From the President – April 24, 2024

Dear EOU Community:

It was almost a year ago today I was first welcomed to EOU when I arrived for my interview to be the next president. I was touched by the deep level of concern many of you had for the direction of the university. This was so apparent in your commitment to the institution and each other. What I learned over the course of my two-day interview, and the preparation beforehand, was a small piece of what I know now. Getting to know so many of you has been among the best parts of my first year experience! EOU is a complex organization that is primed for success, and I’m deeply grateful for all the input the campus receives from participation in things like the Great Colleges to Work For Survey, the strategy teams and budget work, as well as our vitality events. 

Here are some of the amazing things that our EOU colleagues have accomplished: 

The Math club, affectionately known as The Irrationals, attended the 7th annual Pacific Inland Mathematics Undergraduate Conference (PiMUC), held at the University of Idaho. Three EOU math students presented their original research in the form of 20 minute talks to their peers from 10 other regional universities and colleges. The cost of attending the conference was funded by ASEOU and the Esty Family. Plans are for EOU to host this annual conference in 2025! WOW!!

The Oregon Community Foundation awarded GO STEM $2,000 in grant funds from a donor who was “inspired” by their community grant application! 

Early College Initiatives hosted a Dual Credit BBQ and 71 students attended from 6 schools and homeschools. Major supporters of this event were Athletics, Music, Chemistry, Spanish, Business, Computer Science, Theatre, Admissions, and Math. The students had a great time and the beautiful weather really highlighted EOU. 66 seniors earned their honor cords for the very first time this year. They came from 15 different high schools, and we hope the number will grow next year.

EOU is working to respond to your desire for more professional development, which we’ve learned through surveys such as the Great Colleges To Work For. Two weeks ago, Human Resources delivered a fascinating webinar by Bethany Adam’s on “Emotional Intelligence Skills for the Workplace.” 97 EOU employees attended, and we had great feedback! 

EOU’s Hub in La Grande High School continues to be busy with a flurry of activity, and is hosted by Peter Larson and Kathleen Brown. They’ve had 200 student visitors to the faculty spotlight events, and students are also using time to work on their applications or scholarships. A great initiative! 

Have you noticed our new wayfinder signage on the lampposts? It looks great. Thank you to Justin Montgomery, Kiel Gekeler and Doug Strand for pulling this off. 

EOU’s Eastern Oregon Regional High School Math Competition was a success thanks to the hard work of many volunteers, including Steve Tanner and MJ Heather. We had ten teams from nine different schools, totalling around 180 high school students from around the region on campus. Students took a difficult math exam in their current level of study, and while the results of the exams are being tabulated, they had a series of competitions for the schools that culminated in a Math Relay in Quinn. How clever! 

I’m so grateful to the entire campus for considerably reducing supply and service spending. It matters that we cooperate and act wisely. Thank you!

Eleven Chemistry students attended the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans, alongside Drs. Colby Heideman and Anna Cavinato. The students presented six research posters and one poster highlighting the activities that led to the Outstanding Award received by EOU’s Chapter. EOU was one of 61 Chapters in the nation (out of over 500) to receive the award, and we were the only ones in Oregon. (Western Washington University was the only other one in the Pacific Northwest). Most remarkably, this marks the 14th consecutive year for the club to earn the award; an amazing accomplishment by a very dedicated group of students and faculty! 

I’ve been spending most of my time working on future planning for EOU. This includes working with our search committees and firms for the VPSA and Provost searches, in addition to concluding the presentations with the campus strategy teams. I’m excited for the busy round of upcoming campus visits by our candidates and hearing your feedback. I continue to meet with the Oregon Council of University Presidents, HECC, and the TRUs/PSU to shore up our strategies. The EOU Correctional Facilities Education team is meeting and planning to bring on board additional members soon as we evolve on our plans to assist educating adults in custody. I had lovely visits with Superintendent Landon Braden (triple alum!) of Wallowa County Education Service District and Enterprise Superintendent Beccy Nordtvedt to discuss students’ college aspirations. 

I’ve enjoyed my time meeting with various faculty and staff in our “Koffee with Kelly” series and other activities, and I continue to be involved in watching our students shine in academic and athletic events by attending what I can and bombarding them with big smiles and questions. I enjoyed watching our track meet, softball and baseball games, as well as the ROTC Dining Out Event. Meeting our students and parents who are considering attending EOU at a preview day was also encouraging!

Hoping you are finding time to enjoy our beautiful spring!

Kelly Ryan, Ph.D.
President