Washington State University football player Matt Mullennix has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Mullennix, a senior defensive end from Spangle, Washington, missed the entire 2006 season after suffering a knee injury prior to the school’s football opener at Auburn. Additionally, Mullennix suffered a season-ending injury early in the 2004 campaign. Following a medical appeal process to receive an additional year, the NCAA approved the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Mullennix’s return. Wazzu opens its 2008 season against Oklahoma State at the Cougar Gridiron Classic, August 30, at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Wallis Beasley, a former one-time acting president of Washington State University, died Tuesday in Pullman, Washington at the age of 92. A sociologist, Beasley served as acting WSU president in 1966-1967, between the administrations of C. Clement French and Glenn Terrell.

Over his WSU career Beasley chaired or was a member of many university committees, and for several years he was faculty athletic representative to the Pacific Athletic Conference – now Pac-10. After Terrell’s arrival, Beasley served as executive vice president until his retirement in 1981. Wazzu’s Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum is named in his honor.

A new report designed to prioritize programs at Washington State University recommends restructuring of general education across the school, including the elimination of one-fifth of the school’s 6,700 course offerings.

The report, based on the recommendations of a 16-member task force, suggests WSU drop many courses that are either seldom taught or have very small enrollments, enabling tenured faculty to devote more attention to core courses that serve more students.

The report also calls for a realigning of various schools and departments to bring together faculty members in related areas, while phasing out the undergraduate major in forestry.

Each college is being asked to audit its courses, options, minors, majors and degrees, and submit a preliminary implementation plan and timeline to the provost by June 15, with the deadline for a final plan set for September 26.

University officials, including President Elson Floyd, say the goal of program prioritization is not to reduce WAZZU’s overall budget, but to focus resources on the school’s highest academic priorities, including the areas of research preeminence.

A new report from Washington State University shows that home sales are continuing to slide in Washington, and while home prices go down, housing affordability is improving.

During the first quarter of 2008, homes sold at a level 3.4 percent lower than the previous quarter, and nearly 30 percent below a year ago. Washington’s annual sales decline is slightly greater than the national rate, but markets in the state remained more robust than in many areas of the Western U. S.

While home sales compared to last year declined in 36 of the state’s 39 counties, three counties showed significant increases, and 12 counties posted increases from the first quarter of this year compared to the previous three months.

The statewide median price of a home sold during the first quarter was nearly $294,000, a 2.4 percent decline from the same period a year ago. However, a total of 20 counties reported higher median prices than in 2007, and nine of those had increases in excess of 10 percent.

Median prices in urban markets ranged from $435,000 in King County to $150,000 in Asotin County.

Washington State University’s Board of Regents on Friday approved the university’s capital and operating budget requests, which will be considered by the State Legislature in 2009.

The capital requests include $7.4 million in design funding for a veterinary medical research building in Pullman, $15.75 million for a wastewater reclamation project and $16.1 million to turn the Bookie building in Pullman into classroom space. The Bookie will vacate its current building and move to the
renovated Compton Union Building, which will open this fall.

Included in the operating budget is $18 million to overhaul the university’s core computer systems; $5 million in funding for the School of Global Animal Health; $3 million for public safety and emergency management funding; money to fund salary increases for faculty, staff and graduate students, and funding to support higher enrollments.

The regents also approved several fee increases for the upcoming academic year. Generally, service and activities fees and health fees were raised by five percent. The regents approved a 6.64 percent increase in the per semester fees for Pullman students for use of the Student Recreation Center.

In other action, the board approved the creation of a bi-state School of Food Science, in collaboration with the University of Idaho. The action merges food science faculty and programs from the WSU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition with those from the UI Department of Food Science and Toxicology.

Some Washington college presidents are halting most new hires as a hedge against layoffs and other cuts, given projections of a state revenue shortfall of more than $2 billion.

Eastern Washington University implemented a “soft hiring freeze” in mid-April, saying the school is facing the possibility of significant cuts in the next legislative session.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd last week ordered a similar strategy for administrative hires – but not faculty jobs – asking administrators to fill only “essential” or emergency positions.

Floyd also told administrators he was imposing a moratorium on new programs or courses until a campuswide re-evaluation of programs and areas of focus is complete.

As part of that process, WSU’s undergraduate forestry program is in danger of being axed. The major has only about 20 students, and might be slashed as part of a general reform of the school’s less-popular offerings.

Floyd has told deans to evaluate the strength of their programs, with a goal of focusing scarce resources on majors where WAZZU is a leader or has the potential to lead. Academic departments were also asked to cut 1.5 percent from their budgets, and the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences is considering doing that by cutting forestry.

Officials stress that no final decision has been made.

The universities of Idaho, Montana and Oregon State have large forestry programs, as do many other colleges around the country.

(The Spokesman-Review & AP)

The Houston Texans selected Washington State quarterback Alex Brink in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Sunday , making him the state’s only college player drafted. Washington State has had at least one player selected in each of the last 14 drafts.

Meanwhile, Idaho had three state players drafted. Boise State tackle Ryan Clady went 12th overall to Denver, becoming the first BSU player to be drafted in the first round. Boise State cornerback Orlando Scandrick was drafted in the fifth round by Dallas.

The last pick of the draft — known tongue-in-cheek as the league’s “Mr. Irrelevant” — was Idaho linebacker David Vobora, whom St. Louis selected 252nd overall.

After the draft, the Seattle Seahawks agreed to free-agent terms Sunday evening with former Cougars wide receiver Michael Bumpus.

Washington State University researchers will spend nearly $200,000 over the next two years to study causes and possible treatments of a bee disease called Colony Collapse Disorder.

The Washington State Beekeepers Association estimates that between 35 percent and 50 percent of the state’s beehives have been lost to the disease in recent years - bees help pollinate eight of the state’s top 10 crops.

Money for the research is coming from donations from Northwest beekeepers and associations, as well as dedicated funds from the WSU Agricultural Research Center. One Yakima beekeeper contributed to the WSU research after losing 4,000 hives worth more than $1 million this spring.

(AP)