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We’ve had an inordinate amount of sunny days and mild weather for January, and I’m loving it even though it gets in the way of some of our favorite winter pastimes. I’ve got some good news and opportunities to share this week, right along with that sunshine.
We have made so much progress in our delivery of services to students in the past several years. From Monty the Chatbot to the new TRIO grant, EOU has modernized its response to student concerns, more quickly getting students the resources they need to achieve their goals. I’m hopeful you will add to the ways you are already supporting student success by recommending students apply to be a part of TRIO. TRIO benefits students by delivering individually tailored support in critical areas while students integrate into another supportive community at EOU—exactly what many students need!
Our students play a vital role in making our university more responsive. I’m so excited to share that ASEOU is now producing the “Mountie Minute,” which provides timely information from students to students about events and deadlines that matter most to them. I’m so proud of our students for stepping up! With the same spirit, the Psychology Club recently sent out suicide prevention information to faculty to help all of us support each other.
More really great work on campus is helping EOU better support our larger La Grande community. Facilities and Planning is partnering with the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (OYCC), a youth employment program operated by the Training & Employment Consortium (TEC). Youth will be working with Facilities’ supervisors to develop job skills, while also being mentored by their TEC supervisor. The program supports youth workforce development and contributes meaningful service to our campus and local community.
Three EOU students have been selected to receive Student Academic Research Review (STARR) Awards from the Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium. Each student will receive a $4,000 award to produce a literature research review on their proposed topics. The recipients are Alara Campbell (Chemistry-Biochemistry), who will be mentored by Dr. Colin Andrew; Irene Griswold (Chemistry-Biochemistry), working with Dr. Colby Heideman; and Brooke Glaser (Agriculture Entrepreneurship), guided by Elaine Swanson (GO STEM). In addition to submitting their papers, each student will present their work at the Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium Symposium in Corvallis in May. Thank you to Dr. Colby Heideman for serving as our Oregon STARR representative, and thank you to all the faculty for mentoring these students!
EOU Safety and Security (S&S) completed a full day of in-service training focused on strengthening campus safety efforts. The team received an overview of the Maxient Reporting Platform, which streamlines communication and improves Clery tracking. The team also worked on further developing skills in basic report-writing and walked through an incident review of a recent university protest to consider how EOU would respond to a similar situation at EOU. In collaboration with EOU, the Office of the General Counsel, and Student Affairs, S&S is also exploring the creation of a regional threat assessment team with law enforcement, K–12 partners, and other stakeholders.
My round of engagements continues to keep me energized and inspired. AVP Moses-Mesubed and I visited CTUIR’s Board of Trustees to discuss renewing our MOU and strengthening our partnership. It was an encouraging meeting, and we’re grateful to EOU Trustee Gary George for facilitating the meeting. Closer to home, I visited Kronospan and Woodgrain and met some of our alumni on the way. These connections remind us of our legacy in the community, who we serve, and how we can better connect with them. I met with Union County Commissioner Paul Anderes to continue discussions on how EOU is responding to other urgent community needs and to keep communication lines open.
Of course, you’ve seen me right here on campus, too. I’ve been at our shared governance meetings—Faculty Senate, University Council, and Budget and Planning—as well as Men’s Wrestling and Women’s and Men’s Basketball. Our new Board of Trustees’ Chair, Chuck Hofmann, came to campus, and we had engaging meetings with the Foundation and others at the university.
Tomorrow, Thursday, January 22, I’m excited to attend the virtual Koffee with Kelly to spend time with EOU’s remote workers and online students at 2:30 p.m., and then join you at the “Ask a VP Session” at 3:30 p.m. in Zabel Hall. Congratulations to the Psychology Department, which will host its first Psi Chi Induction Ceremony on this very busy Thursday!
As my schedule allows, I’ve been stepping outside to enjoy a brief walk in the sunshine and have had the joy of reconnecting with some of you in those moments. It means more than you know to see you smile and hear how you’re doing.
Thank you for all you do!
Sincerely,
Kelly A. Ryan, Ph.D.President
December 10
Uncertainty seems to be the word of the year. It’s hard to strategize and serve when you can’t always see around the corner.
Yet, we must plan to make sure we take care of our community. While the tone of this message is different from my usual communications, the purpose remains unchanged: to inform, to strengthen our community, and to focus on what we can control by preparing together.
November 25
From the President – November 25, 2025 Thankful to EOU Dear EOU Community, I really enjoyed being in community with you at our “Fall into an Attitude of Gratitude” all-campus event. Thank you for spending time with us and for sharing your gratitude for one another. Many folks used a post-it note to share what […]
Learn more about what EOU did in 2024 by reading our Annual Report.
Office of the PresidentEastern Oregon UniversityOne University BoulevardInlow Hall 243La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541-962-3512Fax: 541-962-3113