Heritage University to offer Master of Education in Reading which prepares teachers to help students overcome dyslexia and other reading disorders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University to offer Master of Education in Reading that will prepare teachers to help students overcome dyslexia and other reading disorders

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University is now offering a master’s and undergraduate degree, as well as a certificate program that prepares teachers to help students overcome dyslexia and other reading challenges. The Master of Education in Inclusive Education: Dyslexia, ESOL and Cultural Competence provides students with in-depth training  on the theories, practices, pedagogy and technology in the field of reading education.

Kari Terjeson, chair of the Department of Teacher Education, said the program was developed after educators and school administrators told her there was a great need for expertise in this field. According to Terjeson, “Candidates who complete the program will know  how to identify, evaluate and deliver specialized instruction to students who, for reasons of language barriers or learning disorders, are struggling to learn how to read and write.”

According to Terjeson, the M.Ed. in Reading degree program at Heritage was developed according to the Washington Educator Standards, along with the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading from the International Dyslexia Association and the International Literacy Association. “Reading and writing are fundamental skills that all students need to build a lifetime of success, and this program will train teachers to help their students overcome their challenges and build their love of learning,” she said.

The flexibility of this master’s degree allows students to complete classes in on-campus lectures, online classes, and show competence in subject matter, which involves completing a portfolio assignment and an objective exam proving mastery. Students completing the program coursework or demonstrating proficiency and receive a passing score on the necessary Washington Educator Skills Test (WEST-E) and/or National Evaluation Series (NES) can earn endorsements in ELL/BLE and Reading, which qualifies them to teach reading across all grade levels within their area of concentration.  A Reading or ELL/BLE only endorsement option is available for teachers who already hold a master’s degree. Those completing the program will be able to demonstrate several learning outcomes, which ultimately act in the best interests of struggling readers and readers with dyslexia or other reading disorders.

The Master of Education in Reading program is open to current educators who hold a Bachelor of Arts in Education or a Bachelor of Education. For more information, contact Shari Foster at (509) 865-8623 or Foster_S@Heritage.edu, or Kari Terjeson at Terjeson_K@Heritage.edu. For interviews, contact Davidson Mance at (509) 969-6084 or Mance_D@Heritage.edu.

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Heritage University announces Fall 2019 Dean’s List

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University announces Fall 2019 Dean’s List

Toppenish, Wash. – The following are students who earned a place on the Heritage University Dean’s List for the fall 2019 semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must be full-time, matriculated undergraduates who have earned semester grade point averages of 3.5 or better.

