My.EOU Portal Current Students Faculty/Staff
Apply Visit Request Info Give Now
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University welcomes presidential candidate Thom D. Chesney, Ph.D. on Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21. Chesney will spend a day and a half in La Grande meeting with EOU students, faculty, and staff, interacting with business and community leaders, and touring the campus.
Chesney’s career in higher education has spanned nearly 25 years. Most recently, he served as the President of Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. At Clarke, he orchestrated changes in enrollment management systems which led to enrollment growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also expanded shared governance, increased professional development opportunities, and developed board education for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Throughout his career, Chesney has overseen and shepherded strategic planning at several institutions, initiated agreements with community colleges to facilitate transfer student enrollment, and built partnerships to lower financial barriers for students. He is the recipient of several awards and distinctions including the lifetime professional achievement award from the Sigma Chi International Fraternity, and the College Safety Planning and Leadership Award from the American Association of Community Colleges.
Prior to Clarke, Chesney served as President of Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas; as Associate Provost and Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas; and as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at Collin College in Plano, Texas.
Chesney holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Florida State University and an M.A. in English–Creative Writing from Minnesota State University.
Members of the public are invited to meet Chesney at an open forum on Thursday, April 20 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Huber Auditorium located in the Badgley Science Center on the EOU campus. The forum will be followed by a community reception in the Science Center foyer from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
To read Chesney’s full Curriculum Vitae and cover letter, visit eou.edu/presidential-search.
« EOU’s GO STEM Hub gets help from EOU football team | Competition at Regional High School Mathematics Contest makes math fun »
EOU Opens Facilities to Support Evacuees LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is opening its main campus to evacuees and those affected by area wildfires, including dry camping for RVs, WiFi, and access to the EOU Library, Hoke Union Building, the climbing wall, and the campus Food Pantry. “Our priority is to provide […]Read more
EOU Reading Literacy Program: A Catalyst for Academic Success La Grande, ORE. – Eastern Oregon University (EOU) has always been at the forefront of innovative education, and its continuing Reading Literacy program is no exception. Earlier this week, 26 trainees and 16 mentors gathered on the campus of Eastern Oregon University (EOU) in La Grande […]Read more
Governor Kotek Orders Flags Lowered in Memory of Former Senate President Peter Courtney Salem, OR — Today, Governor Tina Kotek ordered flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff effective immediately until sunset on Thursday, July 18, in memory of the life and service of Peter Michael Coleman Courtney, the former President of […]Read more