WSU Vancouver
Office of Strategic Partnerships
Empowering Community Through Engaged Scholarship
The Office of Strategic Partnerships connects WSU Vancouver with business, civic, and alumni leaders to build meaningful collaborations. These alliances strengthen the regional economy and provide students with transformative, real-world learning opportunities. By integrating community needs with academic excellence, the university fosters an environment where research and industry expertise drive local progress.
WSU Vancouver supports cohorts of dedicated faculty focused on community-engaged teaching and scholarship. These educators bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional world, ensuring students gain practical experience while contributing to the public good. Through the Community Engaged Scholars program, the university continues to expand its impact across the Pacific Northwest.
Community Engaged Faculty and Course Information
Michael Berger
Associate Professor, Career Track
Cohort: 2017 CCE Fellow
Courses: SOE 110: Environ., Human Life, and Sustainability; BIO 322: Invertebrate Biology
Academic Complaints: College of Arts and Sciences (for courses in ANTH, ASTRONOM, BIOLOGY, CES, CHEM, CHINESE, CRM_J, DATA, DTC, ENGLISH, FINE_ART, FOR_LANG, HISTORY, HUMANITY, MATH, MBIOS, NEUROSCI, PHIL, PHYSICS, POL_S, PSYCH, SOC, SOE, SPANISH, STAT, WGSS, WRIT)
Caitlin Bletscher
Scholarly Associate Professor
Cohort: 2026 Research Fellow; 2023 Cohort
Courses: H_D 334: Principles of Community Development
Elizabeth Liz Candello
Scholarly Assistant Professor
Courses: COMSTRAT 485: Public Relations Management and Campaigns
Chun-Chu (Bamboo) Chen
Assistant Professor of Hospitality Business Management
Cohort: 2025 Cohort
Programs: Hospitality and Business Management
Courses: I_BUS 435: International Tourism
Georgina Cox
Assistant Professor, Career Track; School of Biological Sciences
Cohort: 2025 Cohort
Programs: School of Biological Sciences
Courses: Biology 354: Human Anatomy for Health Occupations
Christopher Dreger
Lecturer
Cohort: 2025 Cohort
Programs: Digital Technology and Culture
Courses: DTC 478: Usability and Interface Design
Gunjan Gakhar
Associate Professor, Career Track
Cohort: 2023 Cohort
Courses: MBIOS 304: Microbiology and Molecular Bio Lab
Iván Gonzalez-Soto
Assistant Professor of History
Cohort: 2025 Cohort
Programs: History
Courses: History 309: Place-Based Digital History
Shiloh Green Soto
Assistant Professor, Scholarly Career Track
Cohort: 2025 Cohort
Programs: History
Nicole Hess
Scholarly Professor
Cohort: 2024 Cohort
Programs: School of Environment Advising
Narayanan Iyer
Program Director, Integrated Strategic Communication || Scholarly Associate Professor, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
Cohort: 2023 Cohort
Courses: COM 210: Multimedia Content and Creation
Academic Complaints: Edward R. Murrow College of Communication (for courses in COM, COMJOUR COMSTRAT,)
Melissa Jenkins
Assistant Professor, Career Track
Cohort: 2024 Cohort
Courses: PSYCH 105; PSYCH 306: Industrial Psychology; PSYCH 308
Aref Majdara
Assistant Professor (Career Track)
Cohort: 2026 Research Fellow; 2024 Cohort
Courses: ECE 234: Microprocessor Systems
Jessica Masterson
Associate Professor
Cohort: 2024 Cohort
Courses: TCH_LRN 322: Reading and Writing in Grades 4-8
Francis McGrade
Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Career Track
Cohort: 2026 Research Fellow; 2024 Cohort
Courses: STAT 212: Introduction to Statistical Methods
Johanna Phelps
Associate Professor
Cohort: 2021 CAS Fellow; 2011 Weber State Fellow
Courses: ENGLISH 402; ENGLISH 461; ENGLISH 498: Internship
Kandy S Robertson
Professor, Career Track & Writing Center Coordinator
Cohort: 2023 Cohort
Courses: ENGLISH 201: Writing and Research
Jenni Sandstrom
Academic Director, Tod and Maxine McClaskey Foundation Endowed Chair in Hospitality Business Management; Associate Professor, Career-Track
Courses: HBM 381: Hospitality Leadership and Org. Behavior
Academic Complaints: Carson College of Business (for courses in ACCTG, B_A, B_LAW, ENTRP, FIN, HBM, I_BUS, MGMT, MGTOP, MIS, MKTG)
Praveen Sekhar
Associate Professor
Cohort: 2026 Research Fellow; 2023 Cohort
Courses: ECE 405: Professional Issues and Ethics in Elec. Engin
Alexander Spradlin
Scholarly Associate Professor
Cohort: 2026 CCE Cohort; 2026 Research Fellow
Courses: PSYCH 498: FOCUS Lab
Sara Waters
Associate Professor
Cohort: 2026 Research Fellow; 2025 Cohort
Programs: Human Development
Deb Wilmington
Scholarly Professor and Program Lead, School of Biological Sciences and Molecular Biosciences
Courses: BIO 221: Introduction to the Health Professions; BIO 491