- A busy fall and winter for the Admissions team has them recruiting throughout Washington, western states, as well as the mid-west and abroad (South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, India, China, Mongolia, Puerto Rico, and Canada). The team has also been executing email, postcard and social media campaigns (with several hundred thousand contacts), as well as hosting over 3,000 guests on campus for various events. Included in those events were Embrace Your Diversity (EYD), Female Summit, and Native American Youth Leadership and Education (NAYLE), all designed to empower underrepresented populations, first generation students and low income youth to achieve the college degree. As we approach 11,000 applications, the assorted paperwork that accompanies these applications approaches 50,000 pieces, a 34% increase over the last few years. We expect it to continue to rise as we expand our recruiting outreach. Presently, we are working with a prospect data base of almost 120,000 students and their parents.
- EWU continues to lead the way in facilitating the Reverse Transfer. Working with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, EWU’s program helps lower division transfer students (without the AA) facilitate transferring their EWU credits back to their CC. This allows students to earn the AA, which can speed progress toward the BA/BS, as students with the AA are exempted from EWU GE requirements. A total of 59 students registered in the Fall 2016 quarter had given permission to send EWU coursework to their respective community and/or technical colleges. To date, over 120 students have opted into the reverse transfer program.
- The Career Services survey of 2015 graduates (Life After Eastern) shows the employment rate seven months after graduation at 87%, with 23% earning $50,000 or more. Members from this 2015 class are also pursuing graduate degrees in over 40 states. Seventy-one percent had career-related experiences prior to graduation. The survey of 2016 graduates is launching this month, with results available after analysis in the summer.
- A number of dialogues and fora provided opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and the community to explore current events. In partnership with faculty members from International Affairs and Political Science, the Student Activities Involvement and Leadership (SAIL) Team facilitated our Current Events Series panel discussions regarding electronic colonialism in Pakistan and the political realities of the Trump presidency; more than 550 students, faculty, and staff attended. The team also facilitated a presidential election debrief/reflection program, featuring faculty members from Psychology, History, Political Science, and Media/Film.
- The PUB Renovation continues at full steam, remaining on schedule and on budget. In December, we moved the final two operations from the facility—Dining and the Bookstore—in order to fully engage the construction phase. As the construction progresses, we are continuing plans to stand up EWU’s first Multicultural Center. We’ve connected with colleagues at Oregon State University to serve as consultants and help us identify best practices in student multicultural centers, to assess strengths and opportunities related to our institutional diversity and inclusion goals, and to recommend partnerships and strategies between the center and other campus units. One visit was conducted by our consultant in January, to be followed by another in March to assess progress and identify next steps. Additionally, President Cullinan has asked us to develop an interim location and leadership until the new center opens in the renovated PUB, so we are actively working to identify space and create a staffing model. We hope to have the Multicultural Center open in its interim location in early spring.
- Kudos: Eagle Entertainment received the Award for Outstanding Campus Tradition for their annual Drag Show, and former Eagle Entertainment Chair and current ASEWU Director of Finance Mike Cardenas received the Outstanding 4-Year Student Award at the 2016 National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) West Conference in California. Senior Eric Radcliffe represented EWU and the Powerlifting Club at the International Powerlifting World Championships in Las Vegas in November and set a Junior World Record during the deadlift phase of the competition (with a lift of 695 lbs), and he finished second overall in his weight/age group.
Eastern Washington University