Marisa Abarca-Perez, Kennewick Brisel Acuna, Yakima Gissell Aguilar, Sunnyside
Paulina Alcala, Yakima Deyci Alejandre, Toppenish Maritza Alvarez, Sunnyside
Yessyca Alvarez, Grandview Yanett Alvarez, Yakima Carmela Andrade, Mattawa
Eilee Andujo, Prosser Ana Aparicio, Yakima Adrian Araiza, Yakima
Rosalinda Arreola, Toppenish Hema Balderas, Wapato Yosi Barajas, Yakima
Michelle Barba, Union Gap Anjuli Barragan, Toppenish Maria Barrios, Union Gap
Grace Bennett, Kennewick Sulem Bernal, Sunnyside Alyson Blair, Kennewick
Jeanne Blakeman, Pasco Abigail Bravo, Sunnyside Chandler Brimley, Kennewick
Alyssa Buck, Mattawa Jesus Buenrostro, Yakima Ruben Bustamante, Toppenish
Daisy Bustamante Orduno, Granger Roma Cantu, Toppenish Jennifer Cantu, Prosser
Brooke Capetillo, Toppenish Jenny Careaga, West Richland Juan Castaneda, Toppenish
Marlene Castillo, Yakima Leslie Castillo, Sunnyside Andrea Ceja, Toppenish
Jocelyn Celis Torres, Wapato Kevin Cervantes, Pasco Jesus Cervantes Valencia, Yakima
Diana Chavez Cerda, Yakima Maria Ciriaco, Toppenish Noemi Cisneros, Wapato
Isaiah Cisneros, Toppenish Ana Cisneros Chavez, Sunnyside Karina Colin, Sunnyside
Yuliana Colin-Flores, Pasco Madison Contreras, Pasco Melissa Correa, Pasco
Esmeralda Correa, Pasco Guadalupe Cortes, Wapato Almarosa Cortez, Wapato
Estefani Cruz, Wapato Vanessa Cruz, Pasco Alondra Cruz-Valladares, Yakima
Ashley Davis, Naches Xavier Day, Toppenish Connie Delacruz, Yakima
Esperanza Delgado, Toppenish Katherine Di Biase, Kennewick Keila Diaz, Granger
Irvin Diaz Tapia, Yakima Ginger Dingus, Kennewick Chestina Dominguez, Toppenish
Amanda Donelson, Kennewick Ashley Douglas, Yakima Kaylee Drummond, Richland
McKenzie Durand, Yakima Taylor Ebbelaar, Grandview Amanda Epler-Alegria, Kennewick
Jocelyne Espinoza, Yakima Kaulin Everham, Kennewick Sandra Feria, Grandview
Krisana Fernandez, Sunnyside Artemio Flores, Toppenish Erick Flores, Toppenish
Julia Flores, Toppenish Zahira Flores Gaona, Yakima Luis Garcia, Outlook
Evelyn Garcia, Wapato Leticia Garcia, Granger Esmeralda Garcia, Wapato
Jose Garcia, Wapato Jacqueline Garcia-Hernandez, Outlook Marlenne Garibay, Sunnyside
Dorothy Garwood, Prosser Anahi Garza, Richland Rigoberto Garza, West Richland
Enedeo Garza-Ramirez, Toppenish Samantha Gilmore, Yakima Irwin Godinez-Cruz, Toppenish
Lesly Gomez, Yakima Tania Gomez, Pasco Carmen Gonzales, Toppenish
Anayeli Gonzalez, Othello Zoe Gonzalez, Prosser Mariah Gonzalez, Toppenish
Noe Gonzalez, Toppenish Sandra Gonzalez, Kennewick Heather Gooss, Yakima
Kamimsa Goudy, Toppenish Jason Grajales, Brownstown Heidy Granados Lopez, Kennewick
Steven Greenwald, Richland Anna Griffith, Kennewick Shelby Groth, Selah
Sonia Guerrero, Toppenish Yazmine Guido, Yakima Kaylyn Gunnier, Zillah
Alexis Guzman, Pasco Martha Guzman, Yakima Yuli Guzman, Yakima
Anayeli Hermoso-Sedano, Yakima Stephanie Hernandez, Wapato Lizbeth Hernandez Islas, Yakima
Maira Hernandez-Gonzalez, Sunnyside Paola Herrera, Kennewick Ruby Herrera, Sunnyside
Bethany Herring, Kennewick Pete Herron, Yakima Tracie Hicks, Kennewick
Christina Holland, Kennewick Samantha Horvath, Kennewick Nansi Iniguez, Zillah
Guadalupe Iniguez, Zillah Kaneeta Jeffery- Zack, Zillah Leonila Jimenez, Toppenish
Zuzeth Jimenez, Toppenish Samanta Jimenez, Pasco Irene Jimenez, Toppenish
David Juarez, Yakima Kathleen Kasper, Richland Ekman Kaur, Kennewick
Wendy Kleppin, West Richland Viktoriia Konko, Kennewick Valentyn Konko, Kennewick
Julia Korotkov, Richland Maria Lechuga, Wapato Shiraz Lefeber, Pasco
Ilse Leyva Manzanarez, Yakima Yovana Leyva-Carmona, Wapato Andres Lima Elias, Othello
Mark Litka, Richland Elvira Lopez, Toppenish Yezie Lopez-Perez, Yakima
Kassandra Luna, Union Gap Daisy Luna, Wapato Jennifer Macias, Toppenish
