Dear Alumni and Friends, It’s great to be back full time as president, even with a difficult budgetary situation. My time away allowed me to fully recover from the effects of my cancer treatment and prepare myself mentally for the challenges that I needed to meet head-on upon my return. As most everybody is aware, Eastern took a pretty hard hit in its state budget allocation for the next two years. The University received a cut of about one-quarter of its base operating budget. Additional tuition authority and an infusion of federal stimulus money helped bring the cuts down to a more manageable level. The challenge EWU faces is straightforward – continue to provide an affordable and quality education, while maintaining a commitment to higher education accessibility. We will have to work hard to meet that challenge. We will rely upon our faculty and staff’s commitment to our students. We will seek help and cooperation from our alumni and friends. We will draw inspiration from the simple belief that higher education can be transformative for individuals and their communities. During the past couple months, while the University moved through the uncertainty of not knowing the level at which our budget would be reduced, I asked the campus community to remember that we are all in this together – One Eastern. I ask every one of you who receive this magazine to recognize that you too are part of “One Eastern.” Whether you are an alum, a student, an educational partner, a donor, a neighbor or EWU employee – you belong to the Eastern family. Over the next couple of years there will be a role for each of you to play as Eastern marshals its forces and moves forward into the future. Whether it’s committing some personal resources to the University or simply putting in a good word for us, the opportunity will arise. I believe Eastern can emerge from these challenging times stronger and even more committed to its core mission of providing a strong education to our students and thus delivering quality graduates to our region’s communities. Thank you for taking the time to read my message and I hope you enjoy the magazine. Sincerely, Editor – Teresa Conway Graphic Design – Ryan Gaard ‘02 Copy Editors – Kandi Carper ‘05, Darcy Creviston ‘08 Contributing Writers – Teresa Conway, Dave Meany, Dave Cook, Kandi Carper ‘05, Scott Davis, Lindsey Bekemeyer Photography – Eric Galey ’84, John Demke ‘98, Larry Conboy, Pat Spanjer ‘80 Editorial Board – Doug Kelley ’83, Jack Lucas ’77, Pia Hallenberg Christensen ’98, Kory Kelly ‘98, Gina Mauro ‘90 Vice President for University Advancement – Michael Westfall Director of Alumni Advancement – Lisa Poplawski ‘94 and ‘01 EWU Alumni Association President – Fran Bierig (Tsuchiyama) ‘76 EWU Foundation Chair – Steve Dahlstrom ‘94 Contact Us Address Changes Alumni Correspondence Class Notes Submissions E-mail: Phone: Website: Write: Fax: ewualum@ewu.edu 509.359.4550 or 888.EWU.ALUM http://alumni.ewu.edu Office of Alumni Advancement 506 F Street, Cheney, WA 99004-2402 509.359.4551 SPRING/SUMMER 09 Front Up E ASTERN THE MAGAZINE for Eastern Washington University Alumni and Friends EASTERN Magazine Letters, Comments, Queries E-mail: Phone: Write: Fax: easternmagazine@ewu.edu 509.359.6422 Eastern Magazine, 300 Showalter Hall, Cheney, WA 99004-2445 509.359.4701 Supporting EWU For information about making a gift to Eastern, please contact the Office of Alumni Advancement E-mail: Website: Phone: Write: Fax: ewualum@ewu.edu www.ewu.edu/supportewu 509.359.4550 Office of Alumni Advancement 506 F Street, Cheney, WA 99004-2402 509.359.4551 EASTERN, a magazine for alumni and friends of Eastern Washington University, is published in fall, winter and spring by University Marketing and Communications and mailed free in the U.S. to alumni of record. Rodolfo Arévalo, PhD President Eastern Washington University Previous issues of Eastern magazine may be viewed at www.ewu.edu/easternmagazine 2 EASTERN Magazine previous page next page