From the President – June 5, 2024

From the President – June 5, 2024

Dear EOU Community:

We can all feel it coming: commencement is almost here! For many in this year’s cohort, it will be their first in person commencement ceremony as many experienced alternative celebrations during the pandemic. I hope each of you will help EOU celebrate this momentous moment in our students’ lives. I know my next week is chock full of celebratory events!!

Some good news that reached my desk:

• Another national champion for the Mounties: TJ Davis won the National Championship in the Decathlon! Woohoo! 
• Genesis Meaderds Anguiano, Director of Admissions, earned her Ed.D in Higher Education from Oregon State University. Congratulations Genesis!!
• Darby McDevitt, Health and Human Performance Major and soccer player, won the 2023-2024 Cascades Conference Champion of Character of the Year!! 
• The Oregon Academic Advising Association’s annual (virtual) conference was held on May 30. This year’s theme was “From Surviving to Thriving: Creating Connections and Belonging on our Campuses,” and joining a panel of seven students from institutions across Oregon were EOU students Nate Easton and Kelli Olson. Thank you Nate and Kelli for sharing your insights and perspectives about advising and impact of advisor support! Special thanks to McKayla Neal and Andrea Williams for your role in making this year’s conference a reality.

The budget has been and will continue to be a focus for EOU.  As I have shared multiple times, most recently during our May University Updates, it is our proactive work that has and will continue to positively impact the future of EOU. I encourage you to read this article in The Observer celebrating the good work happening: EOU is thriving, growing despite financial challenges. I also want to remind you that budgetary concerns are not unique to EOU and during a recent interview with the Oregon Capital Chronicle, on behalf of the Oregon Council of Presidents, I was able to highlight some of the challenges higher education institutions in Oregon face due to lack of public funding: Oregon lags most states in public higher education funding, report finds.  

Recently, I’ve been digging deep into the work of our strategy teams and working with cabinet to develop timelines for the upcoming work. I can’t wait to share the final product with you at convocation. We’re starting many projects this summer, like establishing a one-stop shop for students and enhancing our mentoring program. 

When I’m not writing speeches or welcomes for upcoming events, I’ve been enjoying time with our community. I had a great trip to Maxville with Professor Rory Becker and student Bruce Morehead, who are helping Maxville Director Gwen Trice with several projects. I had a tour of the historic site and am excited to see it develop with EOU’s assistance. I had a great time watching our students perform in “She Loves Me” and enjoyed our student’s final reports on the Walk for L.I.F.E program. 

I also had the opportunity to meet Director Brenda Bateman and her team from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to discuss how we can better serve our region. I met individually with Sheriff Cody Bowen and Commissioner Donna Beverage to learn more about our community, and I made my way to Eugene to celebrate Dr. Karl Scholz’s investiture as the President of the University of Oregon.

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Ryan, Ph.D.
President