Yareli Madrigal Luna, Pasco Herminia Magdaleno, Yakima Yaritza Maravilla, Toppenish
Elisa Mariscal, Toppenish Natalie Martinez, Sunnyside Alondra Martinez, Wapato
Dulce Martinez, Sunnyside Daisy Martinez, Wapato Andrea Martinez-Santiago, Toppenish
MaKayla Mathews, Richland Christina Mattson, Richland Stephanie Maybee, Selah
Judit Medina, Kennewick Luis Medina, Zillah Kailyn Mendez, Yakima
Debbie Mendez, Yakima Miguel Mendoza, Toppenish Andrea Mendoza, Yakima
Yesenia Mendoza, Mattawa Guadalupe Mendoza, Umatilla Jazmin Mendoza, Pasco
Stephanie Mendoza, Mabton Valentin Mendoza, Grandview Juan Mendoza Mendoza, Yakima
Alondra Mendoza-Gomez, Pasco Diana Meraz, Tieton Cassandra Mercado, Kennewick
Celine Michael, Yakima Priscila Montiel, Yakima Brenda Montoya-Roman, Yakima
Payton Moore, Richland Shamira Moore, Yakima Elizabeth Moreno, Yakima
Gabriela Moreno, Toppenish James Muggli, Kennewick Diana Najera, Union Gap
Susana Naranjo, Yakima Joselin Navarrete, Yakima Guadalupe Navarro, Sunnyside
Carrington Nevard, Richland Edith Noriega, Sunnyside David Olden, Yakima
Arlene Olea, Sunnyside Meaghan Oliver, Richland Elizabeth Orozco, Grandview
Kitzely Ortega, Pasco Esther Osorio Rangel, Parker Liliana Padilla, Grandview
Joaquin Padilla, Toppenish Miguel Palma, Yakima Yerim Park, Yakima
Marlene Paz, Kennewick Yolanda Penaloza, Grandview Ana Perez, Pasco
Hunter Perez, Kennewick Eric Philipp-Petrick, Yakima Allison Platsman, Sunnyside
Angela Ponce, Zillah Ruby Prieto, Grandview Kristina Prikhodko, Kennewick
Hunter Pryse, Yakima Dennise Quebrado, Yakima Maria Quezada, Grandview
Blanca Quiroz Marin, Prescott Stephanie Rabanales, Sunnyside Adrian Ramirez, Toppenish
Alexandra Ramirez, Yakima Elizabeth Ramirez, Toppenish Stephanie Ramirez, Pasco
Viridiana Ramirez, Pasco Briceida Ramos, Grandview Olivia Ramos Alvarez, Kennewick
Rosa Rangel, Connell Anyssa Rebollero, Yakima Rocio Regis, Toppenish
Araceli Regis, Toppenish Karen Reyes, White Swan Gloria Reyes, Granger
Juan Carlos Reyes Francisco, Buena Anitramarina Reyna, Yakima Makenzie Richardson, Selah
Viviana Rico, Pasco Rosa Rios, Moxee Morgan Roberts, Kennewick
Adriana Rodriguez, Kennewick Marisol Rodriguez, Yakima Lizbeth Rodriguez, Wapato
Cassandra Rodriguez, Grandview Karina Rodriguez-Escalera, Yakima Monica Romero Castro, Grandview
Leidy Rosales, Pasco Eva Rosenow, Kennewick Rosario Ruiz, Yakima
Milca Ruiz M, Richland Ella Ryadinskiy, Kennewick Rhonda Ryan, Richland
Ana Saldana-Carrillo, West Richland Kathleen Sanchez, Toppenish Jenny Sanchez, Toppenish
Katellin Santiago, Toppenish Angelita Santillan, Pasco Aiyh Sarama, Sunnyside
Danielle Sauceda, Pasco Robert Schreiber, Yakima Delia Serna, Sunnyside
Karly Serrano, Yakima Ida Shock, Toppenish Gabriel Sillas Ramos, Grandview
Yanna Slutskaya, Kennewick Jeniya Slutskaya, Kennewick April Smith, Selah
Jacob Snell, Kennewick Daniela Solis, Yakima Diana Solorio, Granger
Gerardo Soto, Toppenish Maria Soto-Galvan, Yakima Miriam Soto-Guillen, Wapato
Cody Stamper, Pasco Anothony Stewart, Yakima Nathan Thompson, Yakima
LisaLyn Tormey, Yakima Maribel Torres, Richland Yanet Torres, Zillah
James Torres, Grandview Yoana Torres, Sunnyside Brayan Torres Gutierrez, Sunnyside
Daisy Vaca, Wapato Maria Vaca, Yakima Maria Valencia, Toppenish
Jazmin Valencia, Yakima Anakaren Valenzuela, Toppenish Jacquelyn Vargas, Yakima
Maria Vargas, Sunnyside Brenda Vasquez, Toppenish Teresita Vega, Yakima
Angelica Vela, Yakima Paola Villanueva, Sunnyside Alejandra Villasenor, Kennewick
Citlaly Villegas, Wapato Dawn Waheneka, Wapato Tori Wapsheli, Toppenish
Whisper Weber, Yakima Robyn Webster, Yakima Morgan White, Kennewick
Devin Williams, Kennewick Sara Wilz, Pasco Miranda Yale, Brownstown
Sonja Young, Kennewick Amarani Zamora-Portugal, Kennewick

 

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Heritage University announces a new director for its Tri-Cities branch campus at Columbia Basin College

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Martin Valadez

Heritage University announces a new director for its Tri-Cities branch campus at Columbia Basin College

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University President Dr. Andrew Sund has announced a new director for its Tri-Cities branch campus at Columbia Basin College. Beginning January 6, 2020, Martin Valadez, currently the Director of Workforce Education at Heritage, will lead the regional site.

The former director of the Tri-Cities operation, Dr. Marisol Rodriguez-Price had expressed a desire to return to the professorate within the College of Education. Dr. Sund saw this as an opportunity to make structural changes in the operation that would better align the CBC campus with the main campus in Toppenish. “Our regional site will be directed by an administrator reporting in the same chain as the Director of Admissions. This will allow for closer collaboration between Admissions and the regional site,” Sund said.

In announcing this administrative change, President Sund praised Rodriguez-Price for her excellent work over the last four years at CBC. “Heritage is grateful to Rodriguez-Price for her commitment to the Tri-Cities regional site.  She is an invaluable contributor to the Heritage University community and her dedication to the University’s mission is estimable,” said Dr. Sund.

Valadez will report to David Wise, the VP of Admissions, Marketing and Advancement; Valadez, Wise and Admissions Director Gabriel Pinon will form a team sharply focused on recruitment and admissions at the CBC campus where Heritage offers five Baccalaureate degrees: accounting, criminal justice, elementary education, psychology and social work, as well as a Master in Teaching graduate degree.

Valadez is exceptionally involved in both the academic and business communities in the Tri-Cities, where he has lived since 2006. Valadez has extensive higher education experience as both a professor and as an administrator. His most recent higher education work was at CBC where he served as a professor of history and intercultural studies and then as the Vice President for Diversity and Outreach. He also has strong business connections through his work as the former CEO of the CBC Foundation. Just this month, Valadez returned to the role of president of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he has served in various roles for more than ten years. He is also Board Chair with Communities in Schools Benton-Franklin; a board and executive committee member with the Tri-Cities Economic Development Council (TRIDEC); a trustee and vice-chair for Mid-Columbia Libraries, and a member of the Washington State Complete Count Committee.

