From America’s Best Kept College Secrets -
“The visitor to WWU is likely to be struck by the university’s location – Two hundred-and-fifty beautifully manicured acres overlooking Bellingham Bay and Puget Sound. The grounds are spectacular; an arboretum adjoins the campus, and the university is celebrated for its outstanding sculpture garden, one of the finest in the country.
Western is a relatively small university, enrolling about thirteen thousand undergraduates, and as a result, undergraduates get a superior education and a superior college experience at a public school price. Classes are taught by professors rather than Teaching Assistants, an important difference when comparing Western to the flagship university in Seattle. There are no fraternities or sororities, and the active, happy campus is an inclusive place. Western’s students speak glowingly of their experience in the classroom, in the residence halls, and on the remarkably handsome campus. The students tend to be liberal, kind, and welcoming, and the mix of interests on campus keeps the place hopping…”
Find the full profile of Western Washington in America’s Best kept College Secrets.
BELLINGHAM – A new $2.9 million grant awarded to Western Washington University by the National Science Foundation will fund a five-year study of the impact of Western’s innovative elementary science teacher preparation program.
The grant, “Model of Research-based Education for Teachers (MORE for Teachers),” will explore elementary teachers’ development of important knowledge and skills that studies have shown promote students’ deep understanding of important science concepts.
This longitudinal study will follow future K-6 science teachers as they complete their science content courses and instructional methods courses at WWU and comparison institutions. The researchers will also follow a group of graduates of the innovative teaching program during their first few years in the classroom to determine the impacts on their science instruction and students’ understanding of science.
“This grant is a great example of the deep collaboration between the College of Sciences and Technology and Woodring College of Education,” said George Nelson, director of the Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Program at WWU and chair of the grant’s advisory board. “Our unique structure enables us to innovate beyond the cutting edge of current thinking in teacher preparation and do the careful research necessary to create new knowledge that can inform the nation.”
This research will produce understandings about specific components of Western’s research-based teacher education program for elementary science teachers and K-6 schools that contribute to high-quality instructional practices in elementary science classrooms. This study will help the WWU researchers continue to make refinements to the program, which is currently a model for universities across the country. Findings from this research will also help the broader K-12 education community understand how teachers apply their knowledge, skills, and beliefs in school settings that support effective science teaching and learning.
Peter Arango has been working in the field of college admissions for forty years, during which time he has counseled hundreds of students and families. He is an editor of the Houghton Mifflin Guide to U.S. Colleges and Universities, a contributor to numerous publications, and a frequent presenter at workshops on preparing for the college search. Currently, Peter Arango lives in Carpinteria, California where he holds the Littlefield Chair in Humanities at Cate School.
We have been providing Western Washington students with off campus housing for almost 10 years. Bellingham is a lovely community, and the Western Campus is indeed beautiful. The students come from all over the world and are a pleasure to work with.
This was my alma mater more than 30 years ago….While Bellingham has grown up a bit (driving housing sky high), the campus is only 3 thousand more than when I attended. With the exception of “general requirement” classes, I had very few classes where the prof didn’t know each student by name…and from what I understand, not much has changed! It is indeed a beautiful campus, and the location is amazing.
I was up there a couple summers ago, and was amazed at the amenities the current campus has…specifically, the fitness facilities…..as good as any athletic club! Wow!
And as if all this weren’t enough, there aren’t many campuses with these million-dollar views! Can’t wait to visit the campus again,now that my niece is an entering freshman!