberal arts education is particularly transformative in how it changes students at
their core. It teaches how to think over what to think. The cross-curricular platform
of a liberal arts education allows students to view problems from multiple angles and
to find creative solutions that perhaps would be missed if they were exposed only to
those subjects that relate directly to their majors. Students who learn in a liberal arts
environment develop the critical creative-thinking, problem-solving, communication,
and collaborative skills that will allow them to grow and flourish over their entire
lifetimes, much as the cherry tree grows and strengthens, and twists and takes on a
new shape as each new year exposes it to different elements.
In just a few weeks, the cherry trees will erupt into their full floral glory. The
process that was months in the making will seem to take place overnight. That’s the
thing about transformation. We don’t necessarily see it as it occurs. It’s when we look
back that we see just how much growth as taken place and we can appreciate just
how much more vibrant the world has become as a result.

heritage.edu 3

A NOBEL with Arkansas Nuclear Power, a plant
PRIZE WINNING providing half of that state’s electricity.
In 1993, Durst returned to Battelle,
ATTITUDE bringing with him a wealth of knowledge
In the early morning hours of April in private business, expertise in project
26, 1986, what should have been a would eventually be asked to help is management and a key understanding
simple systems check at a nuclear Heritage University’s Michael Durst. of nuclear power. Soon after, Durst
power plant went catastrophically awry joined an international team working with
when an unexpected power surge set After spending 40 years in the nuclear Russian scientists to improve Ukraine’s
off a series of events that would lead science and technology industry, Durst power system. Eventually he became the
to the worst nuclear disaster in history, found his work taking him around the project manager for an international team
the Chernobyl meltdown. globe to collaborate on some of the most in Slayutych, Ukraine, that designed a
important nuclear projects of our time, new, safe confinement structure for the
At 1:26 that morning, reactor number 4 including Chernobyl. He began his career destroyed Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
at the power plant near the city of Pripyat, as an experimenter with Battelle, one
Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union), of the largest science and technology “We had 21 separate tasks that
failed in an explosion of steam, fire and development companies in the world. needed to be accomplished, ranging
radioactive materials that spread out across from how to do it to who was going to
Europe. The disaster killed 31 people, “I worked with my hands, building do it and when it was going to happen,”
turned once-bustling communities into little reactors,” he said. “I was doing Durst said. “My job was to manage the
modern-day ghost towns and presented these little, complicated experiments largest task, to build the new confinement
scientists with the task of containing sitting in a lab, but what I was learning over the top of the destroyed reactor.”
the radiation. Among the scientists who and experiencing was tenfold.”
For more than three years Durst
After several years with Battelle, and his team lived and worked in the
Durst accepted a management position Ukraine, designing a massive structure
that would encapsulate the destroyed
reactor. Managing a $1 billion budget
and working with international liaisons,
Durst ensured that the complex

ONCE COMPLETED, THE NEW CONTAINMENT SYSTEM WILL BE MOVED OVER THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, SEALING IN THE RADIOACTIVITY.

