EOU Home  |  About EOU | Visitors Center   

EOU to expand DDE Center in Hermiston

Story and photos by Laura Hancock
Media and Publications Writer
University Advancement
lhancock@eou.edu

 

La Grande, Oregon – Higher education and the community of Hermiston are growing. In response, Eastern Oregon University is moving ahead with plans to establish a full-service distance education center in Hermiston. EOU President Khosrow Fatemi made the formal announcement on July 12 at the Hermiston Community Center.

EOU President Khosrow Fatemi, center, males a formal
announcement of the University's plan to establish a
full-service distance education center serving Umatilla
and Morrow counties.

Community members and business leaders listened as representatives from EOU’s Division of Distance Education, the College of Business, and the Admissions Office, talked about the prospect of expanding the University’s reach. The Center will offer seven bachelor’s degree programs through the Division of Distance Education, and the new Master of Business Administration program.

“I am very pleased that EOU can provide important higher education resources and opportunities to the people in the Hermiston area,” Fatemi said. “Our partnership with the community will offer more access to education for students in this growing and dynamic region.”

A distance education advisor and an admissions counselor will be placed in Hermiston with the goal of beginning formal operations at the Center by fall 2005. The Center will be housed at the Blue Mountain Community College’s Hermiston campus.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to serve the Hermiston area on a regular basis,” said Mike Cannon, interim dean of distance education. Cannon also noted the success rate of the program, stating that 90 percent of students enrolled in distance education courses complete their degrees.

Fatemi, far right, joins representatives from the Hermiston community on stage for a celebratory ribbon cutting at the Community Center. The new DDE Center is set to begin operations in the fall.

 

Fatemi stressed the importance of higher education in eastern Oregon, referring to his three main initiatives for the Center. The first step will be to expand the existing Center  to accommodate staff.

Secondly, the Admissions Office is in the final process of hiring a full-time outreach counselor to help encourage middle school and high school students in the Hermiston area to attend college, wherever it may be.

Finally, the MBA program will offer classes in Hermiston beginning fall term.  The majority of MBA courses will be transmitted using EOU’s live V-Tel network. Les Mueller, associate professor of business at EOU, said that at least one course session will be taught on site in Hermiston.

“This is a very exciting development for Umatilla and Morrow counties,” said Fred Ziari, president of IRZ Consulting, LLC, which sponsored the announcement event. “We are working with the school districts, Blue Mountain Community College and EOU to meet the educational needs of the community in Hermiston.”

For additional information on the Hermiston DDE Center contact the EOU University Advancement Office at (541) 962-3740. Further information on the degrees available through the distance education program is available online at www.eou.edu/dde/.

Contact Us | Alumni | Government Relations | President's page