EOU President's Office

From the President – September 30, 2026

Happy First Week of Classes!

Dear EOU Community,

We’ve had a bold entrance to the school year. Students are back, staff and faculty contracts are buttoning up, and we’ve had some really great news!

Eastern Oregon University was ranked 53rd in Washington Monthly’s list of the best colleges for rural America, a remarkable achievement considering there are more than 1,000 rural-serving institutions nationwide. I really appreciate how Washington Monthly’s rankings focused on what matters—how we improve rural students’ lives through our work! You can follow this link to the Washington Monthly report (opens in a new tab).

When I shared this news with Board of Trustees Chair Chuck Hofmann, he analyzed the rankings and figures and said that we are actually the Pacific Northwest’s Top 100 Rural University. I like the upgrade from Oregon’s Rural University and have started running with it!

Thank you to each of you for all you are doing to get this first week of classes going. My office will have a little surprise for the campus this Thursday. Keep an eye out!

It’s been a flurry of activity as usual from my office. Last week, we held Convocation, and I finished the listening sessions in which I gathered with every unit on campus. It was really nice spending time with each of our teams! I had the opportunity to meet our Week of Welcome (WOW) student leaders and first-year students during WOW, Bridging Roots leadership, and our new TRIO students. I gave testimony at the Higher Education Coordinating Commission regarding their preliminary report on the state of higher education in Oregon. NAIA’s Council of Presidents, of which I am a member, met over this weekend. Finally, I attended the Pendleton Round-Up, where we met with a host of local, state, and national leaders on higher education issues. I’ve posted pictures of the Round-Up on LinkedIn for those who want to connect or take a peek.

Hope to see you soon,

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Ryan, Ph.D.
President

Learn More About President Kelly A. Ryan

The Ascent ’29 Strategic Blueprint

Powering Oregon: 2026 Economic Impact Study

A new comprehensive economic study conducted by Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) highlights the vital role Eastern Oregon University (EOU) plays as an economic powerhouse, workforce pipeline, and educational anchor for both the region and the State of Oregon. Designated in 2018 as Oregon’s Rural University, EOU generates $388.1 million in total annual economic output, supports 2,510 jobs, and contributes $19.6 million in state and local tax revenues each year.

The study, titled “The Economic Impact of the Regional Public Universities of Oregon,” quantifies the school’s statewide footprint across four key areas: daily institutional operations, capital investment projects, off-campus student and visitor spending, and the long-term enhanced earning potential of its graduates. Developed in collaboration with Southern Oregon University and Western Oregon University, the report studies the impact of Oregon’s Regional Universities on a regional and statewide level.

Visit the EOU Dashboard for more information. For the full technical report, email govrelations@eou.edu.