4 HERITAGE UNIVERSITY

needs of the project were met. improper storage. The team identified several years as the director of an
“This isn’t just a building over a reactor,” a plan to decommission, transfer and observatory at Columbia Basin College,
safeguard all the nuclear materials. and joined Heritage to develop the
he said. “We had to come up with a design University’s new pre-engineering program.
that is moveable because the actual site “This was a spider web of government The program will have students completing
is so polluted with radioactive waste we agencies and bureaucracies to navigate their first two years at Heritage before
can’t be there for very long. It is just too in order to accomplish what we needed transferring seamlessly to Washington State
hazardous to humans. The structure is to do,” he said. “But I promised the team University without having to apply to finish
being built a third of a mile away and then that, before I left, we would provide new their engineering degree. Students will be
will have to be moved into place. The hangars to safely store nuclear fuel. We able to choose among civil, mechanical
mechanics alone of moving a structure of would remove the leaking dangerous and electrical engineering. The program is
that size, not to mention ensuring that it will fuel from the facilities and begin to slated to begin in fall semester of 2015.
stop once it starts moving, is incredible. decommission it. And most importantly, we
When it’s completed it will be the largest would restore confidence in their ability to “I read a statistic once that math
moveable building in mankind’s history.” do great things and sell those capabilities to and science scores are lower in this
the world. And that’s exactly what we did.” part of the state than in other regions,
Today, the new safe containment is yet the interest in math and science
nearing completion, and Durst anticipates Durst and others at the IAEA were programs is high. When I read that, I
moving the structure into place in 2015. awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 knew I had to get involved,” Durst said.
for their efforts to help rid the world “Any kind of STEM (science, technology,
“The Chernobyl project was one of materials used to make weapons of engineering and math) programs open
of the most heartfelt and changing mass destruction. The Vinca Project in up so many exciting possibilities.”
experiences of my life,” Durst said. Serbia was the largest of the several IAEA
“People, who had literally nothing, would projects acknowledged for the Prize.
give their shirts off their backs. It was

“The mechanics alone of moving a structure of that size, not to mention
ensuring that it will stop once it starts moving, is incredible. When it’s
completed it will be the largest moveable building in mankind’s history.”

incredible to see people come together “The Vinca Project’s ultimate purpose
in the face of enormous tragedy.” was to clean up, remove and effectively
protect nuclear materials, thus preventing
His work at Chernobyl led Durst to weapons of mass destruction from being
become a diplomat and special program accessed by terrorist groups. The project,
manager with the United Nations valued at more than $40 million, was the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) largest in IAEA’s history,” Durst said.
in Vienna in 2005. He and his team were
asked to assess several nuclear facilities “I’ve come to find in life that
and laboratories in Serbia, the former nothing is really impossible,” Durst said.
Yugoslavia. Most of the facilities were at “Everything is momentum. When you take
the Vinca Laboratory site and were found a problem and figure out how to make it
to be in massive disrepair, running the successful, you can achieve anything.”
risk of causing huge contamination to
the soil and groundwater as a result of Eventually Durst returned to Washington
state. He retired from Battelle, spent

heritage.edu 5



“The practicum helps them go into
co-teaching with confidence.”

pair took their students through exercises for the Heritage teachers in training. LIZET MENDEZ
in which they reviewed professional “I think the practicum is a wonderful
papers for content and layout. They had placed a group of small stuffed animals
their students brainstorm names for the opportunity,” she said. “It gives a good in the center of the table for one
publication, develop story ideas, conduct sense of how it’s going to be to actually more lesson before parting ways.
interviews and write articles. They even teach. I wish I had done something
developed their own comic strips. like that when I was at Heritage. The “Let’s write a story about these
more time you spend in a classroom, guys,” she said. “Who are they? What
During the project, professionals the more comfortable you become.” are they doing? Where are they going?”
in the communications field, such
as a reporter from the local weekly “We had a great time with the Hands shot up around the table as
newspaper and a public relations students,” said Heritage senior Edelmira eager voices began to tell the story.
professional from the university, also Guerrero. “Because this was a small
visited. It helped demonstrate to students group, we really got to know them. We
that the lessons they were learning had a lot of fun putting the newspaper
could one day become a career. together and the kids really seemed
to enjoy the whole experience.”
Valley View Elementary kindergarten
teacher Esperanza Paul (B.A., Education, At the end of the semester, just a
2006), who supervised the afterschool few days before Guerrero and Ortiz
newspaper project, was impressed by said goodbye to the “staff” of the Linx
the value of the experience, not only Press, the students sat admiring their
for her elementary students, but also handiwork. As they finished looking
through their newspaper, Guerrero

YARIXA ZARATE-RODRIGUEZ VANESSA CARRIEDO AND DULCE OCHOA WORK ON COMIC STRIPS FOR THEIR UPCOMING ISSUE.
heritage.edu 7

NEW LANGUAGE CENTER
KEEPS THE SAHAPTIN
TONGUE ALIVE

CAITLYNN DONALDSON (RIGHT) AND LAURA MARK READ FROM THE SAHAPTIN
LANGUAGE STORY BOOK CREATED BY THE CENTER AS PART OF THE CURRICULUM.
8 HERITAGE UNIVERSITY

