President’s Letter – Spring 2018

As we approach graduation, I am thrilled to reflect on another incredible year at Eastern Oregon University. The achievements and distinctions that we have chronicled in this issue of The Mountaineer are a few of the ways our students, faculty, partners and alumni embody our Values and Principles as we make progress toward strategic goals.

Meaningful civic engagement is at the core of student success at Eastern. On University Lobby Day, I was proud that we had the largest contingent of student volunteers who met with lawmakers in Salem to promote higher education. Our students’ engagement demonstrated EOU’s importance to the region and rural Oregon.

During the February legislative session, EOU was officially designated as Oregon’s Rural University. Importantly, this illustrates our deep connection to rural places. It represents our commitment to strengthening our role as engaged partners with community organizations, school districts, businesses, and government agencies.This designation gives us a competitive advantage in seeking additional federal and private resources to provide transformational education while serving as an economic engine for rural places.

EOU’s identity emanates through actions consistent with our values and principles, mission, and strategic plan. I hope you enjoy examples of this in these Mountaineer stories.

Sincerely,
Tom Insko, ’94
President

P.S., To read more about our strategy, mission, and see the full list of our values and principles, visit eou.edu/about.