From the President – In the thick of the term!

From the President – In the thick of the term!

Dear EOU Community

Homecoming week this year was particularly special because it gave me the opportunity to celebrate and smile at a time when I really needed it. What I most like about Homecoming is hearing about how much EOU has changed individual lives. There are so many stories, and getting to visit with current and former students lifted me up. I visited with our Athletic Hall of Fame recipients, joined our parade, met with our Alumni and Foundation Boards, and attended the tailgate and football game, among other activities. I also got to play human Scrabble with some students and see them enjoy all the fun events. Thank you to everyone who made this event so special, especially Suzannah Moore, Emily Diaz-Leal, and everyone in Athletics!  

The Library reached out with a request for all of us. I encourage you to share your thoughts with the Library by participating in this use and satisfaction survey (https://bit.ly/46zQPPj), open through Sunday, Oct. 19. Learning from one another is important in building a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Constructive feedback helps us identify opportunities for growth.

Student success is our #1 priority, and it is with immense gratitude that I am sharing a special shout-out to our Residence Life team, who have demonstrated remarkable dedication and resilience over the past several months. From successfully hosting summer camps and navigating leadership transitions to supporting ongoing capital improvement projects, their commitment to our students and fostering a vibrant campus community is unwavering. Thank you for continuing to create welcoming, supportive spaces where students can thrive, and for transforming our residence halls into true communities and our buildings into homes. 

It’s always inspiring to see the great work happening across EOU being shared throughout Oregon and beyond. Thank you, Dr. Hope Schuermann, Director of Eastern Oregon University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, for sharing how EOU’s program is helping strengthen Oregon’s behavioral health workforce during your presentation to the Oregon Behavioral Health Talent Council. Thank you, Pamela Fredrick Williams, for representing EOU at the 2025 National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) and sharing how our Benefits Navigator program supports student success by connecting students to essential state supports such as SNAP and Basic Needs Oregon.

Now that we’re settled into the new school year, things have really taken off. I had the opportunity to meet with Mark Browning of Blue Mountain Community College and Mark Mulvihill of the Intermountain Educational Service District to discuss how we can better partner together. I also met with Demarée Michelau of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), La Grande’s new City Manager, John O’Brien, and the director of Union County’s Chamber of Commerce (and alum,) Saajan Chauhan, to do the same! I’ve started spending more time with some of our wonderful donors, having meetings with several of our music and mathematics scholarship donors, as well as those interested in our baseball program. I spent time with Governor Kotek and First Lady Kotek Wilson in Salem, and also got to see my niece, who just moved to Portland! And I, too, enjoy continuously sharing examples of the great work EOU is doing. 

Our internal meetings have also taken off. The University Council, Faculty Senate, and Budget and Planning/Tuition Advisory Council have all met to begin this year’s work, and I attended all these meetings. I’ve also been getting together more often with ASEOU leadership, meeting with the president and the executive leadership over the past two weeks. We hosted a vitality event with sidewalk chalk over the lunch hour today.  And, I’m still finishing up my beginning-of-the-year unit meetings with each unit on campus. Almost there!

In my free time during this time of year, I spend as much time as I can watching horror movies, but as many of you know, I am also an avid reader. One thoughtful piece worth diving into is Meghan O’Rourke’s New York Times essay, “I Teach Creative Writing. This is what A.I. Is Doing to Students.” Despite the title (which is usually out of an author’s control), it’s a very thoughtful piece worth digesting and mulling over.`

Sincerely,

Kelly Ryan, Ph.D.
President