L anguage is a window into the wrote our linguistic dictionary,” he adds.
daily life and values of a culture. Sutterlict first met Beavert, his mentor
Sometimes a rich tradition
or important value is communicated and elder, when he chose to attend a
with a single word that’s unique to that language course at Heritage after finding
people. Language is practical, but it also community-offered language classes to
reveals the true essence of its people. be inconsistent. Sutterlict’s passion for
his native language and his experience
For the Yakama Nation Indian learning from Beavert, combined with a
tribe, that window into their traditions, formal degree in linguistics, has prepared
history and values is the Sahaptin or him well to teach Heritage’s 101-level
Ichishkiin language. Saphaptin course this fall, which the
university opened as a noncredit extension
New Language Center to Preserve, course for members of the Yakama Nation.
Revitalize and Promote Sahaptin The response of the students has been
so enthusiastic that he is now teaching a
The Heritage University Language 102-level class, which is also offered to
Center (HULC) was founded in the

“The class reignited a fire in me
to learn more. It is filling a void
I never knew existed.”

summer of 2014 to preserve, revitalize and the community as an extension course.
promote the Sahaptin language. The center One of those enthusiastic students
is developing curriculum and materials to
teach others the language using everyday is Leon Ganuelas, a Heritage graduate
situations and words that relate to students’ who also attended Beavert’s Sahaptin
lives. The impetus to develop a formal language classes back when he was
curriculum was in the groundwork set by earning his environmental science degree.
Virginia Beavert, a Yakama Nation elder He had grown up hearing the Sahaptin
who taught Sahaptin for years at Heritage. language spoken by the elders at general
council meetings, but only a few broken
“She is 90 years old and right now words lingered in his own home.
earning her second Ph.D.,” extols HULC
Director Greg Sutterlict, the Melon- “My grandmother really only spoke
Endowed chairman of the university’s it when she was angry,” Ganuelas
Sahaptin Language Department and a said, laughing.
descendent of the Yakama Nation. “She
When Ganuelas discovered he needed
language credits to earn his bachelor’s

heritage.edu 9

degree, he decided, as a Yakama away, and now I’m getting it back.” on the university campus. The center is
Nation descendent, to take the Sahaptin He now can speak the language with establishing an immersion classroom for
course, and he felt it gave him a solid 2-year-old children, saturating them in the
foundation in the language. His Sahaptin those in his class, and he plans to continue Yakama Nation language at a young age.
skills, however, went unused over time with his studies with a potential goal of
and grew rusty because there were no becoming fluent enough to serve on the The new classroom is based on the
others with whom he could speak it. council of the Yakama Nation in the future. success Sutterlict experienced while
teaching in a culture-focused classroom
The lack of speakers in the younger HULC Breathing New Life into for three years in the Yakama Nation
generation is not a problem limited to the Sahaptin Language Head Start program. He described the
Yakama Nation. It’s common to many children as “super absorbent sponges”
languages. In the Yakama Nation, the Sahaptin is considered an endangered when it came to language learning.
tribe’s elders are among the very few language, so the drive and urgency to
who speak the language fluently, but pass it on to younger generations is HULC’s preschool program is primarily
that is something that may soon change, real. Today, Sahaptin is only spoken by targeted at Yakama Nation children and
as interest and attendance grows in the the tribe’s elders and older members of descendants, but is open to anyone
Sahaptin classes taught through HULC. the tribe, but HULC’s goal is to expand interested. It does require parents to
that to childbearing generations and make a serious commitment: They
Last fall, Ganuelas saw a flier eventually to the Yakama Nation children. must keep the children in the program
announcing the center’s Sahaptin for three years during preschool. They
class, and he was fascinated. He When indigenous children learn their must also speak the language at home,
enrolled in the class and liked the high language and culture, research shows, which requires parents to learn alongside
expectations and different stages of they are more firmly rooted students who their children. The goal is to have an
learning that kept him on his toes. typically have better math and science immersion kindergarten ready for the
scores as well as higher self-esteem. preschoolers, and eventually an immersion
“The class reignited a fire in me to school that includes every grade level.
learn more, “ explained Ganuelas. “It is For that reason, one of the most
filling a void I never knew existed. The important initiatives HULC is launching
language was something that was taken is a partnership with the Heritage
University Early Learning Center located

