VANCOUVER, WASH. — Washington State University Vancouver has announced its 2015 awards for research, service to the university, student achievement and teaching. The four recipients will receive a Chancellor’s Medallion at the commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. May 9 at Amphitheater Northwest in Ridgefield.
- Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence—Tahira Probst, professor of psychology
- Chancellor’s Award for Service to 91ԹϺ—Riverview Community Bank, Vancouver
- Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement—Kathrynn Gonzalez, 2015 Bachelor of Science graduate in computer science
- Students’ Award for Teaching Excellence—Tom Tripp, professor of management, Carson College of Business
Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence
Each year, 91ԹϺ gives its highest research honor to recognize a faculty member’s exemplary research quality and quantity as well as positive influence on the broader community.
This year’s recipient is Tahira Probst, professor of psychology and a specialist in occupational health psychology. Probst, who joined the university in 1998, studies ways to enhance the health and well-being of workers, including issues of workplace safety and economic stress.
Probst, who says her lab is “any workplace in the world,” has worked as a research consultant with the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and the National Academy of Sciences. She has worked with more than 100 organizations in industries ranging from manufacturing and mining to health care and transportation. She has spoken to venues close to home, such as the Oregon Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Conference, and far-flung, such as the Italian Civil Aviation Authority.
Her publishing credentials include serving as co-editor in chief of Stress & Health, sitting on the editorial boards of the three journals in her field, and publishing more than 80 journal articles and book chapters.
Among many academic honors, in 2014 she was named an Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts for WSU systemwide, and received a three-month visiting professor research award to conduct safety and health research in Italy. In 2011, she received the WSU College of Liberal Arts Mid-Career Achievement in Scholarship Award.
Chancellor's Award for Service to 91ԹϺ
The Chancellor’s Award for Service to 91ԹϺ is given at the discretion of the chancellor to recognize a company or person for selfless dedication of time, talent and resources toward advancing the university’s mission.
Riverview Community Bank will receive the award for exceptional support of 91ԹϺ. Riverview contributes nearly 2 percent of its before-tax income each year to organizations serving Southwest Washington and Oregon in the areas of education, economic development, children’s services, and arts and culture. President and COO Ron Wysaske, an MBA alumnus from the university’s first graduating class, in 1989, was the first chair of the 91ԹϺ College of Business Advisory Board and received a Notable Alumni Award in 2014. He will speak on behalf of the alumni at the 2015 commencement.
Riverview officers and staff have supported 91ԹϺ in many ways, serving on advisory councils and boards, helping with fundraising, attending 91ԹϺ events, promoting the school in the community and supporting students. Riverview is a generous donor to the university, recently achieving Benefactor status for $100,000 or more in cumulative giving. The bank also supports scholarships for undergraduate students in business and has sponsored numerous events for alumni and students over the years.
Chancellor's Award for Student Achievement
The Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement annually recognizes one student’s love of learning, persistence to overcome barriers in pursuit of academic goals, leadership potential and involvement in campus life.
Kathrynn Gonzalez, who will earn her Bachelor of Science in computer science at the 2015 ceremony, is this year’s honoree. She is one of the top students in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, with a 3.74 GPA in her major and a future in software engineering at Intel.
Gonzalez is one of four women graduating this spring in computer science. In this highly competitive, male-dominated field, Gonzalez has demonstrated the extraordinary perseverance required for a woman to succeed.
She married, raised three children, divorced and remarried, and worked full-time for a while, all while managing a chronic medical condition. She enrolled at Clark College in 2010, earning an associate of science transfer degree and transferring to 91ԹϺ in her junior year. She will be the first in her family to complete a bachelor’s degree.
In her junior year, Gonzalez received a scholarship to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. She interned last summer at ForgeRock, a multinational software company with an office in Vancouver. Along with other students, she is helping to develop a mobile app for children with learning difficulties and participating in Intel’s Next Unit of Computing challenge. Gonzalez volunteers as tutor in the computer labs and serves as a role model on campus for women in computing. And soon she will realize her long-time goal to work at Intel.
Students' Award for Teaching Excellence
Students select a faculty member each year to receive the Students' Award for Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes exceptional dedication to students and infectious enthusiasm for the subject matter.
This is Tom Tripp’s second teaching award. He received the first in 2000. “Professor Tripp is a demanding professor but truly wants his students to succeed,” one student wrote in nominating Tripp.
Since joining 91ԹϺ in 1991, Tripp has been much honored for his ability to teach and inspire students. He has received the College of Business teaching award three times, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction throughout the WSU system in 2010. But he is equally committed to other academic responsibilities: research and service. In 2014, he received the Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence. His research often involves collaboration with students and former students.
Tripp teaches and studies leadership, decision-making, negotiation, workplace conflict and organizational justice. His research on revenge and retaliation in the workplace is considered pioneering. Outside the classroom, Tripp has consulted on workplace issues with organizations and management executives.
Tripp’s ability to keep learning and keep his teaching fresh every term is one of the reasons students keep honoring him. As one nominator said, “Many years down the road when I think back about my professors at WSU, Professor Tripp will be at the top of my list.”
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MEDIA CONTACT(S)
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu