Most are familiar with the revolution of microenterprise and microlending spreading through-out the developing world. Grameen Bank, and it’s founder Muhammad Yunus were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for unleashing entrepreneurship in places never thought possible. Which lessons learned would be applicable across the US, across Washington state? There is a growing community · Read More · Read More

Consider how often we focus on the significance of organizational structure before the reason for our jobs.  Reporting lines are often of greater concern than the strategic intent of the institution. Human – yes.  Productive -? First, let’s be compassionate with ourselves. We are experiencing an unprecedented pace of change, whether it is the half-life · Read More · Read More

Despite the ever-present dire news that surrounds us every day, it is still a shock when real consequences of the shrinking economy hit close to home. That’s exactly what is happening  across Washington as we internalize just what an $8.4 billion (and counting) deficit really means. Every day we read of protests and disagreements throughout · Read More · Read More

Any business or institution with distant, multiple locations knows the tension – aligning the mission, goals, and protocol of headquarters with the operational reality of the local branch office.   When do you ask permission? Seek forgiveness?  Plead ignorance?  You’ll find no written guide on how to be a good branch manager.  And, with WSU itself · Read More · Read More

WSU was originally located through a competition among locales vying for a state institution within its local economy.  Manhattan, Fargo, Columbia…these are among the towns in other states – like Pullman in Washington – that won the prize.  The mandate of the land grant universities, unlike other kinds of higher education before (and since), was to · Read More · Read More

By their very nature, land grant universities are to be omni-present. Serving the public and state, they were (and are) meant to provide not only a rich and relevant educational experience for students, but also to be about discovery and application of new ideas for society as a whole. Such a mission is as real · Read More · Read More

This starts what I hope to be an on-going discussion about the future of Washington State University and our ever-expanding role as a public research university.  My intent is to catalyze a broader and deeper impact for WSU externally, but also to internally expand an awareness of the many ways we touch society and the · Read More · Read More

Originally published in John’s Journal: Research and Development by the University of Missouri. Copyright 2005, Curators of the University of Missouri. It could be said that Extension is all about directly delivering university knowledge to people who are active in the economy. So, why is economic development being distinguished from the special brand of service · Read More · Read More