HEZEKIAH RUIZ HOLDS STUFFED ANIMALS HIGH IN THE AIR IN A CONTEST TO SEE WHO WILL BE THE LAWYCE SUTTERLICT CAN HARDLY CONTAIN
FIRST TO CORRECTLY CALL OUT THE NAME IN SAHAPTIN. HIS EXCITEMENT AS HE WAITS FOR THE
ANIMAL NAMING GAME TO BEGIN.
10 HE RITAG E UNI VERSI TY

After-School Program to Reach Nawinałaamí Wíttawax̱ t ku Tł’aax̱ wmamí Nisháycht Chnákpa Ku na tun mish íchi kuuk wíkuta? Anakúsh na
Older Students wíkusha ku na p’aláa wáta
Lapnux̱ łá
Another initiative HULC is spearheading
is an after-school program with Zillah Volume I
School District that brings the Sahaptin By: Gregory Sutterlict and X̱ naḵ’it
language to older children in public
schools. Ultimately HULC wants to develop Illustrated by: Aileen Mansfield
a toolkit for schools, filled with lesson
plans, curriculum and other materials, Íx̱ way iwá pɨmínkpa nch’uutpamápa anakwnák iwá Ku nash imanáy iwáx̱ ishana ku na smáaspa wíłḵ’iwita.
so that anyone can launch an after- táaminwa.
school program on their own. HULC just
published its first book written in the Áwx̱ i ipinátax̱ shi ku smáaspa íx̱ way ilátawx̱ asha. Tḵ’íx̱ sha matash ku pam tł’áax̱ wma páwapaatata
Sahaptin language, about the life of a ímałakɨnkta tł’áax̱ wtun iwá skáwitay.
teenager. Future book series will focus on
the traditions and “old ways” of the tribe Ii, ku iwá k’paas tł’aax̱ w tkwátat ku na míimi tkwátashana. Imk nam táaminwa ákuukita, níix̱ ki nam imk ákux̱ a.
and teach about its culture and lifestyle, all
using Sahaptin words to describe them. SUTTERLICT USES SLICE OF LIFE SITUATIONS, SUCH AS WAKING A TEENAGER,
IN TUTORIALS TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN THE LANGUAGE.
This is just the beginning for the HULC;
projects in the works include additional
books, videos, handouts and a website
that makes it easy for anyone to access
all materials.

As Sutterlict explains, preserving the
language is also about preserving the
heart of the Yakama Nation tribe. The
elders are like a giant wing of an incredible
library. It is vital to pass along the precious
history and knowledge they have to the
younger generations because, more
than a language, it’s the tribe’s identity.

Some estimates project that in
100 years, there will be just 20 Native
American languages left. The hope is
that through the efforts of the HULC,
more of the Yakama Nation will become
aware of and passionate about learning
the Sahaptin language in order to
restore it—not only to preserve a vital
piece of the tribe’s history, but to make
it a key part of the tribe’s future.

h eri tage.ed u 11



Ramon Guel—From Soldier
to College Instructor

Ramon Guel’s relationship with

Heritage began amid the gritty sand

of the Kunar Province in northern

Afghanistan, where he was deployed in

2011 for the U S. Army as the executive

officer of a small surgical hospital.