Valadez will continue his work in Workforce Education through a period of transition. Rodriguez-Price will transition back into the College of Education, where much of her work will continue to be in the Tri-Cities.

For more information, contact David Mance, Media Relations Coordinator at (509) 969-6084 or Mance_D@heritage.edu.

 

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Heritage students to pack food boxes for local families as part of “Pantry of Hope” campaign

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Heritage students to pack food boxes for local families as part of “Pantry of Hope” campaign

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University Enactus students will pack much-needed food boxes for 400 Yakima Valley families as part of the annual “Pantry of Hope” campaign. The boxing will take place Friday, December 13, 2019 in Smith Family Hall located in the Arts and Sciences Center at Heritage University in Toppenish. The boxes will contain perishable and non-perishable items and will be given to the families that participated in student-organized financial literacy events earlier this year.

Local media are invited to take pictures and video of the boxing process, which is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. and finish by 3:00 p.m.

To prepare for “Pantry of Hope,” Heritage Enactus students applied for corporate grants and worked with local grocery stores and businesses for food and other essentials. The students also worked with Lower Valley Credit Union to develop the financial literacy program that teaches families how to create and live on a budget.

The students have been holding “Pantry of Hope” for more than a dozen years. Over time, the program’s impact to help families in need during the winter months has caught the attention of other organizations. This year, the Yakima Housing Authority and Educational Service District 105 in Yakima reached out to Heritage Enactus to partner in providing short-term help to their clients.

“By offering financial education workshops and collecting food items, we have provided a pantry-filler for more than 3,000 families in the last decade,” said Heritage Enactus Director Dioselina Verduzco. “Communities all over the Yakima Valley have come to learn that the Pantry of Hope can give families the extra support they need during the winter months.”

The food boxes packed during “Pantry of Hope” will be picked up by the families on December 14 at several locations including Granger, Sunnyside, and Yakima. Also on December 14, select families will be picking up their boxes at Heritage as part of the “Winter Wonderland Family Event” taking place from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Dioselina Verduzco at (509) 865-0419 or Enactus@Heritage.edu, or David Mance at (509) 969-6084 or Mance_D@Heritage.edu.

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Heritage University professor co-authors second book on dealing with water crisis in South America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University professor co-authors second book on dealing with water crisis in South America

Alex Alexiades

Alex Alexiades, Ph.D. holds the two books he’s co-authored on dealing with water crisis in South America.

Toppenish, Wash. – A new, one-of-a-kind book written to be a resource for Indigenous communities and leaders, natural resource managers and government organizations in protecting freshwater rivers in the tropical Andes and Amazon has been co-authored by Heritage University Associate Professor Alex Alexiades, PhD.  Los ríos de las cuencas Andino-Amazónicas (Rivers of the Andean-Amazonian Basins) was co-authored by Alexiades and collaborators to help communities worldwide protect their water from pollution. It is being published in Spanish by the Universidad San Francisco de Quito Press located in Ecuador.

Dr. Alexiades says a recent World Economic Forum Global Risks Report ranked the water crisis as one of the five most important potential threats to worldwide economic and social stability. “The water supply in many regions is becoming scarce as demand exceeds supply while contamination increases. Since 1971, this combination has resulted in more than 80% of freshwater species to dwindle in numbers, or become extinct,” he said. “Because of this alarming threat, it’s more important than ever to help communities understand, monitor and protect their freshwater resources. Los ríos de las cuencas Andino-Amazónicas will enable communities to make better resource management and conservation decisions.”

The work by Alexiades and his partners has received financial support from the Latin American Water Fund Alliance, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the National Science Foundation. The Nature Conservancy and several other agencies collaborated with the authors on Los ríos de las cuencas Andino-Amazónicas for its work to improve water quality in the Andean-Amazon region for both the people and the environment.

