EOU president vows continued change

Pendleton East Oregonian

Published: June 30, 2004

LA GRANDE ― Eastern Oregon University probably changed more over the past 10 years than during any phase of its history.

Enrollment increased at least 20 percent, a $33.5 million science center project was virtually completed and new degree programs were added.

Look for the pace to escalate because Khosrow Fatemi, who has just become EOU's new president, wants to keep the university on the cusp of change.

"A university must change; otherwise, it will become obsolete. It has to be on the forefront," Fatemi said.

Fatemi, who was head of San Diego State University's Imperial Valley campus since 1998, will be anything but a caretaker president.

"I am not interested in being a maintenance person; the status quo is not for me. I would not be happy in a position in which I could not do things," Fatemi said.

What changes are on Eastern's horizon?

The most visible will involve EOU's East Dorion and West Dorion hall dormitories. Fatemi wants to have the aging residence halls, built in the 1950s, torn down and replaced.

"They are old. They are really not conducive to college life," Fatemi said.

He wants to replace them with a residence hall similar to Alikut Hall, which opened in 1997. Alikut features 24 apartment suites, each with four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.

Another structural change coming soon is the expansion of Pierce Library. Expansion is needed because of increasing demands on the library for storage space.

When it opened in 1951, Pierce Library had 50,000 materials, including 24,931 books. Today it has 500,000 materials, including 148,000 books.

Fatemi expects enrollment to grow 4 to 5 percent a year. Many of the new students will be of diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. Fatemi wants to add more students from throughout the United States and from other countries.

Fatemi also wants to boost EOU's involvement in international exchange programs. He wants students and faculty to have more opportunities to study and teach abroad. He succeeded in doing this at Imperial Valley where, last year, 7 percent of its students and 25 percent of its faculty participated in international programs ― either taking or teaching classes abroad and participating in international conferences.

Fatemi said this is critical because, after students graduate, they will compete in a global environment.

"They need a global perspective," Fatemi said.

While EOU is developing a more international flavor, it might also take on a more Eastern Oregon feel. Fatemi hopes that a substantial percentage of EOU's enrollment increase will come from drawing a greater number of students from northeast Oregon. Fatemi said there is great potential for attracting substantially more students from this region. He points out that just one in eight high school graduates in Union, Wallowa and Baker counties attend college. The state average, by contrast, is one in four.

Contact Information

University Advancement Eastern Oregon University One University Boulevard La Grande, OR 97850 phone 541.962.3740 fax 541.962.3680 email University Advancement