Heritage University  to Become Primary Provider of  “College in the  High School” for Yakima School District

3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University  to Become Primary Provider of  “College in the
High School” for Yakima School District

Toppenish, Wash. –  Yakima School District (YSD) and Heritage University (HU) administrators will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will make Heritage the primary provider of free college credits for College in the High School (CHS) classes for YSD’s A.C. Davis and Eisenhower students. YSD Superintendent Dr. Jack Irion and Heritage University President Dr. Andrew Sund are expected to sign the agreement on Monday, April 23, 2018, 2:30 p.m. at the Yakima School District administration offices located at 104 N. 4^th Avenue, in Yakima, Wash.

CHS, offered by some institutions of high learning, affords students the opportunity to earn high school and college credit for college-level courses taught at high schools like Davis and Eisenhower. For the next two years, the students at those schools will be able to take Heritage University courses in English, history/humanities, math and science. Credits earned by students in those courses can be transferred to any college or university. There will be no charge to YSD students for taking the courses or for college credits earned, and for one transcript sent to the college of the students’ choice.

Heritage University Interim Provost Dr. Kazuhiro Sonoda says the CHS program offered by Heritage will stay true to the university’s mission to empower a multi-cultural and inclusive student body to overcome the social, cultural, economic, and geographic barriers that limit access to higher education. “Our program intends to provide access for advanced study for qualifying high school students in a manner that minimizes enrollment barriers,” says Dr. Sonoda. “The primary goal of the program is for students to increase preparedness for college through exposure to college-level work as given through HU. The secondary goal is for students to earn college credit when their performance demonstrates the required competencies for HU courses.”

Heritage University administrators believe Heritage’s reward for providing the CHS goes beyond recruiting. “As the only all-inclusive four-year university located in the Yakima Valley, we will be honored to have a hand in the educational growth of high school students at Yakima schools,” said HU President Sund. “The CHS program at Heritage will ultimately increase the number of students ready for college.”

Dr. Irion is thankful for the opportunity to work with Heritage leadership on an initiative he believes will truly benefit students of the Yakima School District. “Our systems for preparing our students for college are strengthened because of partnerships with institutions of higher learning like Heritage University,” Irion said.

Dr. Irion and Dr. Sund will be available for interviews following the signing of the MOU. For more information, contact Dr. Kazuhiro Sonoda at (509) 865-2354 or Sonoda_K@Heritage.edu.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu

3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington State Supreme Court Justice to Speak at
Heritage University Youth and Justice Forum

Toppenish, Wash. –  Washington State Supreme Court Justice Steven Gonzalez will deliver the keynote speech during the annual Yakima Valley Youth and Justice Forum at Heritage University. The forum for middle, high school and college students takes place Friday, April 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Local law enforcement agencies, including the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and several police chiefs from cities in the Valley as well as those from the state and federal level will participate in the forum.

The Youth and Justice Forum has three goals. The first is to educate students from under-represented communities about professions and employment opportunities in the legal system; second, to enhance students’ knowledge and education of law; and third, to help build trust between youth and those in the justice system.

New this year will be a panel of lawyers and law school students talking to college students about law school applications, attending law school, and providing information about law careers. The panel will be moderated by Federal Court Clerk, Francisco Carriedo.

Kimberly Bellamy-Thompson, Heritage University assistant professor of criminal justice says the forum is a unique opportunity to introduce young people to the personal and professional sides of justice system leaders. “These personal connections are meaningful. The Youth and Justice Forum will give students a better understanding of the justice system and the wide range of career opportunities the entire system has to offer.”

Steve González was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court effective January 1, 2012, and subsequently won a contested race for a six-year term. Before joining the Supreme Court, Justice González served for ten years as a trial judge on the King County Superior Court hearing criminal, civil, juvenile, and family law cases. In 2015, Justice González and the other Washington Supreme court judges heard oral arguments for three cases at Heritage University visited Heritage University as part of the “traveling court” program.

