BELLINGHAM – Oscar-nominated director and Western Washington University alumnus TJ Martin is coming to Western’s campus for an exclusive screening of his documentary “Undefeated.”

Students, faculty and community members are invited to a special evening with TJ Martin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 in the Performing Arts Center Mainstage. Admission is free, but tickets are required by registering at the WWU Alumni Association website. A suggested donation of $5 to be applied toward Western student scholarships will be accepted on the registration page and at the door.

Martin could make history at the Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles the week prior to his return to Bellingham. If “Undefeated” wins the Oscar for Best Feature Documentary, Martin would be the first African American director of a full-length feature film to win an Oscar. John Singleton, Lee Daniels and Spike Lee have received nominations for directing full-length features,  but none have won an Oscar statue.

"Undefeated" first received critical acclaim at its SXSW debut in March and was signed by The Weinstein Co. for distribution soon after.

Martin's second film, “Undefeated” documents the struggles of an inner-city Memphis football team as they attempt a winning season with their charismatic and devoted coach, Bill Courtney, at the helm. Faced with virtually every strike against them – from poverty to criminal behavior – this inspirational true story shows how a group of young men transformed into an academic and athletic team.

Martin credits his time at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies as prepping him for the next stage of his life – a move to New York and then Los Angeles to work in film.

“Fairhaven [College] allowed me to go off and dabble in the film world and integrate what I learned in my classes through the media.”

“You’ll fail a million times before you make one success,” he said. “Fairhaven and WWU created a comfortable environment for that to happen. It was a good stomping ground where I could experiment a lot and felt comfortable making mistakes.”

Martin will spend the day on campus talking to students, faculty and staff before the exclusive Bellingham screening.

The event is being sponsored by the Western Alumni Association. Follow Twitter for more about this event at #WWUOscarNom.

BELLINGHAM – Kathleen Kitto has been named the acting vice provost for Research and acting dean of the Graduate School at Western Washington University.

Kitto will assume her new duties on March 15. Moheb Ghali, who has served as vice provost for Research and dean of the Graduate School at Western since 1993, has decided to return to his faculty position as professor of Economics. 

“I sincerely appreciate Professor Kitto being willing to lead us through this transition. She has led some very successful interdisciplinary efforts and has familiarity with key federal funding agencies. She will work with skilled and dedicated staff in the Graduate School and sponsored research and already has plans for how to reach out to faculty to ensure support for their work is as effective as it can be,” said Catherine Riordan, Western’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

“I have always deeply valued the many ways in which I have been given the honor of serving Western’s community, and I am eager to work closely and thoughtfully with the many stakeholders engaged in our Graduate School and Research and Sponsored Programs as we consider and shape our strategic future,” Kitto said. “Synergistically, I will also be continuing my work with Provost Riordan, Vice President Stephanie Bowers, and many other campus and community leaders on our strategic initiatives and planning, but will be stepping away from the classroom for the first time in my career.  Because of the many opportunities and challenges before us, I am very much looking forward to this leadership role. “

Kitto, who served as associate dean of Western’s College of Sciences and Technology (CST) since its inception in 2003, is special assistant to the Provost for Strategic Initiatives. She is a professor of Engineering Technology and served as chair of that department for seven years. She also served as director of Western’s Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center.

“In my view, Professor Kitto has demonstrated fine managerial-and-leadership skills in her several steps up the administrative ladder. Despite her strong academic interests in teaching and research, because she has a deserved reputation for being a team-building problem solver who is conscientious about all facets of her job, she continues to be encouraged to fulfill administrative roles.  I think she is the wise, and in retrospect, obvious choice among faculty at Western to be acting vice provost for Research and dean of graduate studies.  I am delighted,” said Roger Anderson, Biology professor and chair of the Academic Coordinating Committee at Western. 

Kitto is active in her discipline and is the lead principal investigator on a National Science Foundation project to advance the careers of women within the sciences, engineering and mathematics. She is the lead PI on a second NSF project designed to enhance materials engineering educational outcomes through innovative applications built for smart devices.

She has co-authored three textbooks, written numerous scholarly publications and has served on many review panels and boards. In 2010, Kitto received Western’s Diversity Achievement Award. She was a member of the team that received Western’s Team Recognition awards in 2010 and 2009.