The complexity and unpredictability

of being on the front lines of a military

engagement obviously does not allow

for a regular class schedule—especially

from halfway around the world. It was

CYNTHIA JOHNSON, LEFT, ASSISTS THE CANDIDATES IN HER EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION only the dedication and flexibility of
MASTER'S-LEVEL COURSE. his professors at Heritage that created

the opportunity for Guel to complete

Today, tasked with the job of preparing ever seen, and he triggered in me the half of his master’s degree in English

aspiring principals to be not only desire to go into school administration,” online during his 13-month deployment,

strong administrators but strong said Johnson. “Guy Kaplicky is right up hunkering down in a computer bay

leaders, Johnson can see even more there with Sister Mary Rita for me!” whenever time permitted to listen to

clearly the benefits she realized In her role of developing the next lectures from the Heritage campus.

from her Heritage education. generation of school administrators, “It was absolutely amazing to see

“Every instructor at Heritage was Johnson takes the lessons learned the willingness of the instructors at

also a practitioner from a local school, from Kaplicky and other Heritage Heritage to help me succeed,” he said.

whether teaching at-risk (student) instructors and helps her students Professor Loren Schmidt was Guel’s

populations to love science or utilizing prioritize three key components of professor and mentor at Heritage, and

ELL (English Language Learner) effective school administration: 1) today is also one of his bosses. Guel

strategies for second-language putting students at the center of is a full-time instructor on campus at

learners in the field. There was an decisions, 2) knowing what data exists Pioneer Pacific College in Oregon, and

authenticity to that,” she said. and how to use it to learn more about also an adjunct professor at several

One of those instructors was Guy the students, and 3) building trusting campuses, including Heritage, where

Kaplicky, a longtime principal in the relationships with all the stakeholders. he teaches World Literature and Special

Yakima Valley who also taught several “I want these future administrators Topics in J.R.R. Tolkien, both online. He

of the science classes Johnson needed to be very passionate about the is modeling his own classrooms after

for her bachelor’s degree. Beyond job they do and know that it really his experience with Professor Schmidt.

the specific subject matter, Kaplicky does have an impact,” she said. “Professor Schmidt’s passion for his

demonstrated classroom management “I want these future administrators to be very

and leadership skills that guided

Johnson’s future career aspirations. passionate about the job they do and know
“He was just remarkable. He was that it really does have an impact.”

one of the most effective leaders I’ve

h eri tage.ed u 13

students and their success was quite available whenever a student needs to
overwhelming,” said Guel. “He’s been interact, day or night. He can certainly
at this for years, yet has the passion relate to his students’ busy schedules,
and energy of a new professor. It’s so and with that insight, he’s returning the
great to see that. And I try to bring favor and building strong relationships
that energy to my students as well.” with his students in the process.

Guel’s professors went out of their David Garcia: The Gift of a
way to work around his unorthodox Mentor’s Life Lessons
schedule while he was deployed. He
remembers how important that support David Garcia is the assistant
was to his success and models it now director of the Unity Multicultural
for his own students, making himself Education Center (UMEC) at Gonzaga
University. The department focuses
RAMON GUEL HELPS A STUDENT IN HIS ENGLISH COURSE AT PIONEER PACIFIC COLLEGE on diversity support and training on
campus and in the wider community.
“Every time you were in class,
he made you feel as if you were Although he manages multiple
programs, one of the main initiatives
the only one in the room.” is Gonzaga’s BRIDGE program, a
pre-orientation that brings 40 first-
generation students and students of
color to campus five days before the
rest of their peers arrive. Once there,
they focus on identity development,
building relationships and navigating
college life. From May to September,
all day, every day, Garcia works
with three student coordinators who
lead the program and who, in turn,
coordinate a cadre of peer counselors
who engage with the students.

The BRIDGE program is more than
a part of his job; it’s also research for
his Ph.D. Garcia has completed two
thirds of his doctorate in leadership
studies at Gonzaga, and, as part of
his dissertation, is evaluating whether
pre-orientation programs aid in
student retention for first-generation
college attendees or those of color.

14 HE RITAG E UNI VERSI TY

DAVID GARCIA

“It was absolutely amazing to see the willingness of
the instructors at Heritage to help me succeed.”

