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book for my job. It was something I did in the evenings, on the weekends, sometimes early in the morning, but it was something that was important to me. I dreamt about it.”

Explaining the thesis of the book, Wohlpart says: “We have been handed a way of thinking in the Western world that is analytical, linear, hierarchical, dualistic, and there is another way of thinking in the world that is circular and cyclical and not hierarchical, not dualistic, that is more connected to what people might call intuition, that is actually more holistic and healthy, and we’ve been cut off from that way of thinking about the world in Western society, because we have been handed this way of thinking about the world, objects, people as resources for our use … as opposed to something we are deeply entangled with, intertwined with and deeply interdependent on.”

Jim mentions “The Courage to Teach” by Parker Palmer and “The Heart of Higher Education” by Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc as other impactful books in his collection. “I want to remember always that we lead, teach and work not only with our mind, but also our hearts, and that’s what most of this [my writing] is for me,” Jim says.

Wohlpart reflects on his decision to move to CWU two years ago, how “thrilled” he is with his decision and what he is learning in the process. “It’s really important as the president to take the time to listen and make sure that you’re building a team environment where everybody is listening, reflecting and remembering what is our core,” Jim says.

He mentions all the work that happens off campus as a lesser known aspect of his position and the impending fruits of his team’s efforts. “In the fall and early winter, I spent a lot of time meeting with legislators across the state in Olympia during session and advocating for the funding we need,” Jim says. “For instance, a couple pieces of funding we got – we got funded for wrap-around services funding, housing insecurity, food insecurity, we got funding for teacher education, we got funding for a humanities social science complex and for the multicultural complex.”

A day in May with “Jimbo”

May 10 is a day like many others for Jim, aside from the fact that he is being tailed by two student journalists chasing dreams. A morning routine is a critical part of any leader’s day, and Jim’s daily dance helps him set the tone alongside the company of those he loves.

“This stuff matters a lot in terms of how you show up and how you present and how you maintain your energy,” Wohlpart says. “Sasha and I are up by 5:30 a.m. I'm in the gym by 6. I work out for an hour, then head back home at 7, grab a shower. We sit and drink tea together every morning, black tea. We have our places with our dogs. They're rescues, they are 11-12 ish years old.”

Jim lives in the University House with his wife Sasha and their terrier and beagle mix-breed dogs, Annie and Leo. They have a 32-year-old son, Zach, who has an 11-month-old daughter, and a 29-year-old daughter named Kat.

Jim, Sasha, Annie and Leo can be spotted walking along their regular route through campus on any given day. “We leave the University house, we walk straight down north of Samuelson and south of Discovery Hall, that walkway that goes straight towards Black Hall, and then just north of Black Hall,” Wohlpart says.

“There's a sidewalk that goes between Black Hall and the SURC and we go around the back side of the SURC … [Leo] loves to go through the residence halls and up around to the ‘Ganges,’ and then we walk along the top of the Ganges and back over by Dean Hall, on the backside of Science and back.”

Discussing what he loves most about CWU as we made our way to his favorite cherry red sitting chair. His answer was simple: “the students.”

While some may refer to him by his presidential moniker, President Wohlpart is alternately known by a select group simply as “Jimbo,” a name he explains in an anecdote as he walks along the bank of the Ganges.

“Towards the end of my first year, Serena, who was one of the RA’s who was an Education major and did her student teaching, was sitting out on the lawn with another group of students,” Wohlpart says. “So we have the dogs, we're walking, I went over to them and we were chatting and I said, ‘do you know who I am?’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, you're Jimbo,’ and said, ‘do you want to know why we call you Jimbo? Because every time you send an email out, we all yell down the hallway, another email from Jimbo!’”

Jim’s habitual top picks

Jim explains that his favorite color fluctuates between blue and green, something reflected on his adventures with Sasha.

“When Sasha and I hike together and walk together, she’s an earth person, she looks down, she’s looking for rocks and minerals,” Wohlpart says. “I’m looking up, I look at the sky and trees. What’s awesome about living here in the Pacific Northwest is sometimes we see golden eagles, which is really cool.”

When they’re not wandering through the wilderness, Jim says he and Sasha enjoy streaming shows like “Ted Lasso,” “White Lotus” and “Wednesday.”

“‘Wednesday’ was just fantastic,” Wohlpart says. “There was something about that show, about how we grow in community, that just really stirred my imagination and one of the pieces that stirred my imagination the most was her playing the cello and playing it to a Rolling Stones song.”

In terms of music, Jim explains they listen to a wide range of sounds in their household. “We listen to all different kinds of music on Sunday morning,” Wohlpart says. “If we're making breakfast, we will listen to books. In the evening, if we're sitting by the fire, we will listen to Lord Huron or Mazzy Star.”

When Sasha and Jim are out dining, one might spot them at a historic downtown Ellensburg location or carrying a loaded picnic basket. “We love the Huntsman Tavern. Part of the reason that we love the Huntsman is because it has really good salads, we love to eat salads,” Jim says.