Los ríos de las cuencas Andino-Amazónicas is the second book on an environmental crisis authored by Dr. Alexiades and his colleagues. Their first book, Nuestro Vivir En La Amazonía Ecuatoriana: Entre La Finca Y El Petróleo (Our Life in the Ecuadorian Amazon: Caught Between Petroleum and Agriculture), came out in 2018 and detailed the struggles of local indigenous and mestizo communities and their environment as they faced increasing threats from mining, petroleum.

For more information contact Alex Alexiades at (509) 865-0732 or alexiades_a@heritage.edu. To schedule an interview with Alexiades, please contact David Mance at (509) 969-6084 or mance_d@heritage.edu.

 

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Heritage University to host Interfaith Brunch and Prayer Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University to host Interfaith Prayer Brunch and Service for Yakima Valley faith leaders

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University will host faith leaders from throughout the Yakima Valley for an Interfaith Brunch and Prayer Service on Monday, November 18, 2019. The first part of the event, which begins at 10:30 a.m., is a brunch where spiritual leaders will gather to share a meal, learn about Heritage, and explore the ways various spiritual traditions support students, faculty, and staff at Heritage.

The Interfaith Prayer Service, immediately following at noon, will have faith leaders who represent diverse spiritual traditions gather in prayer in recognition of the connection our campus community has with the many deep and ancient roots that ground us in the pursuit of higher education at Heritage.

Leaders of all faith communities are invited to attend the Interfaith Brunch and Prayer Service, which will be held in Smith Family Hall located in the Arts and Sciences Center at Heritage University. The event begins the observance of Spirituality Week at Heritage. For more information, please contact David Hacker at hacker_d@heritage.edu.

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Heritage University honors Yakama Nation tribal elders as highlight of Native American Heritage Month Celebrations

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Heritage University honors Yakama Nation tribal elders as highlight of Native American Heritage Month celebrations

Toppenish, Wash. – November is Native American Heritage Month, and Heritage University is celebrating by honoring four Yakama Nation elders for their lifetime contributions to the Yakama people and their community. This year’s recipients are Corky Ambrose Jerry Meninick, Phyllis Strom, and Patsy Whitefoot.

CORKY AMBROSE served in the US Air Force, and after returning to civilian life, he spent the next 40 years protecting natural resources of the Yakama Nation as a forester and then as a woodland firefighter. He supports fellow veterans and serves the community through the Yakama Warriors Association, an organization he helped found in 1992.

JERRY MENINICK is passionate about helping the people of the Yakama Nation thrive through the preservation and practice of their cultural history.  It grew into a profession when he started collecting elders’ stories about the Columbia River for a preservation project with the US Forest Service, and into a passion when he was elected to Tribal Council and later became Chairman.

PHYLLIS STROM spent most of her years looking out for the welfare of her people of the Yakama Nation. A bookkeeper by training, she spent 35 years safeguarding the strength and sustainability of many tribal programs. Additionally, she sought new funding sources to provide additional services to the Department of Natural Resources, Human Services and Law Enforcement, while continuing to ensure services to manpower and career enhancement programs to assist Native Americans in becoming self-sufficient and build careers to sustain their livelihood.

PATSY WHITEFOOT is not afraid of confronting injustices. She’s spent a lifetime fighting for the rights of Native peoples everywhere. She’s been a strong voice for change at the state and national levels calling for improved access to educational opportunities from preschool through college for Native American students. President Obama appointed her to serve on his National Advisory Council on Indian Education. She’s brought attention to the need for improved mental health and addiction services for Native Americans and is a leader in the movement to draw attention to the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women both on the Yakama homelands and across the nation.

The four elders are being recognized during the fifth annual Honoring Our Elders ceremony at Heritage University on Friday, November 8, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. This event is by invitation only. Also, their stories are featured in a series of full-page ads, each dedicated to a specific elder, that are running in the Yakama Nation Review throughout November.  Framed copies of these ads are being added to the permanent display of honorees at the university in the Violet Lumley Rau Center.