Garcia was the first male in his family long-time instructor in the school of no matter what position he holds, he
to go to college, but was not a strong education, and he made a powerful wants it to involve teaching. This fall,
student in high school. His weak grades impression on Garcia. “Every time you he will teach his first three-credit class
made him literally inadmissible to most were in class, he made you feel as if in addition to continuing his work in
colleges and universities, but Central you were the only one in the room.” the education center, his doctorate
Washington University took a chance research, and also being a husband
on him, and it paid off. After earning “As I was wrapping up my final and a dad to two young boys.
his bachelor’s degree in business project, McPherson was diagnosed
administration, he found that he most with cancer. Leading up to some of A teacher’s power to inspire and
enjoyed connecting with people and his last days, I drove to his house. encourage students is undeniable.
helping them find resources. He decided Half the day we spent on the project, That’s what excellent teachers do; they
to pursue education and earned his and the other half he shared stories of challenge, they motivate, they adapt
master’s degree from Heritage in 2006. life, leadership, being successful and and they help their students believe
caring for people. It was an amazing in themselves and achieve more than
“The most meaningful of my many experience, and there are so many of his they could alone, while instilling a
experiences at Heritage were my life lessons that I keep with me today.” desire in them to pay it forward and
encounters with Dr. Jack McPherson,” impact generations yet to come.
said Garcia. McPherson was a As Garcia weighs what’s next in
his career, he has come to realize that

h eri tage.ed u 15

ANTHONY PODVIN (LEFT), A TUTOR IN THE ACADEMIC SKILLS CENTER,
PROVIDES ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE FOR FAST TRACK STUDENTS.

THE FAST TRACK
TO COLLEGE READINESS

Heritage freshman Nereida Pena has a minimal fee of just $35, students work support from other writers to bring
very clear picture of where her education through the curriculum, which includes them up to the 101 level,” she said.
will take her. The biomedical sciences testing and tracking their progress as they
major plans on a career saving lives as move toward the next academic level. Swearingen points to students like
either a surgeon or an anesthesiologist. Pena as the perfect example of why
That is, of course, after she graduates “We know that students who do not Fast Track is such an invaluable tool for
from Heritage and then the University have solid competency in mathematics student success. Ever since she was
of Washington School of Medicine. are less likely to persist through to young, Pena has dreamed of a career
graduation,” said Richard Swearingen, in medicine. When she moved to the
Pena started her educational journey, chair of the Mathematics Program and Yakima Valley from her native Mexico,
however, needing to take a math class the Computer Science Program. “Not she was excited to learn that a college
that was below college level. The same is only is pre-algebra a foundational course existed in her new hometown and that
unfortunately true for many students at that all future math courses build upon, it offered the premed program that
Heritage and at colleges and universities but students who start below college level would set her toward her future medical
around the country, especially in the areas spend valuable time and eat up limited career. She was enrolled at Heritage in
of math and English. But a program at financial aid resources taking courses spring semester 2014 and taking the
Heritage called Fast Track is giving these that don’t count toward their degree.” university’s entry-level course, Math 95,
students a means of moving through these when she learned about the Fast Track
developmental courses quickly without The same is true of students who program. She decided to try the program
eating up time and financial resources. enter college and have to take lower-level over the summer to see if she could
English courses, said Paula Collucci, advance enough to start taking courses
Fast Track is an intensive six-week director of the Writing Center and assistant that would apply toward her degree.
immersion course in either mathematics professor of English and humanities.
or English designed for students who Math Fast Track is a self-paced
are capable of college success, yet have “Many of our students (in Fast Track) program that uses ALEKS, an online
testing scores below college level. For a are on the tipping point. They are bright tool that supports the university’s math
and capable, and just need a little extra

