Kate M. Watts, Washington State University professor in the Department of English, has been selected as the new director of the University Common Requirements (UCORE) general education program effective July 1.
Watts has designed, taught, assessed, and revised UCORE courses in English throughout her tenure. She most recently served as that department’s director of composition.
“We are pleased that Professor Watts will lead UCORE and bring her experience, expertise, and vision to the program,” said William B. Davis, vice provost for academic engagement and student achievement. UCORE is a program within the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA) in the provost’s office.
“It’s an exciting time for her to take the helm as we just wrapped up a successful five-year review of all UCORE courses.”
Watts said, “It’s amazing to be part of such a large program, and, having taught UCORE courses for 14 years, to now have the opportunity to move into the leadership role.”
Watts said she is interested to hear from constituents—students, faculty, staff, and others—about UCORE.
“I want us to take the opportunity to look at the program as a whole and ask, ‘Is it working as well as it can now?’ and ‘Is it working for today’s students?’”
Another of her goals is to effectively communicate the value of UCORE courses. General education courses, she said, can be “truly transformational for students” who are trying to find their footing in college, or think “they are hearing signals that they don’t belong in college” especially in their first and second year.
“Taking courses outside their academic major area has the potential help students see that they do have a place at the university, what it means to be a college student, and to prepare to be productive member of the community and a global citizen,” she said. Some of her own most memorable, impactful undergraduate courses at the University of Idaho were not in her focus area of English, but in art, chemistry, and anthropology.
With her new role, Watts will continue to teach courses and chair the WSU Teaching Academy, but will no longer lead composition. A native of Emmett, Idaho, about 30 miles northwest of Boise, she earned degrees from the University of Idaho and now makes her home in Pullman with her husband, Jason, and son, Tommy.
In addition to her many teaching and service accomplishments, Watts is an award-winning photographer and an author and editor, and completed WSU’s Core to Career Faculty Fellows and LIFT Faculty Fellows professional development programs.
Watts joined WSU in 2011, around the time UCORE was introduced to replace a long-standing general education curriculum that had been re-envisioned and restructured. Today UCORE includes about 400 courses across almost all disciplines university-wide. They are intended to provide a balance between the specialized focus of the major and the broader objectives of higher education, offering a wide variety of elective choices and providing individual pathways through the curriculum.
Media contacts:
William B. Davis, Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Achievement, wbdavis@wsu.edu