From the President – July 17, 2024

From the President – July 17, 2024

Dear EOU Community:

It’s been over a month since the wind, rain, hail and (fortunately) sunshine of commencement. The work of the university has been going strong with our Mountaineer Days, summer camps, summer term, and fall term planning.

Much has changed over the last year at EOU and among the newest changes is the arrival of our new VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Mollie Rockafellow. Please welcome her when you see her around campus.

We also have new contracts for dining services and our bookstore. Our bookstore is now run by Follet, and we were fortunate to have a great team supporting the decision, which included Le Bailey with committee support from Ciera Melchoir, Julian Harris, Dr. Sandra Nava Nieto, Dr. Chad Mueller, and Dean Candice Watkins. Dining services will soon be managed by Genuine Foods. I’m grateful to the dining services committee, which included Jeremy David Jones, Kelly Marriott, Kris Martens, Tyler Thamert, McKenzie Jerofke, and Sam Ghrist. Thank you to the committees who helped us select our vendors and for all the campus feedback that got us across the finish line.

I was thrilled to receive the newest edition of the Eastern Oregon Social Science Journal, edited by Oreng Kikuo and associate editor Saraï Clunie Paul, with the assistance of faculty advisors Drs. Aaron Thornburg and Amy Yielding. The research on skill development among the homeless, mental health access in rural areas, imposter syndrome, and the effects of meditation on emotional regulation show the depth and breadth of scholarship produced at EOU.

We submitted our application to Oregon’s Department of Corrections Advisory Committee to provide educational opportunities for adults in custody at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and Snake River Correctional Institution. I’m really grateful to the faculty and staff who have stepped up to support this project. Submitting this application is the first of a three-part process that requires much planning and innovation.

We’ve also submitted our application to the US Department of Education for a TRIO grant, which will support our efforts to serve low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress from middle school to baccalaureate programs. I’m grateful to AVP Bennie Moses-Mesubed, Mika Morton, Nathan Smutz, Dr. Cori Brewster and Dean Nate Lowe for their efforts.

Administration finalized their input on the 2029 Ascent strategies that were developed over the winter and spring terms, and I will be delighted to share these with you when we start the new academic year. I’m excited to see us focused and unified around our shared goals that were a wonderful culmination of our shared governance processes.

I’ve been able to find some time to engage with our community of course too. Dr. Laura Mahrt invited me to Ladd Marsh to join the team involved in the MAPS bird banding project. It was a lot of fun to see Dr. Mahrt lead the crew, and she even let me release a few of the birds after the banding!  I had a good conversation with the Administrative Professional Executive Committee to discuss campus welfare and the new 2029 Ascent strategies.

We’ve also had great meetings with local leaders, including Jeremy Davis from Grande Ronde Hospital, County Commissioner Paul Anderes, Paranvir Singh from the forthcoming La Grande Hampton Inn, and Scott Carpenter and George Mendoza from the La Grande School District. We also visited Northwoods Manufacturing to learn more about how we can work together.

And, of course, we had a great time at the Timbers alumni event!

I hope many of you have been able to find some time for yourselves, your families or are looking forward to an upcoming vacation.

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Ryan, Ph.D.
President