Where Are They Now?

Retired EOU Emeritus Faculty say time on campus shaped both their lives and the futures of the students they served. Their reflections: EOU’s strength comes from the people who create a supportive community of success.

Professor Doyle Slater arrived at EOU in 1969 and remembers a tightly-woven campus network of colleagues and students and a time when faculty regularly met for munchies and conversations. “We did a lot of things together,” he recalled. Slater added that the university continues to feel like a welcoming environment. “EOU has many of the qualities—friendly, a concern for others—that it always had,” he said. When asked what he misses most, Slater commented, “I miss the people. It was a family.” Although he retired in 2000, he remains in touch with former students to this day and values seeing the difference they make in their communities.

Greg Monahan taught history at EOU 1986 to 2012. He approached teaching with creativity and high expectations. “I’d like them to remember my classes were interesting. I was tough but fair,” Monahan said. Students remember the characters he portrayed in class, like a medieval peasant, a Roman senator, or even Christopher Columbus, where he answered questions in character. Monahan continues to support student success through a scholarship named after his late wife, Rita. The fund helps nursing students cover exam costs, strengthening the pathways open for graduates to move into the workforce.

Poet, editor, linguist, and professor at EOU from 1970 to 2002, George Venn played a central role in shaping EOU’s literary identity. He advised Oregon East for 18 years and taught writing, American literature, and ESOL, earning EOU’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2002. He smiles when recalling his students’ accomplishments and feeling proud when a student “would get published in anything off campus.” His work helped students find their voices and gain confidence in their abilities. He still meets former students in La Grande. “The students are welcoming,” he said. “Of course, they have every reason to be proud, and I am proud of them.”Peggy Anderson, who taught, coached, and led EOU Athletics during two periods between 1963 and 2001, helped build opportunities for female athletes. “We had some very talented women,” Anderson said. She encouraged student-athletes to see graduation as their goal. “I was so pleased when athletes walked across the stage at commencement,” she said. Anderson also remembers a swimming program that paired EOU students with participants who had disabilities. “Everyone could have some success,” she said. EOU’s softball field is named in her honor.

Music professor Matt Cooper, who taught from 1991 to 2019, found his most meaningful work in individual lessons. “You are the person in their life every week they can count on,” Cooper said. He guided students who later became teachers, principals, and superintendents.  “Students surprise you,” he said. “I am so proud of my students.” Cooper also supported the development of the 45th Parallel Ensemble, and encouraged students to explore evolving musical styles. He believes private support is essential to sustaining the arts and credits the EOU Foundation with helping students continue their education in music.