Raising better readers: Modern methods promise improved literacy

By the end of third grade, about half of Oregon students have fallen behind in reading comprehension. Difficulty reading at this early stage often leads to lower achievement in school, as well as in adult life.  A new program developed by Eastern Oregon University’s College of Education aims to equip teachers with tools and strategies […]

Life Lessons on and off The Court.

Ryan Looney’s, ’98, skill at building teams has proven successful—and those successes culminated into an opportunity to be the head coach of an NCAA Division 1 basketball team. There were a lot of stops along the road to the Division 1 job, but that was never the plan. “Each time we moved, there was an […]

Every room a classroom

Room 214 in Inlow Hall is not a classroom, but it’s where two recent graduates learned critical skills, discovered mentors and applied theoretical knowledge.  Briana Rosenkranz, ’20, and Samantha Wegermann, ’20 and ’21, earned degrees in business from EOU, while gaining real-world experience through on-campus jobs and internships with the university’s marketing team.  After graduation, […]

Writing Under a Western Sky

Garrett Christensen  Home means something different to everyone. Amelia Ettinger, a 2021 MFA graduate, expresses home, or rather how to find home, through poetry in her 2020 collection “Learning to Love a Western Sky.”   “It really is looking for home in many ways,” she said. “I think that a lot of the collection is a […]

Students, scholarships and one very special staircase: State funding makes an impact on campus

Following Oregon’s 2022 legislative session, EOU will see several important investments in student support services, scholarships and its iconic Grand Staircase.  “We are happy to announce that Eastern Oregon University had a very successful February session with several significant investments from the state,” EOU President Tom Insko said. “I greatly appreciate the hard work and […]

Finding their park

After 12 years of working in traditional Hopi homelands at the Petrified Forest National Park, Sarah Herve, ’03, got to introduce a group of young people from the Indigenous tribe to her own origins in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Growing greatness

In the fall of 2022, the first cohort of Agriculture Entrepreneurship students will begin their studies at Eastern Oregon University.

Creating a buzz:

EOU economics professor Jeff Dense’s research focuses on the political economy of vice.

This land…

EOU Trustee Bobbie Conner has ancestral ties to the Grande Ronde Valley that long pre-date the university.

Developing responsible global citizens

Diversity, equity and inclusion language is new to many EOU students. Learn more about how this important aspect of higher education is integrated on campus.

Stepping up in time of need

The EOU Foundation supported struggling students during the pandemic through the Student Crisis Fund.

Voices of the pandemic

Students, employees and alumni responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside communities around the world.

Miss Spontaneity

Transfer student Sophia Yervasi will join her best friend as contestants on the Miss Oregon USA stage Nov. 21.

One man’s trash

By Katy Nesbitt Luke Dynes, ’02, is the poster child for the self-made business executive — but his work goes beyond his success in agriculture. Dynes moved to Eastern Oregon as a teenager from Danville, Illinois. He attended Hermiston High School and spent summers in Elgin. Motivated to get an education and gifted with a […]

Comfort in crisis

EOU Foundation funds keep students enrolled through life’s challenges Last year alone, 27 students benefited from EOU Foundation Crisis Awards. The funds support online and on-campus students who find themselves in difficult situations, where medical expenses, car trouble or childcare costs could threaten their progress toward earning a degree. These private funds close the gap to […]

Finding her way

Adjunct vocal instructor Jamie Jacobson walked 500 miles over 40 days this summer, following the ancient Camino de Santiago through northern Spain. She said the physical, mental and spiritual challenges and triumphs of the camino equipped her to better guide aspiring musicians. Learn more about her experience @theWAYtoJamie2019 on Facebook.     5 things I’m […]

From the Beat to the Street

Alumnus George Thompson, ’02, worked closely with Sesame Street muppet Julia to reach people with autism through music.

Living in Neon

Rebels on homemade motorbikes clash with gleaming cyborgs in the cyberpunk landscape of Neon District. The soon-to-be-released video game is the brainchild of Blockade Games CEO Marguerite deCourcelle, ’09. Hidden riddles and surprise attacks await players in the painterly tech-noir environment.

Home away from home

Four college friends left Eastern Oregon College and scattered across the U.S.: Satwant lives in California now, Sami is outside Washington D.C., Riad’s out in Ohio, and Sally lives near her mother in La Grande. But when they get together, it’s like no time has passed at all.

Running with the Lions

Jace Billingsley is 5’9” and 189 pounds — among the shortest and lightest players on the Detroit Lions’ active roster — but he’s used to exceeding expectations. Billingsley grew up in Winnemucca, Nev., a town of less than 8,000 that lies about six hours south of La Grande. He was an all-state quarterback for the […]