Everyone appreciates a good investment. Benjamin Franklin offered this wise option: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Literacy—what we need to know—gives us tools that improve our lives, from better health to scientific understanding and financial wellbeing.
This issue’s stories dive into how Washington State University prepares students and increases literacy in media, reading, finances, health, and science.
As WSU President Betsy Cantwell notes in her letter this issue, a primary value of a WSU, or any college, education is a “literacy of learning” so students can navigate change and evolving knowledge beyond graduation.
“It’s the ability to evaluate information critically, manage your time and resources, communicate clearly, and take initiative without waiting for direction,” she writes.
The president’s insights hold true even for those of us who graduated many years ago. WSU taught me and generations of Cougs how to read well, write clearly, understand science and philosophy, and build skills to use throughout our lives.
The learning doesn’t just end. It’s crucial that we continue to sharpen our many literacy skills to grasp an ever more complex world.
You likely noticed that the magazine has a new look and feel. Thank you to the readers who responded to the survey from last issue. We took many of your ideas and implemented changes to the print magazine, which is now mailed three times a year in January, May, and August.
Those aren’t the only changes around Washington State Magazine, though. The magazine’s stories are now digital-first, appearing online before the print magazine publishes. You can enjoy even more WSU stories, profiles, podcasts, and videos via magazine.wsu.edu.