Heritage is holding many other events in November in observance of Native American Heritage Month as designated by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. These include:

Friday, November 8, 2019, 9:30 a.m. – Flag-raising Ceremony

Heritage University will raise the flags of the Yakama Nation, the state of Washington and the United States during a ceremony featuring the Yakama Warriors. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be held at the main campus entrance.

November 9-16, 2019 – Rock Your Mocs Week

Heritage University students, faculty and staff are invited to wear moccasins expressing tribal identity between November 9 and 16 as a way to stand together celebrating Indigenous traditions and culture around the world.

Thursday, November 14, 2019, Noon – Native American Wellness through Round Dance

The American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL) Chapter of Heritage University will present a Native Round Dance outside the Arts and Sciences Center. A round dance features a group of hand drummers singing traditional songs while people gather around the drummers in a friendship dance. This is called a social dance among Native people.

November 18-22: Spirituality Week

Monday, November 18, 2019, 10:30 a.m. – Interfaith Prayer Brunch

Heritage University will host an Interfaith Prayer Brunch, where spiritual leaders will gather to share a meal, learn about Heritage and explore ways our various spiritual traditions can support our life at Heritage.

Monday, November 18, 2019, Noon – Interfaith Prayer Service

We will host leaders from a diversity of spiritual traditions as we gather in prayer for our week in recognition of the connection we have with the many deep and ancient roots that ground us as we pursue our education at Heritage.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Community Dinner.

The public is invited to this free dinner which will be held in Smith Family Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner served at 6:00 p.m. The Yakama Nation Native American Full Circle Scholarship students are invited to attend and be recognized at this gathering.

Thursday, November 21, 2019, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Indian Horse Movie Screening

Indian Horse is an adaption of Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese’s award-winning novel, this moving and important drama sheds light on the dark history of Canada’s boarding schools or Indigenous Residential Schools and the indomitable spirit of aboriginal people.

Friday, November 22, 2019, Noon – Closing Blessing in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Join us as we close our week with blessings, smudging, and labyrinth walks in honor of MMIW. We will focus our intention on those who are absent, but are with us in our hears in the sacred circle.

For more information on these events, contact Maxine Janis at (360) 513-2808 or Janis_M@Heritage.edu, Monet Becenti at (509) 865-8547 or Becenti_M@Heritage.edu, or David Mance at (509) 969-6084 or Mance_D@Heritage.edu, or David Hacker at hacker_d@heritage.edu

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Heritage University to host open house at Columbia Basin College

Heritage University
3240 Fort Road • Toppenish, WA 98948
(509) 865-8500
For more information contact:
David Mance, Media Relations Coordinator
(509) 969-6084 or mance_d@heritage.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University to host open house at Columbia Basin College

Toppenish, Wash. – College students in the Tri-Cities can explore different degree offerings to enhance their careers during a Heritage University open house at Columbia Basin College (CBC) in Pasco on November 7, 2019. Representatives of the degree programs as well as financial aid and enrollment specialists from both Heritage and CBC to help prospective students learn more about the transfer process from CBC to Heritage, and receive information about the programs offered at Heritage’s Tri-Cities site. Prospective students will learn more about the programs offered at Heritage’s Tri-Cities site to help and answer questions.

Heritage University offers five programs at CBC for students to turn their associate degree into a bachelor’s, and one program to turn a bachelor’s degree into a master’s. The five undergraduate degrees are criminal justice, elementary education (K-8th grade), psychology, accounting, and social work. People with a bachelor’s degree can obtain a Master in Teaching (MIT) with a K-8 elementary endorsement and the option to add more.