16 HE RITAG E UNI VERSI TY

curriculum. Utilizing artificial intelligence, Treece, the English Fast Track program math course at Heritage, the better he
ALEKS moves students through math did more than just prepare her for or she does in the regular math classes.
concepts until they demonstrate mastery. success in a college-level English This fall, students who completed the
Once a student correctly completes a set course; it also helped her acclimate summer Fast Track passed their math
number of questions about one concept, to the expectations of college life. courses at a higher rate than those who
he or she moves on to the next concept did not participate in the program.
and continues until completing the final “I was really nervous about going to
assessment. Peer tutors and math faculty college. I didn’t know what to expect,” Treece and Pena, however, don’t need
assist students who are having difficulty. said Treece. “This (Fast Track) was such statistics to tell them the program was well
The math Fast Track program is designed a great experience because I was able to worth their time and effort. Both women
to be competed in six weeks, but students do well and had a lot more confidence completed fall semester with high marks.
can finish early or take additional time to when I started my actual classes.” Pena even made the Dean’s List, and they
master the concepts, if necessary. For are both moving forward with their goals,
Pena, two weeks was all she needed. Treece’s reaction is exactly what taking a full load of courses this spring.
Heritage hopes students will take with
them, said Collucci.

“This (Fast Track) was such a great experience because I was
able to do well and had a lot more confidence when I started
my actual classes.”

“I was so excited,” said Pena. “It was “Writing is more than just grammar,” USING THE ONLINE TOOL ALEKS, STUDENTS LIKE
quite a lot to learn—four-to-five months’ she said. “It’s personal and it can be very JOSE CHAVEZ (RIGHT) CAN QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH
worth of studying—in a very short time. intimidating because writing is thinking. CONCEPTS THEY HAVE ALREADY MASTERED. TUTORS LIKE
It saved me so much time and so Often we have students who’ve been AARON ETHERINGTON (LEFT) ASSIST WHEN NEEDED.
much money.” told they are poor writers, and they feel
like their thinking in inadequate when, FAST TRACK STUDENT ALAN CALVARIO (RIGHT) IS
Like its mathematics counterpart, really, it is just that there is a better way ASSISTED BY PODVIN.
the English Fast Track program provides to express their thoughts,” she said.
students with intensive support over a “Giving students a safe environment h eri tage.ed u 17
short six weeks, and students can also to make mistakes, to learn from those
advance through the program more mistakes, and to be successful so that
quickly. It functions more like a traditional they become comfortable with themselves
small-group classroom, with instructors, and have confidence in their abilities is
lessons and assignments. The program all part of the educational package.”
is writing intensive. Students write two
four-page papers each week along with But, in the long run, is the program
reading essays and participating in class successful? Yes, says Swearingen.
discussions. At the end of every week, While the English program is still in its
they retake the Compass placement test infancy, the mathematics program has
in order to track their progress. Once their been going strong for seven years. The
test results place them in English 101, data provide overwhelming evidence on
students are done and can enroll in the the importance of early mathematics
credit-bearing course the next semester. intervention on student success. The
further a student progresses in Fast
For students like freshman and Track before enrolling in a credit-bearing
business administration major Kristale



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h eri tage.ed u 19





SAMARA FREEMARK, LEFT, INTERVIEWS DR. KATHLEEN ROSS FOR THE RADIO DOCUMENTARY, “The opportunity for Heritage University’s
THE NEW FACE OF COLLEGE. mission and the success we have had in
creating opportunity for the students of
the Yakima Valley is extremely gratifying,”
said David Wise, vice president of
Marketing at Heritage. “Once thought to
be an outlandish dream, Heritage is now
recognized for its leadership in providing
high-quality education to populations that
are talented and deserving, but were too
often unrecognized, or worse, neglected.
The country is filled with students who have
the capacity and tenacity to succeed, but
do not have access to the traditional higher
education system. Heritage provides this
to our students every single day, and we
are pleased to have the opportunity for our
successes to be shared with the country.”

“The New Face of College” aired in 45
media markets across the country, including
seven of the Top 10. The full documentary
and written story are accessible online
through heritage.edu/apm.