“The other one is a picnic by a river. My mother, my sister, Sasha and I went up to the West Fork Teanaway, and there’s a fantastic place at the very end where you can pull very close to the river, and we pulled chairs out and set up a big picnic.”

Jim says in the Wohlpart picnic basket, one can typically find vegetables with hummus, cheese and crackers and a nice bottle of red or white wine, depending on the time and season.

Presidential affairs

President Wohlpart goes about his day, attending an Executive Leadership Team (ELT) meeting to discuss fundraising and the development of shared governance groups on campus. The meeting is followed by an Executive Leadership Team lunch, where the group shares smiles and a meal in Holmes Dining while chatting over important topics: live Paul McCartney performances, Sunday school teachers and videos of President Wohlpart showing affection to a tree for a photo op.

Andrew Morse, chief of staff and interim vice president for Public Affairs, reflects on his journey from Iowa to

CWU to continue working with Jim. “My journey working with President Wohlpart began in 2017 at the University of Northern Iowa when he served as Provost and I held a similar role to the one I have here,” Morse says.

“Since the day I met him, Jim has been a hugely influential person in my life, someone who models collaborative, inclusive and equity-minded leadership. Someone who challenges me with deep care and unquestioned support. I am so proud to be part of the close-knit, hard-working and student-centered community we have here at Central.”

Morse mentions the legislative work he completes with Jim as a key part of their partnership. “My favorite memory with Jim is our grassroots work with educators across the United States to create a vision for the future of educator preparation,” Morse says. “That work began in 2019 and has now become a leading educator preparation reform bill, titled the EDUCATORS for America Act, in the United States Congress. The legislation offers a vision for equity-minded strategic investments to grow, diversify and retain our nation's educator workforce.”

The ELT struts in style back across campus to Barge Hall after lunch, as President Wohlpart prepares for the Wildcat Pantry celebration and awards ceremony on his lawn later that evening.

Laughter rings out across the lawn, accented by 88.1 the ‘Burg spinning top 40s hits as students, staff and faculty play cornhole and Connect Four at the celebration. Jim gleefully lands a bean bag in the center of the cornhole board as the festivities heighten. Sasha cheers on those playing lawn games and offers a glimpse into her life with Jim.

“Being here at Central has given him an opportunity to really put into practice what he's been learning and studying and what he cares so deeply about,” Sasha says. “He has such a vision of what higher education can be for students and it's been exciting to see him be able to act on that vision here at Central.”

Sasha says her favorite moments with Jim at CWU include curling up by their fireplace to play gin rummy and attending some of the productions and athletic events on campus, particularly the music department concerts and Orchesis spring dance performance.

“When we go out and we hike and we explore, it's good, reflective time,” Sasha says. “It's a good time for him to think about things and he bounces stuff off me, we have conversations about things.”

Sasha says the most cherished thing about Jim to her is how deeply invested he is in those around him. “I love how much he cares,” Sasha says. “How much he cares for his family, how much he cares for his community, how much he cares for the students and his leadership team. He just carries in his heart a deep love for life and the work that he does.”

An awards ceremony commences, during which Wildcat Pantry team members are honored for their dedication. Jim and Sasha present Jaeda Nelson with some heartfelt words and an award for her hard work as the first person to ever fulfill the Wildcat Pantry Coordinator position as the sun began to set.

Jim leaves readers with some words of wisdom: “Listen to their hearts, spend time with people who are good for them, spend time being curious and trust that a way will open in terms of their path. It’s a Quaker saying: way opens.”

“If you get to a place in your life where you feel stuck or you feel uncertain about what the next steps are, if you can trust in something bigger and open yourself up to possibilities, then way will open.

is education doomed?

story by Marcus Goble photos by Dylan Hanson design by Rody Farr

A professor begins grading an essay. The paper reads like one of the best they have ever graded. They wonder to themself, “Either I’m the greatest writing teacher to ever exist, or this is plagiarized.” They plug the paper into a plagiarism checker, and it shows up clean. What, then, has changed?

As AI continues to infiltrate various aspects of our lives, the education system works to adapt and ensure that it doesn’t negatively impact learning, while also measuring the opportunities AI provides.

Generative Artificial Intelligence

AI programs like ChatGPT dominate the airwaves in the discourse surrounding AI. Anyone can generate text based on a prompt given to the program. This means students can theoretically use it to write their textbased assignments for them.

ChatGPT is a form of generative AI. This AI pulls from its database to generate content. The AI is not sentient though it may seem.

“It has no intent,” Director of the Multimodal Education Center Chad Schone says. “It’s not trying to do anything. It has no agency. It is just doing what it was built to do, which is predict text and predict words that come together based on what it was trained on.”

Is it Plagiarism if AI Generated This Heading?

Generative AI comes with a major problem for the education system. Students can use these programs to generate entire essays in a matter of seconds. While some students may see this as an absolute win, there are concerns to be had about plagiarism.

