{"id":86123,"date":"2025-06-10T17:42:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T17:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/?post_type=stories&p=86123"},"modified":"2025-06-10T22:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T22:53:32","slug":"rising-to-challenges","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/news\/rising-to-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising to Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eastern Washington University is the region\u2019s polytechnic. We are the region\u2019s oldest university. And we remain, proudly, a place of possibilities. We\u2019ve become all of these things because every day we ask one essential question: What will help our students succeed?<\/span><\/p>\n

This past year has tested us: from Executive Orders that threaten our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, to uncertainty in financial aid, grant support and the state funding that helps us keep tuition the lowest in Washington. <\/span><\/p>\n

Through it all, we have remained clear and united in our focus: the students who choose Eastern as their place to learn, grow and build a future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each spring, I\u2019m honored to deliver my favorite speech of the year: my commencement address (at Reese Court!). I always send our graduates off with one final assignment \u2014 stay rooted in who you are. Don\u2019t chase someone else\u2019s version of success. Define it for yourself, and build a life that reflects your values, your purpose, your dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s an assignment I take to heart in my own work. I define success by how I lift up those around me. My purpose is ensuring higher education is accessible to all \u2014 not just legacy students or those with perfect GPAs or deep-pocketed families. I want Eastern to serve the dreamers and doers, the first-generation and the underserved, the artists and the scientists, and yes, the proud third and fourth-generation Eagles. That\u2019s why I hold our faculty and staff \u2014 and myself \u2014 accountable for closing equity gaps, maintaining a student-ready campus, and preserving both affordability and academic excellence.<\/span><\/p>\n

And our people rise to that challenge every day. Faculty are mentoring students through applied research that is already making a difference in our region. We\u2019re graduating desperately needed new nurses. We\u2019re boosting student success in critical computer science and math courses through proactive, tailored support. And we\u2019re actively taking inventory of our applied learning efforts so that students have meaningful, hands-on experiences that prepare them for what\u2019s next.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our impact isn\u2019t just reflected in today\u2019s students \u2014 it lives on in our alumni. Every day, Eagles are out there improving communities, shaping policy, standing for what\u2019s right and living out the dreams they began building here at Eastern. Alumni like Greg Deckard, Darby McLean, state Sen. Matt Boehnke and so many others that you\u2019ll meet in this magazine who each remind us of what is possible when we stay focused on our mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m incredibly proud of the Eastern family \u2014 our students, faculty, staff and alumni. Together, we are transforming lives and shaping the future of our region. And we\u2019re just getting started.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Signature\"<\/p>\n

Shari McMahan, PhD<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

EWU President<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eastern Washington University is the region\u2019s polytechnic. And we remain, proudly, a place of possibilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":484,"featured_media":3070,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-86123","stories","type-stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","stories_categories-campus","stories_tags-spring-summer-2025"],"acf":{"subheading":"","featured_image_format":"cover","display_byline":false,"display_featured_image":true,"display_date_published":false,"featured_video":"","Links":false,"Resources":false,"page_override_title":"","page_hide_sidebar":false,"page_enable_page_nav":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/86123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/stories"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/484"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/86123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86370,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/86123\/revisions\/86370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}