The year 2007 has been a remarkable one for Bastyr University. As we near year's end, we celebrate our many achievements and reflect upon our experiences. During the year we lost one of our dear founders, Dr. William A. Mitchell, Jr. and two of our students. This hit our community hard but drew us together as a large and loving family. We have so much for which to be thankful and so great an obligation to apply our best efforts for the transformation of the health of the human family. I've outlined several of the landmarks of the last few months in the notes below. I hope you will share our joy in these successes. Wishing you every good thing in this blessed holiday season; I look forward to our communication in the New Year!

Daniel K. Church
President

New Board Members

Bastyr University recently concluded the implementation of an 18-month initiative to enhance its governance. Through this initiative, the University has nearly doubled the size of its Board of Trustees, expanding its membership to 20 community leaders whose knowledge and experience promise to further our mission to educate future leaders in the natural health arts and sciences. The newly-expanded board includes legal, financial and academic experts, prominent health care-industry representatives and philanthropists from throughout the Puget Sound region.

The nine new board members, whose three-year terms began in 2007 are: King County Executive Ron Sims; Stephen G. Olswang, PhD, former interim chancellor of the University of Washington Bothell; Washington state health officer Maxine Hayes, MD, MPH; Pamela Rolfe, principal with Career Specialists, Inc.; Steven D. Huebner, CPA, audit partner with KPMG; Paull H. Shin, PhD, Washington state senator; Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH, research assistant professor at Bastyr University; John Cunningham, CPA, retired financial manager; and Barrie Cohen, community volunteer.

These individuals bring to Bastyr University a wealth of diverse experience and a passion for our mission. We are confident that they will play an invaluable role as we continue working toward our vision to transform the health and well-being of the human community. The members' contributions will further enable the University to advance its integrative approach to education, research and clinical service in the natural health arts and sciences.

DAOM Accreditation

We are pleased to announce that the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program recently received five-year accreditation status with the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). The DAOM program is one of the first in the nation to attain this professional status and Bastyr University is now the only academic institution in the United States with a DAOM program that is both regionally and professionally accredited.

Founders' Day Celebration

Faculty, staff, alumni, board members and Bastyr University founders came together to celebrate Founders' Day on October 12-14. It was a weekend of celebration, laughter and proud reflection on the University's 29-year legacy of leadership in natural health arts and sciences education. Events included an alumni gathering in the beautiful Bastyr University chapel, a forum featuring speeches from Bastyr University founders and a “last lecture” by faculty member and alumnus Brad Lichtenstein, ND. The Saturday evening “Dinner with the Founders” at the Space Needle, emceed by Seattle radio personality John Maynard, generated much laughter and enjoyment.

At the Space Needle dinner, a new annual awards program was announced, The Four Pillars Awards, named after the four founders. Recipients will include current students, alumni, and generous donors and community members. The weekend of celebration concluded on Sunday with a continental breakfast and a tour of our teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health. The tour provided a great opportunity to show off our newly relocated and beautifully remodeled clinic located in the Wallingford/Fremont neighborhood.

Stay tuned for details on Founders' Day Weekend 2008, which will include honorary awards and a celebration of Bastyr's 30 years as a leading academic center for advancing the natural health sciences.

Bastyr Plays Prominent Role at National HerbDay 2007

At this year's national HerbDay festivities at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC on October 12-14, Bastyr University had a significant presence, presenting a variety of talks on the medicinal and culinary uses of herbs. Robin DiPasquale, ND, RH (AHG), chair of the Bastyr University Department of Botanical Medicine, was the keynote speaker. She spoke on "The Spiritual Dimensions of Herbs" and gave two additional talks over the weekend. Two senior students in Bastyr's herbal sciences program accompanied Dr. DiPasquale on the trip and spoke on topics including, "Ten Kitchen Herbs” and "Herbs for the Liver.” Meanwhile, Bastyr University celebrated national HerbDay by hosting a week of workshops and lectures on our campus.

New Mission and Vision Statements

In August, the Bastyr University Board of Trustees approved new vision and mission statements to guide the University in it strategic planning and day-to-day operations. The board spent more than a year crafting these statements, which keep faith with our founding affirmations and include subtle changes that will guide us in our work in the field of integrative medicine.

First-Ever Botanical Authentication Conference Takes Place at Bastyr University

In the first conference of its kind, researchers, clinicians, educators and government officials gathered at Bastyr University in August to evaluate the state of the science in botanical medicine authentication. At the conference, stakeholders evaluated botanical identification as it pertains to industrial quality assurance, and the documentation and characterization of botanical materials for use in pre-clinical and clinical research. “Establishing this authentication will advance botanical medicine research and the commercial preparation of these substances,” says Dr. Tim Callahan, vice president for research and collaboration at Bastyr University. A summary of the conference findings and recommendations for future research directions in botanical medicine will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.