In normal instances of plagiarism tools like Turnitin are used to detect cheating. Generative AI cannot be found the same way normal plagiarism is detected. Turnitin has created programs to attempt to detect AI writing, but it can only go so far.

“Turnitin says they are erring on the side of not catching things in order to be 98% accurate with the detections.,” Director of Instructional Technologies and Design for CWU Multimodal Learning Delayna Breckon says.

The technology is brand new. Developments from Turnitin or similar programs may make it easier to detect AI writing, but faculty do need to stay cautious to make sure they do not falsely accuse students of AI writing.

“We’re not encouraging folks to fail anybody to say this is definitive,” Breckon says, “there’s no way to prove any of these things.”

A Few More Concerns

Generative AI may not always be accurate. It predicts text based on a data set. Programs like ChatGPT only have data up to September 2021. You can test this yourself. Ask ChatGPT or Snapchat’s My AI who won the most recent Super Bowl or World Series. Misinformation can easily leak its way into projects using generative AI.

There’s also a bias concern. While an AI cannot have bias, the data set it’s trained on can.

“There are standard worries that people have,” Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies Lecturer David Schwan says, “especially with these large language models, these generative models that whatever the data set was that they were trained on any bias or any kind of structural assumptions that are built into the data are going to be reflected and not always super clearly, but they’re going to bleed through.”

Faculty do not just worry about the content created. Privacy is one of the big concerns for Faculty Senate Chair Mark Samples.

“Anytime you put your words into this system there are privacy issues,” Samples says, “not just for personal information, but also when you’re working in an institution like an educational institution, putting information into ChatGPT is going outside the institution.”

The last of these few problems call into question what education is.

When you take part in any creative process, you learn to think about that creative process. When writing an essay, you are developing skills throughout the entire writing process. Generative AI shortcuts the thinking you may do.

“My worry is, especially in settings where we’re trying to develop these skills, people might try to jump over that process a little bit,” David Schwan says.

CWU’s AI Stance

CWU’s faculty have a wide variety of opinions when it comes to AI. Some professors have begun implementing generative AI into their assignments. Others have AI written into the plagiarism section of their syllabus. “There are no policy statements out there right now,” Samples says. “There are no syllabus statements out there right now that are definitive or from the university.”

Enforcing a ruling on AI universitywide comes with some caveats. As seen with Turnitin’s current technology, how would a hard-stance against AI be enforceable? A ruling in favor may make some faculty uncomfortable.

“Whatever we decide to do, probably needs to keep in mind a couple of things,” Sample says, “faculty are going to have different comfort levels with this technology. They’re going to have different awareness of this technology, just like students.”

CWU avoids taking a hard position when it comes to AI. The university wants to make sure to respect the choices of the faculty, while still monitoring the emerging technology.

Is AI Good, Actually?

Many members of our faculty see opportunities with this technology. Some use it or allow for its use in their classroom. In writing assignments, Schw an encourages students to experiment with ChatGPT.

“Right now, I’m kind of just trying to keep things collaborative, and negotiate with people and say try to use these tools where you can,” Schwan says, “You do want to produce your own work, but cite where you are using them in different ways.”

Generative AI can find uses for both faculty and students if they think critically about them. Students can produce outlines and brainstorm with the help of AI. Professors can put together a syllabus or summarize class notes at the press of a button.

“These tools are enormously powerful,” Schwan says, “and if what you’re trying to do is focus on maybe being creative or expressing yourself in particular ways, I’m just going to talk about the Open Ai, ChatGPT tools, these can save you a lot of grind of certain types of creative activities.”Some professors also use generative AI to teach.

“You can iterate on multiple papers,” Chad Schone says, “you can edit them and basically have it write and then have students correct the writing. So there’s ways to use it in order to look at writing from a different perspective allowing students to grade it which would inform their own writing.”

The process of writing a paper becomes much more condensed as well. Creating an outline turns into a few button presses and some editing. Brainstorming can be done at the press of a button and applying critical thinking.

“One faculty was saying that they are excited about it because it lets them write multiple papers in one quarter rather than just one big term paper,” Schone says.

When used optimally AI can be used to improve the education of students. It allows multiple repetitions of big creative projects over the course of a quarter.

“You don’t have time to write 20 papers in a ten week course,” Samples says, “but maybe this tool could allow for students to not turn that in as their own work, but to get more reps.”

Moving Forward

Generative AI continues to advance quickly. It also shows no sign of disappearing.

“It’s changing,” Breckon says, “it kind of blew me away from my first engagement to my last engagement like with how fast it’s maturing.”

Technology evolves rapidly and has created discourse about whether it will ruin education. Most recently smartphones were the center of discourse. 30-40 years ago personal computers were going to doom education.

“I don’t know what the future holds, and most people don’t,” Schwan says, “and what’s always so terrifying about a new technology is that you’re just not exactly sure where things are gonna go.”

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