For more information, contact Kimberly Bellamy-Thompson at bellamy-thompson_k@heritage.edu or (509) 865-0748.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu

3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University Hosts Career Fair 2018

Toppenish, Wash. –  An upcoming event at Heritage University will connect Yakima Valley job seekers with more than 30 employers. Career Fair 2018 is free and open to the public and will also allow participants to network with other professionals.

Career Fair 2018, a collaboration between WorkSource Yakima and Heritage University, will also help employers learn more about opportunities to host interns and work with academic programs at Heritage. Attendees interested in graduate-level social work programs will have the opportunity to meet representatives from Eastern WA University, Seattle University, University of Washington and University of Washington Tacoma.

Career Fair 2018 will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Smith Family Hall located in the Arts and Science Center on Heritage University’s main campus in Toppenish. Employers interested in participating in the event should contact Melissa Hill, interim vice president for Student Affairs, at (509) 865-0411 or hill_m@heritage.edu.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu

3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two Accomplished Scientists to Speak at Heritage University
Event Showcasing Student Achievements

Toppenish, Wash. –  Two dynamic and accomplished scientists, Dr. Michael Landry, with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave (LIGO) Hanford Observatory and Dr. Rodney Cooper, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture office in Wapato, Wash., will serve as keynote speakers during the Heritage University Gathering of Scholars Symposium on April 3, 2018 at Heritage. The event will showcase scientific research projects by Heritage University undergraduate students and graduate students in the Master of Arts in Medical Sciences (MAMS).

Dr. Landry is a detection lead scientist at LIGO and a physicist with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Manitoba in strange quark physics, and his research into gravitational waves began in 2000 when he joined LIGO as a postdoctoral scholar with Caltech. He has worked on many aspects of the LIGO experiment, interferometer commissioning, leading the installation of advanced detectors and data analyses.

Dr. Cooper is an Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientist with the USDA. The ARS is the USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency, and Dr. Cooper has mentored many Heritage University students who have earned internships with the USDA office in Wapato.

Twenty-two Heritage students will deliver oral and poster presentations on their research, which cover a wide range of subjects including biology, nursing, computer science and environmental sciences. Also featured will be displays of artwork by Heritage University art students. The Heritage University Gathering of Scholars Symposium will take place April 3, 2018 in the Patricia Wade Temple and Barnhill Fireside Rooms from 8:30 am to 2:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dr. Pedro Chavarria at (509) 865-0412 or Chavarria_P@heritage.edu.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu

3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Education consultant and public speaker to deliver keynote address at
Heritage University’s International Women’s Day Event

Toppenish, Wash. –  Education consultant, public speaker and former candidate for Washington State Superintendent, Erin Jones, will be the keynote speaker at “Women2Women,” Heritage University’s celebration of International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 17, 2018.

Ms. Jones has been involved in and around schools for the past 26 years. She has taught in black, white and diverse communities. Jones has received many awards during her career, including “Most Innovate Foreign Language Teacher” in 2007; “Milken Educator of the Year” for Washington state in 2008; and in 2013, she was recognized as a “Champion of Change” at the White House. She’s worked for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and in 2016 she ran for State Superintendent, a race she lost by a mere 1%. At the time of her candidacy she was the first Black woman to run for any state office.

“Women 2 Women” celebrates the women of the Yakima Valley and supports early childhood education. It is organized by Heritage University’s Women 2 Women collaborative and is sponsored by the university’s Center for a New Washington. Funds generated by the event go to child care scholarships for students whose children attend the Early Learning Center.

“Education is a key factor to improving the lives of women and children,” said Dr. Natalie Martinkus, director for the center. “The stress of taking care of children can take its toll and become a barrier to women trying to earn their college degree. We want to break down these barriers while providing their children the crucial cognitive and physical start they need for later success.”

Doors open for the event at 9:00 a.m., the program begins at 10:00 a.m. and ends at noon. The event features artwork displays which celebrate the accomplishments of local women in both art and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Refreshments will be served. Registration is $50, and can be completed online at http://www.heritage.edu/2018Women2Women. For more information, call (509) 865-0450, or email newwashington@heritage.edu.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington. Visit our website, www.heritage.edu