Students Bring Holiday Cheer to Families in Need

Heritage students brought even more quadrupled. This year, just days before ANGEL HERNANDEZ, A JUNIOR MAJORING
holiday cheer to the Yakima Valley this Christmas, Heritage students took care IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, DOES A FINAL
year as they increased the number of packages to 450 families. Perhaps more CHECK ON THE CONTENTS OF THE FOOD BOXES
families they serve through the Pantry of important than the cans of food and frozen THAT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO FAMILIES
Hope program. turkeys was the financial literacy tools that IN NEED.
each of these families received. Every
The Pantry of Hope is a campus-wide recipient of the food baskets first went at a good time and provides much-needed
student effort led by Heritage’s Enactus through Enactus’s financial literacy training help to these families during the holidays.
business club and supported by numerous to learn how to manage money wisely. We as students and members of the
clubs and other student groups. For seven community want to show we care for our
months, students secure grants and solicit “Our financial literacy meetings were neighbors who are in need.”
donations of food and personal hygiene always filled to capacity with families
items. These donated goods are collected wanting to learn how they can best provide
in December for distribution to Yakima for their loved ones,” says Sagrario Leon,
Valley families in need. co-president for Heritage Enactus. “Many
of these families work in the agriculture
When the program started five years industry, and during the winter, ag-related
ago, 100 families received these special jobs are scarce. The Pantry of Hope comes
gifts. That number has more than

22 HE RITAG E UNI VERSI TY

International Women’s A SALUTE TO
Day Celebration ALUMNI SUCCESS

After providing charitable gifts totaling 2004 2012
multiple millions of dollars annually Marlena Buchanan (B.A., Psychology) is Laura Aguiar (B.A, Mathematics) was
(mostly to support education), Jackie
Bezos, president of the Bezos Family a client associate at The Bohoskey Group hired by Heritage University to serve as a
Foundation and mother of Amazon at RBC Wealth Management where she financial aid program coordinator.
founder Jeff Bezos, knows a thing or two works with client services and compliance
about the impact a single person can adherence, and provides support for the Juan Carolos Orozco (B.A., English
have on the world. financial advisors. Literature) is an author of flash fiction,
extremely short fictional stories that are
In March, she will be sharing her 2007 sometimes as brief as 300 words or up to
insights and telling about the work she Laura Garcia (B.A., Science) is a public 1,000 words. Several of his works were
and her family does through their family published in 2014, including four in the
foundation. As part of Women 2 Women, health technician at Yakima Health District. e-book FlashDogs: An Anthology and the
Heritage University's celebration of story “Contrails,” which was published in
International Women's Day. Gerardo Gonzalez (B.A., Visual Arts) the literary journal Maudlin House.
earned a master’s degree in architecture
The event, which is sponsored by from Washington State University. 2014
Heritage’s Center for a New Washington, Cristal Reyes (B.A., Psychology) is
is a fundraiser to support childcare Yolanda Maltos (B.A., Business
scholarships for students. Administration) is an accounts technician at a registrar staff associate at Heritage
Heritage University. University.
“Education is a key factor in improving
the lives of women and children,” said 2008 Gabriela Vargas (B.A., Early Childhood
Kay Bassett, director for the Center. Evan Sylvester (B.S., Clinical Laboratory Studies) is working with 13 different Yakima
“However, the stress of ‘how can I take Valley school districts helping to encourage
care of my children when I’m at school’ Science) earned a master’s degree kids to go to college through the University
can take its toll and become a barrier in public health and is now a clinical of Washington Gear Up program housed at
to women trying to earn their college laboratory supervisor at Virginia Mason Heritage University.
degree. We want to break down Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.
these barriers.” Saitnonendfaudlktuuuymrodeunoreis@datilohtuieombrneintsaiinogncfeelW.uwedidsneugd.s
2010
The event will take place on Saturday, Tami Simundson (M.I.T., Elementary
March 7, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, in
Smith Family Hall on the Toppenish Education) earned certification from the
Campus. Refreshments will be served. National Board for Professional Teaching
Tickets are $50 per person with all Standards. Simundson teaches fourth
proceeds going toward the childcare grade at Wiley Elementary School in the
scholarship fund. They can be Richland School District.
purchased through the University
bookstore or by calling (509) 823-0450.

h eri tage.ed u 23