College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
Abby Griffith leaves her house at 5 a.m. and walks for 12 minutes, tapping her way down cracked sidewalks to the nearest bus station. Then she navigates two transfers, taking three buses to reach the WSU Vancouver campus for morning classes.
What would be a 15-minute drive takes her more than two hours.
“I’m totally blind, and I rely on public transportation,” said Griffith, who graduated from WSU this month with a degree in human development. “Without it, I wouldn’t be able to go very far from my house or go to college. Public transportation is vital.”
Matthew Bumpus
Life transitions are of huge interest to Matthew Bumpus, and now the Human Development professor will experience one of his own.
Bumpus, who has been at WSU for 17 years, takes over as chair of WSU’s Department of Human Development on Jan. 1.
“Taking on a leadership role will be a challenge,” Bumpus said. “But I have worked with excellent chairs over the past several years. I think I’m prepared and I know the faculty and staff in our department are fantastic.”
“Matt will be a great leader for the Human Development department,” said André-Denis Wright, dean of WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. “He knows his colleagues and cares deeply about their success. I’m excited to work with him in his new leadership role.”