Marisol Rodriguez-Price, the director of the Heritage University office at CBC, said the open-house serves as a one-stop-shop for students wanting to explore options in furthering their education and achieving their career goals. “Not only will people get to meet the chairs of each of the five programs we offer, but our Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid will be available to answer their questions and walk them through the process of applying,” said Rodriguez-Price. “Those who attend will see the personalized service and resources we offer to help them earn their bachelor’s degree or master’s degree. Also, students without an AA-DTA can speak with CBC recruiters for information on how to complete transfer requirements.”

The open house will take place at the “B” building at CBC from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Marisol Rodriguez-Price at (509) 542-5506 or Rodriguez-Price_M@heritage.edu.

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Heritage University receives $5 million federal grant to support STEM students at HU and at Portland State University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University awarded $5 million National Science Foundation grant to support STEM students at Heritage and Portland State University

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University has received a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support high-achieving, low-income students majoring in STEM fields at Heritage and Portland State University (PSU) in Oregon. The grant will fund a program titled Engagement Achievement and Graduation for Low-incomE Students, or “EAGLES,” and will provide scholarships to cover tuition for at least 116 students in STEM majors, including environmental science, engineering, ecology, chemistry, and biology at both campuses.

EAGLES will accomplish three objectives. The first will be to increase enrollment and retention of low-income and other under-represented groups in STEM fields; the second will be to develop an integrated structure to mentor, advise and engage these students in research and outreach activities focused on community-based challenges associated with environmental pollution; and the third will be to examine the impact of instructional interventions in introductory STEM courses and to fine-tune culturally-responsive learning procedures aimed at developing undergraduate students’ science identity and sense of community. With annual career panels at both Heritage and PSU, additional support services, research experiences, and coursework, EAGLES will not only provide scholarships for biology, environmental science and studies, and chemistry students but will also enhance learning opportunities. EAGLES will fill existing gaps at HU in the STEM pathway by allowing Heritage pre-engineering students to pursue bachelor’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering at PSU and giving them access to PSU career placement services and graduate programs.

Heritage Associate Professor Alexander Alexiades, Ph.D. is the principal investigator along with his counterpart at PSU, Dr. Gwynn Johnson. Alexiades will oversee the EAGLES program at Heritage. He is excited about the STEM opportunities for Heritage students, and for the possibility for the EAGLES model to be used at other campuses across the country.

“The research and service-learning activities conducted by our students will address authentic local and regional issues and strengthen community connections, and these results will demonstrate a model worthy of national replication for increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation in STEM majors and development of the sense of science identity needed in further studies and/or careers in the environmental sciences and engineering.”

Heritage Provost Dr. Kazuhiro Sonoda said this NSF award, when combined with other recent NSF grants (including a $2.5 million announced in June and a $350K grant for research experiences for undergraduates), the university is well-positioned to help STEM students for the next five years. “Heritage University and PSU campuses serve some of the nation’s highest-need students,” said. Sonoda. “These awards make it possible for us to create a comprehensive support system for our STEM students, and I’m very excited about the opportunities these grants will help us bring to them.”

The EAGLES program at HU and PSU will begin in September of this year and run through September 2024. For more information, contact David Mance, media relations coordinator at Heritage University at (509) 969-6084 or Mance_D@heritage.edu.

 

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Heritage University to host El Grito de Independencia to honor Mexican Independence Day for second year in a row

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University to host El Grito de Independenciato honor Mexican Independence Day for second year in a row

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University is hosting El Grito de Independencia, a Mexican cultural festival in honor of the Mexican Independence Day for the second year in a row.El Grito de Independencia will take place at the Heritage campus on Saturday, September 14, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. El Grito de Independencia commemorates the “Cry of Dolores,” a historical event in Mexico that set off the Mexican War of Independence from Spain and will be reenacted at 7:45 p.m.

The festivalwill have fun for the entire family, including games and piñatas for kids, food and beverages, traditional dancers, mariachis and live music. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Melissa Hill at (509) 865-0411 or Hill_M@Heritage.edu.

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