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College of Education proposed rename to 'College of Education, Sports and Human Sciences' wins broad internal support, dean says
Summary
Dean Karen Thomas Brown presented a proposal and survey results supporting renaming WSU’s College of Education to the College of Education, Sports and Human Sciences. She said an internal survey of more than 4,400 stakeholders returned an 86% response favoring a name change to better reflect the college’s programs.
Karen Thomas Brown, incoming dean for the College of Education, told regents on March 6 that the college will seek to change its name to reflect the breadth of programs it houses, including kinesiology, athletic training, sports management, teacher education, and other human‑centered disciplines.
Thomas Brown said college leaders compiled survey and engagement data from more than 4,400 students, alumni and community members and that 86% of respondents supported a name change. The proposed new name—College of Education, Sports and Human Sciences—was presented as a clearer descriptor that would aid branding, recruitment and external understanding of the college’s work.
Thomas Brown said the college’s departments include kinesiology and sport‑related programs as well as teaching and learning programs; she argued the name better captures interdisciplinary strengths and would support a rebranding effort to attract students and highlight applied research and workforce preparation.
Regents asked clarifying questions about what belongs in the college versus other units and whether human sciences overlaps with programs in Arts & Sciences; Thomas Brown said the college’s programs are interdisciplinary and that the new name better reflects work already underway. The item was presented as an informational briefing; any formal approvals or next steps were not recorded in the committee minutes on March 6.
