Talk about recycling and reusing.

An electric car that became a Washington State University student project in solar power for Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is finding new life with its donation to WSU for use in a renewable energy course.

“We’re grateful to SEL for this generous donation,’’ said Behrooz Shirazi, Huie-Rogers chair and director of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “It’s wonderful to see how our current and future students will benefit not only from SEL’s generosity but also from the hard work of our previous students.’’

Sponsored by SEL, a group of students in 2009 worked on the car as … » More …

A generous gift from Walter and Phyllis Roenicke is supporting undergraduate business scholarships and programming, and technology maintenance in the atrium of WSU’s College of Business.

The $100,000 donation will create two endowments named after Phyllis’ father, Claude E. Hayfield, a well-known pioneer banker of Whitman County.

Seventy-five percent will be designated toward The Claude E. Hayfield Endowed Scholarship in Business, which will award tuition scholarships for undergraduate business students from the Palouse, including north Idaho counties. Twenty-five percent will be designated to The Claude E. Hayfield Endowed Excellence Fund in Business, which … » More …

A new WSU program charged with measuring the sustainability of food production systems has received a three-year, $240,000 grant from the Clif Bar Family Foundation.

“Our partnership with Washington State University couldn’t be more timely,” says Kit Crawford, president of Clif Bar Family Foundation. “Agriculture has a huge impact on the health of people and the planet. Now more than ever, we need to back the rigorous, scientific study of organic, sustainable agriculture and its many benefits.”

The program, called “Measure to Manage: Food and Farm Diagnostics for Sustainability and Health,” … » More …

Nancy Krook is not one to give up easily. And even though she left Pullman years ago when she and her husband, Frank, moved to Western Washington, she wasn’t going to let a minor detail—like the distance to Pullman—keep her from earning her WSU degree.

Actually, nothing was going to keep Nancy from graduating. Between family, careers, and life, the process took several decades.

“Unbeknownst to me, my husband had signed me up for information about the distance program in social sciences,” says Nancy. She jumped at the chance to enroll. Back then, the program involved watching videotapes, a far cry from the interactive experience … » More …

Longtime Washington State University supporters and alumni Mike and Liz Johnson are making the largest-ever commitment to The Libraries at WSU, a bequest valued at $3.2 million. By naming the libraries as beneficiary of their estate, the Kirkland, Wash., couple looks to ensure the libraries keep pace in the future with the ever-changing ways information is stored and shared.

“This isn’t your grandfather’s library and it’s still changing very fast,” said Mike. “Libraries prepared to keep up with technology and communication trends are vibrant places that facilitate … » More …

Washington State University is one giant step closer to becoming a world model for research, teaching and extension in organic and sustainable agriculture thanks to a $5 million donor investment announced here this afternoon.

“Washington State University has played an important role in the region’s organic and sustainable agriculture for quite some time, establishing the nation’s first four-year organic agriculture systems major in 2006,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd. “WSU’s ability to serve this economically important and growing industry regionally, nationally and around the globe will be … » More …

Sick with what was later diagnosed as a rare autoimmune reaction, seven-year-old Petra was rushed by her parents to Seattle Children’s Hospital for emergency care in December of 2010. As the talented medical staff attended to the dehydrated and distressed child, one nurse noticed Petra’s WSU Cougars sweatshirt and commented that she, too, was a Coug. So were many of her colleagues.

That comment demonstrates the strength of the extended WSU family. Throughout the long week Petra spent in the hospital, her grandparents, WSU alumni Chris (’64 Hotel & Rest. Mgmt., ’66 MBA) and Susan (’64 Ed.) Marker, were especially touched by the compassion and … » More …